Let’s Go Europe （II）： First Stop Portugal 第一站，葡萄牙

2016-05-14张健

英语学习 2016年9期

张健

预算不高，免费飞机餐使我兴奋不已；沉重的行囊背上身，差点叫我仰翻过去；早高峰的异国公交上，周围乘客的脸看起来都很“欧洲”；阴冷的早晨，在林中乱逛的我被老男人尾随，吓得魂飞魄散；蜷缩在咖啡馆里，十分想家，但又因温暖而觉得满足；不知自己有没有设置错闹钟，担心了一夜结果睡过头，错过飞机的我在机场号啕大哭……这些趣事、事、傻事通通都发生在我18岁那年的葡萄牙之旅。

I was only 18 years old， just a few months out of school， on the first flight Id ever been on， crossing the ocean for the first time， and headed to Europe for the adventure of a lifetime. So you can imagine what was my number one priority—the free in-flight meal！1 With all the little containers holding bits of food， the cutlery in a bag2… I was fascinated. Being on a tight budget， I even set aside a sandwich for later.3

Finally we touched down in Lisbon，4 Portugal， on a cold wet morning. Next thing was to grab my backpack. I got it off the baggage conveyer with the help of another passenger.5 I heaved6 it on my back. It was so heavy that I nearly fell over backwards. I could barely make it out of the airport， let alone onto the train and then bus. I was juggling thoughts of what I could get rid of—maybe the compass—with simply being overwhelmed by the cold， wet， early morning rush on the train，7 and people who just looked so different to me （so European！） with serious faces and dark clothes. I also was surprised by how many people of different races there were on the train that morning. But of course Portugal had been a great seafaring nation and colonial power with territories in areas from Mozambique and Angola in Africa through to Macau in China.8

Id decided to head to a place called Oieras， a pretty beachside town on the Estoril coast， near Lisbon. My Lets Go Europe tourist guide had directions on how to get there； Id read them many times， as well as having chosen the youth hostel9 Id stay at.

Youth hostels are great places to meet fellow10 travellers. But I had only two days to see everything I wanted to in the area surrounding Lisbon and my schedule was， at that point， way11 more important to me than having someone along. I had a list of all the places I needed to get a photo of. So barely stopping to rest after my overnight flight， I grabbed a smaller bag and headed out to take photos of various cathedrals， buildings and castles in Lisbon itself.12 It was more about ticking off13 a ‘to do list than actually enjoying the trip！ However， the one sight that stood out for me was the Tagus River Bridge， one of the longest suspension bridges in Europe.14 It was beautiful and elegant with a statue called Christ the King， obviously of Jesus， raised on a tall pillar behind it.15 My next stop was the Military Museum. Fact is that Id never been much impressed by weaponry， and this was no exception， but it was on my “to do” list so I pressed on.16

On my way back to the youth hostel， I stopped at Belémto see the Jerónimos Monastery17. Here， monks， for hundreds of years， provided help and prayers for seafarers prior to them setting off to explore， trade with and colonise the world.18 Building of the monastery started in 1501 and continued for 100 years. I had hoped to explore an ancient and mysterious building freely， possibly even discovering rooms such as the monks ancient sleeping quarters19 and kitchen. But the monastery had housed the National Museum of Archaeology20 for many years and was very modernised. I was thoroughly disappointed！ My hopes had probably been unrealistic.

I was exhausted when I fell into bed that night， but was up as soon as I heard stirring21 in my shared room. My last day had a schedule not for the faint-hearted22. I set off to Sintra. The town， set in hills， was lined with pretty cobbled23 streets and beautiful old buildings. The National Palace， which Id especially come to see， was closed. It was cold and raining again， but I decided to make the most of a miserable day—a big mistake. As Sintras forested hills are dotted with pastel-coloured palaces and grand houses called villas， I decided to roam the forest randomly.24 Not a good idea for a young woman travelling alone. An old man with a hunched back25 seemed to be following me. It was muddy26 and cold， and I was lost. Being chased by a dwarf in a misty， foreign country is what nightmares are made of！27 The faster I walked， and eventually ran away from him， the faster he seemed to follow me. Possibly it was my imagination， but I was scared.

Suddenly， and I dont know how， I was back on the streets of Sintra. There were cafes and restaurants all around and despite my tight budget， I entered one， bought three traditional custard tarts and a glass of port wine （as Id heard that port was originally from Portugal and so could regard the purchase as an educational or cultural experience； my budget was low and I needed to justify my spending）.28 I huddled in the back of the café， feeling very homesick， but at least warm and rosy-cheeked.29 I wondered whether cramming in sights and sites，30 and travelling alone was the right thing to do. I was looking forward to meeting up with my friend Shannon. Travel would be better with her.

The next morning at 6 a.m. I was to fly to Brussels31. I set my alarm for a super-early start. There was one problem： I had never used an alarm before. I was uncertain whether the button on the top had to be up or down. I got little sleep as I wondered about it all night. I obviously had made the wrong choice because the next morning I woke only a short while before sunrise. I panicked and grabbed my belongings， waking everyone else in the room. I didnt even have time to shower and set off to the airport.

Now I had less than an hour before my flight left. Not having much experience on buses， I was extremely frustrated by the bus driver pulling over32 and waiting every few streets. I had to do something， so I went to him and informed him that I was late for my flight and so we needed to get a move on. I asked if he could please stop stopping so often as we were holding up an airplane！ He stared at me， but whether he didnt understand English or simply thought I was crazy I dont know， but he continued his route at the same pace—and rightly so of course！

When I finally got to the airport， I rushed to find where I had to check in33. By this time I was in a state of panic. Tears were streaming down my cheeks. The lady at the desk felt so sorry for me that she offered to put me on the flight the next morning at no extra cost.

What a relief！ There was just one problem. I had to spend the next 22 hours at the airport as I was already over budget on my Portugal trip. By late afternoon I was well and truly bored and had a sore34 bottom from sitting all day. I had managed to alleviate some boredom by befriending a young Portuguese man who delivered parcels to and from the airport.35 I either had to sit on an airport chair for the next 12 hours； or else suggest to him that he take me out for the evening. I chose the latter.

He seemed delighted by the proposal but the unfortunate and unsuspecting man had no idea what he was in for.36 The night started easily enough taking me out to dinner. Then I insisted on a sight-seeing tour of Lisbon by night. Over the Tagus River Bridge he had to drive me as I squealed37 with delight at the sights and lights， especially on the Christ the King statue. Lisbon at night was beautiful. The night was clear； the rain had stopped. The palaces and ancient buildings Id seen during my two days were all revisited—over and over again. It was fun the first couple of times， but knowing that my alternative38 was the airport chair I kept him driving for a good five or six hours！

This was fun for me at least； there was companionship39 and time to take in the sights without rushing. It was a decidedly exhausted and bleary-eyed young man who eventually dropped me off just before 4 a.m.40 I am not certain how lucky he felt， but hed been a complete gentleman and good representative of his country！ Then my trip to Portugal was over and I boarded my flight.

1. 所以，你完全可以想象我的头等大事是什么——免费飞机餐！priority：优先事项，最重要的事。

2. container：容器；cutlery：餐具（指刀、叉和汤匙）。

3. tight：紧张的，回旋余地不大的；budget：预算；set aside：省出，留出。

4. touch down：降落，着陆；Lisbon：里斯本，葡萄牙首都。

5. baggage：行李；conveyor：传送带，输送带。

6. heave：（用力）举起。

7. juggle：尽力同时应付，尽量兼顾；get rid of：丢弃，扔掉；compass：指南针； overwhelm：使不知所措，使难以承受； rush：高峰期，繁忙活动期。

8. seafaring：以航海为业的；colonial：殖民的，殖民国家的；territory：领土，领地；Mozambique：莫桑比克共和国，非洲南部国家； Angola：安哥拉，位于非洲西南部。

9. youth hostel：青年招待所，青年旅舍（可为旅行的青年人提供廉价食宿）。

10. fellow：同类的，同伴的。

11. way：远远地，大大地。

12. cathedral：大教堂，主座教堂； castle：城堡。