2016-07-03

【Aiden in English】

        Tucked between Sweden and Russia, the Finnish are stereotypically a quiet group of people influenced by those two powerhouse nations. Most of the time, we think of Finns like Suomi as humans sitting in the middle of a clearing on a small stone or on the edge of a dock on the beach. Although it isn't exactly the kind of mystical elven country most Americans think of it, Finland is quite quiet for my taste. 

        The Finnish land is not one which contains many scenic views of nature or feats of man. Rather, it is the complete opposite. The views sit in a piece of quiet beauty, mostly untouched by the passage of time. Even in Helsinki, the largest city in the country, not many skyscrapers can be found. Amazingly, there are neoclassical buildings busted in homage to St. Petersburg, Russia. Porvoo, a medieval town on the outskirts of the capital, has become the second oldest city that seemingly complements the naturalistic countryside of Finland unexpectedly. Although in recent years, modern parts of the town have sprung up, the old town still carries around the sense of the 1900s. This trade center of its nation has been in constant torment of the Russians for military mission abroad until recent years, always burning down the houses every time they passed through. Nowadays, it is a peaceful village. Even though it still requires food from the local modern supermarket, the old town is somewhat self-supporting. Many shops were selling shirts and restaurants lined the streets, and the town's inhabitants have blended in with the newest technology, like cars and such. The wooden houses themselves have been remodeled to have the newer stuff, and they aren't as medieval as one would think at this point of view. 

        I have come to see these aspects, but not before noticing the odd fact of the silence. If you looked in any direction, all you see on the horizon would be trees and lakes. The idea of silence would be the absolute absence of sound, and at times, that's how it felt. The closer you got to the modern world, civilization seemed to reoccur. In the old town of Porvoo, everyone appeared to be either out of town, asleep or hiding. I can cross out the second option, especially after seeing Chinese people touring the area with us. The world knows all the sound we make, so no surprise that most of the village woke up the moment the tourist groups set foot in Porvoo. And with so many people, one would think they would spread outright? No, a chocolate store just happened to be giving out free samples. Unfortunately, I can't say the tourists are idiots, because mom and I went there, too. 

        The idea of the summer in Finland is to escape. Not only are there 20 hours of daytime, but in the winter, there are 20 hours of the night. Plus, the summer usually doesn't come with a foot of snow. Most residents own a small fishing boat or sailboat, and they use them to head to the seas, where it is possible for some to spend the entire summer. Although it sounds boring, a thousand of islands dot the Baltic Sea, and island hopping is very popular. For others, escape means to run into the forests, wilderness, or another country. I think I can relate...

【红霞译文】

        夹在瑞典与俄罗斯之间，芬兰人生生被两个强势邻国挤兑得大气不敢出，难怪我们经常以为这个“苏奥米”民族不是沦落到置锥之地，就是漂泊于海角天涯，虽说与美国佬想象的神奇精灵略有出入，但以我个人经验之谈，芬兰人确实沉默寡言。

        芬兰原本算不上地杰人灵的风水宝地，可它偏偏出落得既有沉鱼落雁之容，又有闭月羞花之貌，尽管全国最大的城市赫尔辛基摩天大楼尚属罕见，但是像俄罗斯圣彼得堡那样新古典流派的建筑物却层出不穷。首都郊外中世纪小镇波尔沃是芬兰第二座历史悠久的古城，颇具本土特色的田园风光无不让身临其境的游人喜出望外。近年来波尔沃也顺应时代步伐，现代建筑如雨后春笋涌现出来，不过古城依旧保持十九世纪传统风貌。回首往昔，作为贸易中心的波尔沃饱尝俄国人践踏，每当他们派兵出战海外途经此地，宛若鬼子进村烧杀抢掠无恶不作。如今古城业已恢复平静，虽说有些食物还是要去供货齐全的超市购买，然而平民百姓安居乐业，基本上做到自给自足。时下有很多商店向顾客推销衬衫，街头巷尾餐馆酒吧一家挨着一家，当地居民在弘扬民族传统的同时，不失时机地将诸如汽车之类的现代科技产物引入实际生活，木制结构的房屋也采用新型材料翻修重建，从这个角度来看，波尔沃不再是人们所想象的中世纪古城。

        浏览之余，我无意发觉波尔沃竟然出奇地静谧。如果举目四望，那么你看到的恐怕不是森林就是湖泊，而且周围没有一点声音，有时真的感觉万籁俱寂，然而你一旦离现代社会越近，人为的东西自然越来越多。在古城波尔沃，我纳闷莫非父老乡亲们集体外出，或者一起犯困打盹，再不然一个不落全都跑到某个犄角旮旯躲猫猫去了，现在我大可排除第二种推测，特别当中国游人跟我们蜂拥而至，恐怕全世界的人都知道何方神圣大驾光临，于是村民们立马从睡梦中惊醒。此刻，你可能认为大家保不齐兵分几路分布各处？其实不然，何况巧克力商店正向游客发放免费样品。事情寸就寸在我不能臧否人物，因为自己和妈妈也在里面凑着热闹。

        夏季亲临芬兰纯属为了避暑，在此期间每天都有长达廿小时的白昼，当然冬季又少不了廿小时黑夜，只是夏天通常不会出现一英尺厚的大雪天气。当地居民大多拥有小型渔船或帆船，这样可以直捣大海，有的直至度完整个夏季才重归故里，乍听上去感觉有点无聊，但芬兰确有数以千计的岛屿散落于波罗的海，环岛旅游相当流行。对于其他人来说，投奔森林回归大自然，不失为避暑消假的绝好去处，实在不行到国外溜达一圈也成，我想自己属于……