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...

【紅霞譯文】

        夾在瑞典與俄羅斯之間，芬蘭人生生被兩個強勢鄰國擠兌得大氣不敢出，難怪我們經常以為這個“蘇奧米”民族不是淪落到置錐之地，就是漂泊於海角天涯，雖說與美國佬想象的神奇精靈略有出入，但以我個人經驗之談，芬蘭人確實沉默寡言。

        芬蘭原本算不上地傑人靈的風水寶地，可它偏偏出落得既有沉魚落雁之容，又有閉月羞花之貌，儘管全國最大的城市赫爾辛基摩天大樓尚屬罕見，但是像俄羅斯聖彼得堡那樣新古典流派的建築物卻層出不窮。首都郊外中世紀小鎮波爾沃是芬蘭第二座歷史悠久的古城，頗具本土特色的田園風光無不讓身臨其境的遊人喜出望外。近年來波爾沃也順應時代步伐，現代建築如雨後春筍湧現出來，不過古城依舊保持十九世紀傳統風貌。回首往昔，作為貿易中心的波爾沃飽嘗俄國人踐踏，每當他們派兵出戰海外途經此地，宛若鬼子進村燒殺搶掠無惡不作。如今古城業已恢復平靜，雖說有些食物還是要去供貨齊全的超市購買，然而平民百姓安居樂業，基本上做到自給自足。時下有很多商店向顧客推銷襯衫，街頭巷尾餐館酒吧一家挨着一家，當地居民在弘揚民族傳統的同時，不失時機地將諸如汽車之類的現代科技產物引入實際生活，木製結構的房屋也採用新型材料翻修重建，從這個角度來看，波爾沃不再是人們所想象的中世紀古城。

        瀏覽之餘，我無意發覺波爾沃竟然出奇地靜謐。如果舉目四望，那麼你看到的恐怕不是森林就是湖泊，而且周圍沒有一點聲音，有時真的感覺萬籟俱寂，然而你一旦離現代社會越近，人為的東西自然越來越多。在古城波爾沃，我納悶莫非父老鄉親們集體外出，或者一起犯困打盹，再不然一個不落全都跑到某個犄角旮旯躲貓貓去了，現在我大可排除第二種推測，特別當中國遊人跟我們蜂擁而至，恐怕全世界的人都知道何方神聖大駕光臨，於是村民們立馬從睡夢中驚醒。此刻，你可能認為大家保不齊兵分幾路分布各處？其實不然，何況巧克力商店正向遊客發放免費樣品。事情寸就寸在我不能臧否人物，因為自己和媽媽也在裡面湊着熱鬧。

        夏季親臨芬蘭純屬為了避暑，在此期間每天都有長達廿小時的白晝，當然冬季又少不了廿小時黑夜，只是夏天通常不會出現一英尺厚的大雪天氣。當地居民大多擁有小型漁船或帆船，這樣可以直搗大海，有的直至度完整個夏季才重歸故里，乍聽上去感覺有點無聊，但芬蘭確有數以千計的島嶼散落于波羅的海，環島旅遊相當流行。對於其他人來說，投奔森林回歸大自然，不失為避暑消假的絕好去處，實在不行到國外溜達一圈也成，我想自己屬於……