2016-07-16

【Aiden in English】

        One would think that the British are strict in regulation. The one area in which this does not come into play is with recreation. As much as Americans are stereotypical, the residents in the UK actually have fun, too. Although we probably would never admit it, their country, in recent years, has been doing a lot better than we have. But now it isn’t about how much the US has been rising and falling, or about the UK leaving the EU. Today was simply a transfer from one luxury ship to another. 

        Jumping back to 1997, the Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia was still functioning as the Royal Family’s seagoing palace. Unfortunately for the Queen, it was retired that year due to a government decision. Nowadays, the boat moors as the floating museum at the Albert Dock Basin on the side of a modern shopping center of Ocean Terminal in Edinburgh. The tour guide led us to parade through the mall to its entrance, which looked exactly like the other ships. At the time, this Britannia would've been considered the best of the best in the cruising business. Everything was measured by rulers, and all crew members were carefully selected. The ship itself isn't anything huge; in fact, I think it is quite small. I guess that's what the architects were going for. The Britannia, although small, is a delicacy. But when looking at the living areas for the Duke and Queen, one would think the ship should be bigger. Then, once you see the crew's quarters, you understand how the ship managed to house eighty people. 

        The layout covers four main decks, with other small coves above and below. The first thing that comes to my mind when viewing the interior is: "wow, this is old". And, to be truthful, that's what it was. It's an old ship. The televisions were black and white, every decoration out of style. I mean, who still sits in a chair with a straight back? The second meaning of 'old' comes with the artifacts. In modern times, the onboard items would be known as 'antiques', each would probably have sold for thousands of dollars. Especially for the special items, or the gifts to the Royal Family, they are worth a fortune. For example, the elephant tusk from an African nation is a treasure, as well as the countless bottles of wine. It alone can make a man rich, and just depends on who it is. Another reason people always wish to sail on the Britannia is because of its perfect, precise, and priceless measurements. The table in the state dining room is set with plates, forks, knives, spoons, cups, and rulers. The distance between each plate, each seat, each crack in the table, each fork and spoon, and each item from the nearest wall, each measured carefully by hand with a ruler. At the time, the world's most powerful people dined on this boat. People that Americans recognize include Ronald Regan, John F. Kennedy, and many more. In fact, the amount of regulations on board is so annoying that I wonder how anyone hardly gets any pleasure in sailing. The crew cannot have a dirty uniform, so they wash it constantly. The crew must be quiet and not disturb the Queen. The crew must salute the Queen, and vice versa when in uniform. The crew must constantly scrub the decks with saltwater. And finally, the crew must always keep all noise away from the Royal Family. Apparently, silence is bliss. 

        The retirement of the Royal Yacht Britannia is, according to the guide, the only time on television that she ever showed tears. But now, on the bright side, we get to see, touch, and absorb their lives aboard the cruise ship of Her Majesty.

【紅霞譯文】

        有人覺得英國佬講究規矩，但娛樂例外，與普遍好玩的美國人相比，英國人在這方面同樣毫不含糊，也許我們死不承認近年來大不列顛遠比美利堅過得舒服活得瀟灑，但現在我既不想臧否美國好壞，又不想討論英國退出歐盟得失，只想將話題從一個豪華遊輪轉到另外一個豪華遊輪上而已。

        追溯到1997年，“不列顛女神號”一直作為皇家海上行宮周遊列國，不幸的是英國政府另有打算，決定讓它從此告老還鄉。如今這艘遊艇停泊在愛丁堡現代化購物商場“海運碼頭”外阿爾伯特港內，導遊帶領我們一行橫穿購物商場徑直來到外表看似與其它遊輪毫無區別的“不列顛女神號”面前。遙想當年，“不列顛女神號”號稱天下首屈一指的遊輪，規章制度嚴格縝密，所有的機組成員全部經過精心挑選而來。船體本身並不算大，相反在我看來卻非常小，這恰好反映出建造者用意所在。 “不列顛女神號” 雖說不大，但設計別致，不過一想到公爵和女王生活空間，總覺得應該大點才好。然而，當你看過工作人員居住場所，頓時豁然開朗起來，八十人同舟共濟已然相當可觀。

        全船主要分成四層，另外樓上樓下還有其它零散隔間，參觀完內部構造之後我首先想到的是：“哇塞，這地方真夠老掉了牙！”坦率地說，稱之為時代產物並不為過，它確實老氣橫秋，電視僅有黑白兩色，裝潢不合適宜，我指的是有誰樂意使用靠背筆直的座椅呢？其次，“老式”家具陳設，用現代眼光來看，裡面的東西全是“古董”，哪件出手不得成千上萬，尤其那些作為貢品饋贈皇家的禮物價值連城。舉例來說，某個非洲國家送來的象牙以及不計其數的葡萄酒，每樣東西足以叫人發財，當然這也是因人而已。人們想要乘坐“不列顛女神號”的另外一個原因在於它的完美精緻可靠。國宴廳餐桌上擺有碟、叉、刀、勺、杯和尺子，每樣東西距離牆板多遠都要親手用尺子仔細測量，當年世界權威人物先後來過這裡赴宴，美國人熟悉的就有羅納德·里根、約翰·費·肯尼迪及其他要員。其實船上頒布的清規戒律多到叫人忍無可忍的地步，我好奇他們航海的樂趣何在。工作人員制服必須一塵不染，沒轍兒他們只好馬不停蹄地清洗衣物；工作人員必須保持安靜，不能打擾女王；工作人員必須向女王敬禮，而且需要統一服飾；工作人員必須不停地用海水清洗甲板；最後，工作人員必須讓皇家免遭任何噪音干擾。於無聲處勝有聲。顯然，沉默是福。

        根據導遊介紹，因為宣布“不列顛女神號”皇家遊輪退役，致使女王破天荒頭一次在電視上落淚難過，但眼下從好的方面來說，我們才有機會親眼目睹、親手觸摸、親身體驗女王陛下遊輪。