2016-07-18

【Aiden in English】

        Finally, we're going into a brand new country. Not to offend any Englishmen, but you're getting old. Therefore, out with the old and in with the new. 

        Paris is the face of modern Europe. Although the UK literally runs every atom of the continent, France still has its symbol hammered into each century of the Common Era. Sure, English has the popular idea of dramatic wars and conquering other countries, but unfortunately, Napoleon was French. Nowadays, he lays, dead of course, in a museum, in Paris. I must say, he was quite a guy, a favorite of mine. Just not the death in exile part. People often say the English beat the French in many wars, including the battle for North America. Then again, the colonialists were allied with the French, and they beat the English. The unique architecture is continually a win for France, particularly Paris. 

        Sorry England, but Paris has pretty much left London in the dust in terms of architecture. Try matching up the Tower of London with Notre Dame, or the Big Ben with the Eiffel Tower. In fact, Big Ben wasn't even the architect’s name! It was his middle name, since it was either that or Big Richard, which I guess you can see why that didn't come to fruition. I'm quite thankful for this selection. While the Tower of London may be just as famous, I find it quite... dull. There isn't any color, and even if the Crown Jewels of previous successors are on display, the overall view does not change. Looking at the interior of Notre Dame, the stained glass windows, with the colorful decorations, it all seems so grand. And finally, to bundle it all together with a red velvet tie, the gothic dome was raised high up, giving a sense of grandness. It might just have been the rain of that day in the London Tower which made my perspective so negative. 

        Speaking of the weather, I must comment on the beauty of this day in Paris. Probably the best difference between France and Britain is the color 'yellow'. The 'yellow' I'm describing is the kind that comes on television on the weather channel. You know the yellow circle with the yellow rings around it. Yeah, the U.K. doesn't seem to grasp that concept all too well. France, on the one day we are here, treated us nicely, having an eighty-degree day, with scattered, fluffy clouds that weren't selfish and actually shared with the sun. Looking out from the bridges over the Seine was amazing, and the beautiful 'yellow' made the waters a turquoise shade. In fact, the yellow color became more of a golden blaze afternoon, rebounding off of roads, walls, and windows. Of course, the city was quite golden even before the sun decided to bathe it in its brightness. The Eiffel Tower, with its spider web design, although dulled from the years, stood strong in the spotlight. Thanks, Paris for lighting up our English Isles cruise. That comes in more ways than one.

【紅霞譯文】

        最後，我們好不容易要出遊另外一個國家，這裡絲毫無意得罪英國佬，不過你們確實快成了古董，現在正是吐故納新的時候。

        巴黎反映現代歐洲風貌，儘管原則上大英帝國無處不在，但進入公元紀年，每個世紀人們都能感受到法蘭西的影響。沒錯，英國佬氣盛好戰，擅長統治它國，但半路殺出個程咬金，拿破崙竟是法國鬼，如今他，當然早已魂歸故里，身後打造的巴黎如同博物館一般燦爛輝煌，我承認他功不可沒，除被放逐外，我對他佩服得五體投地。有人常談英國多次打敗法國，即使遠在北美領土同樣如此，話又說了回來，在殖民者名單上，法國可比英國遙遙領先，別出心裁的建築不斷讓它獨放異彩，巴黎更是首當其衝。

        對不起英國，在建築上巴黎把倫敦甩得遠遠的，不信就拿倫敦塔與巴黎聖母院對比，或者讓大本鐘與埃菲爾鐵塔對決。實際上，大本鐘並非源於建築師的真姓大名！充其量夠得上中間名字，當初若不叫大本鐘興許就叫大理查德，由此可見它甘拜下風。我很樂意選擇這兩個建築物進行比較，倫敦塔可能與埃菲爾鐵塔齊名，其實我倒覺得相當……一般，它沒有什麼色彩，即使展出以往各代帝王將相皇冠上所配戴的珍稀寶石仍然無法為它增輝添艷。縱觀巴黎聖母院內景，富麗堂皇的彩色玻璃窗與五顏六色的裝飾圖案，將莊重肅穆的天主教堂點綴得盡善盡美。最後還有，通向天國的哥特式圓頂氣勢雄偉，巧妙地把整個聖殿推向極致。也許因為參觀倫敦塔的當天正趕上下雨，總之我對它印象不佳。

        提起天氣，我必須對巴黎美言幾句。英法兩地之間的最大差異可能在於“黃色”，這裡所謂的“黃色” 指的是電視氣象台慣用的顏色。如你所知，屏幕上假如陽光普照就會塗滿一道一道黃圈。呃，英國似乎沒法享受這種福分。別看我們只在法國逗留一天，可巴黎卻讓我們感到賓至如歸，80oF／27oC風和日麗，閒舒飄逸的雲朵毫無唯我獨尊之意，在這裡慷慨地與太陽共享歡樂。穿過塞納河上座座小橋，映入眼帘的是風景如畫的都市風情，金燦燦的火焰照耀在河面，河水泛起蘭綠色餘光。過了晌午，黃色揮灑到馬路牆壁窗沿之後再被折射成金色，整個巴黎宛如披上華麗的盛裝。蜘蛛網狀結構的艾菲爾鐵塔雖然早年並不受人待及，如今業已成為遊客必經之地。感謝巴黎將此次英倫諸島之行籠罩在我們頭頂上的烏雲一掃而光，讓我們的生活變得豐富多彩。