2018-07-11

【Aiden in English】

        On the last day of Venice, I'm ready to set sail. Drunk on pizza, tired of pasta, sick of gelato, I think I've experienced the Italian lifestyle a little too much. I've had, for every lunch and dinner the past three days, pizza or pasta. That's incredibly unhealthy. I thoroughly enjoyed breakfast though. It is the only time I had any sort of vegetable.

        So the transition to a 12-day cruise was unbelievably grateful. I finally could have something without cheese on top. Furthermore, it wasn't the same thing every meal. We arrived at the ship 15 minutes after the boarding process had begun. It resulted in a quick check-in. Immediately, I checked out the sports courts, which had decent courts for a cruise ship. It wasn't special in any way, but sufficient for my needs.

        Before I go on, I must disclaim that Oosterdam of Holland America Line was built in 2003. That's pretty old. With that in mind, I had relatively low expectations for the ship. However, the interior design appears to have been remodeled several times. Although the ship structure cannot be changed, the style matches contemporary works. The architecture is somewhat lackluster compared to the modern cruises, but I'm not complaining. 

        Another interesting point is that this is the lowest stateroom level I've ever been on. It's the first floor available for staterooms. I can't say it's bad, because its location is near the middle, so food and sports courts are easily accessible. But a major issue is the number of elevators: there're only two in the main area. And to be honest, I don't feel like climbing nine floors for breakfast. Sometimes, getting around takes some time. However, it’s bearable.

        The final thing I want to mention about this cruise is the number of kids. Of the 1,800 available guests, there are over 370 kids on board. This not only shows the trip around Italy's popularity but also Holland America's child advertisement. It's crazy how many kids my age I bump into in the halls, on the court, in the lounge, by the pool, in the dining room. I see ages ranging from infants to college students. And I do hope I get to know some. I already familiarized myself with some kids on the sports court, but I want to know more. Hopefully, that'll be my mission tomorrow, a sea day.

【红霞译文】

        今天是威尼斯最后一天，我已做好远航的准备，既吃晕了披萨，又厌烦了意式面条，也腻歪了手工冰激凌，这回亲临意大利体验生活略感兴头过余。前三天来，无论午餐还是晚饭，我钦定的不是披萨面条就是面条披萨，甭提有多糟践身体，好在早点特合胃口，一天下来总算有顿食谱沾点青菜。

        有趣的是该船舱可谓我所住过楼层最低的，位于客房部一楼，不能说有什么不好，毕竟地理位置居中，想去吃喝玩乐各种场所都非常方便，但关键问题出自电梯分布，主要区域仅有两台正常运行。说心里话，我可不想为吃早餐而先要干掉九层楼梯，有时即便四处溜达也挺费劲，咱吃得消。

        幸亏从今往后十二天改乘游轮出游，我终于可以吃到外表没有奶酪的东西，而且每顿食物争相标新立异。十五分钟后一家老少的登船手续便全部搞定，服务效率甚佳，我一溜烟跑去查看球场，对于游轮而言运动条件相当可观，虽谈不上有什么特别，但足以应对我个人需求。

        在继续谈论旅游之前我必须刻意强调这艘“荷美游轮·欧士特丹号”建造于2003年，当真老掉了牙，正因如此，我事先对它并无奢望。显然，其室内设计已更新多次，尽管船体结构依旧，但风格追逐时尚，与新型游轮相比顶多缺少华丽而已，我犯不上吹毛求疵。

        最后值得一提的就是游轮上青少年儿童数量，全船共有1,800名乘客，其中年轻一代超过370人，一方面因为意大利名声在外，另一方面则归功于荷美游轮孩童广告，与自己岁数相仿的花季少年充斥着主厅、球场、娱乐室、游泳池、餐馆，我还见到其他从婴儿到大学生年龄各异的伙伴，真希望趁机广交朋友，球场上已经认识几位，但多多益善，期待明天海上航行日将付诸行动。

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2017: Budapest—Pearl of the Danube, HUN(匈牙利布达佩斯—多瑙河明珠)

2017: Budapest—Matthias Church, Hungary(匈牙利布达佩斯—马加什教堂)

2017: Budapest—Queen of the Danube, HUN(匈牙利布达佩斯—多瑙河女王)

2017: Budapest the Heart of Europe, HUN(匈牙利布达佩斯—欧洲心腹之地)

2017: Budapest the Capital of Freedom, Hungary(匈牙利布达佩斯—自由之都)

2016: Belfast—Linenopolis, NIR(北爱尔兰贝尔法斯特—亚麻大都会)

2016: Gaelic Towns, NIR(北爱尔兰爱尔兰盖尔村镇)

2016: Glens of Antrim, NIR(北爱尔兰安特里姆峡谷)

2016: Antrim Coast Road A2, NIR(北爱尔兰安特里姆海岸A2公路)

2016: County Antrim the Lone Ridge, NIR(北爱尔兰安特里姆郡—孤独的农场)

2016: Giant's Causeway of NIR, UK(北爱尔兰巨人堤道)

2014: YMCA Camp—Outdoor Pool-2(基督教青年会营戏水池之二)

Crosslinks(相关博文):

Italy(出游意大利)

Europe(欧洲掠影)