2014-12-27

【Aiden in English】

It doesn’t sound normal for winter to be lenient in the Greater Philadelphia Area, especially at the end of December. Today, the weather was crazy with the temp over 60^oF or 15^oC. Dad thought that staying indoors was a waste of perfect weather. So he decided to take me to Fairmont Park in the City of Brotherly Love. 

Fairmont Park is huge and stretches for miles and miles. Located outside the heart of Philadelphia, it is of pure nature and fresh air, a perfect way to cool off (even though it’s winter). Like Central Park in New York and Millennium Park in Chicago, Fairmont Park is the most important urban park in Philadelphia. 

One of the best places to go in Fairmont Park is the Schuylkill River. There is a path next to the water about a mile long or so, where it had a nice view. This would be a double win for me to have a stroll: exercise and having a great time. The long walk began at Philadelphia Museum of Art. The path next to the river began way before that, but it was the only suitable parking spot in the area. Without much dilly-dallying, Dad and I started the walk. 

There were a ton of bicyclists on the path. They zoomed past Dad and I who were trying not to get run over. We didn’t realize the walk distance too long until about ten minutes later when the Schuylkill River came into view. The river lazily flowed as if it didn’t have a care in the world. Canadian Geese landed the water, occasionally dipping their heads under. The path then turned and put us right next to the water, but what wasn’t cool was how there at times wasn’t any barriers between the platform and the water, which was supposed to keep us away from the edge.

Don’t think that the only thing to see was a river. Along the path, there were statues given to the people of Philadelphia who contribute to the society. As we continued, we noticed that this path was way too long and so we decide to make a U-turn and walked back. But we had no idea that the Schuylkill River had another surprise in store. After walking all the way back to the car, Dad spotted a little balcony next to the entrance to Philadelphia Museum of Art and we walked to the balcony. There we saw a wonder of the Schuylkill River with a waterfall. The waterfall looked small but stretched on for a long distance. The white foam of pollution could be seen, which kind of spoiled it though. It bubbled at the foot of the waterfall, and without it, the scene would have been a beautiful sight. 

Nice weather in the winter is hard to come by, and Dad and I surely made the most of today’s weather.

【红霞译文】

在美东大费城地区，冬天和暖听起来并非正常气候，尤其时下临近十二月底。可今天偏巧就这么离谱，气温狂飙超过华氏60度/摄氏15度，爸爸觉得呆在屋里愧对老天爷恩赐，因此决定带我出游“兄弟友爱之城”的费尔蒙特公园。

费尔蒙特公园面积很大，方圆足有几里地，再加上本身偏离市中心，景色自然空气新鲜，有利于修心养性（即使现在正值冬季）。如同纽约的中央公园、芝加哥的千禧公园，费尔蒙特公园堪称费城最重要的市区公园。

水为万物之源，斯库基尔河无疑是费尔蒙特公园首屈一指的标志性景点，河边有条蹊径长约一英里左右，沿途风光迤逦秀美。对我来说，溜达一趟不仅能够活络筋骨，而且还会尽饱眼福，可谓一举两得。徒步行走需从费城艺术博物馆开始，虽说蹊径远离博物馆，但因为只有博物馆附近才好停车，所以我和爸爸不再犹豫，甩开脚步向前走去。

蹊径上有很多人骑自行车，他们在我俩之间随意穿梭，我们尽量躲闪，避免彼此碰到一起。俗话说得好，望山跑死马！斯库基尔河近在眼前，想不到我们硬要走上十分钟之久。河水正不着急不着慌地慢慢流淌，一副满不在乎的样子；成群的加拿大鹅浮在水面上，偶尔把脑袋浸入水下。蹊径顺着河岸弯来绕去，带我们来到河水淹没去路的地段，这可不是闹着玩的，走道跟河水之间连个挡板都没有，万一掉进河里多瘮得慌。

千万不要误以为我们来此仅仅看到一条河，其实不然，沿途中立有不少为社会做出贡献的费城人物雕塑。但我们越往前走越觉得路漫漫兮其修远兮，再这么继续下去，不知猴年马月方可走到尽头。于是便当即立断，马上打道回府。可不等走回车位，爸爸又发现费城艺术博物馆入口处有一小阳台非同寻常，我们随即登台远望，斯库基尔河奇貌一览无余，其中更有瀑布近挂前川。瀑布落差不大，但由污染造成的白沫往上翻腾，有点大煞风景，否则风景着实叫人称道。

冬季里难得遇到这么一个风和日丽的日子，还好我和爸爸及时行乐，才没有错失良机。