2017-07-06

【Aiden in English】

        River cruises are nothing like the ocean-going voyages that mom and I go on. They are small, expensive, and made for older folks that aren't as active. However, their itinerary is unique. They can go routes other vessels can't do because of their sizes. Passau is the place where we begin our Danube Castles & Legends with the famous Viking Cruises.

        What is Passau? Well, Passau is a capital city in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is tiny, holds a small population, and has many churches (the locals claim to have 50). But why is it on a map? What is so significant about Passau that requires there to be three Viking cruise boats and maybe five others to stop and disembark?

        Well, Passau is also given the nickname 'city of the three rivers' because of the geography. The Danube in blue, our main course of sailing, passes through the city and is the most popular river. Joining the Danube is the green Inn, which is small in terms of its length, but at this point has a wider river and faster current that feeds into the Danube. Finally, there is the Ilz with black peril. It looks like a boy among men, and yet it is the most interesting of all. The water body is apparently dark, and the floor is covered in clams that hold perils of different colors, hence the title. However, it runs slightly out of the city center, therefore ruining our chances to explore its beauties.

        The 17^th century-built St. Stephen Cathedral in Passau also hosts the largest organ outside the USA. A few months ago, during the Christmas season, I visited Longwood Gardens in PA where an organ with ten thousand pipes was situated. This organ nearly doubles that number, standing at 17,974 pipes and four carillons. The lowest note is essentially a vibration to humans. And some of it is hidden from view; three of the five organ sections can be seen; the fourth is difficult to find and the fifth is just out of sight. But it can't be the full idea until you hear the instrument, which is exactly what we were going to do.

        The ceiling and walls were all decorated as the baroque style, using elegant symmetry and patterns to inspire F. Liszt to compose his Hungarian Coronation Mass. However, the more important event at hand was lingering inside amid its beauty for an organ concert. The Mittagskonzert played were classics by the staples of Italian, French, German, and Liechtensteinian composers, such as G. Frescobaldi, F. Couperin, J. S. Bach, and J. G. Rheinberger. Just simply because of the organ, the notes were amplified. Some say that music is more than sound, and this show depicts such belief. When playing, the notes shook my bones, which, in a way, gave me the full experience. Some also say people should close their eyes and embrace the music, but I find it hard to not fall asleep. Since the church had an extremely high dome and ceiling, there was room for sounds to ring, and at certain points in the concert, you could almost see the music swirling through the air, bouncing around the dome and back at the audience. It truly is something I won't forget.

        The organ concert time and time again have demonstrated that Europe has the greatest musicians and musical history of the world. From the instruments to the composers, movies to history, this trip will enlighten much of classical music and its elegance.

【红霞译文】

        河流游轮不同于我和妈妈乘坐的海洋游轮，其空间很小且价格昂贵，乘客多为不太活跃的老年人，不过正因为规模有限，它们的航线才独具特色，其它大船只能忘洋兴叹，德国帕绍便我们设为维京游轮 “多瑙河城堡和传奇”之旅的起点。

        帕绍吗？噢，它是德国下巴伐利亚州首府，地盘狭小，人口稀少，教堂奇多（当地人宣称有50座），但为什么标在地图上？究竟何方神圣让三艘维京游轮连同大约五只其它公司游轮驻足留步？

        从地理上来说，帕绍素有“三河城”之美誉，蓝色多瑙河即我们选定的航线穿过城区，可谓最受欢迎的河流；绿色因河虽然河道不长，但河面较宽水流湍急，在老城汇入多瑙河；黑色伊尔茨河宛若尚未长大成人的毛头小子最富情趣，整个水体发乌，河面尽显蛤蜊皮光泽，并由此得名，因为伊尔茨河有点偏离市中心，所以我们无法一睹它的风采。

        建于十七世纪的圣斯蒂芬大教堂拥有除美国之外规模最大的管风琴，记得几个月前圣诞节期间，我曾经在宾州长木花园见过足有一万根音管的风琴，而圣斯蒂芬大教堂管风琴数量几乎加倍，由17,974条音管和4台钟琴组成，最低音进入人的耳朵基本变成颤音。有些音管藏在后面，五组中仅有三组能被看见，第四组需仔细端详，第五组简直连个影子都瞧不到，但光看不听毫无概念可言，这也是我们到此一游的目的。

        圣斯蒂芬大教堂天篷四壁采用巴洛克艺术风格，标致性对称设计激发了李斯特创作出《匈牙利加冕弥撒曲》，不过眼下当务之急就是找位子入座以便聆听天籁之音。午场音乐会全部演奏意大利费斯高巴蒂、法国库普兰、德国巴赫以及列支敦士登赖因贝格尔等创作的经典曲目，正因为是管风琴，音量被极度放大，有人说音乐并非只是声音，这场演出便是佐证，音乐震撼心灵，让我情不自禁陶醉其中；还有人讲闭上眼睛全心感受音乐魅力，但我发觉这么做很难不昏昏欲睡。由于教堂圆拱形天花板高大，音乐响彻主堂大厅，随着旋律推向高潮，你仿佛感到音符在空中回旋，经拱顶反弹给观众，这种体验真令我终生难忘。

        管风琴音乐会一次又一次证明，欧洲拥有世界顶级音乐大师，其音乐史源远流长，从乐器到作曲家、从电影到历史，这次出游必将让古典音乐及其优美旋律满耳生辉。

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2016: Frederiksborg—Danish Versailles(丹麦凡尔赛宫—菲特烈堡)

2016: Frederiksberg Palace & N Zealand, DNK(丹麦菲特烈堡宫和北西兰)

2016: Kronborg Hamlet Castle, Denmark(丹麦克伦宫哈姆雷特城堡)

2013: Drama Camp-2(戏剧夏令营之二)

Crosslinks(相关博文):

Germany(出游德国)

Europe(出游欧洲)