2017-07-08

【Aiden in English】

        Viking River Cruises are quite the adult ones. They mainly have formal meals, bars for recreation, libraries, and lounges, which is very different versus an ocean ship targeting a younger age group. Therefore, this trip could not be complete without a large portion of alcohol.

        You know what? Wine isn't anything special. To put it simply, wine is crushed grape juice with a little voodoo liquid, right? However, stupid sounding or not, there is a much more powerful force than adults stopping me from consuming tons of wine at a time: the law. Yet, I do have a sneaking suspicion that Austria doesn't have a legal drinking age.

        Today's shore excursion took us to three hot spots in Austria: 11th-century magnificent Melk Abbey, 12th-century picturesque Dürnstein, and 15th-century medieval wine brewery Krems. They had their unique highlights, all with their symbolic sights. But Krems is set apart simply because of Gruner Veltliner and Gieling right in Wachau Valley. Austria apparently is quite famous for its wine due to the large production of grapes. It also has a lot of apricots, but that's a story for another time.

        Mom and I signed up for a wine tasting tour, which makes no sense as I'm most likely not going to taste anything worthwhile. But mom insisted. 'Taste the culture!' Fine. Upon arrival and our first wine, however, the hosting company provided me with a glass of grape juice produced at Winzer Krems Sandgrube 13. Since I have a general idea of what wine tastes like, due to the countless number of accidental occasions where a drop somehow ended up in my mouth, the grape juice was comparable to actually wine. It is just way too undiluted and was too sweet. Nevertheless, I walked through the winemaking process by a guided lesson, including a 4D movie, viewing the various kinds of grapes, and pretending to drink alcohol. I am, however, surprised at the popularity of wine in a beer-drinking country. I guess booze is booze in any form you put it.

        The countryside, formerly dominated by medieval castles and ancient kings, now is in control by the grapevines and farmers. Upon reaching a high point of the Wachau Valley, I saw the enormous amounts of grapes in production along the hillsides by means of terraces. Similar to the Chinese style, the farmers carved long, long steps into the hillsides, then, using the flat area, grew grapes. Throughout the growth section, many grape bunches would have to be cut off the stems to create less competition for nutrients. After a few months, the fruits would be picked by hand, and those picked are the best of the best.

        Now, instead of advertising the process, I will say that the grape juice tastes nice and is not something you should order when traveling halfway around the globe. And even though I thought the wine tasting wasn't meant for me, it was still a great 'taste of culture' in my own flavor.

【红霞译文】

        维京河流游轮客源基本是成年人，主要提供正式餐饮、休闲酒吧、图书柜和娱乐室，与针对年轻人的航海游轮大不相同，因此这次出游如果没喝足了酒都不能算完美。

        你知道为何吗？其实葡萄酒本身没啥特别，简单说来就是把葡萄榨成汁并兑点迷魂汤罢矣，对不？然而甭管听起来幼稚与否，比起父母管教，法律更能行之有效地叫我远离酗酒，可我敢打赌奥利根本没有饮酒年龄限制。

        今天我们的行程安排包括奥地利三条旅游热线：十一世纪夺人心魂的梅尔克修道院、十二世纪风景如画的杜伦斯坦小镇以及十五世纪古老传统的克雷姆斯酿酒厂，每个目的地以其标志性景观各显特色，但克雷姆斯尤以瓦豪河谷绿维特利纳和雷司令两种葡萄酒而引人注目，奥地利之所以葡萄酒名声远扬显然因为盛产葡萄，当地杏树郁然成林，不过以后另找时间谈论这方面话题。

        我和妈妈登记品酒，对于滴酒不沾的少年来说简直枉费此行，但妈妈坚持己见，要我“感受文化”！好咧，刚迈进大门，招待单位就把第一杯酒递了上来，我喝的是本地克雷姆斯酿酒厂13号葡萄园生产的葡萄果汁饮料，其实以前由于无数次偶然机会，溅出酒杯的酒滴恰好不偏不倚落到我的嘴边，因此我对酒味大致有点感知，葡萄汁实际上类似葡萄酒，充其量未经酒精稀释而令人感觉口味过甜。接下来我聆听生产流程讲座，包括观看四维电影，一并介绍各类葡萄，感觉像喝过酒似的。然而，我对爱喝啤酒的国度如此迷恋葡萄酒心存惊奇，看来酒毕竟是酒，弄成什么玩意都招人待见。

        一度中世纪城堡林立君主统治横行的乡村如今早已变成葡萄藤遍野农民当家作主的田园，我们爬上瓦豪河谷制高点，山坡丘陵上随处可见葡萄累累，与中国相似，老农开垦出一道道梯田并种植了一片片葡萄。葡萄生长过程中，为了避免僧多粥少减少营养浪费，很多葡萄枝被生生剪掉，历经几个月成熟之后再手工采摘果实，由此收获的葡萄才是上等极品。

        眼下先别去搭理广告天花乱坠，我觉得这儿葡萄果汁味道不错，但千里迢迢登门拜访并非只图喝上一口，虽说当初我也不是冲着品酒来的，但身临其境“感受文化”确实令人受益匪浅。

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2016: The Channel Islands, UK(英国海峡群岛)

2016: Guernsey—Donkey Island, UK(英国根西—倔驴之岛)

2016: Guernsey over the English Channel, UK(英国英吉利海峡上根西岛)

2014 World Cup—BRA vs. DEU(巴西对德国世界杯足球赛)

Crosslink(相关博文):

Austria(出游奥地利)

Europe(欧洲掠影)