2019-07-19

【Aiden in English】

        And we're back. China beckoned re-adventure, and I answered the call. Well, technically, my mother answered and dragged me along. The story went a little like this.

        "How was your day, Aiden?"

        "Alright, nothing much."

        "Any big news in sports?"

        "Yeah, a lot of stuff has been happening."

        "Cool... So in July, we're going to China."

        "Okay... wait for what?!"

        And now I'm here, suffering in the unforgiving heat. Summertime is not fun for those who dislike humid air. There was an unbelievably evil tease to open the trip. Upon landing in Beijing, a layover stop for our final destination, the pilot claimed the ground temperature to be around 79°F/26°C. What a preposterous claim, I thought to myself. Yet, the air felt relatively mild compared to summer China weather.

        Little did I know, Beijing was like a match. Nanjing was the match with gasoline. Instantly, someone cranked the oven knob all the way up to the "well-done" selection. The term "baking in your juices" didn't do justice to the perspiration on my face.

        With great pain comes great reward. Luckily, Chinese food offsets the tremendous nuances of this trip. I am terribly excited about the serious munching I'm about to do. China is really the dream world of the eatery. Its streets are bakeries and malls are buffets. The air is a mix of rich aromas from frying oily pastries and smog, neither of which are healthy. Each meal is a feast. If I'm leaving not ready to hurl, I'm doing something wrong. 

        This trip across the globe spams 11 days and only 8 days in China on land. That's barely enough time to grow accustomed to jet lag. However, I have dedicated myself to the art of sleeping while in a noisy situation, so no matter the screaming children on the airplane I shall be able to rest up. Returning to China is always exciting, and this summer's schedule unfortunately only allows a week of leisure. I'm not sure if I can name a better way to spend it with friends than stuffy my face with the best cuisine in the world.

【红霞译文】

        我们又杀了回来。中国在向世间勇于冒险的人们招手示意，我响应召唤。且慢，确切地说，妈妈心有所向，我舍命陪君子，中间出现过这样一段小插曲。

        “儿歌，今天过得怎样？”

        “挺好，没啥稀罕事。”

        “体育方面有何动向？”

        五花八门的事情一桩接着一桩。

        “太棒了……七月份咱回国得嘞。”

        “还成……等一下，你说什么？！”

        现在我飞抵国内，正饱受酷暑折磨，对于厌恶潮湿气候的人来说，暑假的日子一点都不好过。途经北京转机时，飞行员声称地面温度约有华氏79度/摄氏26度左右，简直不可思议，与华夏地区高温天气相比，空气质量倒没多大问题。

        不知咋整的，北京像根火柴，而南京则是火上浇油的柴禾，有人把烤箱旋钮劈里啪啦地转到“全熟”档，用名词“肉汁外流”尚不足以描述我脸上挂满的汗珠。

        俗话说，苦尽甜来。幸好中华美食能将本次旅行所经历的悲忧哀愁一笔勾销，我吃嘛嘛香，中国真是吃货的梦幻之地，街道上点心鋪琳琅满目，商城内自助餐比比皆是，空气中到处弥漫着油炸糕点与烟熏火燎的浓郁芬香，虽说两者皆无健康可言。每顿饭都是盛宴，开拔时若没吃顶了，那我肯定亏待了自己。

        本次跨洲行程定为11天，在国内仅仅逗留8天而已，根本没工夫去适应时差。然而，我一向致力于嘈杂环境下寝息休眠艺术，任凭飞机上孩童狂吼乱叫，本人照睡无误。回国总是令人亢奋，可惜今年夏天只能挤出一周时间度假，我不知道是否有比跟朋友湖吃海喝天下最佳美食更为惬意的方式。

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2018: Livorno Port, Italy(意大利里窝那港)

2018: Florence—Ponte Vecchio over River Arno, Italy(意大利佛罗伦萨—阿诺河老桥)

2018: Florence the City of Lillies, IT(意大利佛罗—翡冷翠)

2018: Florence—Public Arts, Italy(意大利佛罗伦萨—公共艺术)

2018: Florence—Piazza della Signoria & Bargello Natl Museum, Italy(意大利佛罗伦萨—领主广场与巴杰罗美术馆)

2018: Florence—Piazza del Duomo, Italy(意大利佛罗伦萨—圣母百花大教堂广场)

2018: Florence—Santa Croce, Italy(意大利佛罗伦萨—圣十字大教堂)

2018: Pisa—Home to Galileo, Italy(意大利比萨—伽利略故乡)

2018: Pisa the Leaning Tower, Italy(意大利比萨斜塔)

2017: Best of the Rhine, Germany(德国莱茵河—美味佳肴)

2017: Rüdesheim the Chief Wine Industry, DEU(德国吕德斯海姆—酒城)

2017: Rhine—Trechtingshausen to Bingen, DEU(德国莱茵河—从隼堡到女先知)

2017: Rhine—Lorch to Niederheimbach, DEU(德国莱茵河—从死亡岛到桑内克堡)

2017: Rhine—Kaub to Bacharach, DEU(德国莱茵河—从皇宫城堡到维尔纳礼拜堂)

2017: Oberwesel—Schonburg & Ochsenturm, DEU(德国上韦瑟尔—申堡与牛塔)

2017: Loreley—Father Rhine, Germany(德国萝莉莱女妖石—莱茵河之父)

2017: Rhine—Bornhofen to St Goar, DEU(德国莱茵河—从鼠堡到猫堡)

2017: Rhine—Spay to Boppard, DEU(德国莱茵河—从雷司令到葡萄种植园)

2017: Rhine—Koblenz to Lahnstein, DEU(德国莱茵河—从德意志之角到防御重镇)

2017: Marksburg—WWII Only Survivor, DEU(德国莱茵河上二战独存的马克堡)

2017: Braubach—Marksburg Castle, Germany(德国布劳巴赫—马克城堡)

2014: YMCA Camp─Dodgeball-2(基督教青年会夏令营─躲避球之二)

Crosslink(相关博文):

China(出游中国)