茶碗蒸

While English cuisine has long been associated with the myth of being bland and boring, in my opinion that is precisely what it is – just a myth. Perhaps the strong colonial influence on the Kiwi diet has equipped me with realistic expectations of what can be found in England despite having never been there before, and thereby allowing me to make more informed decisions – such as steering away from the "quintessentially British" fish and chips, not only because we can enjoy ones that are just as "authentic" back home, but also because we know how hard it is to even find a decent one! However, educated guesses aside, the cultural melting pot that England (and London in particular) has gradually turned into has also introduced some innovative talents into the culinary scene and opened up a refreshing dimension to the definition of English cuisine that challenges the current stereotypical view. Though we had neither the insatiable appetite nor the inexhaustible wallet to trial every single restaurant that caught our fancy, we did thankfully have plenty of time to carry out some careful research and narrow down our options - unsurprisingly most of these final candidates ended up in London since we were staying there for the majority of the second half of the trip. A week was not long by any standards, but I dare say we did manage to get a taste of some of London's very finest.

Without a doubt, the most creative culinary experience we had in England was at the Modern Pantry franchise in London. I first heard about this popular dining spot from a Japanese documentary on London featuring the elegant actress Amami Yuki. The owner Anna Hansen not only has a Nelson connection (apparently she is a relative of Jens Hansen – the legendary ring maker for the LOTR film trilogy! What's more, she worked for a catering business on Hardy Street when she was a teen), but her adventurous approach to combining flavours across a wide variety of cultures had me immediately intrigued. Not willing to miss out on either one of her two restaurants, I decided to book in first for lunch at the original Clerkenwell restaurant, then for afternoon tea a couple of days later at the newer Finsbury Square location.

And by golly am I glad I did!

The food – where do I even start? The unique blend of flavours was pure genius and acted not only in harmony, but in synergy to propel the dishes to astonishing new heights. Although I loved every single dish we ordered, my favourite at the Clerkenwell restaurant was the sugar-cured New Caledonian prawn omelette – the balance of sweet and salt was perfectly accentuated by the freshness of the spring onion and coriander, and I simply couldn't shovel the whole plate into my mouth fast enough! I was also particularly excited to see the many asian(especially Japanese)-inspired twists that some of the dishes subtly incorporated – such as ponzu mayonnaise and yuzu tofu cream. While it's easy enough finding a steak in just about any restaurant in New Zealand, it certainly isn't everyday that you can enjoy it with a grilled miso and tamarind marinade or cassava chips! Even the feature cocktail was a fantastic surprise – "Palomita", with Stelacello Pompelmo liqueur, lemon, and Eau De Vie Mirabelle, was literally a burst of sweetened fresh air in a glass despite its suspicious green colour and the rather exotic concoction of difficult-to-pronounce ingredients.

However, if I was impressed by the food at Clerkenwell, I was totally blown away by the afternoon tea course at Finsbury. The setting of the Finsbury branch was actually a lot more spacious and comfortable, but what really overwhelmed us was again – the culinary expertise. Also far from traditional, the delicate morsels of mouth-watering creations were rather more like little lovingly wrapped presents that held things that you hadn't even known you wanted. From the warm poached quail egg on a bed of Kashmiri masala beetroot, carrot, potato and spring onion hash and drizzled with moromi miso and yuzu hollandaise, to the rich but divine chocolate, peanut butter and miso caramel shortbread, the anticipation built dramatically with the arrival of each course and yet each one somehow managed to upstage the dish that came before – either that or each course simply surprised us in a completely and delightfully different way. That was the other radical demonstration by the restaurant – rather than presenting all the savouries and sweets on tiered plates like you would expect for any traditional English afternoon tea, the Modern Pantry decided to serve theirs in a six-course degustation style that allowed for a choice of pairing specially-selected teas or – wait for it – CRAFT BEERS with each of their tasty creations. While I opted for the tea option, you can probably guess which option Dad pounced on in a heartbeat (and he's still raving about it I assure you). As if all that wasn't amazing enough, the fact that the lovely Modern Pantry staff could cater for Mum's vegetarian preferences amongst all these complicated combinations of ingredients was just the icing on the cake. The feta-filled pai tee with tamarind yoghurt and puffed wild rice? Astonishing.

Yet most importantly, I will never forget their clever take on the traditional English afternoon tea staple – the scone. The warm rush of euphoria that coursed through my veins as I took a bite of the lemon and ajowan scone with gooseberry jam and clotted cream, then washed it down with the 2014 Winter Qin Xin Oolong tea from Taiwan's very own Jade Mountain – sheer and utter bliss. I think this afternoon tea is the one, folks. If the world is ending tomorrow and you are looking for an afternoon tea that will send you off free from all the worldly burdens, I would look no further.

While the Modern Pantry clearly focused on keeping their creative juices flowing in the food department, other places chose elsewhere in the restaurant to keep their guests entertained. Bel Canto, an underground restaurant near Hyde Park was a hidden gem that boasted not only of beautiful food in the form of a two- or three-course "opera package" set menu that included a starter, main course, and dessert (all perfectly tasty but nothing particularly out of the ordinary), but also of spontaneous opera aria performances by all the waiting staff at the restaurant! All the performers were all, of course, vocally trained and possibly rising stars in the operatic world. Yet there was just something quite moving and surreal about listening to the arias (famous or not) in such an intimate setting as opposed to seeing them from twenty (or more) meters away as you would in a theatre. The duets worked particularly well under such conditions, the heart-wrenching longing and simmering passion were almost tangible as the tenor and soprano sang to each other across opposite ends of the restaurant before finally meeting at the end of a long table, but not until after a shy dance around each other amongst the spellbound audience. My favourite performance of the evening, though, was a bass singer from Turkey who sang a deeply thoughtful aria – it was possibly my first time to hear a solo bass performer sing an entire piece and his voice was like a delicious pool of warm honey, gradually drawing us into its depths with a tender intensity. However, the interactions of the Italian soprano with all the male guests also made "Habanera" from Carmen incredibly playful and endearing at the same time, not to mention the fun and unforgettable "Brindisi" from La Traviata in which we all joined in singing amidst the celebratory clinking of our complementary glasses of prosecco. The only downside of the evening was perhaps the fact that the dim lighting, obstrusive columns in the restaurant and constant motions of the singers made any record of photography or video challenging. However, in some ways this liberated us to immerse ourselves in the phenomenal acting and singing that was literally happening right before our eyes. It was, without a doubt, an exhilarating experience that I am unlikely to forget for quite some time.

As exceptional as these new generations of restaurants are at providing consistent momentum at the innovative front and setting new directions for the growing industry of London cuisine, these pioneers would no doubt have had a longer and rougher journey had there not existed a rich heritage of English culinary traditions to draw on. The inspiring twist the Modern Pantry incorporated into their afternoon tea, for example, would not have been half as astounding had we not known what a traditional English high tea consisted of. It was all the more logical, then, for us to also book in for a "proper" high tea experience with all its fine trimmings in the heart of England, where this elegant ritual had possibly become one of British Empire's more civilized means of conquering the world.

But of course, conquering the world is never that easy. Especially when there is always such heated debate about which afternoon tea style, setting, menu, and provider is the most authentic. Our first hurdle, then, was to select one experience out of the thousands available in London to induct us into the world of English tea taking. In the end, my impression of Claridge's Hotel from reading Sarah-Kate Lynch's "On top of everything" and promising reviews online that highlighted its status as not only the "Queen of Afternoon Tea" – having pocketed the prestigious Tea Guild Best Afternoon Tea award in 2006, 2011 and 2012, but also as a less touristy alternative to the legendary Ritz hotel where sitting through an afternoon was rather like being ushered into an audience with the Queen – all strictly-enforced dress code, self-consciously hushed chatter, and impeccably polished silverware.

In addition to an extraordinarily long tea list paired with the classic combinations of finger savouries and pastries Claridge's claims to only make from top-notch ingredients, the splendid Art Deco décor of the hotel - particularly in Thierry Despont's Foyer where the afternoon tea takes place – is also a unique feature that sets the Claridge's afternoon tea apart from the likes of the Savoy or Goring. Despite a humble beginning in 1856 under the ownership of William and Marianne Claridge, the hotel was redesigned in the late 1920s to cater for the public's entertainment needs post WWI and the building was adorned with the "bold lines and sweeping curves" of the popular Art Deco style, giving it the characteristic "air of timeless elegance" seen today. Indeed, even the abundance of stunning photos circulating on the Internet failed to prepare me for the dazzling sense of awe as I stepped through the threshold of the main hotel entrance and felt my jaw drop, instantly losing all air of regality that I had managed to muster for the doorman. The soft golden lighting illuminating the sharply geometric glass screens and pristine checkered marble floor felt absolutely surreal – especially accompanied by the mellow whispers of a violin floating out from the afternoon tea lounge. It was difficult not to immediately think of the rather romantic depictions of the era in The Great Gatsby, and half-expecting Daisy to greet us with a fluttering feather in her hair and a luscious string of pearls at her throat. The magic was then complete with the mint-and-ivory striped bone china that has become a signature of Claridge's and it was not hard to see why – its simplicity was a perfect touch of humble elegance amidst all the rich glamour, allowing the delicate morsels of food and steaming swirls of tea they presented to shine from the glorious efforts of the Executive Chef, Martyn Nail. The warm dream-like quality of the space was unmistakable, and I had to consciously shake myself out of a dazed stupour on more than one occasion so as to not lose myself in the flood of light that was powerful enough to help wash away the darkness of the Great War.

True to its reputation, all the food was beyond delicious – although my preference was perhaps with the savoury sandwiches (who could have thought a plain cucumber sandwich – when paired with buttermilk and chamomile – could taste so sublime?). Of course - as with any traditional English afternoon teas - I believe the true test lay with the scones. Well, needless to say, both Claridge's freshly baked plain and raisin scones were faultless – especially when smothered in curls of Cornish clotted cream along with another of Claridge's signature – the divinely fragrant Marco Polo gelée. It was also my very first time to be served a palate cleanser at an afternoon tea - some lovely refreshing berry popsicles! It really was such a shame that our Asian stomach had such limited tolerability for refined sugar that it prevented us from finishing all four of the sweet pastries – particularly since they were specially designed as part of the "Wimbledon seasonal afternoon tea package" that was mandatory during the period of our visit to celebrate the said tennis tournament being held at the same time (and with an understandably eye-watering price tag to go with it). However, there was not a moment's hesitation as our waiting staff swiftly took away the chocolate cakes and returned with a lovely packaged box, along with three beautiful baskets of complimentary flowers to take home as souvenirs. Although the flowers were equally swiftly re-gifted to the helpful elderly staff member at the hotel who guided us through the Tube map (we couldn't imagine the customs staff at Taiwan would be very pleased to find they had let that slip through their watchful eyes), the memory of this thrillingly sophisticated high tea experience was one we would be taking away (back to the civilian world) with a relishing fondness unrivalled by any other.

Returning to the modern scene, another restaurant that excelled at incorporating great food with stunning setting was Duck and Waffle. Situated on the 40th floor of 110 Bishopsgate building close to Liverpool Street Station, the 24-hour restaurant and bar boasts of a stunning panoramic view over London that constantly shifts according to times of the day and atmospheric conditions. Although we were not assigned a window seat, the fine weather conditions made up for this and we were able to admire the stretch of metropolitan scenery below with perfect clarity. In fact, we should probably be thankful that we managed to reserve a table at all judging from the bustling popularity of the place and its fame amongst both locals and tourists that I had gathered from online reviews - hardly surprising, for the food they served was also nothing short of spectacular.

Most of the dishes included in the menu at Duck and Waffle encouraged the format of shared dining - where a number of options are ordered and each plate is divided amongst the guests. I can't imagine too many people would have any complaints about this, because the description of each dish was simply bursting with so many intriguing details that to simply narrow the choices down to one per person would take most of the two-hour time slot allocated to each table. Take the Spicy Ox Cheek Doughnut for example. I think I have good reason to believe it would be pretty damn hard to find ox cheek paired with apricot jam and paprika sugar AND fried in a crunchy batter that melted in your mouth anywhere else, and that was just one out of twelve equally tasty-sounding options in the "Small Plates"/entree section! Although I think for the more substantial "For the table" or main dishes section of the menu at least, the problem of indecisiveness might be marginally better - surely no one would be skipping the restaurant's signature dish from which it obtained its name. The dish Duck & Waffle was as simple as its name suggested - warm waffles and duck leg confit topped with a fried duck egg and a drizzle of mustard maple syrup. But God help me, it was to die for. I can't even begin to describe the sublime harmony they created in my mouth - so rich with fresh flavours and yet striking a delicate balance between sweet and savoury, as well as velvety and crispy. The same could be said for the Torrejas we ordered for dessert - the soft crunch of the maple caramel apples moulded magically with the smooth texture of the cinnamon ice-cream. As comatised as my stomach was after the meal, my heart at least was kept singing long after we stepped back into the chill of the late evening air.

Fantastic food, brilliant music, and unforgettable company. I don't think any first trips to England can claim to pack so much luxury into two short weeks and an ending on a more inspiring note. I cannot wait until my next oppotunity to step on British soil and build on these wonderful memories, knowledge, and experiences. Until next time, ladies and gentlemen!

"Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear. Travel does this with the very stuff that everyday life is made of, giving to it the sharp contour and meaning of art."

- Dame Freya Stark (1893-1993, British travel writer)

I have a feeling I am going to struggle a bit putting together the highlights of this section of the trip after separating from the tour group – just because there is simply a mountain of fascinating sights I would so much like to share. Yet somehow I doubt it would be just as interesting for you if you had to plough through it all on a tiny screen and try to imagine the colourful tastes and sounds by squinting at black and white texts - when you could venture out there and immerse yourself in the full experience. That is why I have decided to sort some of the most memorable spots we visited into several key themes that I consider essential for a (first-time) trip to England.

Religion

I think it would be extremely difficult to talk about the history of England, or any country in Europe for the matter, without probing the subject of religion. Although religion may seem to play a much more minor role in many people’s lives now compared to a few centuries ago, its role in shaping the current face of society is unmistakable. And in some parts of England, the presence of religion over time can be felt even more clearly than others. The city of York, I think, is one of these places.

York was our first stop after going our separate ways from the tour group, and I immediately fell in love with its maze of medieval architecture and shadow of history that seemed to seep out from every weathered brick and stone. Despite the tourist crowds that seemed to either fill up all the loveliest shops on the main streets or deliberately pause in the most inconvenient of places to take photos, there were corners of the city that hinted at a past of neglect and bloodshed – many of it a result of the Reformation beginning in 16^th century with King Henry VIII's establishment of the Church of England in place of Catholicism, and the consequent Dissolution of the Monasteries that eventually led to public revolt (including the Pilgrimage of Grace that actually began in York in 1536). This past could not have been felt more distinctly than the site of St. Mary's Abbey, or rather what is left of it. Situated in the peaceful surroundings of the Museum Gardens, the crumbling ruins of the Abbey was prominent enough to find and yet deteriorated enough to make it hard to picture its past glory as one of the most important abbeys in England, with a size that apparently rivaled that of the still-standing York Minster. Nowadays it would perhaps be easier to comprehend its role in crafting York's reputation as one of the most haunted cities in England (although sadly the Ghost Tour we took part in did not include St. Mary's in its route!). A reputation that is, mind you, the last thing on my mind as we took a morning stroll along the York City Walls and was met with a breathtaking view of immaculate gardens bathing under the golden rays and set against the majestic backdrop of York Minster, the distant bells of which completed a picture of film-like European fantasy. It was truly as if I had stepped back in time, with neither the brilliant promises of the Enlightenment nor the threatening claws of the World Wars in sight.

From how the beginning of the Reformation in England had largely been attributed to King Henry VIII, it probably won't come as a surprise to learn of the complex and indivisible relationship between religion and monarch. The two were, and remains to this day, like two sides of a coin – with all British monarchs automatically inheriting the title of Supreme Governor of the Church of England since Queen Elizabeth I's reign. But the relationship of course extends beyond the adoption of a mere title – the tradition of all coronation ceremonies taking place in a church, Westminster Abbey, ever since that of William the Conqueror in 1066 serves as yet another example of the interdependence between these two pillars that were once all that was needed to hold up a nation (before the Government came along). Just imagine my wonder at seeing the very wooden Coronation Chair that has been used by all the famous Kings and Queens ever since 1308!! Not to mention paying our respects at the memorials and monuments belonging to the likes of Queen Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, G.F. Handel, Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Ernest Rutherford… just to name a few! Although I was already aware prior to the visit that many monarchs and people with significant historical achievements or status were interred at the Abbey, I was still astounded by the number that was interred there – a staggering 3300! With that in mind, I just couldn't help but wonder… if William and Kate ever felt a slight chill while saying their wedding vows inside such an enormous tomb? (But then again, with England's long history of civilization I'm sure every inch of soil is bound to have seen some deaths in the past)

On a side note - we actually managed to visit the Abbey quite a few times over the week we were in London! First time for the Evensong service (where Mum and I actually couldn't see anything as we were placed behind the rood screen so a bit of a let down!), the second time for the vigil in commemoration of the 100^th anniversary of the Battle of Somme (when I naively thought we would also be free to wander around other areas of the Abbey and be able to make the most of the late hour when there would be fewer tourists – but of course everywhere apart from the nave was closed off!), and finally our final attempt as regular tourists (at least we had London Passes… but still impossible to avoid the dreaded queues!)

History

Needless to say, although religion ultimately intertwines with the course of English history, the latter revolves around far more than that – particularly after the English Civil War between 1642 and 1651 that saw a fall-out between the Royalists and Parliamentarians and set the foundation for such a strong democratic parliamentary system in the UK (and perhaps its curious relationship with the Royal House) today. After hearing Mum mention her admiration for the demonstration of democracy since seeing a UK Parliamentary debate on TV, and after having seen "The Iron Lady" myself to reinforce this impression, I was very excited to find out that the public (including tourists) actually had the opportunity to sit in the public gallery of either of the two Houses at specified time periods of the week to listen in on the debates or activities that were being held. What I didn't count on, unfortunately, was the absolute carnage and flood of local English residents into the galleries after the Brexit Referendum took place (23^rd June). So the initial plan of visiting the galleries on the day we arrived in London from York (27^th June) turned out to be wishful thinking – in fact, just fighting through the hordes of international media reporters outside Westminster Palace was challenging enough as it was.

Not willing to give up such a rare opportunity (all the more anticipated by the flurry of post-Brexit activity), we turned up again the next day at the visitor's entrance at Cromwell Green and this time was successfully admitted to the House of Commons. However, after enduring through security, waiting for our turn in St. Stephen's Hall, and getting lost in the Central Lobby it came perhaps as a bit of a disappointment when we were met with the rather dull presentation of the Finance Bill in the Commons Chamber. All things considered though, just being able to catch a glimpse of the architectural wonders inside the Palace that have seen countless world-changing decisions take place, and getting the chance to experience the impressive degree of transparency and cultural sophistication the UK Parliament had to offer, was well worth the time and effort.

As much as politics feed into the river of history, however, one must not forget there would hardly BE any evidence of history without the development of written language and more importantly, knowledge. And I think few other places in the world could boast of as impressive a collection of human knowledge as the British Library (and of course, the British Museum  - where we also visited but since everyone else has most certainly included that on their to-write or to-visit list, I might be excused for saving my breath). Perhaps my new identity as a Library Studies student has particularly motivated me to nominate a visit to this site, but I think even for someone who isn't pursuing a potential career in libraries – or even hold an interest in books or documentation for that matter – seeing the permanent exhibition of the most famous treasures held at the Library is a trip well worth making.

Just think – the music manuscripts created by the very hands of Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the elegantly scripted letters penned by Lord Horatio Nelson and Queen Elizabeth I, the original Magna Carta that laid foundations for the obligations to which the English Monarch are still bound today (in impressively miniscule handwriting I must add), the powerful photograph and journal entry documenting the last days of Captain Scott's doomed expedition to the South Pole, and the faded diagram that literally illustrated the world-changing discovery of penicillin from a page of Alexander Fleming's notebook in 1928 – and hundreds of other equally valuable documents that we normally only ever read about in books, all displayed right before our eyes, here in this very same room. As you can imagine - words could not even begin to describe how overwhelmed I was as I stood for hours in front of each glass cabinet in utter disbelief and relish, trying to comprehend that these people were real, how they changed the world was real, and how their legacies and stories have transcended the incredible trial of time to become so embedded in the modern era even though their creators’ flesh and bones may have long since wasted away. It was an absolutely enlightening and moving experience that I would no doubt be repeating, and I simply can't wait to see what other great traces of history would be added to future collections.

Performing Arts

It is often said that the city of London remains as one of the most famous, and yet also one of the most merciless stages for theatre performances. Not only did many acclaimed English acting professionals make their humble beginnings from atop one of the myriads of stages scattered throughout the city, but the standard of performance is so high that the audiences have come to expect nothing short of perfection. Unfortunately, due to inevitable time constraints, we could not enjoy as many shows as we would have liked (and for some shows it was simply a matter of unlucky timing – such as "War Horse", which 焦老師 so enthusiastically recommended, had completed its last show earlier in the year but which I thankfully got the opportunity to see in Rialto cinema later in Auckland), but all three musicals that I managed to see at the West End – "Wicked", "Aladdin", and "Kinky Boots" were fabulously entertaining and far exceeded my expectations (which were already high to start with!).

For a huge Disney fan such as myself, Aladdin was unsurprisingly the most anticipated show out of the three – especially since it only opened in West End in the very same month we were in London. Apart from the dazzlingly innovative sets and rich vibrant costumes that seemed to transport the entire theatre into the world of the beloved classic, there were new songs and characters (I assume to fill in the obvious gaps left by Apu and Magic Carpet) that added an element of fun and surprise to the performance even for someone who already knew the original story inside out. However, I was definitely most impressed by the brilliantly realistic special effects when the Cave of Wonders emerged, and the (possibly) improvised stand-up comedies that Trevor Dion Nicholas wittily and flawlessly pulled off. Clearly everyone else in the theatre agreed with me on the second point, because the particularly thunderous cheering and applause when he took his bow at the curtain call almost brought the roof of Prince Edward Theatre down! I admit I was a tiny bit disappointed in the "A Whole New World" magic carpet ride scene though – most probably a result of ridiculously high expectations. Don't get me wrong, the starry sky effect was breathtakingly gorgeous (literally! Judging from the ripples of gasping all around me) – but I kept finding myself half-expecting some cloud, horses, and a sphinx to whoosh past onstage too… not demanding at all, I say!

But surely, one cannot think of England, of London, or even of theatre, and NOT think of William Shakespeare, arguable the greatest playwright of all time. Even though I would not call myself a huge Shakespeare fan, I did want to experience what it felt like to see a play in a theatre that Shakespeare most likely had in his mind when he created his literary masterpieces. Despite the fact that the theatre currently standing in London is not the same one that Shakespeare himself had set foot in (the original had unfortunately burned down in 1613, fourteen years after it was first built – the current one is located approximately 230m from the site of the original theatre and opened in 1994), the reconstruction was apparently based on careful scholarly inquiries over the last two centuries and can be considered more or less a realistic representation of the original "Shakespeare's Globe" (but with enhanced safety and comfort of course).

The play I picked to see was Macbeth – simply because I knew how famous this one was and how I shamefully still hadn't gotten round to knowing the story, and also because A Midsummer Night's Dream, which was the other play in the Globe’s summer programme at the time we were in London, seemed even less like Mum and Dad's cup of tea XD And oh my, what an experience! The simple but effective music accompaniment using voice, cello, and percussion was absolutely out of this world, not to mention the incredible acting by the cast that depicted the blood-thirsty struggle of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth with power and fate (despite not being able to comprehend half of their lines in Shakespearean prose and verse – luckily we looked up the story beforehand!). In spite of the occasional spits of rain and absolutely freezing cold temperature (heaven knows how those groundlings survived the evening shivering on their feet for 3 hours in the packed courtyard with their hastily purchased raincoats from the souvenir shop), the dark gloomy weather did perhaps set the perfect scene for such a twisted and electrifying tale. It is also worth noting that the brilliantly ferocious actress portraying Lady Macbeth was Tara Fitzgerald, who also played the meek and considerably plain Selyse Baratheon in the wildly popular TV series Game of Thrones. This just proves 焦老師's point that regardless of one's acting experience or the degree of recognition an actor has received,  the challenges of live theatre are always real and serve as an important channel for self-improvement.

And that, my lads, is a wrap for my highlights tour of the second half of our epic England adventure.

But… what about the food, you ask? Blimey of course I have not forgotten! Despite the notorious reputation of English cuisine, the rebellious determination to prove this wrong perhaps came as part of the food obsession that has stemmed from the Chan Family DNA. So I would like to extend my warmest invitation to you all to join me for an upcoming feast of unprecedented style, and you will see why I have saved the best for last.

With the name of this England tour being 「英格蘭莊園歌劇節」, or「The English Garden Opera Festival」, it would be simply unforgiveable if I did not dedicate a whole separate article on what is of course the main focus of this trip – to appreciate the mesmerising tradition of opera music and to experience first-hand the charm behind the unique "garden opera" philosophy.

According to Charlie (our tour guide and also the boss of The One Travel Agency), the tradition of holding opera performances in the English countryside initially began as an intention to enhance appreciation of opera music, which was becoming increasingly difficult in the hustle and bustle of city life. By shifting the venue outside of urban settings, and moving the commencing time of the performance forward to late afternoon, each concert encourages the audience to take more time off work and turn the trip into a special treat. This is further helped by the extension of the interval to a whooping ninety minutes in order to set aside sufficient time to relax and have dinner – whether it's a casual picnic on the sun-kissed lawns, a comfortable snooze in the elegant rows of gazebos, or a more elaborate affair in the specially set-up fine-dining restaurants with menus designed by acclaimed chefs. When you follow up all of this with a peaceful stroll through the picturesque gardens decorating the grounds near the opera theatre, it seems effortless to drift away from the suffocating stress and exhaustion that naturally gathers around the draining routines and realities of a modern lifestyle.

Coincidentally, the three opera festivals we were booked in to attend all had names that started with "G" – Garsington, Grange Park, and Glyndebourne. And it was in this order that we completed our repertoire of three operas and one musical. While these festivals may have stretched over one or two of the Summer months, each performance is limited to 500-600 viewers due to seating capacity (with the exception of Glyndebourne, the renovation of which in 1994 saw an increase of this number to just over 1000). Because of this, these festivals are often privately run and the smaller demand also allows for longer rehearsal and preparation times for the performers. When combined with a consistent collaboration with specific orchestras year after year, it should come as no surprise then that such high-calibre performances are made possible (both in terms of the musician conditions and the quality of stage production).

Garsington Opera was the first opera festival we attended, and the "L'Italiana in Algeri" was scheduled for our second evening in England. Having originally started out in1989 by a wealthy banker in a suburb near Oxford called Garsington (which is no longer its current location but the name has clearly stuck), Garsington Opera Festival's fame in England is apparently only second to Glyndebourne. The current setting of this festival is in Wormsley Estate, and the theatre itself is perhaps the most "modern" of the three festivals we attended. While this is probably due to the fact that the entire theatre gets demolished at the end of the festival and then laboriously rebuilt in the next, the theatre's majestic design that had been constructed out of steel, timbre and canvas seemed so comfortingly solid that it would have been hard to believe that the building was not a permanent fixture of the Estate had Charlie not informed us of this fact on the coach. What was also unique about this venue was the mesmerizing tranquility of a nearby pond in addition to the expected greenery and vast amount of open space. Softly glittering in the weaning sunlight, the large body of water somehow echoed well with the sparkling gold and white theme of the set and added just that final touch of magic to the pre-show excitement.

Despite what I had previously read online regarding the dress code for such garden operas that suggested a much more casual atmosphere in recent years (perhaps to attract a younger audience), the feeling I sensed as I stepped off the coach and made my way to the theatre was that opera is still a music genre for the "elite"; and having been that way for so long (at least in England), I imagine it would indeed take at least a few more years to change this perception. What primarily prompted this impression was all the immaculate tuxedos that floated around us as we neared the foyer of the theatre, and the numerous champagne buckets and canapé platters around which groups of posh-sounding people stood and chatted (this last point probably couldn't be helped I guess - all English accents sound a bit more posh than the drolls of Kiwi accent!).

The ladies' attire, surprisingly, felt a little less uptight on average. Although it was hard to miss the few glamorous figures making their presence known in sweeping evening gowns accompanied by enough tinkling jewelry to be heard fifty metres away, most of the middle-aged ladies were a bit more modest in their outfits and chose a style that differed little from what can normally be seen in a nice restaurant in New Zealand. Luckily, Dad's complete tuxedo had been handled and approved by the chain menswear shop of Moss Brothers in Oxford so he was sorted early on, leaving Mum and I scratching our heads and pouring over our meager collections to piece together outfits that hopefully did justice to our temporary "Taiwan cultural ambassador" role. More often than not, though, the items I wore were either treasures I had scored from the Takapuna Hospice Shop, or borrowed from Mum's supplies (Glyndebourne was perhaps, yet again, the exception). Although this may have put us a little out of step with some of the other more flamboyant (or just wealthier) ladies in the tour group (especially a very…special lady named after Florence Nightingale XD), I was confident Mum and I's exceptional "aura" (氣質) more than made up for this!!

As for the opera itself, "L'Italiana in Algeri" is apparently considered as one of Gioacchino Rossini's three most famous operas (along with "La Cenerentola" and "Il barbiere di Siviglia"), with this particular work written in 1813 when he was just 21 years of age - and in only 27 days! And true to its fame, what an entertaining opera it was indeed – I could only imagine how the audience's reacted when it premiered in Venice in May 1813! No doubt Rossini himself would have found it impossible to keep a satisfied smirk off his face as he revered in the howls of laughter (and creaks of corsets) behind him in the audience while conducting the opera!

As a first-time viewer of a "comedy opera" (or I think "opera buffa" is the proper term!), I admit I found the whole experience extraordinarily hilarious and a startling change from the few rather more tragic and thought-provoking operas that we had seen in Italy last year. As great as the singing was (well, as far as I could tell!), the exaggerated expression and body language of the singers (especially the ridiculously silly but also somehow loveable "bey" (Lord) Mustafa... or 白痴土番王 as 焦老師 had so blatantly concluded) were definitely a spectacular highlight for me. I still vividly remember the comical way Mustafa's jaw literally dropped when he saw the beautiful Isabella for the first time (even though everyone in the tour group agreed the actress playing Mustafa's wife Elvira - who he heartlessly wanted to marry off to his servant - was in fact a lot prettier!) and how his rhetorical duet with Lindoro made everyone double over with laughter. No wonder 焦老師 emphasized several times that the whole opera is the definition for a "笑鬧劇" XD And of course hats off to Rossini who used such ingenious and dynamic tunes interweaved with dramatic arias to portray the outrageous (and completely racist) plot twists that I was certain it was not just me who was exhausted from laughing so hard by the end of the curtain call.

Speaking of the plot, there was a "coffee-drinking" scene in the second half of the opera which was made particularly intriguing because of the background info shared by 焦老師 in the coach beforehand. Since coffee consumption had spread to Europe from the Middle East (i.e. Turkey, where the opera is set) and that it was regarded as a "Drink of Wisdom" (as, unlike alcohol, it not only helped people relax but also cleared their heads), it was a fitting activity chosen by Mustafa to impress Isabella on a "first date"... that is, if Isabella hadn't dragged his wife along too and ruined his plan!!

On a different note, I became increasingly impressed with the exceptional set design and stage production as the performance unfolded. As mentioned in the official Garsington video clip below, the fact that the opera theatre was practically transparent and that the sun set halfway through the performance meant the constantly changing natural lighting had to be taken into account when determing the overal visual effect of the performance. I must congratulate the stage production team and director on this aspect as the uneven white surface of the set succeeded in manipulating the sunlight so that it lit up the stage with a soft golden glow, yet was not at all harsh or blinding for the audience. The subtle changes to the largely immobile set in the second half was also very clever – an addition of a crescent moon in the background and lamps that gradually rose during the performance to imitate stars just as dusk fell outside in the world. Though I admit I was a little concerned on multiple occasions when I thought the performers (especially the rather plump and enthusiastic Isabella!) were at high risk of toppling over onto each other due to the slopes… an acrobatic sense of balance is a necessary requirement for opera singers too, it seems like!

As well as this video that focuses on bringing the performance of "L'Italiana in Algeri" to the audience, the official Garsington Opera website has also put out another clip that briefly explains the menu and chefs at "Feasts" – the temporary restaurant set up by the theatre especially to cater for dinner requirements of the guests who do not wish to lug around picnic baskets or brave the unpredictable English weather. And yes being Asian and accustomed to indoor comforts it probably comes as no surprise that we opted for this option! Personally I found the three-course meal tasty, but not in anyway astounding or so extraordinary that I remember any particular elements (I'm sure even the Michelin-starred Michael North would understand if I said it was because I had been too distracted by the incredible opera?). For this particular meal at Garsington, I did particularly enjoy the refreshing berry jelly dessert and of course listening to 焦老師 chattering away next to me about his always hilarious life stories (this time it was something about his dad's passion for 紅樓夢 and how he liked to grill experts on the different editions if I recall correctly) XD

If Garsington Opera can be described as "stylishly modern", then our next operatic experience at Grange Park Opera possibly fell into the category of "rustic vintage", which was  intriguing particularly because the latter was founded by Ms. Wasfi Kani, a lady who had previously studied IT in Oxford before pursuing her passion for music but more importantly had actually started out in this career path as a conductor in the Garsington Opera team. Therefore Grange Park Opera had began quite a bit later than Garsington Opera - eight years later in 1997, to be exact. In its first few years, the performances of Grange Park Opera had also taken place outdoors on the grounds of the mansion. But in 2003, Ms. Wasfi Kani's superb fundraising ability saw the construction of a beautiful intimate theatre adjacent to the main building, which was where we had the pleasure of seeing Verdi's "Don Carlo" followed by Lionel Hart's "Oliver!". And perhaps because we were fortunate enough to enjoy this venue for two evenings in a row, time seemed a little less pressing especially for photos and walks around the grounds to admire the beautiful surroundings (all the groaning and grumbling at Charlie's insistence for meeting at 4pm quickly forgotten).

The historic manor in which the theatre and restaurant were situated was absolutely gorgeous - in a tragic, abandoned sort of way. Even the scaffolding and faded drapery covering the renovation work inside the restaurant seemed to whisper wistfully of a forgotten glory, which just added to the manor's mysterious appeal. The English heritage webpage describes how the mansion "owes its present appearance to the architect William Wilkins, who, between 1809 and 1816, transformed a modest 17^th century brick building into something more like an Ancient Greek temple". Charlie was also right, of course, about that majestic tree and spill of golden sunshine over the grounds – photos could hardly do justice to the breathtaking atmosphere. This was perhaps why we were extra fortunate to be there when we were, for this was to be the final year Grange Park Opera was to be held in this location (namely The Grange at Northington, Hampshire) before shifting to West Horsley Place (where the new theatre so eagerly fundraised by Ms. Kani is already well on its way to being ready for next year's festivities!). It truly was, in the most literal sense, a most worthwhile and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

However, if I thought the theatre and the environment were beautiful, the opera performance of "Don Carlo" could only be described as stunning. Composed by Verdi and based on the script German poet Friedrich von Schiller created, "Don Carlo" was originally in French and premiered in Paris in 1867 with five acts, but was adjusted several times until Verdi finally settled on the Italian four-act version we saw at Grange Park Opera. Fortunately reducing the length by one act did not in any way impact on its depth and breadth. The opera still followed the structure of what is known as a "grand opera" – showcasing its four key elements including elaborate stage productions, exquisite ballet dancing, and a depiction of personal conflicts against a historical backdrop (焦老師 also added that most grand operas also have two leading sopranos - in this case Elisabetta and Eboli).

What's more, even without its original first act the opera lasted a full three hours and was an intense and complicated exploration of almost every theme the audience could ask for – political scheming for the crown, religious struggles between Catholic Spain and Protestant Netherlands, and of course the tragic romance between Elizabeth, King Phillip II, Don Carlo, and Princess Eboli (…and maybe even a horror component – what with Carlo the Fifth's ghostly appearance and all!). No wonder 焦老師 claimed "Don Carlo" to be his personal favourite amongst the many Verdi operas. It was also fascinating how he pointed out that different presentations of the same script, concepts, and music often reflect the different interpretations of the work by the director and conductor. That is why – particularly for less-performed or complicated operas – it is important to grasp onto any opportunities to see them and not feel obliged to follow a "conventional order" in which to appreciate the world of opera.

While admittedly I struggled a bit from halfway through Act Two (… fine, I was getting seriously cross-eyed from all the squinting XD considering what Verdi's Aida did to me last year in Verona maybe I should consider recommending Verdi CDs insead of Unisom Sleepgels at work), the stage production did leave a very lasting impression on me (though I probably should have been more impressed by the difficult vocal and technical demands of Princess Eboli!? Clearly my brain was a wee bit more wired up with my eyes than my ears). I particularly loved how the same iron-barred gates can be manipulated to set the scene for a chapel (using hundreds of real flickering candlesticks), a prison (positioning lots of bar-clutching people behind it), or even a palace garden (arranging trees behind them and casting artificial lighting to indicate either the scene took place during the day or night). And of course no opera on this trip can be complete without a last comment from our musicologist expert… "九十歲又眼盲的大審判長在台上走那麼飛快像話嗎!!"

After the rather sobering "Don Carlo", seeing the comparatively light-hearted "Oliver!" the following evening at Grange Park felt almost like a welcome break. "Oliver!" is, of course, an English musical based on Charles Dickens' classic novel "Oliver Twist" that was first published as a serial from 1837 to 1839. Having premiered in the West End in 1960, "Oliver!" and its music by Lionel Bart has enjoyed a long run of success worldwide, including on Broadway and an adaptation into a musical film in 1968. However, what was most exciting about this particular performance at Grange Park (apart from the fact that it's in English – no more neck-straining to follow the subtitles!) was that the villain Fagin was to be played by the famous British baritone singer Simon Keenlyside.

Although Keenlyside did not start out with extraordinary talents in singing, nor had he always intended to pursue opera as a career (even going as far as completing a degree in zoology at Cambridge University!), he clearly made up for these with incredible determination and sheer hard work in both singing and acting skills. It came as no surprise, then, that his Fagin at Grange Park turned out to be quite remarkable. Despite the previous false advertising (on Charlie's part perhaps) regarding the fact that the complete musical was to be staged without microphones, the proximity of our seats to the stage meant that every intake of breath, as well as every fleeting change in their expressions, was as clear as if they were in slow motion. And even though all the child performers were outstanding (especially the boy who played Artful Dodger – his "Consider Yourself" was so cheeky that the song was the one I caught myself humming on the way back to the hotel), Keenlyside's stage presence and body language spoke volumes about his years of experience on stage (my only disappointment was perhaps that his make-up stayed a little too true to his character as the leader of a band of street pickpockets – I was half-expecting him to look as dazzling as the souvenir postcard we saw outside!! …如此證明我果然是大叔控 嗚嗚).

Needlessly to say, the set designs for this production were once again astounding (especially Fagin's attic where there was enough space in the set itself for 7 or 8 boys to scuttle in and hide!), and the full set of accompanying orchestra in the pit was apparently another rare sight when it came to musicals. What I found most memorable, though, was the song "A Fine Morning" - a scene that brought a busy main street in a township to life. How they thought of layering the singing parts starting with a milkmaid standing at the back of the theatre, followed by another girl selling roses on a balcony above us, before joining the others on the stage was beyond me – but the effect was both a clever involvement of the audience that made full advantage of the intimate theatre space as well as an effective build-up from a sleepy morning to a magnificent climax.

Although watching starved orphans onstage was not perhaps the best way to stir up an appetite, our dining experience in Grange Park was nonetheless a fascinating one. While the dinner on our first evening was enjoyed in the indoor restaurant as usual (lovely lamb and minted peas – positively English!), we had the wonderful opportunity of trying out one of the gazebos in a "mock picnic" on our second evening. Interestingly enough, this supposedly modest way of dining actually felt a bit more like a fancy fanfare in comparison to the set-course menu. Although it took a while to distribute the platters of pre-ordered dishes, the point is that most of these dishes had names that did not belong to what I had preconceived as "picnic food" - half a lobster for each person, some fresh drops of mozzarella, beef carpaccio sprinkled with parmesan and… champagne?! Don't get me wrong, all of the above tasted amazing (save the cold stale bread – not so sure about that). But call me unappreciative if you will, I caught myself thinking (while chewing away at a corner of the rock-solid boule as elegantly as possible) that with the money that no doubt went into such a luxurious selection it would have made more sense perhaps to opt for a more substantial quantity of normal picnic food – sandwiches, fresh salad, perhaps some fresh bread with a variety of spreads and dips, or even some savouries and cheese with crackers (oops that's clearly the kiwi side coming out)? However, we were in the same table as Mr.燦坤 (who becomes rather generous in sharing funny stories with the help of some wine, as we soon discovered) so the pleasant company and mood, at least, made up for the "Food Glorious Food"!!

Finally, our last night with the tour group saw our arrival at the opera festival that has enjoyed the greatest fame and the longest running history in England – Glyndebourne Opera located on an estate near Lewes in East Sussex. Ever since John Christie, an English aristocrat and schoolmaster at Eton, and his opera singer wife Audrey Mildmay first founded the festival in 1934, Glyndebourne's reputation as both a musical gem and a pioneer in the English Garden Opera tradition has done nothing but grown. Indeed, it was Christie who highlighted the overruling importance of music appreciation (that later became embodied in the garden opera philosophy) right from the first season. His announcement that they were "not interested in names" of singers suggested that those who were chosen were the best for their parts, and not necessarily the best in their fields. But more than that, it was Christie who set the bar for a new standard of operatic performance – one achieved by endless rehearsal and concentration on detail including in the orchestra, singing, the acting, the scenery and the costumes – all within the constraints of private funding such as box-office takings, proceeds of the catering operations, and sponsorship in the form of annual subscriptions as a member of the Glyndebourne Festival Society. Thankfully all these efforts had clearly not been made in vain – why else would the theatre undergo almost yearly alterations and extensions to gradually expand from its original capacity of 300 to its current 1200?

Needless to say, besides Glyndebourne's fame, its apparently higher standard of food and gardens (the latter of which we never had sufficient time to enjoy due to congested traffic!) and the obvious tripling in audience numbers compared to the other two festivals we had just attended, there were a number of other factors that made the night so memorable for me. The first of these was the theatre. More specifically, the breathtaking auditorium "which has been crafted out of century old pitch pine. A traditional horseshoe shape, the wood has been fashioned into elegant curves, and with the help of myriad small lamps gives off a warm glow." …Considering I was completely lost for words when I stepped inside (and am still struggling now to do the auditorium justice with my humble words), I am simply going to leave you with this beautiful description taken from the Glyndebourne Opera website and allow some room for the imagination to roam. The aesthetics of the auditorium at Glyndebourne is not its only strength, however, for even in the absence of La Scala's intimidating grandeur - with its soaring chandeliers and lush theme of red and gold – Glyndebourne exhibits an apparently classic design with a modern twist in practical considerations such as sound acoustics to the seating placements. Such innovative features have not only earned its architects much recognition, but have noticeably improved the viewing comfort and further enhanced the festival’s popularity and prestige. All in all – I believe the theatre itself plays a significant role in Glyndebourne and it is worth every penny to personally experience its awe-inspiring essence, no matter how difficult it is to get your hands on a ticket!!

The second surprise of the evening was, in fact, the elegant gentleman who I had the pleasure of sitting next to for the duration of the opera performance. Although he was with a group of company himself, I assumed he must have noticed my bewilderment as I sat alone in my seat gaping at the fantasy around me (most of our tour group members were split up since tickets were so hard to get, you see). But then as we began chatting, I discovered that he was probably more curious about how a young girl like myself managed to buy the ticket he apparently returned due to a friend’s last-minute bail out, and came to be sitting alone amongst the wealthy prestigious figures from the finance and banking circle (which was apparently what made up the majority of Glyndebourne's audience – not sure if he meant that evening or the front stall section in which we were sitting!). With both of us in our best dress in an elegant opera theatre, and with the murmurs of English accents all around us (only one way in our conversation though unfortunately – mine was even tentatively mistaken for an Aussie accent! Shock horror), it was easy to let my imagination run away again with a fantasy that I was somehow attending a fine evening of entertainment "in society" in one of Jane Austen’s novels… Though of course with the gentleman being in his sixties, there was not much of a fantasy in the romantic regard!! He was absolutely lovely though, and so generously sharing his knowledge that ranged from the Glyndebourne Society and his inheritance of its membership from his father, to his later plans for a picnic outside. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised when he gave me his business card with a handshake at the end of the performance. I glanced down slowly (all the while praying I had not just made a fool of myself in front of the UK finance minister or someone of equal rank) - Mr. A. Douglas, thank you for some wonderful conversation and insight into the festival at my first Glyndebourne experience! I do hope we meet again :)

The third highlight of the evening was, of course, the opera "Il barbiere di Siviglia" itself. As for "L'Italiana in Algeri", "Il barbiere di Siviglia" was again written by Rossini in the traditional comic “opera buffa” style; and again completed when Rossini was at an incredibly young age (in 1816, when he was just twenty-four years old) and within an equally astonishing timeframe (thirteen days!). The storyline of the opera, however, had been adapted from a play by French author C. de Beaumarchais (c. 1732-1799), which was in turn the first part in a popular trilogy (the other two being "Le nozze di Figaro" – now also a popular opera thanks to Mozart – and "La mere coupable"). Just like how "L'Italiana in Algeri" openly mocked the themes of gender inequality and racism, "Il barbiere di Siviglia" was again filled with theatrical satire and its light-hearted arias sugarcoated an open accusation at the questionable privileges enjoyed by the upper social class. I do admit though, the series of ridiculous and far-fetched disguises the duke Almaviva used to successfully win the hand of Rosina was definitely entertaining enough to keep my mind off the deeper layers of discontent simmering below the surface – not to mention that all the lead performers were actually very pleasing on the eye (somehow I've come to think this is a rather rare occurrence in opera)! It was also interesting to note that the lady who sang Rosina – Danielle de Niese – is, in fact, the wife of the current director of Glyndebourne; her connections were surely not relevant to her presence on stage though, for her acting had just the right amount of passion and mischief that spiced up her character. I was however most impressed with Alessandro Corbelli – the man who played the part of Dr. Bartolo. What an incredible voice that complemented his convincing expressions and commanding stage presence! (I may or may not have snorted with laughter when he was frantically trying to find something in the giant storage cabinet and the audience was treated to glimpses of an array of outrageous contents behind each door - a real person’s face, or a flood of paper that showered on Dr. Bartolo before he slammed the door shut!) Socially privileged or not though, having this opportunity to experience Glyndebourne in flesh and blood was an honour to say the least, not to mention a new production such as this year's "Il barbiere di Siviglia" …it felt like a dream that I never quite wanted to wake up from.

Luckily I did not need to wake up just yet. For before the clock struck twelve, a whirlwind tour of York, London, and Cambridge was on the card…

And so the show must go on!

This year has consisted of multiple journeys.

The move to Auckland to embrace the excitements and opportunities of city life.

The pursuit of a new degree in Humanities and Information and Library Studies.

The challenge to keep my wits in the notorious city traffic and harshly materialistic Auckland pharmacy world.

The quest to discover the intrigues of Maori culture in order to become one of the pioneering Mandarin Experience Hosts at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

And of course, the next chapter of my travel series…

An adventure to England, the heart of the Great British Empire, or otherwise known as the Land of Hope and Glory – famously depicted by Sir Edward Elgar in his Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1.

When I returned from Italy last year - so intoxicated by Tuscan sunshine and glorious operas that I needed a few weeks just to rid myself of the lingering haze and settle back into the dreary reality of work- the last thing I expected was to have an opportunity to go on another music-themed trip with The One Travel Agency. But fate (and EXTREME generosity from Dad!) obviously had a mind of its own. For who's to know that not a year later, I would be ecstatically researching English restaurants, shopping for evening attire appropriate for the operas, and all the while throwing T-shirts (on hindsight, probably should have been thermals) and sandals (...snow boots?) together to welcome another two weeks of Summer in Europe! I imagine I had probably been someone like Winston Churchill in my past life to deserve such good fortunes.

What made the trip even better was, apart from being in the lovely company of Mum and Dad again, the accompanying musicologist in charge of music briefings to this tour group on the bus was once again the hilariously quick-witted and incredibly knowledgeable 焦老師, whose funny personal stories and innovative way of simplifying the daunting classical music genre had been, I admit, often sadly missed since the Italy trip. So this time I made sure I was more fully prepared, and armed myself with another newly bought travel journal and voice recorder. Not being able to remember that fascinating fact behind a piece of music, or a scandalous gossip about a composer? Not this time.

The itinerary for this trip was shorter and simpler than the one to Italy last year, but with a similar focus. The first week of the trip would be once again with the tour group. Although overnight stays were organized for Oxford, Winchester, and Brighton, the key emphasis was to be nights out to an opera (or musical) performance in four of the evenings. This was to be followed by a second week of self-organized sightseeing mainly centered around more common tourist attractions in York, Cambridge, and London.

While the opera performances themselves as well as their unique settings were obvious highlights of the first half of the trip (to be described in more detail later on, rest assured!), we most certainly cannot forget all the other experiences that has made this week so memorable and fascinating. One of these was, no doubt, listening to the wide variety of "extracurricular" music shared by 焦老師 throughout the trip in between locations. Ranging from the symbol of English Baroque music Henry Purcell (1659-1695), to leading figures in the 20^th-century music scheme including composer of the famous "The Planets" orchestral suite Gustav Holst (1874-1934), Brighton-born Frank Bridge (1879-1941), and composer of the opera "Peter Grimes" Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), 焦老師 managed to touch on almost all the representative British composers that helped shape the classical music world in their times.

Having only known about the special place Sir Edward Elgar held in English people's hearts and heard snippets of "The Planets" before the trip, the broad overview was a real eye-opener (or perhaps "ear-opener" might be more appropriate!). Even more amazing was the fact that he squeezed all these introductions and background stories, along with extracts from some of their most symbolic works, into the time already limited by the need to explain about the operas to be performed and also the "feedback sessions" by tour group members after each performance!! …Dare I say a bit of time management and organization skills clearly goes a long way to getting a PhD from Kings College in London!

Of the composers that 焦老師 shared with us, two in particular left very lasting impressions on me, and they were Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958), and Granville Bantock (1868-1946). In particular Williams' pastoral "The Lark Ascending" (1914), accompanying our journey into the beautiful English countryside of Coltswolds, and Bantock's epic "Celtic Symphony" (1940), introduced to us for its association with (and Bantock's specific interest in) English prehistoric times on our way to see the Stonehenge. I think what deepened the connection for me was the extensive use of pentatonic scale in both these two pieces of music, which was apparently characteristic of both English folk songs and traditional Chinese music. It is simply incredible to think that two cultures so far apart geographically could be so similar in their traditional music composition – although as 焦老師 demonstrated (with a fork!), the fact that pentatonic scale derived from the natural law of sound from the surrounding environment probably explains its feature in such a wide variety of ethnic groups.

The first composer 焦老師 introduced, however, was William Walton (1902-1983), as he was one of the most symbolic composers from Oxford where we were to spend our first couple of days. What made Walton more relevant to our itinerary was also the fact that he began as a chorister and undergraduate at Christ Church Cathedral School in Oxford, where we also had the pleasure of attending the Evensong service on our first day in England. As beautiful and surreal as the experience was though, I was more pleasantly surprised by the Oxford Covered Market. Located in the centre of town with a few discreet entrances tucked away between shop fronts, the Covered Market offered a livelier and altogether more "ordinary" atmosphere than the rest of Oxford that rather appealed to a commoner like me!

The shops that lined the aisles were mostly small and tightly packed with one another, but each had a distinct vintage aura that felt more welcoming than the medieval Gothic spikes and intricate stone ornaments outside that proudly announced the township's (or rather, the University's) intellectual prestige. What amazed me was that according to our tour guide, many of these seemingly ordinary shops are solely responsible for the daily supplies of each of the Colleges in Oxford University, and have been for generations – including a butchers that also claims they are in possession of (and displays in a glass cabinet) the world's oldest ham (imported from Chicago in 1892!!). Although as our tour guide kindly pointed out, the crown of the best photo spot in the market undoubtedly went to The Cake Shop. The unbelievably detailed decorations and fondant creations were simply works of art, and of course sent us all first into stunned eye-boggling silence followed quickly by a mad snapping frenzy. The experience was then made all the better when 焦老師 eyed the exquisite icing doll that is Her Majesty the Queen and said (with his usual dramatic flare):

 "把她的頭砍下來吃了!!"

Loved it.

Besides the Covered Market, there were other highlights such as getting the chance to see the spot where countless executions took place especially during the Reformation over the 16^th and 17^th centuries (including that of Thomas Cranmer in 1556), and to admire original sketches by J.R.R. Tolkien as well as Holst's hand-written score for "The Planets" displayed in the Weston Library. But as fascinating as these physical attractions were, it was also intriguing to learn about some of the traditional customs laid down by one of the world's oldest and most famous universities.

A tradition that our tour guide specifically drew our attention to was the fact that in order to sit their undergraduate exams, all students are required to wear academic dress – the design of which was laid down in the Laudian Code of 1636 and resemble the clerical robes worn by medieval students in the early years of the University. And the formalities don't end there – it is also traditional to wear a carnation with these robes, but of course not just any old carnation. Taken directly from the Oxford University website – "the colour of the flower supposedly symbolizes the blood from a scholar's heart as they bleed all they know onto the exam paper; the darker the flower, the closer to the final exam, from white, through pink, to red". And it was just our luck that our visit coincided with one of the University's exam periods, so in our wanderings around town we did often brush past first-year students with white, second years with pink, and third years with red blossoming on their chest. It was impressive how small and seemingly negligible details such as these spoke volumes about the great pride the University had in upholding traditions, as well as the hope and expectations they invested in each of their students.

Perhaps another bonus we had for being in a town known for its outspoken intellects was the witnessing of a casual debate on Cornmarket Street involving campaigners from the two parties in the upcoming referendum that held opposing views on whether the UK was to remain or exit the European Union! Unfortunately we didn't stay long enough to listen to the full debate, but from the gathering crowd it was clear the arguments were stirring some interests if not striking a few chords.

Solemn academics soon gave way to beckoning birdsong as we made our way to the picturesque Cotswolds. Having long heard about the beauty of this region with its lush rolling hills, vibrant country gardens, and cottages built out of the lovely golden-hued Cotswold stones that resembled something out of a fairytale, this was no doubt one of my most-anticipated stops. Although we were not scheduled for a long stop (and probably for the best – judging from the steady stream of tourist buses beginning to queue up by the time we left!), we still had a good opportunity to stroll along the river and feast our eyes on the mesmerizing bursts of colour that seemed to spill out from every corner of the village. It was somewhat as if we had just stumbled in on an elegant royal ball, just as we thought it was impossible to tear our eyes away from the poppies curtsying gracefully in their dainty red skirts, we were dazzled by a sudden swirl of pink as the peonies beckoned with a shy flattering blush. When coupled with an occasional trickle of sunlight as the clouds parted – it was a scene of true serenity and sheer perfection. But what really captured my heart and woke a strong yearning to go back to NZ, throw all my belongings in a suitcase and buy a one-way ticket back to the UK was, in fact, our next destination.

Although it was not originally on my list of most-anticipated places to visit in England, Winchester soon became unmistakably my favourite town on this trip. Without the intimidatingly privileged air of Oxford and Cambridge, the distracting tourists in Cotswold and York, nor the claustrophobic crowds of London, Winchester seems comfortable in its size of forty-five thousand people (around the same as Nelson! Hence the appeal?), yet also quietly boasts of a long history of settlement that stretches back to the Iron Ages. In fact, Winchester once served as the capital of the Belgae (a confederation of Gaulish tribes) sometime during the first century BCE, and was among the largest towns in Roman Britain by surface area at the beginning of the third century AD.

However, apart from its major landmark, Winchester Cathedral (one of the largest cathedrals in Europe and the burial place of author Jane Austen), and the Winchester Round Table in the Great hall of Winchester Castle (said to be the legendary "Round Table" in the King Arthur legend, but actually dates from the 13^th century and therefore could not be contemporary to Arthur), Winchester held a closer resemblance to the image of an idyllic English town that I had somehow conjured in my mind. Tilted taverns, cobbled stone roads, a winding river, a scattering of stone statues, some quaint little shops and cafes that fanned out from a lush cathedral square... the town combined it all with a sense of tranquility and class.

As awe-inspiring as the architecture of the Cathedral or the historical significance of Jane Austen's House was, I truly fell in love with the town when our tour guide took us back to town centre via the "scenic route" along the riverside. Perhaps it was the impeccable timing of the sun choosing that moment to sprinkle its golden dust, or maybe it was getting the time to slowly take in the old English manors and delicate flowers that lined the sides of the river – regardless, I instinctively felt my shoulders relax and my heart swell with profound contentment as I strolled down that path with the rest of the tour group members. Never mind what I said a day ago about trying to be a student at Oxford! If there was ever a place I would choose to call home in England, let it be Winchester. It really was such a shame that due to the tight schedules of the operas we could not get more time to look around the town (the sight of Mum and I dashing into as many shops as we could in the precious half an hour of free time must have seemed quite ridiculous!) – but no doubt I will be lured back here soon enough to explore all that Winchester has got to offer.

Now, the reason why the final tour group stop I am going to mention is Portsmouth and not Brighton (where we actually spent our last night with the group), is partially because from what I saw of Brighton it was unfortunately a little too… young and modern for my tastes (think student party town – probably a bit unfair since we did stay quite close to the train station! And of course we never had enough time to make it into the famous Royal Pavilion), but mainly it's because of the significance HMS Victory holds for someone who has grown up in a place named after its commander, Lord Horatio Nelson. HMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy that was ordered in 1758, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765. After many years of service at sea – including her starring role in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 as Lord Nelson's flagship – she was at last moved to a dry dock at Portsmouth in 1922, where she was preserved and has remained there as a museum ship to this day.

I have to say the whole experience of touring the inside of the ship, though immensely enlightening, was not exactly comfortable or heart-lifting. Even the highlight of seeing the small memorial plaque nailed onto the top deck of the ship that marked the exact spot where Admiral Nelson was shot down was rather somber – but I did nevertheless feel a thrill of awe shiver down my spine as my eyes caught the Naval Ensign flapping proudly in the breeze, and for a brief moment it was as if the triumphant chorus of "Rule Britannia" was echoing in my ears, crashing through and drowning out all the other noises on the deck like the waves that had rocked this ship long ago. Perhaps it would not be so terrible, then, to wonder what it would be like to be English for a day? Although preferably not in the Navy and not in the time of Lord Nelson… Even with the ship restored to its most immaculate condition, it was not difficult to imagine the daily horrors the crew faced of crawling up and down the narrow steep ladders and the back-breaking fatigue of ducking through damp claustrophobic cabins in near-pitch-blackness. Not to mention the rodents and constant rocking of the ship that more than explained the presence of hammocks and a treasure chest-full of empty liquor bottles (trust 焦老師 to openly chastise this with some loud tsks XD). No doubt it was an unbearably rough and probably lonely life on the sea – but there was also no doubt that this hardship had helped shape countless boys into men, and simple sailors into historic heroes.

And on that glorious note, we shall sail towards the shore of garden operas, where music triumphs over war, humanity prevails over cruelty, and heroes are made legendary through glittering arias instead of blasting cannons! (Now if only all battle speeches could be that pretty!)

羅馬被稱為「永恆之城」，有長達2700多年的歷史。這期間從羅馬共和國的首都轉變成羅馬帝國的首都，又化為教皇國首都長達11個世紀，後來又成為意大利王國統一後的王國首都。但無論領導者如何變遷，又不管歷史上有多激烈的風雨摧殘，只有羅馬永恆。相信對古羅馬有興趣的朋友們也一定聽說過羅馬建國的神話故事 – 從前阿爾巴國的國王被兄弟阿穆利烏思因為搶奪王位而被驅逐出境，而國王唯一的女兒西爾維婭也被禁止生育，以防止國王的子孫報仇。但西爾維婭違背了他的約束，與戰神瑪爾斯相愛並生下了一對雙胞胎。當阿穆利烏思下令把這對雙胞胎遺棄在臺伯河畔時，一只母狼哺育了他們，後來又被一位牧羊人發現並把他們養大，分別命名為羅馬拉斯 (Romulus) 和雷摩斯 (Remus)。這對兄弟在長大後得知了自己的身世，並回去找阿穆利烏思報仇。最後雖然兄弟倆贏得了勝利並幫助父親恢復了王位，卻在決定合力創建新城市時又因為爭奪王位發生了爭執。羅馬拉斯最終殺死了雷摩斯，成為新城的國王並以自己的名義來命名這座新城 – 羅馬。

跟威尼斯比較起來，羅馬或許因為地理位置偏南又炎熱許多。也之所以在義大利的這最後兩天重點行程大多都放在一大早。不過因為我們到的第二天剛好碰到一個月的第一個禮拜天，羅馬競技場跟緊鄰的古羅馬廣場 (Roman Forum) 門票都免費，人潮從我們八點多從旅館漫步過去一路上就已經綿延不絕。尤其是競技場外的隊伍更是令人一看就想打退堂鼓。幸好我們三人都抱著隨緣的心態，便跳過了站在競技場外一圈又一圈汗流浹背的人群直接前往古羅馬廣場。這次參觀時雖然沒有請專業導覽，但我事先有在手機上下載ItalyGuides.it的語音導覽APP所以都還是可以比較詳細的瞭解每座古蹟背後的歷史背景。而且不愧是永恆之城 – 連看過在歐洲別處許多古羅馬遺跡的玉伯嫂都不禁讚嘆說這裡的保存得最完整並且很值得一看！真的很難以置信腳下踩的凹凸不平的石塊便是兩千多年前古羅馬人每天通行的石街，不過光是抬頭看到四周圍已歷經漫長歲月卻依然雄偉閎壯並堅立不搖的凱旋門，神廟，還有元老院等等就不難想像這片土地過去興盛輝煌的日子。我印象最深的是安托尼努斯和法烏斯提那神廟 (好長一串啊這個名字 XD)  - Temple of  Antoninus and Faustina。這座神廟是為了紀念羅馬皇帝 Antoninus Pius 和他的皇后 Faustina於141年所修建的。而它之所以到如今還保存得這麼完善是因為在中世紀時曾被改造為教堂，因此僥倖逃脫了被拆除並把建材回收拿去修建其他建築的命運 (當時因為運送建材的不便利許多其他遺跡都淪落此下場 – 像是競技場許多的石塊以及萬神殿外層原有的黃金最後都紛紛被拿去建造梵蒂岡的聖彼得大教堂)。而這座神廟的前門為什麼像浮在半空中呢? 因為當這座教堂的門被設立時，也就是中世紀把這座建築改成教堂時，當時的地面就是那麼高。可見就算是這氣派非凡的城市也不受時間的留戀，有多久是被遺忘並沈睡在歷代的人們腳下，任由大自然輕輕的蓋上一層層的沙塵。或許就像現在整座羅馬城下其他的歷史碎片一樣，還在靜靜的等待重見天日的那一刻。

在羅馬時另一個有去朝聖的景點便是玉嫂讀到的「世界十大咖啡廳」中所介紹到的另一家咖啡廳 – Caffe Greco。於1760年開張，除了上次在威尼斯有造訪的Caffe Florian，這座咖啡廳便是全義大利歷史最悠久的咖啡廳。 雖然從外觀看意外的並不算起眼，它在於西班牙階梯正前方街道上的便利位置使得光臨的觀光客也不在少數。或許是因為從差不多年代開始經營的關係，裡面的裝潢跟Caffe Florian一樣走貴氣華麗的風格以迎合當時的社會風氣。但比較特別的是除了無數表著金色框架的畫作跟鏡子外，牆上還掛著許多保存多年的名人書信還有照片或梢像畫，由此可見這裡一直是長久以來頗有名氣的聚集所。而一看到進門左方的玻璃櫃中擺放著琳琅滿目的甜點，玉伯當然也豪爽的點了一大塊檸檬蛋糕跟一些色彩繽紛的水果糖 – 搭配上我點的清涼冰咖啡 (“Shaked Ice Coffee” – 跟碎冰塊一起搖過的義式濃縮咖啡??) 簡直是天作之合啊～

既然來到羅馬當然也不能錯過期待已久的天主教之國 – 梵蒂岡! 之前在網上查詢時很幸運的找到了一家美國的導覽公司叫Walks of Italy，而他們提供的Pristine Sistine導覽據說一向都獲得很高的評價。原因是他們不但重視小團體行動 (一位導遊大約最多同時帶七八個團員)，還保證能比一般觀光客早一個小時進博物館參觀，避免寸步難行的擁擠 (尤其是西斯汀教堂內!) 。雖然在參觀的將近四小時都沒拍照因為早就為了防備扒手而把手機托給玉伯嫂保管，但老實說整個博物館令人目瞪口呆的收藏能輕易的用相機捕捉的實在有限… 不要說聖彼得大教堂裡巧奪天工的眾多雕像以及金碧輝煌的天花板雕刻，就連傳說當年成為米開朗基羅最喜愛的研究作品之一的「拉奧孔與兒子們」也很難在平面的相片上散發出相同的能量跟美感。當然西斯汀教堂內米開朗基羅完成的『創世紀』跟『最後的審判』濕壁畫光是一抬頭就會讓人跌坐在長椅上的震撼力我想又是另一樣非得親眼欣賞琢磨的歷史性鉅作。況且之前很喜歡由丹布朗的小說改編的電影『天使與惡魔』，所以在參觀的同時腦海中便一直重複播放電影中教皇選舉會議的畫面總覺得有種格外的感動。另外一個小巧合就是此趟的導遊竟在多年前去過Nelson採蘋果打工度假!! 能在世界的另一邊遇到住過同樣小鎮的人實在是一見如故，令人開心啊~ XD

至於在羅馬時嚐的美食或許是假期已接近尾聲了並沒有特別突出的餐點可以跟大家分享。倒是在萬神殿以及旅館附近一家海鮮很不錯的餐廳 Ristorante Fortunato al Pantheon 鬧出了誤以為點的是牛排跟蕃茄義大利麵結果端上來的是魚排跟一整條蕃茄醬汁烤魚的大笑話 (倒) 還有參觀完梵蒂岡後在萬神殿附近享用的另一間午餐餐廳外竟剛好碰上好萊屋的團隊在拍電影 (但興奮的看了半天只有一群臨演不停的在被指揮如何過街，並沒出現安潔麗娜裘莉或強尼戴普在拍『色遇』的續集之類的 XDD)！果然瞬間有種「不愧是在羅馬～」的感覺啊 XD (…是說尼爾森也曾有奧蘭多布魯跟羅素克洛出沒啦 哈哈哈)

而在此義大利之旅也終於在滿足以及喜樂的心情下落幕了… 能夠平安的結束這趟精彩絕倫的旅程實在是非常值得感恩！當然硬是擠進行程的兩天台北之旅也在狂吃狂喝下迅速的一閃而逝 – 只能說永康街令人垂涎的牛肉麵跟芒果冰，還有跟善茹 (以及神秘男友??) 一起享用的杏桃鬆餅屋，涓豆腐，以及能開心暢聊的閨蜜約會時光真的為這次出國劃下了最完美的句點～ 讓我又破不及待想要開始計畫下次的旅程了呢!! :)))

威尼斯於十四至十五世紀被譽為整個地中海最繁忙的貿易城市，也是義大利最強大和最富有的水之都 。然而十六世紀初，隨著哥倫布發現美洲新大陸，威尼斯逐漸衰落。最後終於在1797年屈於拿破侖的統治，有著一千多年歷史的威尼斯共和國從此滅亡。直至1849年反奧地利的獨立戰爭取得勝利，威尼斯地區和義大利才在1866 年實現統一，從此成為義大利的一個地區。而它確實也不辜負全世界最浪漫迷人城市之一的美名，不管是瀰漫著悲淒傳說色彩的嘆息橋，在眾多古橋下緩緩交織流動的水道，或是彷彿浮在海面上繁華的聖馬可廣場，每個角落都獨有一番情趣。也難怪每年會有成千上萬的遊客來到這裡想感受它獨特的美… 但實在是多到一種很可怕的境界！！尤其是嘆息橋前真的是被擠得水泄不通，呼吸困難，而且還要時不時提防會有扒手出沒跟被黑心的Gondola船夫或水上計程車司機騙錢，讓我們想好好享受情調的心情難免有受點影響。(半小時120歐元的Gondola Ride光想就不太對勁啊!! 重點是被塞在擁擠的小巷裡這種破壞情調的事發生的機率也極高，所以最後還是作了明智的決定自動捨棄這荒唐的傳統 哈哈哈)

話是這麼說，但我們還是很幸運的留下了幾個美好的回憶~ 像抵達威尼斯第二天搭船前往的兩座主要外島Murano (穆拉諾) 跟Burano (布拉諾)，就讓我見識到了與威尼斯本島渾然不同的氣氛讓我留下很深刻的印象。雖說這兩個也算是主要景點難免還是有不少觀光客徘徊，而且我們停留的時間也不長，但博物館以及商店周圍純樸的民房跟富有巧思的街頭藝術品都明顯的有別於本島濃厚的商業氛圍跟雄偉的建築。Murano以製造色彩斑斕的Murano玻璃而聞名於世。據說1291年威尼斯共和國擔心玻璃廠的爐火會引起佈滿木屋的威尼斯城發生火災，下令威尼斯的所有玻璃廠遷往Murano群島，從此這裡成為七彩玻璃製造業的中心，並於17世紀初開始風行歐洲。之前在做旅遊功課時雖有重復看到Murano Glass這個名詞，卻還是在親眼看到它鮮艷亮麗的色澤時忍不住倒抽了一口氣。尤其對那輕巧細緻的工藝技術在遊覽了島上的玻璃博物館後又更增添了幾分敬佩，也理所當然禁不起誘惑的買了一條有玻璃吊墜的項鍊留念! XD 

至於Burano群島位於威尼斯北邊差不多七公里處，由五個小島跟四條運河組成。在十六世紀，Burano 因當地婦女精心縫製的手工蕾絲製品聞名而開始備受矚目，據說連達文西都曾於1481年買了出自這裡的蕾絲紡織品用以裝飾米蘭大教堂的主祭壇。而如今除了著名的蕾絲製品跟博物館，遊客也很多是為了島上粉刷成各種繽紛顏色的「彩色屋」而來。據悉，當地居民若想在自家外牆上漆，亦需特別申請，然後相關單位才會告知何色可使用。緊緊相依的一排排鮮艷房舍只要搭配上綿延的運河，便能輕易拍出如同身在故事書內夢幻可愛的紀念照。可惜的是當我們抵達這座島時恰巧是艷陽高照的正中午，炎熱之餘也就沒什麼興致在外面汗流浹背的取角度，只有草草拍幾張留念便迅速的躲進商店中 (身為只要為了拍照而在所不惜的台灣遊客等級似乎有待加強?? XD)。所幸在逛街時也有相中一件鑲有蕾絲領子的上衣可以彌補沒機會去造訪蕾絲博物館的遺憾。

這趟離島一日遊因為在到威尼斯之前並沒預計會有時間體驗到所以對於有機會去看看感到格外的慶幸，但其實在威尼斯短暫的兩天我最喜歡的行程非得歸給第一天晚上去聖馬可廣場邊喝東西邊欣賞戶外音樂演奏的這個特殊經歷。我們所挑選的咖啡廳是玉嫂之前偶然間看到書上推薦「世界十大咖啡廳」之一的Caffe Florian。這間全世界最古老的咖啡廳於1720年開幕，室內裝潢高貴古典並有著特殊「包廂式」的格局。雖然我們因為要欣賞演奏而選擇坐戶外，但只要往內一窺金碧輝煌的裝飾，精緻貴氣的壁畫，跟各個西裝筆挺的服務生就不難想像這裡曾是威尼斯一眾文人雅士流連之地。Caffe Florian從四月到十月這段時間，每天從早上十點到半夜都有現場演出的安排。樂團不知道是否聖馬可廣場上的三家咖啡廳全都有事先串通好，都由一位鋼琴家，低音大提琴手，小提琴手，手風琴家，跟單簧管演奏家組成 (不知道是否因為這家咖啡廳特別重視傳統，團員都挑選經驗豐富的「長青組」，不像其他家的都有一兩位年輕養眼的帥哥 哈哈哈)。只要在有音樂的這段時間在咖啡廳坐下來， 每人除了飲品或餐點外都需再另付六歐元的聆賞費用。但只要有親身體驗過現場邊啜飲熱飲邊欣賞優美的琴聲 (跟單簧管!)，還有享受在朦朧月色下注視着熱鬧歡樂又人來人往的廣場，我想你就會跟我一樣覺得再貴也花得很值得!! 尤其是耳邊響起溫柔的『小白花』時又傳來陣陣撼動人心的鐘聲迴盪在寬闊的廣場中，讓我有一瞬間彷彿忘卻了人世間的吵雜喧嘩，昇華到了另一個層次的感動。至於飲品的部分，我點的是據說Caffe Florian招牌之一的熱巧克力 (Cioccolata in tazza)… 果然是跟威靈頓的Duke Carvell’s有得拼啊!! 那濃郁香醇的口感實在是讓我用盡了所有的意志力才沒把整個杯子拿起來舔 XDD 當然玉伯點的雞尾酒跟豪華水果聖代，以及玉嫂的義式濃縮咖啡也都絲毫不遜色 – 真的是個充滿夢幻氛圍的夜晚，就好比灰姑娘眼看舞會已隨著鐘聲消失殆盡，她還是忍不住會一直重復質疑剛剛是不是一切都是夢境。我想要不是十點多開始下雨，又加上廣場開始淹水的話玉伯嫂大概要拖著我才肯回去吧 XD (得脫鞋涉水回飯店的經驗就更是可遇不可求了 – 幸好地上沒有漂浮著酒瓶碎片之類的啊 現在回想起還真是捏一把冷汗 哈哈哈)

好不容易來到這座矗立在海上的水之都當然「海鮮」也扮演了相當重要的角色。因此在威尼斯的最後一樣重點行程便是去參觀在Rialto Bridge 對岸的港口據說相當豐富的魚市場。一開始雖然有點擔心會找不到路，所幸威尼斯雖然小巷繁複是眾所皆知但Rialto Bridge跟聖馬可廣場這種熱門景點的指標卻每轉一個彎就有一個實在是非常便利 XD 也因此毫不費功夫的就找到了橋邊，但豈知我本以為市場所在的建築卻鐵門深鎖！幸好最後不氣餒的問到了一位友善的店家願意指點（原來是還要繞進去另一條街）才終於順利抵達一大清早就已有不少威尼斯當地居民在認真挑選貨色的魚市場。但與其說是魚市場，不如稱它為包括了很多新鮮蔬果的攤販還有其他五花八門的海鮮的農夫市集~~ 其中最驚奇的大概是看到不只一攤擺著的一整條旗魚，還有終於親眼看到在佛羅倫斯吃到的炸櫛瓜花的主角 (…也就是櫛瓜花而不是櫛瓜!! 哈 哈) 也很開心看到挑選得很起勁的玉伯玉嫂 (可是玉伯一直被龍蝦螃蟹吸過去好危險啊啊啊 XD) …要是Nelson也有能買到這麼多道地義大利食材的市場該有多好啊~ (是說已經有這麼棒的週六市集就該好好感恩了啦 XD)

既然說到海鮮就來到了最後一個重點 – 沒錯，就是食物！在來威尼斯之前其實有看一本設在威尼斯的小說 “One Summer in Venice”，裡面就有寫到不少威尼斯當地的美食。而兩天雖然不可能把全部都嘗遍，我們卻運氣非常好的吃到了一家據說米其林書裡有介紹到的餐廳「Il Ridotto Restaurant」（而且事先都沒先預約，只是某天晚上要回旅館偶然經過看到氣氛不錯就一時興起的進去訂了第二天要離開威尼斯前的午餐 哈哈哈)。它們午餐有推出一種Tasting Set Menu (淺嘗套餐?) 是包含了麵包，三小碟開胃菜跟主菜，而主菜可以從當日的肉類 (豬肉) 或魚類 (sea bass/鱸魚) 二選一，這樣總共才28歐元。光是一進門看到乾淨雅緻的擺設以及用高級Murano玻璃訂製的精美水杯就瞬間感覺我們挖到寶了!! 而且果不其然餐點也非常精緻可口，尤其是之前就略有耳聞的沙丁魚泥 (Baccala Mantecato) 終於在這家吃到了道地的煮法，綿密又不膩的料理方式實在是令我們都忍不住讚不絕口。 加上之後加點的提拉米蘇連我這種從來不是特別喜歡這道甜點的人都不禁在吃下第一口後立刻心花怒放 – 能抓准濕度跟甜度又入口即化的提拉米蘇真的太驚人了，就連早就盤底朝天了還是口齒留香。另外威尼斯最出名的墨魚麵當然也沒被眼尖的玉伯放過，雖然腥味對台灣味蕾來說有點偏強但還是很令人難忘。況且連身旁幾乎吃遍全天下的兩位都吃得眉開眼笑，感覺跟這餐廳實在是相見恨晚啊~

除了餐廳外，在威尼斯的第二天晚上因為我跟玉嫂依照慣例的想吃點輕食墊胃就好，我們便在某家小酒吧 (bacari) 買了幾樣當地人的下酒菜 (cicchetti) 回旅館淺嚐一番。也就是那時候我買到了小說中重復出現了幾次的炸肉球 (polpette) 跟菜薊披薩 (artichoke pizza)。炸肉球感覺跟想象中的口感沒有差很多~ 便是口味偏鹹的炸牛肉餅。菜薊披薩卻意外的驚為天人 – 原來香脆的菜薊在披薩上這麼搭~ 義大利人的創意看來還是不容小覷！

接下來就要迎來義大利之旅的最終站 – 羅馬！在永恆之城還會有什麼驚喜在等著我們呢?

7月26號在位於路卡(Lucca)郊區的La Magnolia餐廳享用完中餐後，我們家三人便告別了異數風格的其他團員包車前往同樣位在托斯卡尼的佛羅倫斯展開了十天的自由行延伸行程。

佛羅倫斯 (Florence 或Firenze) 為托斯卡尼省的首府。在十五世紀和十六世紀的梅迪奇時代達到經濟與文化上的鼎盛，也曾一度是義大利統一後的首都（1865 – 1871年）。城市座落在一個三面環繞著美麗的粘土山丘的寬廣盆地中心，義大利中部最重要的河流阿諾河(Fiume Arno) 從其市中心流過。佛羅倫斯被認為是文藝復興運動的誕生地。這座古城擁有眾多的歷史建築，和藏品豐富的博物館，更是歷史上許多文化名人的出身地。比較出名的有詩人但丁 (Dante) ，畫家李奧納多達文西 (Leonardo da Vinci)，米開朗基羅 (Michelangelo)，科學家伽利略 (Galileo)，雕塑家多納太羅 (Donatello) 等。

在脫團之後老實說又更能感受到觀光客人潮的壓迫感（或許也是因為異數風格都挑比較與眾不同的景點）。剛到佛羅倫斯那天下午我們便迫不及待的到市區街道探索，但越接近指標性的景點就越顯得吵雜擁擠。尤其是聖母百花大教堂 (Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore) 還有老橋 (Ponte Vecchio) 附近更是顯得寸步難行。但暫且不說人擠人的恐怖的話，佛羅倫斯真的是絲毫沒辜負人稱文藝復興象徵的美名。漫步在從古至今無數偉人走過的石街上只要隨便抬頭一看便是一座已矗立幾百年的雕像或是一棟來歷非同小可的教堂皇宮。也就是為什麼當下常會邊望著眼前伸手可及的古蹟邊作好在這短短的四天內除了扮演好蹚目結舌的鄉巴佬角色外，就不可奢望能吸收多少歷史知識的心理準備 (幸好現代科技這麼方便，隨時要複習相關的資訊都可以很輕易的在網上找到真幸福~)。

在佛羅倫斯的其中一天我們很幸運的有請到整天的中文導遊翁小姐還有司機幫我們作San Gimignano (聖吉米尼亞諾) 跟 Siena (錫耶納) 的私人導覽。這兩座中古世紀的山城分別都位於朝聖大道上所以主要街道兩旁的教堂不勝其數，而其中我最印象深刻的還是Siena的哥德式大教堂 (Duomo di Siena)。這座於1263年完工的教堂建築本身除了正門美輪美奐，精雕細琢的外表之外，採用的大理石顏色也非常特別。教堂內部除了有交替著用黑色跟白色以代表成立這座城市的兩位將軍 (Senius跟 Aschius) 坐騎的顏色，另外還用了Siena特有的粉紅色以及黃色大理石作點綴，讓原本就佈滿整座教堂地面的宗教圖又顯得更加震撼令人眼花繚亂。

除了教堂外這兩座古城也各自有非常有意思的觀光行銷手法(?)。雖說San Gimignano 有名的是它許多以前貴族為了宣示家族權勢的高塔，但因為我們沒時間上去仔細觀看所以反而對街上的小店比較有興趣 – 像是托斯卡尼區色彩鮮艷亮麗的陶器，還有San Gimignano出產的典雅手染麻布。我們逛的那家布店一進去就看到了掛飾著很多橄欖樹以及葡萄園這種雅緻的典型托斯卡尼圖案不禁就會愛不釋手，陶醉得想把整家店都包下來啊~ 如果每天進房間就能看到床上或桌上鋪着這種有濃濃義大利風格的裝飾應該就會有一直在度假的錯覺吧 哈哈哈 (最好就是有這麼好用) Siena有名的則是每年在七月以及八月舉辦的兩次Palio無鞍賽馬大會。這項盛會據說從中世紀就流傳至今，而選手們分別來自16個不同的街區並各有傳統的代表色跟旗幟，場面十分浩大。所以用來作賽馬場地的巨大扇形廣場Piazza del Campo也因此名聲大噪。雖說這次無緣親眼目睹這個獨特的活動，但其實光想到我能站在「茱麗葉的信」中我印象極深的拍攝場景我就已經很滿足了(淚) 另外有機會不用跟著團體逛古城也更有閒情逸致能欣賞到在蜿蜒小巷中陽光照射的陰影搭配上古樸的木窗這種恬靜又美妙的小地方。

另外有私人導遊的好處之一就是也有最內行的當地美食推薦~ 不管是在Siena的餐館Ristorante Mugolone嘗到看似烏龍麵但很有嚼勁的Pici，用杏仁biscotti沾Vin Santo甜酒的甜點 (Cantucci)，或是傳說中Filippo Brunelleschi 因為在蓋百花大教堂的圓頂時需要攜帶長時間不會腐壞的食物而發明的紅酒燉牛頰(Peposo)，每道都非常有特色。我們也有試之前連續拿下好幾年世界冰淇淋冠軍，位於San Gimignano的Gelateria Dondoli~ 它濃郁的開心果口味跟清甜中帶一點苦澀的白酒口味冰淇淋可能還要念念不忘好一陣子吧!! 唯一跟我想象中有蠻大差異的食物恐怕是炸櫛瓜花這道前菜 – 或許我把它直接想成了炸櫛瓜所以當我咬進去是吃到滿嘴Ricotta起士跟麵衣時嚇了一跳 XD 但我想我們最感謝導遊推薦的還是Westin Excelsior旅館頂樓餐廳每晚7點到9點只要點飲料就能享用自助式下酒菜跟360度佛羅倫斯美景這項資訊!! 不但美味划算，量能自己控制，而且又能遠離一般的觀光客 – 果然不是當地人就很難知道這種好地方~ 另外當然也特地去造訪了台灣遊客強力推薦的中央市場，並趁機享用了同時買多樣小吃一起share這種來到義大利後好像比較少見的用餐方式。牛肚包我覺得的確不錯~ 但味道頗重的可能要搭配一杯西瓜汁 (感謝玉伯設想周到 哈哈) 最難忘的還是得歸給玉嫂興致勃勃點的松露燉飯 – 松露量驚人，香氣撲鼻，而且價格還很合理~ 現在想起來還是回味無窮啊 (猛吞口水)

義大利最著名的美術館之一，烏菲茲美術館，既然都到了佛羅倫斯當然也是不容許錯過。現在美術館所用的建築興建於1560年，一開始其實是Giorgio Vasari為第一托斯卡納大公Cosimo de' Medici 所建的辦公室 (Uffizi和義大利語中的「辦公室」諧音)。因為梅迪奇家族從Cosimo de' Medici的時期開始就熱衷於藝術，也一直有贊助許多大師 (米開朗基羅，達文西等)，家族世世代代收藏的藝術品大都安放與此。直到最後一位直系後裔Anna Maria de'Medici 在臨終時留下遺言把所有的收藏品都捐贈給托斯卡尼政府，才順理成章的把這建築改造成美術館，並於1765年正式向外開放。不知道以前公爵大人需要加班時一個人待在如此寬闊浩大的「辦公室」會不會很陰森啊... 

幸好一整個早上都有導遊專業的解說，要不然這麼多名畫真不知道要從何看起。雖說要排隊進去就算有事先買票也不是件容易的事，而且要專注聽解說同時對抗人群實在很耗體力，但光是學到幾個重點宗教主題的重複性 (同樣是天使報喜就有這麼多版本太驚人了!!) ，還有親眼看到達文西細膩生動的畫作 (布料跟色澤的處理就連我這種外行人都忍不住要讚嘆!) 以及波提切利 (Sandro Botticelli) 充滿深邃神話含義的『春』與『維納斯的誕生』我想就不枉此行了。但果然收藏如此驚人時間卻有限的話或許就像玉嫂說的先看紀念品店中最常出現的畫是哪幾幅然後看重點是最聰明的作法 XDD

說到美術，其實之前都不知道在領主廣場，烏菲茲美術館入口旁邊有一個叫「傭兵涼廊」(Loggia della Signoria) 的戶外雕塑的美術館可以隨時免費進去觀賞文藝復興的藝術。裡面有一座法國畫家 Giambologna的風格主義作品 『強擄薩賓婦女』 (Ratto delle sabine) 是用一整塊有瑕疵的白色大理石雕刻完成的。它兼具優雅和暴力，也極充滿力量跟動感。聽說Giambologna想要創作一部「蛇形圖」，從各個方向都在做向上蛇形螺旋運動的作品，所以可以從各個方向同樣地欣賞。緊張的人體曲線成為文藝復興的頂級傑作之一。

最後就來稍微說一下其他我們自己走的小行程吧~ 說實話雖然我們也很中規中矩的去看了在學院美術館裡的大衛像真跡 (要不是有事先買票還真的不會瘋到要去加入那長到荒謬又充滿刺耳美國腔的隊伍 囧) 還為了爬聖母百花大教堂的圓頂在炎陽下去排了快一小時的隊 (雖然壁畫跟風景很令人驚艷但如果膝蓋不好或是有密閉空間恐懼症跟懼高症絕對不推薦 哈哈哈)，但最難忘的行程還得感謝玉嫂先前作的功課呢~ 身為藥師的我先不管對這一行到底有沒有熱忱，能去造訪全歐洲最古老的藥局 (Pharmacy of Santa Maria Novella) 說實在還是感到很驚奇又有趣的。這間有八百年歷史的藥局原本是修道院專用的草藥調劑室，但於1612年開始對外開放。據說這裡也是香水的發明地 – 以前梅迪奇家族的Catherine de'Medici （之後嫁給亨利二世成為法國王后）愛用的香水便是出自這家藥局，現在也成為這裡最有代表性的產品 (可惜當時不曉得~~ 只顧著考慮要不要買掛香皂的盒子 哈哈哈)。藥局內的擺設也依然保存得非常復古，專賣OTC （其實比較像是Homeopathic的藥水??) 的房間內也有擺滿了古老調劑儀器和用品的玻璃櫃。雅緻的藥瓶貼著低調的標籤，彷彿已被不斷求新求進步的時間潮流默默遺忘，又似是已看淡了這充滿混淆色彩跟吵雜噪音的競爭世代。連後面的調劑室也有像美女與野獸裡的梯子架在藥櫃上啊~~ 實在太有感覺了 XD

在佛羅倫斯的最後一天也很幸運的有時間去自由逛街順便找要帶回藥局請Morning Tea的點心。雖然可愛又華麗的糖果店似乎街上也不少，但要找到價錢合理又好帶的選擇要比想象中難很多啊! 幸好眼尖的玉嫂有找到最後大受歡迎的開心果牛扎塘，要不然那些夢幻精緻，色素滿點，價格不菲的水果軟糖如果不好吃或被壓爛就真的虧大了。

接著就讓我們準備前往下一站…..威尼斯吧!!

接下來就要介紹這趟的重點行程之一囉~ 以下很多歌劇場地跟背景介紹取自於異數風格節錄印製並發給每位團員的手冊。這次看的五齣歌劇也各別都有提供很詳盡的聆導筆記。從這就或許可以看出旅行社不惜成本的貼心服務～

這趟義大利行第一齣觀賞的歌劇是每年必在維洛納競技場 (Arena di Verona)上演的『阿伊達』（Aida）。這座競技場建於西元一世紀，是世界上現存的第三大原型競技場。原型外觀是用當地出產的粉紅色石灰岩打造而成，古代作為羅馬人的露天劇場。雖然曾經可容納超過三萬名觀眾，因為安全原因目前已限制為一萬五千人。我覺得很有趣的是之前都沒想過競技場周圍多數出入口的設計可讓這麼龐大的人潮在短短幾分鐘內全部撤離 – 真的是無處可見古羅馬人無以倫比的創意跟智慧。至於阿伊達是由義大利作曲家威爾第 (Verdi) 於1870年至1871年為了開羅新建的歌劇院而完成的作品，內容改編自法國埃及文物研究者Auguste Mariette的腳本。故事敘述依索比亞公主阿伊達被俘虜至埃及成為奴隸，和埃及將軍Radames相愛但中間又參雜著第三者（埃及公主Amneris）以及埃及與依索比亞這兩個國家敵對關係的種種難題。劇情雖然乍聽之下有點灑狗血（經焦老師一針見血的八點黨轉撥後又顯得更老梗跟爆笑… 埃及公主: 「你愛我嗎？不愛我的話就去死吧！！」將軍: 「那我就去死！！」），但畢竟是反映當時觀眾的需求而且詠嘆調優美的旋律跟進行曲迫人的氣勢還是在這齣歌劇裡被發揮得淋漓盡致，不愧是大師級的作品。

在如此宏偉的場地觀賞擁有華麗佈景跟激昂大合唱的歌劇照理說應該會看得目不轉睛… 但很不幸的當天因為是抵達義大利的隔天還在跟時差抗戰，白天又是整天在炎陽下的西慕尼半島跟維洛納市區逛街觀光的行程，競技場內雖是露天但無風又悶熱，所以無論我怎麼猛擦導遊好心掏出的萬精油搭配搧扇子，同時含了三顆止咳糖(?)，又死命的捏手臂，還是在第二幕之後就完全陣亡不省人事（幸好有勉強撐完充滿撼動人心大場面的第二幕… 但偏偏坐位又那麼好啊！！希望在舞台上賣命演出的演員們能原諒我在他們高歌『榮耀歸於埃及』時一直狂翻白眼 哈哈哈）。而昏睡了一幕後至少最後男女主角感人肺腑的對唱時就能打起精神欣賞~ 也幸好之後焦老師對於法老王似乎誤抓了杜蘭朵裡的戲服的看法我也沒在狀況外 XD (有誰看過法老王穿全白的長袍啊) 但我看不管怎樣玉嫂比較是被我的睡像娛樂到了吧 囧

接下來便是二十號晚上在杜林皇家歌劇院 (Teatro Regio) 上演的『茶花女』（La traviata）。杜林在十六世紀就有許多歌劇表演的場地，但直至十八世紀才考慮打造一座專門的歌劇院。 這家皇家歌劇院於1740年落成並曾被當做王室貴族的倉庫，也曾遭遇祝融而損毀，1936年所有歌劇暫停演出，直至1973年重建完畢。雖然歌劇院外表現在看起來意外的現代，但手冊是寫說在現代化的裝潢外表下，仍能見到原始的牆面。

茶花女這部歌劇是威爾第於1853年只花了一個半月就譜寫完的作品。據焦老師說La traviata原文直接翻譯意思是『誤入歧途的女人』。相信很多人都有耳聞這部名作的故事內容 – 一個巴黎上流社會的交際花 Violetta與法國青年Alfredo之間坎坷不被祝福的愛情故事。在啓程之前想說稍微作一點行前功課時也查到好萊屋電影『Moulin Rouge』其實劇情就是改編自茶花女，當時有點恍然大悟的感覺因為的確有很多雷同之處！我們看的那一場飾演女主角的女高音為Desiree Rancatore, 渾厚紮實的唱功把這個幾乎從頭要唱到尾，戲份很吃重的角色詮釋得非常生動。雖然佈景跟服裝是走精簡現代化的路線，但看似簡單的鏡面方塊卻隨著劇情的需求漸漸顯示出它變化多端的設計巧思，女主角豐滿的身材（？）也把同樣很有份量的現代晚禮服駕馭得很好 （是說唱歌劇的女生應該都不能太瘦才有足夠肺活量，要不然茶花女的角色應該是要有很纖瘦如柴，病西施的外型吧?）。看這齣的時候也很幸運能坐在專業音樂講師旁邊，看到歌詞中一直出現「Follie! Follie!」還能馬上求翻譯 (是 “傻子” 的意思喔 XD)。不過印象最深刻的還是最後一幕她孤獨悲淒的詠嘆調，聽完後深深感受到唱歌劇要確保嗓音能在連續唱兩三個小時還能維持在最佳狀態，並同時要在劇曲中灌輸那麼多情感真的是要下很多苦功，非常不容易。

在米蘭我們有幸能觀賞到的葛魯貝洛娃 (Edita Gruberova) 女高音歌劇選粹音樂會位於赫赫有名的史卡拉歌劇院 (Teatro alla Scala)。史卡拉歌劇院是原址重建的第二所劇院，首座劇院為公爵劇院 (Teatro Ducale)，在1776年因為一場大火而付之一炬，因而有了史卡拉歌劇院在1778年的誕生。威爾第的許多作品都在史卡拉歌劇院首演，列如1886年的『奧泰羅』(Otello)。而這座全義大利最大的歌劇院會聞名全世界有一部份也是因為一段有趣的歷史。在劇院給有錢人看戲的包廂之上有頂層樓座（loggione），供不太富裕的人觀看表演。頂層樓座是表演者所畏懼的地帶，因為該處聚集著很多歌劇迷熱者，他們有高度的鑑賞力，他們要麼為表演者成功的演繹而著迷，要麼為表演者錯誤的演繹而無情狠批，失敗的演出都會被他們長期記著。像著名男高音貝岡吉 （Carlo Bergonzi）於歌劇阿伊達開場時演出失誤，在多年後他再次登台，卻即時被報以無情的fischi(口哨)，在義大利象徵蔑視。

果不其然，一踏進歌劇院內部的瞬間便好比踏進時光機回到一兩百年前米蘭貴族聚集在此的時代。光是在座位上抬頭觀望環繞周圍高聳而立的一層層華麗包廂就不禁感覺頭暈目眩。雖然有發生坐錯位置跟團員被假收票員騙走票卷的小插曲，但並沒影響到能親眼目睹傳奇花腔女高音演出的期待。葛魯貝洛娃女士出生於斯洛伐克，母親是匈牙利人，父親是德國後裔。1968年首次登台演出，1970年在維也納國立歌劇院主唱莫札特『魔笛』的夜后後就長年在維也納當獨唱家。今年將滿69歲的她唱功已到爐火純青的程度，感情醖釀更是不得了，再搭配上椅背後小螢幕上的英文字幕好瞭解她對歌詞的詮釋… 實在是非常震撼很令人感動又一再回味的演出。雖然比較極端的音色已可想而知不復當年，但她依然每個音都堅持要唱的敬業精神實在很令人敬佩，而且Encore曲也不吝嗇的為了聽得如癡如醉的觀眾重唱了整首五分鐘長的cabaletta finale。但其實光從她還沒開口，剛踏上舞台就獲得滿堂熱烈的喝彩，以及每演唱完一首曲子就要示意無數次觀眾才肯停止鼓掌來看，她清亮的嗓音，卓越的技巧，以及驚人的表演氣勢跟舞台魅力就像手冊裡訴說的一樣早已征服了樂迷的心。

最後兩部歌劇皆是位於托斯卡尼的普契尼湖 (Torre del Lago) 湖畔搭建的戶外舞台演出。著名的歌劇作曲家普契尼（Giacomo Puccini）在晚年因咽喉癌去布魯塞爾治療前大部分時間都住在位於湖邊的小別墅作曲跟打獵。因此在他逝世六年後，也就是1930年以來每年夏天在這小鎮會舉辦歌劇節延續他想讓他的歌劇在星空下演出的遺願。Torre del Lago是真的很美 (如果不是歌劇節我想應該也是很寧靜) 的地方，涼一點的話坐在湖畔的長椅上或咖啡廳看書或欣賞風景我想會是很舒服的經驗。我們在跟團的最後一天也有安排去看普契尼故居的行程 – 看到身邊圍繞著一代歌劇大師曾經用過的物品跟親手寫下的曲譜還有書信真的會留下很深刻的印象，也對這位才華洋溢，風流瀟灑的藝術家有更進一步的認識。

其實在星空下觀賞歌劇聽起來很浪漫唯美，但實際上夏天不到九點多天都還亮著所以開演跟結束時間往往非常晚（又加上散場時人潮驚人交通堵塞，連續兩晚都是凌晨一兩點多才回到飯店 囧），而且戶外沒什麼風很悶熱蚊子又多 (這次出遊都隨身帶扇子真是明智之舉) ，所以其實跟想象中有一點落差 (尤其是表演前的自助餐?? 雖然位置不夠要跟一對佛羅倫斯的夫妻一起坐反而有機會跟義大利當地人聊聊天啦～) 。但很幸運的是兩天晚上都沒下雨所以表演除了前排座位編號亂七八糟使得有些團員極度困惑外都很順利的如期進行！這兩場在湖邊的表演其實佈景的變化都比先前看的表演還有趣，像托斯卡 (Tosca) 裡男主角著名的詠嘆調『星光燦爛』在一個巨大的月亮前演唱還蠻有感覺的～唯一的美中不足大概就是男主角長相頗不討喜 (…那身材…嗯 照理說聽歌劇不應該看外貌啦 但畢竟對融入劇情還是有某種程度上的幫助嘛 哈哈) 還有每次托斯卡快步走過舞台都很擔心她會被厚重的禮服跟斗篷絆倒啊!! 最後就是杜蘭朵 (Turandot)了 – 從來沒看過那麼歡樂的歌劇實在是大開眼界 (普契尼沒能把它寫完想必很多人都覺得很遺憾啊~) ! 焦老師評說一開始朝廷官員擺弄著滿手的指套 (?) 活像隻龍蝦，還有之後宮廷裡各個穿得像海底生物一樣的形容實在是太貼切了 XDD 更不用說三位大臣(呯嗙砰??) 誇張滑稽有如卡通人物的造型 (天 當年歐洲人真的是把中國想像成那樣嗎…也太荒謬了 哈哈哈 難怪一直會看到附近團員們抖動的肩膀)。 而且雖然很不想再批評主角外貌但…杜蘭朵公主的選角也太失敗了 囧 好啦 我知道能唱這高難度角色的人本來就不多，但這位女士也不知道是唱這角色幾十年了…  跟還算年輕的韓國男主角演對手戲好像總會讓人渾身不舒服啊 (抖) 虧我在第一幕她遠遠坐在疑似貝殼還是魚卵的王座上時還覺得她好像很冷豔挺適合的 (看來度數可能又加深啦 XD) 另外韓國男主角唱『公主徹夜未眠』獲得熱烈迴響後竟還很有興致的自動encore了一遍 XDD 好像焦老師也挺傻眼的...

這次真的很難得有機會享受這麼多場精彩的歌劇饗宴 (而且還是貴賓等級的座席)！！每齣確實都是很獨特而且畢生難忘的經驗。相信以後大概也不會那麼專程在炎炎夏日跑去義大利觀賞歌劇節，所以一定會更加珍惜這些美好的回憶的~~ J 也要再次感謝焦老師一路上滔滔不絕的豐富聆導課程，畢竟邊欣賞車外義大利的鄉村小鎮風光邊聽動人的歌劇實在不是經常能有的體驗啊～ (瞬間覺得氣質等級提升了好幾格 哈哈)

P.S. 這次在義大利看演出也學到了一個新的單字! 「Bis」(念作"bees") 是義大利文裡 「encore」或安可的意思喔! 

一個月前的今天，我帶著雀躍不已的心情飛奔離開了藥局而啓程前往了期盼已久的義大利（跟短暫的台灣）之旅。

其實說是一個月，感覺上卻有點矛盾啊～ 一方面幸福愉快的假期時光總是顯得飛逝而過，也永遠會被嫌不夠長，但另一方面這一趟知性之旅卻又無比的充實。再加上每天在高溫下走動，光是體力的鍛鍊跟知識上的吸收就讓我切身感覺到早已過了不只單單一個月！實在不愧是一個孕育出無數走在時代尖端的藝術家，哲學家，跟科學家的國家… 光是在文藝復興時代留下來散佈在義大利各處的雕像，畫作，建築，與其他藝術品就已經花一輩子都鑽研不完，更不用說那些從古羅馬時期保留至今的古蹟跟歷史文物了。但也因為一路上幾乎一直很幸運的有專業的講解讓我們能稍微瞭解一點悠長歷史中的皮毛，才能當下加深對各個景點的印象並有所區別。當然這也就更激起我想深入瞭解歐洲歷史的偉大夢想（？）…但恐怕就得靠自己去慢慢研究啦～ (然後就有藉口可以再回去玩了吧 哈哈哈)

這次義大利行的前半段因為是跟著異數風格旅行社的音樂團，重點當然就是放在位於維洛納，杜林，米蘭，以及Torre del Lago的夏季歌劇節演出。這次真的非常感謝玉伯嫂的邀請才有機會觀賞這五齣一票難求的表演，尤其是在歌劇源起之地的義大利親身體驗 – 那種臨場感跟感動果真是筆墨難以形容！也要感謝鼎鼎大名卻極具親和力的焦元溥老師一路上在遊覽車裡詳細，風趣，又精彩到有如八點黨的聆導解說，才能讓我這種對歌劇研究尚淺的初學者也聽得津津有味，收獲良多～

之前雖然就聽玉伯嫂讚美過異數風格講求高素質，盡可能以客人的舒適與方便性為考量，以及注重能放慢步調好好享受的行程安排，這次親自體驗過才總算是能瞭解為什麼總是被讚不絕口～ 不但待客慷慨把每個人照顧得無微不至（時常二話不說的代付額外的票價跟請吃冰淇淋，歐洲的水如此貴還能在車上無限量的供應！！），兩位美女領隊處理任何疑難雜症也總是顯得有條有理，圓滑但又不失台灣人所習慣的高效率 – 實在是令人敬佩啊!! 但光是看到表面就覺得領隊好難當 – 相信在客人看不到的地方還有許多的艱辛是我們所無法理解的。真是辛苦了!! 雖說是一分錢一分貨，但就像玉伯說的有時候錢也不一定能保證品質。相信有這麼多老客人一直重復參加他們的團也是因為他們這幾年下來有建立起能持續保持高水準的口碑，也很高興經常出門的玉伯嫂能找到如此令人安心的旅行社！

說了一堆之後終於要開始說行程啦~ (天啊 照這樣看這義大利之旅不知道得分成幾篇才好??) 這次從紐西蘭出發到義大利才讓我真正體會到歐洲是多麼的遙遠~~ 果然是在世界的另一邊啊!! 之前雖有去過奧地利但當時從台灣出發感覺就跟飛紐西蘭差不多，這次卻等於連續兩趟十幾個小時的長途飛行。再加上從香港到台灣的來回兩趟 – 實在是很衷心感謝桃園機場入關後有提供乾淨寬敞的淋浴室幫助我清醒了幾個小時! 至於義大利的天氣就不用說了~ 在金黃色艷陽下一棟棟橘褐色房子緊緊相依的古城雖然就跟電影鏡頭一樣美麗浪漫又瀰漫著神秘的氛圍，但在見識到那些石塊跟磚頭是怎麼吸熱然後把每條狹窄蜿蜒的鵝卵石小巷一瞬間變成天然的烤箱後就很難有心情好好欣賞了 – 除非是在清晨能把握那短暫的一兩個小時散散步，要不然通常腦子會有一半是忙著搜出最近的一片陰涼處或是能喘口氣的店家~ 而且夏天遊客人潮當然也相對的多，所以趁清晨剛睡醒神清氣爽，街上也少掉許多不必要的擁擠與喧嘩的時候出去走走確實往往是讓我覺得心情最能放鬆，最能感受一個城鎮的特色（拍照也最適合!）的時候。

其實跟團時的行程我覺得每樣都很值得，但要說除了歌劇外令我印象最深的應該是杜林的埃及博物館跟朱里尼女士的古董鋼琴演奏會。

杜林的埃及博物館 (Museo Egizio) 據說是開羅國家博物館以外，最大規模專門收藏埃及文物的博物館，其兩萬六千多件的館藏也多過大英博物館。當天我們團員被分為兩小組，皆由兩位不同的導遊幫我們透過耳機作導覽。我想應該很少人會對埃及富有如此濃厚神秘色彩的的古文明歷史沒有興趣的吧~ 雖然我還沒有機會去開羅以及大英博物館，但連去過的玉嫂都不禁讚嘆說是第一次那麼近距離又清楚的看到木乃伊 – 相信我心中的驚奇與振奮也不是毫無道理的! 而且之前都不曉得處理屍體以及安葬，陪葬的方式同樣在古埃及竟然有這麼多階段的改變跟進化 – 正方形的，還有用黑石頭雕刻出來的棺材都是第一次看到！還有當時為寵物做的棺材竟然如此的精緻，後期把往生者的長相畫在皮上然後擺在棺材上方的肖像如此令人發毛的栩栩如生，有位木乃伊的保存程度完好到連茂密的頭髮都還在，兩三千年前陪葬的陶器有些竟還完好如初… 令人嘖嘖稱奇的文物多到讓聽完不過一個半小時導覽的團員們各個都累得癱坐在出口處的方椅上連逛紀念品店的力氣都沒有 XD 雖然因為時間有限不能仔細研究每樣展覽中的物品，但實在是很慶幸有安排這項行程 - 非常有趣也學到了很多希奇古怪的知識喔!  (想到導遊還指出壁畫上窮人都被塗成黑皮膚因為整天在太陽底下做工，而有錢人膚色較白而且還有點胖，另外還有一幅是小馬出生後母馬後面還畫著胎盤 …覺得古埃及人的觀察力真的是太厲害啦!  也多虧他們有這麼詳細的記錄我們才能滿足好奇心並更加瞭解當時的生活環境吧~ 還真的是 “a picture is worth a thousand words” 哈哈)

朱里尼女士的古董鋼琴收藏以及現場演出令人驚喜之處是能聽到從古至今耳熟能詳的鋼琴作曲家在創作曲子時所想像的音色，而不是現代表演家用當今的鋼琴演奏出來的樂音。雖然以我外行者的耳朵來聽有時年代相近的樂器只有一丁點的差別，但尤其是距今兩三百年前的鋼琴 - 真的是能聽得出音色較為清脆而且音量較為柔和。而且年代這麼悠久的樂器能保存得那麼好實在是很驚人 – 有一架甚至是只跟蕭邦的鋼琴差了幾個編號，所以音色應該就跟環繞在鋼琴詩人腦海中的一模一樣。演出的方式也很特別，大家都是一一跟隨著朱里尼女士請來的專業鋼琴家在這前梅蒂奇家族的私人別墅中穿梭並聆聽他特別挑選並演奏位於不同房間中展示的多架鋼琴/大鍵琴/管風琴。說真的古董鋼琴在裝潢奢華的房間中也就更顯得特別典雅珍貴啊！但看演奏家為了要示範會發出鈴鐺般聲響，非常逗趣的踏板而賣力的用整條腿的力量去踩它（他解釋說因為歷史悠久，踩太小力會發不出聲音 XD)，而且老別墅好像沒有冷氣所以每間房間都很悶熱… (幸好男士們最後沒穿西裝 囧) 看來古董鋼琴應該也是蠻有能耐的??

可是最難得一見獎還是要頒給焦老師跟鋼琴家先生很歡樂的合奏啦~ XD

當然比較屬於大眾路線的米蘭大教堂 (Duomo di Milano)，艾曼紐二世拱廊 (Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II)，以及比薩斜塔對於第一次去到義大利的我也是不容許錯過，必定要 “到此一遊” 的景點。在此我就不多形容了~ 畢竟都是如此出名的地標，它們在建築上奇蹟似的設計 (跟傾斜??) 也是眾所皆知。但米蘭大教堂屋頂上神工天巧的雕刻裝飾真的是越看越難以置信 – 這麼多細緻脆弱的石像究竟以當時的技術是怎麼搬上去讓他們矗立在又細又長的石柱上的呢？我想可能跟佛羅倫斯聖母百花大教堂的圓頂建造跟裡面的濕壁畫一樣是永遠存在疑問的奇蹟之作吧! 恐怕不親眼看到也很難能體會那種震撼~

飲食的部分當然也不能錯過~ 早已耳聞異數風格的老闆詹醫師是位美食專家，而這次雖是音樂團餐點卻也毫不馬虎，為團員們精心安排了兩次米其林以及兩次三蝦 (義大利當地的家庭餐廳評鑑系統 – 三蝦或三叉表示餐廳最高等級，還有酒杯表示酒類評鑑，葉子代表橄欄油等級等等不同種類) 的餐廳。第一家的三蝦位於米蘭到維洛納途中的山區，餐點很不錯~ 雖然大家剛下飛機好像都有點疲憊，但看到一大籃新鮮的麵包，厚厚有澆著橄欄油的Mozzarella 起士，濃郁香醇的山菜起士燉飯，用當地有名的氣泡酒 (Franciacorta) 燉的牛頰，大家沒食慾都不行啊 XD (但的確義大利人好像特別偏愛起士 – 尤其第二家杜林的三蝦Consorzio多到讓大部分的團員只好敬而遠之 哈哈) 米其林的兩家 (Combal Zero, La Magnolia) 當然是有一定的水準，而且旅行社還很用心安排了兩個套餐的系統讓同行的人能交換吃，但或許是團體人數多的關係跟想象中的等級有稍微差一點 (還是太愛國了覺得Napier的象丘跟一些其他的酒莊餐廳也不會輸啊啊啊) 話是那麼說，但還是覺得非常被寵壞啊~~ 吃到了好多可口的美食!! (我最喜歡的是看阿依達前在維洛納飯店餐廳吃的 “輕食” 晚餐甜點 – 桃子配上Mascarpone cream，還有Combal Zero的一道開胃小菜~ 西瓜切塊上面配烏魚子跟杏仁片! 意外的清爽喔~)

下一篇希望能稍微跟大家分享一下觀賞各齣歌劇的感想 (但請別期待有多深入  - 應該會冒出很多毫無相關的食物照片填充內容 哈哈哈 誰叫我沒把焦老師詮釋的超簡單易瞭歌劇男女主角對白錄下來 XDD) 敬請期待!!

最後介紹一首適合要去旅行的朋友聽的歌~ 是我在香港要飛米蘭的飛機上偶然間聽到的 (剛渡假完聽總覺得有點小哀傷啊 哈哈哈 我還想繼續旅行啦~~) 。雖然這趟唯一有被瀟灑男子邀約是在西慕尼半島上的餐廳外被帥哥服務生拉攏生意…(嘆)

最精彩的豔遇

歌：郭靜 / 詞：姚若龍 / 曲：陳小霞

這裡的建築雕像和噴泉
美得可以瀏覽一整天
離開熟悉等於開拓視野
旅行的累是愉悅的充電

這裡的浪漫是一種優閒
咖啡座裡多情的視線
有感覺就回應甜美笑臉
不喜歡就假裝眺望街邊

[chorus]
櫥窗讓眼睛太忙是豔遇
甜點在舌尖跳舞也是豔遇
沒有了束縛才有更多可能性
誰說單身就是孤寂加歎息

瀟灑男子的邀請是豔遇
發現自由多自在也是豔遇
幸福不幸福在於抱什麼心情
學會開心是最精彩的豔遇

在聖母院裡祈禱愛的人安好
在左岸戴著墨鏡睡個小午覺
在巴黎鐵塔讓風親吻著髮梢
在香榭大道穿過搭訕的微笑

[chorus]

學會開心是最精彩的豔遇

終於迎來台灣旅遊系列的最終章啦~ 但好像應該要先警告一下各位...這一篇內的時間順序可能會有些錯亂!畢竟是三個多月以前發生的事了, 所以在寫這篇的時後只能偷偷查看每張照片拍攝的時間來確認當時的行程安排(囧)

其實我們在台北的時間真的不算長 - 光是兩三天恐怕連市區都逛不完, 更不要說比較偏遠(但很具代表性)的淡水, 鶯歌, 九份, 跟三峽了. 所以這次我們的行程便把重點放在比較屬於大眾觀光路線的景點. 相信不少第一次來台北的人都會選擇花幾個小時的時間慢慢細看珍藏在故宮博物院的古物藝品吧. 當然我們也不例外~ 只不過對我們這種嚴重缺乏歷史常識跟文學背景的人來說到最後免不了覺得有點大同小異 (也因此覺得深受打擊....真應該要好好充實一下自己這方面的知識啊 囧). 要不然逛完一整個展覽室, 聽過全程語音導覽後留下的印象竟然只是不停重複浮現在眼前的一個又一個瓷器, 花瓶, 盤子, 跟尿壺老實說還蠻悲哀的(苦笑). 另外故宮的遊客也遠比想像中還要多....記得一踏進入口大廳並看到眼前的景象時心就不停的往下沉. 整個空間被黑壓壓的人頭淹沒, 在語音導覽出租櫃檯前的隊伍一片混亂, 紀念品店也人山人海, 而在不知道同時在排隊的幾支隊伍中還穿插著幾根零零落落的旅行團旗子....這樣看展覽還會有品質嗎!? 記得上次跟老媽來的時後人雖多但也不至於到這個地步吧?? (是說花博可能更慘....好險Miya也沒興趣XD) 幸好我跟身旁的老外默契良好彈性也極佳, 都先挑人群比較稀疏的展覽館看再掉頭回去. 不過在看清明上河圖時還是被強迫得跟著人潮隨波逐流, 還得忍受四面八方的大陸口音....(嘆) 更誇張的是一樓的紀念品店真的就像戰場一樣, 每個人手裡都拿著一個購物籃並瘋狂的從架子上搜刮各式各樣的書籍, T-裇, 模型, 跟裝飾品...尤其是看到一個年齡不過八九歲的小女孩緊緊抓著一籃的鑰匙圈時我不禁傻眼了 - 這位小朋友要那麼多幹嘛!? 她家開監獄的啊??? 囧 買東西最好還是不要浪費吧~會用到最重要. (趁機套用玉嫂名言XD)

不過在抱怨了那麼多之後還是要強調一下故宮的許多收藏品確實很令人驚艷. 像是我印象最深的就是曾為乾隆皇帝所擁有, 設計精巧卻暗藏無數玄機的多寶格 - 看到影片中介紹那個不過二十幾公分大的木盒如何伸展開成扇形又能拆解成奇形怪狀的抽屜實在是深感敬佩...有趣的是這些發明在現在這個時代還是很重要 - 畢竟空間缺乏跟物品收納的問題在都市也越來越嚴重, 看來果然古人還是頗有先見之明的. 另外一樣印象深刻的就是需要用放大鏡欣賞的細膩文物...記得有一艘只有拇指大小的雕橄欖核舟 (下圖右中), 竟然能利用橄欖核天然的型雕琢成一艘小船, 裡面還承載八人. 更誇張的是毎一位人物的表情都各有不同, 栩栩如生. 而且船底還刻著蘇軾多達三百多字的〈後赤壁賦〉....真是令人難以置信, 讚嘆無比.

其實除了故宮本身的展覽我們還去看了位在別館的特別展覽 - 從大英博物館來的希臘與羅馬雕像展. 是說因為當時我們都餓昏了所以也沒有看得很仔細 (囧)...要不然其實當中述說的許多古文明與神話也蠻有趣的. 尤其是我一開始還不知道阿芙蘿黛蒂跟維納斯女神是同一個人(只是一個是希臘一個是羅馬的稱呼)所以困惑了許久XD

接著我們便去了西門町採買卡漫的商品 (每年的慣例?) 還有一些CD (畢竟如果要說台東有哪家像樣的CD店我還真的說不上來=="). 當然也是為了感受一下台北年輕與流行的氣氛~ 但很不幸的這次又沒碰上什麼大明星而且又一如以往的被許多情侶閃到==" 幸好雖然沒碰到Miya期待的蔡旻佑, 但也沒遇到什麼扒手 - 畢竟那一區聽說是這類人很喜歡下手的地方. OO

晚上則是去了一趟有名的觀光勝地－士林夜市! 當然來這的目的就是要嚐嚐有代表性的台灣小吃...所以我們兩個便很興奮的在五花八門的攤販中穿梭, 結果最後決定在一個夾在賣柯仔煎跟臭豆腐, 還有另一個賣大腸包小腸的兩個攤販中間的位置用餐(為了通吃方便XD). 老實說那個臭豆腐我覺得並不會比台東光明路的那家好吃~ 不過畢竟是吃好玩的, 所以只好將就點了(本來老外對那個味道也非常沒轍...有勇氣嚐試已經很厲害了 囧). 我本人是覺得之後的甜點才是重點! 天啊~~ 我等那個草莓煉乳雪花冰究竟等了幾年了啊!!(感動) 那綿密的口感搭配草莓酸甜的滋味簡直就是人間天堂...總覺得會突然像小丸子一樣背後突然噴出很多花朵(笑)

在台北第二天的重點其實就是101跟鼎泰豐吧.... 不過在那天去台北101觀景台真的是錯誤的決定, 畢竟當天天氣真的很糟糕 - 不但細雨綿綿而且窗外簡直就是霧茫茫的一片啥都看不到, 記得能看到最遠的地方也不過就是國父紀念館而已(囧) 但也沒辦法~ 畢竟台北的天氣平常就好不到哪裡去(跟台東比起來 呵呵). 唯一的收穫大概就是在上面有機會寄明信片吧~ 而且信箱還被分類得很清楚讓我們覺得很貼心可愛XD 為於Sogo百貨地下樓的鼎泰豐分店則是當天晚餐跟也上來台北辦事的爸媽去吃的. 現在想起來很後悔當天下午有在華納影城的Haagen-Dazs冰淇淋專賣店吃過下午茶而導致胃中能容納小籠包, 湯包, 跟牛肉湯的空間大幅縮小(雖然那份香蕉船真的超好吃~ <3) 要不然每天都大排長龍的鼎泰豐如此出名的小籠包真的是鮮美又不油膩, 口感也是入口即化....強力推薦啊!! 相信不少人會認同這是一生中最起碼要吃過一次的料理 XD

第三天真的是最沒計畫也是最閒的一天, 因為只剩一天也不能去太遠的地方所以只好去逛逛台大校園並感受一下被書卷氣薰陶的氛圍 (是希望多少能感染一點他們的聰明才智吧 囧) 就這樣我們懷著不軌的意圖在校園內走了一小圈 (雖然很努力的裝出高材生的模樣但一看到路旁有真正的台大生在測量樹的圓周就整個覺得甘拜下風了 哈哈哈). 之後漫無目的的晃到了晚上並去鄰近的師大夜市...在那唯一的收穫就是一份超級無敵大的炸雞排XDD 還是第一次吃雞排還沒吃到一半就飽了 (囧) 是說這種東西還是少碰比較好啦~ 可是也算是彌補Miya這次沒嚐到鹹酥雞的遺憾囉!

也就這樣, 這次的台北之旅, 以及這兩個禮拜快樂的台灣國內之旅便在Miya搭上返回日本的班機的那一刻劃下了句點. 快樂的時光總是過得飛快~ 回想起來這一趟真的鬧出了不少笑話也經歷了在台灣觀光的許多趣事. 當然也要感謝Miya這一趟下來能容忍我這不太爭氣的導遊跟翻譯, 我想她應該也見識到我一回台灣英文的對話能力便急速下滑的過程了(汗) 重點是跟她出門真得不用顧慮很多, 連對我這種愛操心的人來說也覺得很輕鬆 (尤其是不用等人家梳妝打扮或是目睹人家浪費食物真的是很舒服啊) 從以前就聽說好朋友最大的考驗就是一起旅行 - 看來我們成功通過了是否臭味相投的測試啦XD 畢竟台灣如此之美, 有特色的景點這麼多, 當然還有非常多的地方等著她下次回來再一起去看囉!

唉呀~ 真糟糕... 一個中場休息就不小心休了三個月!? 哈哈~ 廢話少說, 趕快來趕進度!!

在台東大吃大喝, 逍遙遊玩了兩天後...我們便搭乘下午五點多的火車朝台北出發, 為之前就訂好的易遊網 "阿里山+日月潭 豐富3天" 行程揭開序幕...

從台北搭乘一大早的高鐵前往嘉義還算順利 - 不過因為是鄉巴佬跟老外的組合所以前一晚在台北車站只為了找一個捷運站出口繞了很久...也因此我們第二天很早便到了車站探路(冏) 那麼多亂七八糟眼花撩亂的指示牌是怎麼回事啊~~!? 難道就不會用不同顏色標示一下而不是用奇怪的英文字母代號嗎 OO" (明明是要找M8出口卻從J走到S又走到四面八方看起來都差不多的商店街??@@") 幸好在入月台前有趕去小七買久違了的御飯糰跟飲料~ 這樣才能彌補之前消耗的體力嘛! 而且才有要出遠門旅遊的感覺? (是小學生要去遠足的心情吧...冏) 然後到了嘉義搭上開往阿里山的專車後… 偶然間在等紅綠燈時看到一個讓我們笑倒的招牌!! XDD 這老闆也太勇了吧~~ 了不起!!

其實對於阿里山的感想老實說還蠻失望的...雖然森林步道是有幾段很漂亮, 但因為人潮實在是太多太擁擠了所以導致我們慢慢欣賞的興致全失...變得一心一意只想走快一點超越眼前大聲喧嘩的隊伍(冏). 而且不只是步道, 連整個商店區也顯得非常商業化... 整個停車場都被紀念品店圍繞而且放眼望去都是遊覽車, 根本連一點與大自然融合的感覺也沒有. 唯一覺得經營的還不錯的可能就是第一天晚上行程安排到的小火鍋餐廳~ 佈置得非常可愛氣氛又很溫馨 - 服務生又都很親切而且笑容滿面, 因此就留下了極好的印象! (當然重點也是火鍋料給的很慷慨啦~~ 戰鬥模式: 開啟!!) 至於第二天一大早安排的看日出行程的確還蠻漂亮的, 不但沿路看到了 "至死不休, 頂天立地" 的夫妻樹, 還順利的在玉山國家公園內看到了清晰耀眼的日出. 真是感謝老天爺賜給我們這麼完美的天氣XD 唯一可惜的可能就是沒看到傳說中的雲海吧…不過能看到可愛的台灣獼猴家族互相梳理毛髮的樣子就足以彌補這份遺憾了. (沒想到我們看到幾隻在搔癢的猴子竟然比看到日出還興奮….冏)

在看完日出以及用完被白目的大陸客擠爆的早餐店後, 我們便揮別了阿里山(以及旅館養的那兩隻超級可愛的小貓… X3)搭車前往日月潭. 其實日月潭也被商業化的蠻嚴重的…雖然那一望無際的湖面以及搭襯的壯闊山嶺確實有一定程度的震撼及驚豔之處, 不過從四面八方湧進的遊客以及此起彼落的擴音器噪音讓整個大自然的氛圍全被破壞掉了(冏). 話是這麼說~ 可是搭船遊湖還是蠻有趣的經驗啦(不過覺得船上的導遊介紹了那麼久都沒人在聽還蠻可憐的==”) 其中覺得最值得一去的一站應該就是隱藏在某寺廟跟某個很有名的茶葉蛋攤販(因為人太多所以懶得去排隊 冏)後面的青龍山步道. 走了之後才深深感覺到這真是個明智的決定…因為那些大陸客對這種需要消耗太多體力的景點根本一點興趣都沒有, 所以從吵雜的寺廟踏入樹林的那一剎那真的覺得無比舒暢啊~!! 而且辛苦爬到山頂時還能享受別有一番風味的日月潭全景~ 個人還覺得比花錢去搭那個新建設的纜車值得咧! (在纜車上動不動就會照到電線或車窗, 又規定不能站起來…老實說還真的需要一點技術啊==”)

行程的第三天則是去集集小鎮並回到台中去搭乘觀光列車"環島之星"回台北…在集集看到了十年前921大地震時震垮的寺廟(上圖右下角)….現在在打這篇文章時就不禁想起最近才發生的基督城強震啊~ 大自然的威力果然是不能小看(嘆)…說不定人類以為能駕馭一切的傲慢只有在這種天災發生時才會顯得多麼愚蠢脆弱吧. 但願老天能保佑被無情摧殘到面目全非的基督城><

好~~ 這樣阿里山跟日月潭篇便告一段落啦!! 其實下一則台北篇應該會非常簡短吧…老實說只記得一直在東吃西吃 (可是好像到哪裡都這樣!? XD) 所以應該比較會屬於photo log一類的~ 總之還是請各位敬請期待啦!! 我會努力找時間做個了斷的==+ (怎麼好像要去幹架啊!? XDD)

雖說我經常聽朋友把一句"台東三天就逛完了啦~" 或是 "台東就是 - 好山好水好無聊" 掛在嘴邊...但與Miya在台東過的兩天半老實說感覺實在是太過於短暫了.

從花蓮開回台東的當晚我媽的朋友便帶著我們上山到星星部落邊吃便當 - 以及啜飲金桔茶和桂圓紅棗茶 - 邊看夜景. 其實剛看到星星部落的招牌時我就不禁因為想起老姐之前說的評語("這...這不是薑餅人薑餅人部落嗎!?")而噗哧一笑 - 的確那個星星形狀還蠻失敗就是了...要省電費也有其他方法吧(冏) 不過星星部落真的是近幾年來台東必看的景點之一呢~ 雖然常有人說台北陽明山上的夜景有多美又多浪漫...但老實說我還是比較喜歡台東毫不雜亂, 乾淨清爽卻又暗亮分明的夜間色彩. 再搭配上咖啡廳提供給每桌顧客的照明用油燈 - 整個氣氛還真的頗有浪漫復古的感覺.

...不過浪漫歸浪漫, 對我們這兩個身旁無伴的人是毫無意義的...也因此我們在讚嘆了一會兒和努力的抓準鏡頭拍了幾張照後便迅速的迎來了惡搞系列之三 XD 還真得對坐在離我們不遠處的一桌在玩牌哈拉的學生們說聲抱歉啊~ 希望我們如此不雅的笑聲沒有破壞這原本應該是平靜有情調的場所(汗)

至於第二天早上去洗頭剪髮什麼的也不用說太多了...總之因為實在是有點厭倦留了好幾年的長髮造型所以就要求那位親切卻不囉嗦的男髮型師幫我設計個帥氣的短髮 - 效果也蠻不錯的呢~ 感謝丰島先生成為第一個沒批評我髮質跟皮膚/睡眠問題的髮型師(汗) 不過當天的午餐可就大有來頭了~ 因為是台東赫赫有名, 不到兩小時就會全部賣完的卑南豬血湯XD當然還有每次去必點的糯米腸跟粉腸配薑絲~ 還真的是毎嚐一口就有許多回憶蜂擁而出啊!! (有點懷疑我是不是都在用味蕾記東西的...冏) 到底為什麼會被列為前十名全世界最怪的食物之一呢!? @@" 到現在也依然覺得這是某種悲劇性的誤解... 另外放了張釋迦的照片是因為畢竟是台東的名產而且Miya在我家吃了之後也讚不絕口XD(是說如果是真的台東人那大概一看到就頭痛吧 - 聽說目前已經多到大家都在不停的轉送給對方了 哈哈)

至於接下來的卑南文化公園也是會不斷勾起回憶的地方呢~(那麼喜歡念舊是變老的跡象嗎?? XD) 不過看到去年還整理得整整齊齊, 嶄新亮麗的木劍裝飾現在卻變得雜草叢生, 而且在公園內走了半天卻連半個人影都沒瞧見就不禁感嘆了一下...看來會來這裡參觀的 人也越來越少了呀~ 真是浪費了這麼一個開闊舒爽的好地方 ="=. 而且連接下來去的史前博物館也一樣空蕩真是意外(唉呀 連有賣可愛釋迦鑰匙圈的紀念品店都關門了好荒涼), 是說這樣逛起來也比較輕鬆愉快啦~ 不過我們這兩個沒耐心的人其實也只有一開始看原住民展覽看得很認真...之後逛到兒童館時卻反而對一些幼稚的塗鴉遊戲跟磁鐵拼字版比較有興趣==" 保有赤子之心應該算是好事吧?? (笑)

在台東的第二頓晚餐則是在極有特色和用餐趣味的大巴六九餐廳. 大巴六九位於聽說是張惠妹的老家 - 泰安村的前一個山頭. 它雖然是採取乍聽之下極為普遍的自助式用餐方式, 但特別的是它有十幾種各式各樣的野菜和菇類供顧客自己在大鍋熱水中汆燙, 同時也有非常可口有彈性的手工米苔目跟油麵. 當然也有限定一人一根的竹筒飯 - 不過因為每次我就算用我頗感自豪的蠻力也敲不開所以最後乾脆就直接放棄去拿它了(冏)話說這次老爸朋友的孫子真的是敲竹筒飯敲到我跟我媽都快抓狂了....沒吃幾口就聽到一陣陣硬竹撞上岩石的巨響刺耳的迴盪著 - 讓我們連邊吃飯邊從戶外欣賞這美麗的台東夜景的氣氛都被破壞了("死小孩!!" - as quoted by me and learned by Miya XD) 大巴六九的甜湯也是出了名的好吃喔 - 不但料多而且甜度配得恰到好處. 當然由衷熱愛此類料理的老媽每次去這家餐廳, 只要湯一出現她一定是衝第一個的...而且第一位去搶第二份以及第三份的也一定是她(笑) 老實說在涼風徐徐的山頂上能吃到熱呼呼甜滋滋的湯的確會在心中灌入一股暖意啊~ 所以每次衝第二位的也八九不離十的會是我啦XD 我想大巴六九唯一的缺點(也是優點??)就是地點吧...因為隱藏在山上所以雖然能享受到寧靜的氛圍跟清晰的夜景但是要經過的小路就很昏暗狹窄...這次我還是第一次見識到就連在台北開了幾十年車的人也不一定有自信能開上去咧(冏)

當然這幾年來說到台東...一定會想到森林公園的自然風光~ 所以第二天一大早老媽便帶著我們去騎腳踏車遊公園一圈. 不僅看到了在陽光揮灑之下閃閃動人的鷺鷥湖, 還有水面如鏡的琵琶湖...不管是哪個角度都美的像畫一樣啊XD 而且能自由的騎著腳踏車在寬闊的園區中穿梭真是一種獨特的享受! 唯一沒想到的就是都已經邁入晚秋了天氣竟還是那麼熱...果然現在已經無法想像台灣夏天的殘酷了(汗)

要說森林公園的話當然也忘不了全世界最大的游泳池(?) - 另外也被稱呼為活水湖或人工湖! 這座長一公里, 寬兩百公尺的人工湖採用天然的泉水, 兩邊有階梯而且水中還有活生生的魚群以及更大更罕見的淡水生物在深處悠然自得的徘徊. 雖說沒有專業救生員在一旁監視守候, 但也不失為一個很棒的游泳場所....至少我去游過的那一次就因為看到周圍有許多成群結隊的小魚而興奮不已XD 而既然已經到了森林公園那當然也一定要去鄰近的海濱公園走走啦~ 像那個"國家地理雜誌框框" (亂叫XD) 已經算是台東當地頗有名氣的景點之一了呢, 或者可以說是一個很好發揮的拍照地點 ==+ (又有一個半惡搞系列了...)

當然台東的布農部落也是必看的觀光勝地之一囉...不過這次去才發現原來地方那麼小啊...而且紀念品店的質感也變差了總覺得很可惜(冏)至於下午的那場原住民歌唱舞蹈表演倒還是蠻精彩的. 雖說比不上在布洛灣看的那場來的自然和多元化, 但有名的八部和音以及由幾年前在原住民歌唱比賽勇奪優勝的女歌手主唱的歌曲都非常有氣勢...不愧是他們與生俱來的好歌喉啊!! (而且老爸最後還跟著許多人跑去買那位女歌手的專輯所以我們也賺到了一張合照跟簽名CD...==+ 老爸真偉大)

而這次到布農部落也算是為這次台東之旅劃下了句點(...對我來說應該是逗點?? XD)... 即使這次Miya待在台東的時間不足以去逛四維路夜市, 看中華路, 走鐵道, 或是去坐坐吳家的"茶亭" (?) ...但大至上其他有代表性的景點都有走到所以算是有盡到台東市民的職責啦~~ 要不然像台東如此好山好水的地方要只挑幾個重點玩也是挺困難的吧XDD

不知不覺回到台灣已經過了兩個星期了...但這次因為有日本的朋友一起回來暢遊台灣所以網誌的荒廢可是有正當理由的(笑) 不過也因為實在是玩得太過火了 - 而且相機已幾乎到塞爆的地步 (有好幾次已經發出頗有警告意味的嗡嗡聲跟震動害我嚇得半死 冏) - 所以就一如以往的挑些重點講好啦~ (話是這麼說, 但是這樣竟然還要把文章分成四篇...由此可見我們照片的數量了==" 還是說其實只是我太貪心!?) 

15號凌晨抵達台北的我們在外表瀰漫著濃厚復古氛圍, 內在卻閃爍著摩登光彩的維多利亞飯店度過了安穩的一夜(應該說是昏死了一夜...要不是時差我很懷疑我們到底會不會醒過來 冏) 並在早上享用了在我們眼中極度奢華的飯店早餐(尤其因為我前一天在飛機上只能用水果充飢所以立刻二話不說就豪邁的吞下了三人份的早餐XD). 之後便去隔壁的美麗華跟家樂福閒逛(當然不忘去逛如同我第二個家的7-11...話說現在幾乎沒賣什麼單機電腦遊戲還真是讓人有點不習慣啊OO" 不過看到久違了的御飯糰真的有點像看到老朋友一樣 QQ), 當然也依老姊的建議去坐了摩天輪上的透明車廂~ 不過只踏在玻璃上被吊在不知道幾十公尺上的高空真的比想像中恐怖!! 結果為了要使自己不去注意腳下越來越眇小的建築物及車子我們就拍起了無聊的照片(...完全遺忘要欣賞風景的重點!? ==")

而下午在松山機場與剛從沖繩腳踏車環島競賽凱旋歸國的老爸老媽會合後便飛回空曠舒坦的台東 (在回到家時還被對面停車場的超級爆俗廟會嚇到...那些看起來異常詭異的假人在平台上僵硬的旋轉, 還有一堆堆囤積在地上的紙錢真是令人發毛的景象啊啊). 另外也順便附上在台東吃的第一頓早餐時照的相片吧~ (在離我家不遠的某間新開早餐店唷==+)

第二天的行程則是開車上去位在花蓮的太魯閣~ 沿途也在海線上的許多觀光景點停了一下. 話說我還以為小野柳早已變成我很久遠以前的回憶了...沒想到這十年來改變也不是很大 - 紀念品店的店員們在這淡季裡也還是一樣的熱情(是說一整條街裡就空蕩蕩的只有我們四人還頗尷尬的 ==") 當然還有來源早已經被我遺忘的石雨傘, 八仙洞, 跟三仙台 - 有機會能重新復習一下身為台東人不可不知的傳說真是不錯! 況且我都不知道傳說還有美化版跟寫實版的咧...(還是說這又是老爸亂掰的例子之一!? XD) 不過在水往上流的大陸客怎麼那~麼~多啊!? 動不動就會被莫名其妙的人從背後撞飛, 要不然就是轉頭過去就看到穿著廉價西裝的歐吉桑或聞到嗆鼻的菸味(厭惡)

至於太魯閣~我相信Miya大概也會同意這是這次旅行最值得看的景點之一吧(當然台東還是最美的啦...如果不加這句話老媽大概就會打死我吧XD)! 當那高聳入雲的峽谷, 清澈見底的溪流, 以及看似冷峻孤獨但卻牢牢攀爬在石壁上的樹木從雲霧中緩緩浮現時...我跟Miya都不禁陷入了敬畏的沉默. 雖說兩年前我在這裡跑馬拉松時就已經感受過那令人驚豔的氣勢, 果然不管已經來了多少次這大自然的奇觀都還是一樣有魄力. 在太魯閣我們住的旅館是位於布洛灣的山月邨 - 是一個以保存太魯閣族文化為目標, 擁有獨特經營風格的旅館. 不但房間是由一間間被幽谷環繞又裝潢得古色古香的小木屋打造而成, 而且每晚都有精彩的太魯閣族原住民表演供房客們欣賞 (我印象最深的大概是第二天的晚會上有一位聽說準備要參加星光大道的原住民女孩子唱的歌吧...我的天啊~ 真是羨慕原住民與生俱來的歌喉OO 那成熟的嗓音跟純熟的控音技巧真的令人聽得如癡如醉啊)... 更不要說住房率高的時後還有令人垂涎三尺的無限量供應自助式原住民美食當晚餐啦~(...這才是重點吧!? XD) 記得第二天晚餐開幕時員工還敲打著戰鼓並高喊"吃-飯-囉!!"活像是要開戰一樣真是笑死我們了...更誇張的是老爸聽到戰鼓聲便迅雷不及掩耳的從坐位上跳起來並往食物飛奔而去OO" ...這是某種原始的呼喚嗎!?

當然這次住在步洛灣除了非常有意境因此值得體驗之外...我想其他的也很難以用言語形容了(那麼快就詞窮!?). 畢竟那種清靜莊嚴的氣氛是非得要本人體會才行的. 我尤其喜歡夜幕低垂時在窗外輕聲響起的蛙叫蟲鳴...可能是在鄉下長大(?)的關係吧~ 總覺得有種莫名的熟悉感讓我很迅速的便能放鬆並安穩的沉入夢鄉. 所謂最自然的搖籃曲莫過於此吧XD 至於照片中的那條狗是第二天我們散步回來才赫然發現正悠閒的躺在我們房門口的不速之客...因為剛好在警告牌上所以就拍下來了XD (之後才知道是工作人員的狗...雖然很乖但卻超難聞="=)

這是毎個房間都有供應的鄉土味斗笠~~ 因為太帥了所以當然要拍幾張啦!! (惡搞系列之一)

至於在太魯閣待的兩天內我們幾乎走遍了所有開放中的景觀步道 - 燕子口, 長春寺, 九曲洞(是說因為最近比較常有落石所以只開放兩百公尺而且還逼我們要戴超臭超噁的安全帽 冏), 不過本來計畫要去的白楊步道卻也因為落石而關閉所以有點掃興...幸好砂卡礑步道的確有走到 - 那些閃爍著如藍寶石般耀眼光芒的水池真的是美到難以置信啊!! 當然這免不了又引起了一陣照相風暴囉~但真的要說要用普通相機捕捉太魯閣的風光真是一大難事...因為太過雄偉通常我們這種不入流的相機都只能照到十分之一的景色吧. 而且像太魯閣這麼有名的景點難免會有永無止盡的遊覽車跟遊客, 所幸因為地點空曠所以大致上都不會顯得太過壅擠. 不過每次看到那些體積龐大的遊覽車行駛在狹窄的道路上還是會替他們捏一把冷汗啊==" 記得最好笑的一次是有一輛遊覽車在很明確標示"大型車請勿左轉"的地方光明正大的往左瀟灑離去 - 我們在後面都笑翻了XD (媽: "這一定是大陸旅行團啦~ 冏")

之後回到山月邨散步時(說明白一點就是在等晚餐? 雖然才剛享用過精緻的提拉米蘇下午茶...XD) 因為看到四周空無一人所以又無聊的拍了一堆搞笑照片...(惡搞系列之二)

好啦~ 那這篇就先以太魯閣之旅劃下句點吧... 請各位敬請期待下一篇的台東之旅囉!! XD

Ok~ at last here's the much delayed article for our trip to the fant-ee-st-ee-c country of Oz!! Just a couple of weeks ago my parents and I were finally fortunate enough to go on a long overdue trip to Australia (since we've lived so close for so many years!) for a two-week holiday... and it was no doubt one of the most enjoyable and inspiring experiences I've had in a long time! First of all, I finally had the opportunity to listen to some of the infamous Aussie accent that has been so frequently joked about in New Zealand... and I can tell you quite confidently, fellows, that the whole "fish and chips" becoming "feesh and cheeps" is not just an exaggeration after all XD Then there were the people - whom I quite surprisingly found to be generally colder and more distant than Kiwis (or maybe it's not so surprising?? Being a sort-of patriotic Kiwi that I am XD). Not so much the pedestrians from whom we asked for directions, but some of the take-away counter servers and shopkeepers simply lacked the enthusiastic aura often seen on New Zealand streets. I do wonder if it's just one of those big-city syndromes though…

Of course, the last thing I'd want to do is to bore the hell out of everyone who is reading this right now by rattling off a long list of everything we did in the ten days we spent in Aussie. So let's pick out a few tastey highlights to savour again (ahh life sure is full of tough choices)...

Let's start with our first stop - Melbourne, where we spent three days and four nights in a splendid hotel called the Crown Promenade - part of a huge entertainment centre including a luxurious cinema, casino, and a massive multi-storied restaurant complex. Melbourne was truly a lively, bustling city with a population of four million (which equals the whole population of NZ ==|||). Just walking from our hotel to the city centre and back basically drained all our energy that first day... and I'm sure we probably would have been quite happy staying in the hotel if it wasn't for Dad's unbearable craving for Oriental food XD. The main schedule for that night was, of course, the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant which was exactly what it sounded like... a restaurant in a tram.

We were booked in for the early dinner; hence the tram was scheduled to begin its journey at 5:30pm from a very classy old-fashioned tram stop not far from our hotel. Now if you had imagined it to be like eating bento boxes on Taiwanese Railway, you'd have to think again. For the experience was... a much more amazing one. Simply marvelous, in fact, with its separated carriages coated with a rich shiny scarlet paint and the retro "Restaurant" sign bordered with softly glowing light bulbs - it was as if the passengers instantly glided into a different era from the moment they stepped through the wooden doors into the carriage. The interior furnishings were even more magnificent - with luxurious seats cushioned with velvet padding, cozy wooden tables covered with snowy tablecloths and already neatly set with bread dishes, polished cutlery, wineglasses, and a generous platter of appetizer made up of chicken liver and cognac pate with roasted red capsicum dip - both served with a fan of crispy crackers and bread, with another silver dish of golden butter. And let's not forget the romantic Victorian-style curtains, the mirrored walls creating an illusion of a more spacious dining area, and the elegant vase of carnations completing the picturesque image of the restaurant... I was completely speechless! The beauty and elegance of the design was leagues beyond my imagination and I was afraid to make any large movements in fear of knocking over or ruining any intricate detail of this lovely room. So of course this eye-boggling speculation was soon followed by a mad storm of photo-taking - although, to my disappointment, most didn't turn out well due to the dim romantic lighting (hence giving people a reason to revisit I guess!).

As for the food itself, there were two choices for each of the main dishes and dessert and the guests could also choose from a selection of liqueurs and red or white wines. The Macadamia Chicken with sweet potato mash and baby spinach which I ordered was wonderfully delicious. The crunchiness of the macadamia nuts and pesto sauce matched the grilled chicken breast perfectly and it didn't turn out dry or chewy like many other chicken breasts I've had before. The dessert of warm sticky date pudding was also pretty good - although I have to say the butterscotch sauce was a little on the sweet side. The after meal coffee also came with a small platter of chocolate which was quite a thoughtful service... and, of course, the city night views constantly rolling past outside the tram window simply added to the whole spectacular experience. Now I’m sure this is a definite must-do for not just tourists, but locals as well.

Oops think I got a bit carried away with the tram car restaurant there… (How on earth am I going to finish this article at this rate??) The second morning in Melbourne was when we did - in my opinion - one of the most unforgettable events in Aussie on this trip (even though it had nothing to do with Aussie), which was the Titanic artefact exhibition in Melbourne Museum. I could not believe my luck when I saw the advertisement in the tourist pamphlet we took from the information centre... Titanic! Real artefacts!! (Near~ Far~ WherEVER *voice breaks* you are~) So of course I convinced my parents to join the queue with me very early in the morning (Crazy! I’ve never seen so many people lining up for a museum exhibition ==|||) and the exhibition itself definitely did not disappoint me. It was simply unbelievable looking at some of the real objects people on the Titanic actually used – I remember seeing a small box with a tiny amount of white powder still in it and finding out that it was foundation for a female passenger! To think that the powder had survived eighty years miles under the ocean was almost impossible to believe! And there was also a very tattered white uniform top that a waiter on the titanic used to wear – with his name still clearly written on the label. Sadly though, its owner was one of the hundreds of Titanic staff lost at sea, so seeing that was both a chilling and mournful experience for me, and I could not help but frown and linger for a moment longer in front of the display cabinet to sympathize for the tragic fate of the innocent waiter.

One of the most special things about this exhibition though, was part of the Grand Staircase that was rebuilt and provided for the “passengers” (for we did each have a unique “boarding pass”) to have a professionally-taken photo opportunity. Well, who could blame me for immediately replaying bits from the movie in my mind when I let out a gasp and saw that life-size version of the scene in front of my very eyes!! I mean, it was so real that I could almost see Jack kissing Rose’s hand by the bronze angel statue… So anyway, of course we took the chance to have our photos taken at one of Titanic’s most magnificent architectural features! I was also thrilled to see some of the First-class rooms and corridors they reconstructed (I deliberately slowed my pace as I strolled down the corridor too XD) and also the unmistakably real “ice wall” in the Iceberg Gallery (how on earth did they manage to keep it from melting!?). Seeing some of the belongings of real passengers was very sad though – especially after reading the stories of each in the description panels alongside. Judging from the heaviness I felt after I had left that gallery, I thought it was indeed a very successful way of getting across the message that we should remember everyone who went down with Titanic individually and not just as a figure. It was very clever also how they handed each guest a Titanic boarding pass with a name of a real passenger who was onboard the Titanic and thus all the guests would attempt to find the name of their assigned passenger on the wall of “alive” and “died” passengers in the Memorial Gallery. This gave perhaps a very vague but nevertheless meaningful idea of how dreadful and terrifying the family of the Titanic passengers must have felt when they had to find the names of their loved ones amongst the hundreds of other names to verify the tragic news.

The third day in Melbourne was spent on a very enjoyable day-tour journey involving many activities including bird-feeding, Wildlife Park, a very nice roast lunch at a winery, and the puffing billy. The puffing billy was quite an intriguing experience, to be honest. Even though it was obviously very “touristy”, the trip was fun as it was apparently the only train where you could swing both your arms and legs out the side of the carriage. I certainly enjoyed the rare opportunity of feeling the cool breeze on your face and arms as the train was puffing through the forests and past gaping or waving local residents!

Now moving onto Sydney – an even larger city with a population of four and a half million. Here we stayed at the very luxurious Shangri-La hotel (we constantly had a feeling that we didn’t fit in somehow XD) in a room where there was a breathtaking view of the Sydney Harbour – including the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

I have to say the most memorable event we did in Sydney was going to the symbolic landmark of Sydney Opera House for a concert, lunch, and tour. The concert was definitely an impressive experience – the acoustics of the huge concert hall brought out the rich tones of the organ and brass beautifully. Even though it was somewhat a shame that there were no orchestral performances that we could book in for, this concert gave us a sufficient taste of the splendor and high level of performance standard within the sails (or shells) of the Opera House. What's funnier was the fact that we didn't know the ticket included a free morning tea before the concert – hence Dad and Mum certainly looked very pleased when they joined the queue and accepted a cup of coffee with a few small nibbles!

Then of course there was the amazing lunch at the very expensive but incredibly delicious French restaurant within the Opera House building… I think I almost suffocated when my eyes landed on the price of each of the dishes listed on the menu, but the duck leg I ordered was absolutely perfect – juicy, tender, and just crispy enough as to give it the crunchy texture it needed. And then there were the exquisite tea sets with a long platter of sweets to match, and Dad's warm apple tart with the richest cinnamon ice-cream any of us had ever tasted… it was absolute heaven!! (Or maybe it was… perhaps I HAD choked upon seeing the price of those delicacies XD) The tour was extremely intriguing too – we were delighted to find how informative and interesting it was, complete with a tour around all the halls not in the process of a performance and several videos explaining the history of the Opera House itself. I was especially intrigued by how the Denmark architect Jørn Utzon designed the building so that there were reflective surfaces on the exterior to give an impression of being surrounded by ocean everywhere you see – just like Denmark itself.

 Sydney Opera House...

 Sydney Harbour Bridge...

   A very happy Mum at the French Restaurant in Sydney Opera House...

We spent the second to last day in Sydney doing another day tour involving very outdoor activities like dolphin-watching, sand-dunning (?), and visiting another wildlife park. The tour was taken by a very cheerful and talkative Kiwi chap, in fact, so Mum and I simply couldn't stop exchanging amused glances and smirks when he started rambling on about something related to New Zealand…(such as when we were signing a form for sand dunning he said “don’t loose that pen! It’s very special because it’s from New Zealand.” Haha) ahh how wonderful and homey it is to feel the Kiwi spirit outside New Zealand! XDD He was truly a guide with a splendid Kiwi sense of humour though (apart from the fact that he really did spend a lot of time chuckling at his own jokes ==|||… once he looked in the mirror at the rows of dozing passengers after talking for an hour and then said “Oops think I’ve lost a few people there!” and I nearly died smothering my laugher). The wildlife park was very interesting indeed – although we had alot less time to look around on our own than when we were in the one in Melbourne. But nevertheless we were allowed to be closer to the koala (God it’s the cutest animal ever!! Its fur looked just as warm and soft as a soft-toy and felt a hundred times thicker to touch XDD)

...and the kangaroos (whom we attempted to feed but soon discovered that they had all long lost interest in the food tourists were allowed to feed them with… instead the young kangaroo I was feeding snatched the whole paper bag which contained the food, dumped all the white popcorn-looking things onto the ground, and ripped a bite out of the paper bag itself! Even though I was quite alarmed, he looked so content with the brown paper bag clutched between his paws that I simply laughed XD Hopefully the caretaker didn't discover a gagging kangaroo after we left...).

There was also a pool where a crocodile was resting and it had quite a curious warning sign on it… it did make me wonder about an Aussie's basic common sense? XD

The sand dunning was a very unique experience too… despite the fact that I was half-dragged, half-pushed down the sand slope on the plastic board by Dad and the instructor… ==|||. It was fun though, apart from the fact that I got sand in my eyes (and contacts) and it also made my mouth taste very gritty for a while XD.

Before I conclude, I do have one small amusing fact to share with you. And that's Dad's amazing ability to scent food and be drawn to it. Quite often Mum and I would be walking down a street with Dad right behind us, then the next instant he would disappear and we would find him staring intently and longingly at a tank of crabs or a slab of raw meat hung up on a hook in a restaurant window XDD Then he would walk a few steps and be drawn to another restaurant or cake shop across the street – this was especially hilarious in the restaurant complex of the Crown entertainment centre in Melbourne where there were a lot of Asian restaurants… I swear Dad's eyes glowed so brightly that they almost caught on fire!

So yeah… that just about concludes our trip to Aussie I guess! Although I have to say there were hundreds of other fantastic things and experiences which I wish I could put down but that would, of course, never be as good as experiencing it yourself. So I'd like to give my biggest thanks to my lovely parents for bringing me on this trip, and for going on the memorable adventures together within the country of Oz… it's a miracle we always somehow managed to find our way back to the hotel though, isn't it? ^^

前一陣子除了與爸媽一起去越南之外, 還受善茹以及覲瑜的邀約一同前往日本...實在是玩得非常盡興!! (大腿的肌肉也變紮實了不少==+) 不過畢竟在那裡待了七天六夜, 拍的照片不計其數, 所以在這裡就稍微挑一些重點紀錄一下好啦~

先說一下這次東京的天氣好了...其實去的前幾天真的是異常的溫暖呢OO 跟我記憶中得穿一層Polyprop外加一件毛衣的寒冷真的是不能相比! 就連當地的新聞也在討論這暖化的現象 (說什麼梅花開得比往年都還早許多). 不過幸好到第四天時就逐漸轉回寒冷的溫度了, 要不然我的那一堆毛衣不就都白帶了嗎!? OO

東京鐵塔是在第一天下午抵達目黑卸下行李後參觀的... 想想那天都快累死了竟然還能拖著沉重的步伐, 死睜著佈滿血絲的雙眼來到鐵塔下真的還蠻了不起的==" 不過畢竟它也是東京一個極具代表性的地標, 所以非常慶幸那時有把握時間去看看XD 而且因為去年柯南的年度電影"漆黑的追跡者"裡最後打鬥的場景就是在東京鐵塔的展望台, 害我一看到那夜晚中閃爍著橘色與白色的建築心裡就不禁浮現柯南與黑衣男子的臉!? 可是老實說五十樓展望台的夜景並不怎麼樣... 可能是因為太雜亂的關係@@ 如果是白天的話那可能就很壯觀也說不定啦! 紀念品店裡有賣一種很可愛的礦泉水就是了XD (東京鐵塔形狀的寶特瓶!) 在展望台樓下的咖啡廳還看到超~多情侶的... 果然日本人都很講究情調吧?

而第二天呢~很幸運的有機會能跟之前的寄宿家庭媽媽一起吃飯聊天 (雖說是聊天但都是她還有她朋友在講啦...我只能一直支支吾吾的重複幾個日文單字勉為其難的答話而已@@)... 還非常不好意思的讓她破費帶我去看在日本赫赫有名的寶塚歌劇 - 一種全都是未婚女性演出的音樂舞台劇. 那種華麗的佈景, 渾厚的唱功, 以及流暢的舞蹈簡直就是跟美國的百老匯不相上下啊!! 唉~我日文聽不懂還真是一大遺憾>< 那些女扮男裝的演員們是多麼帥啊~~如果能聽得懂故事情節就好了說... 不過能看到這麼受歡迎的表演時在是太高興了!! 真的是非常感謝A-chan如此慷慨的招待一個之前不斷給她添麻煩的台灣學生啊 (感動) 如果有哪天您有機會來台灣的話我一定會盡地主之誼好好報答您的!!!

接下來要特別說一下第三天一大早參觀的明治神宮! 其實自從上次老媽及老姐強力的推薦後我就對這座隱藏在寂靜的樹林中的神宮非常感興趣, 結果沒想到真的能如願以償的得到參觀的機會. 果然在走往神宮的路上就覺得此處真的是瀰漫著一股神聖寧靜, 不受人間汙染的氛圍, 害我漫步在穿梭松林的碎石步道上時連大氣都不太敢喘一口... 一來到神宮的入口便有幾棟販賣護身符以及繪馬的矮房映入眼簾. 接著是一大片廣闊的空地以及能掛繪馬的繩索, 而最後是高聳而立的神宮入口以供來客入內許願求福. 當然卡通看如此多的我... 一看到有機會能像日本卡通裡的主角們那樣投幣拍手許願就興奮得不能自我, 非試試不可啦!! XD 所以我們三人就議論紛紛的來到了門外偷偷觀察其他人的許願程序, 並有樣學樣的投錢許願起來. 嗯~總覺得光是能作這個來神宮就非常有價值了XD

當天下午我們則是跟Miya約好一起去吉卜力美術館XD 雖然之前已經去過一次了, 但果然每次去就會有新的發現以及不同的感觸啊~ 這次觀賞到的短片也非常非常的可愛!!!!XDD (雖然如果老爸看到大概會吐血...) 尤其是老鼠在吃味增年糕(?)時的畫法...實在是太爆笑了(噴飯) 接下來不但逛了美術館一圈還品嘗到我所懷念的抹茶冰淇淋...唯一美中不足的大概就是遊客實在是太多啦~!! (而且全都是滿嘴台灣口音的觀光客==) 紀念品店簡直就是擠得寸步難行, 害我的興致全被擠飛了||| 果然還是不應該在台灣學生開始放寒假時去的啊...

第四天的迪士尼其實也不用特別說啦... 因為許多經典的設施都在關閉維修中! 唉...真是有夠掃興的>< 不過也因為這樣才有時間慢慢的看遊行以及音樂劇囉~ (而且兩場都有我最崇拜的彼得潘真是令人感動XDD 我看到彼得與溫蒂在空中翩翩起舞那段簡直就要熱淚盈眶了呀~) 而且這也還是第一次我那麼早就到門口排隊咧~也是第一次見識到大門一打開遊客們的瘋狂賽跑(大驚)看來大家都頗有經驗的喔?? 竟然一進去就全衝往最受歡迎的設施索取FastPass! 結果因為看到如此多比我更瘋迪士尼樂園的人所以害我也燃起了鬥志拼命的拖著善茹覲瑜狂奔向太空山!! (咳 抱歉了各位==) 另外在園區的各個角落也看到許多新的設計呢...像是去年才剛上映的"天外奇蹟"就有非常可愛的迷你模型! 所以忍不住拍了一張相留念(大心)...

還跟某位不知名的卡通人物合照了一張...

Oh Peter my love~~ ≧▽≦

再來要介紹的是第五天一大早去的六本木. 雖說跟著許多旅遊書上的介紹找到了許多雕像, 藝術品以及美術館, 唯一有進去參觀展覽的就只有森美術館一間. 我印象最深的展覽品便是命名為 "醫學與藝術" 的特別展覽裡的"Game Boys Advanced" 這個人型塑像. 這兩位靠牆站立的小男孩乍看之下真的太像真人啦~~ 害我剛瞄到時還困惑了好一陣子, 然後真的就想走過去雞婆的跟他們說 "小朋友~你們不可以站在白線後面喔~"... ==||| 幸好及時發現他們身旁有釘一塊解說牌才突然恍然大悟! 天啊...真的是第一次看到那麼逼真的假人呢XD (頓時感覺非常的愚蠢...) 而創作他們的藝術家Patricia Piccinini的用意也非常的妙, 因為他們乍看之下只不過是一對沉迷於電動的普通小男孩, 但其實近看才發現他們的臉部都已有歲月的痕跡, 頭部竟也有參雜著白髮. 這些便是要訴說Artificial cloning的副作用以及可怕性...就像多年前第一隻複製羊Dolly最終也是淪落到迅速老死的悲慘下場一樣.

第五天的下午Miya又好心陪同我們一起去據說深受年輕女孩子喜愛的自由が丘的 "甜點森林" 吃甜點~(樂) 只見一進門便是許多被夢幻的粉紅色假樹包圍的精緻糕點餐廳, 一櫥窗一櫥窗滿滿放置著的各色甜食, 以及坐在各個桌子洋溢著幸福的微笑的年輕女顧客... 真是令我們不知從何下手啊XD 最後也許是因為我對網站上看到的舒芙蕾的堅持...所以大家便索性一起坐在那間舒芙蕾餐廳等待. 等待半小時後送上來的現烤舒芙蕾果然不令我失望!! 那濃郁的奶香, 熱騰騰的Cream cheese以及Raspberry果醬, 以及鬆軟又入口即化的口感...簡直是譽為人間第一甜點也不為過啊啊~~ 總覺得幸福的滋味... 非此莫屬XD 如果價錢不是那麼嚇人, 路途也沒那麼遙遠的話我一定天天都會去捧場的!!! (暫且不論體重的變化啦 哈哈)

既然都說到甜點了那就順便介紹一下這次的餐點中最令我念念不忘的兩樣菜好囉! 第一樣就是在六本木車站的地下二樓吃到的炸豬排定食. 我還是第一次嘗到那麼可口的炸豬排咧~~那酥脆卻不油膩的表皮, 以及鮮嫩多汁的豬肉, 再搭配一口清脆爽口的生高麗菜還有晶瑩柔軟的白飯... 那種在舌尖炸開來的美味真的是叫人欲罷不能!! XD 果然在外面排了十分鐘是值得的呀! 而且定食裡的味增湯也是我們喝過最好喝的喔~因為好像是特別用豬骨熬出來的湯頭所以喝起來特別的甜美^^ 第二道難忘的餐點便是隱藏在淺草老街旁巷子裡的名店"大黑屋"的天婦羅丼飯! 也幸好我們在它十一點一開門後就馬上跑去了... 因為吃完後一出來才看到外面在等的顧客隊伍已經不知道延伸到幾十公尺之外了Oo!? 原來這家店是如此的受歡迎啊XD 至於他們人氣極高的天婦羅丼飯呢~想必是用了它們店裡的秘藏醬汁調配以及醃炸出來的吧! 顏色那麼深的天婦羅我還是第一次看到呢! 不但鹹度配得恰到好處, 包裹著的炸蝦, 魚片, 以及其它好料都還神奇的保有它們鮮嫩多汁的滋味. 不過畢竟都是油炸的東西...所以那一大碗還沒吃完就有點膩了== 要不然它們的獨特醬汁以及酥脆口感真的是營造出一道非常不錯的佳餚呢!

至於這次到日本購物最大的收穫...大概毫無疑問的是在秋葉原以及中野找到的梶浦由記, Kalafina, 還有FictionJunction的CD吧!!! XDD 真的找得好苦啊~ 也猶豫得好苦啊~~ (價錢實在是太嚇人了啦><) 不過最後還是因為想到台灣買不到, 而且我又如此的聽不膩...所以就狠下心買了下來 (噗, 說得好像我在店裡掙扎了很久似的...其實我買梶浦由記時就像中邪了一樣在架子上亂抓一通說== 真糟糕) 當然還有在池袋裡被女生擠爆了的Mandarake中挖到的三本同人誌(兩本結界師, 一本網王)XDD 唉呀呀~只要能買到這些這次的日本之旅我就非常滿足了...(感動)

嗯~說了那麼多也不知道幾年後才會再看第二遍== 總之這次的旅行的確是收穫良多~ 雖然沒看到梶浦由記或Kalafina的演唱會很可惜>< 不過想必以後還是會有機會的^^ 也感謝善茹及覲瑜這次陪我逛了許多動漫及CD店(看到我瘋狂購物的一面應該有被嚇到吧...抱歉|||) ...第一次的國外自由行真的得到了不少寶貴的經驗 (也鬧出了不少笑話??)! 總之能順利落幕, 平安回家真是太好了... (能回到溝通不用比手畫腳的國家真是太好啦!!XD) There's no place like home after all :)

為什麼呢!? 為什麼每次只不過一轉眼部落格的進度便又落後了那麼多呢?? (汗) 說起來這次的假期還真的是忙碌到不行... 計畫好的行程以及意料之外的事就像事先計算好似的接二連三的發生, 令我直到昨天才真的開始有能在家好好輕鬆放假的感覺.

不過既然該寫的還是要寫一下... 我就從一月九號到十三號的越南之旅開始說起吧!

這次五天四夜的行程是與我爸媽以及我爸的朋友一起報名旅行團參加的. 不過因為是剛開放給觀光客的中越, 所以行程規劃還有住宿飲食其實都還在測試的階段. 唯有位於中越的四大世界遺產是最具代表性的主要賣點.

四大文化遺產之一的越南版"紫禁城"位於曾為越南三代皇朝古都的順化. 其實這裡我們坐著三輪車沿著外圍繞了一圈, 又在第二天早上進城門走了一趟. 坐三輪車還蠻新鮮的...載我的人真的很盡力的用他那一口重腔調的英文向我介紹這座皇城還有周圍的一些建築 (雖然之後跟我要的小費比別人多出一倍...害我這個受紐西蘭善良的文化薰陶的人差點就要被騙了="=), 不過交通的吵雜還有此起彼落的喇叭聲還真的有點破壞古都的氣氛就是啦! 至於親自走在皇城內的感覺是還蠻不錯的...畢竟內部的格局, 裝潢明顯的有受到中國文化的影響, 令人不得不感受到歷史殘留的痕跡而嘖嘖稱奇! 雖然聽老媽說氣勢的確是比不上北京的紫禁城, 能看到這個就算是不錯的補償吧^^ 尤其是看到一部分沒被炸毀的後宮以及皇上的藏書閣就不禁讓我想起鹿鼎記的場景來啊! (...這應該跟歷史沒啥關係吧==) 不過要是天氣沒那麼悶熱的話就更好了呀...(昏)

(在皇上的藏書閣前看書...XD)

另外一個文化遺產是第二天下午搭船去參觀的風雅洞. 位於廣平省的"風雅喀班國家公園"內, 風雅洞主要是由融蝕現象形成的洞穴. 洞內溪流清澈, 更有各式各樣奇形怪狀的鐘乳石, 以及由多根鐘乳石經過長時間的歷練而形成的自然雕塑. 其中我覺得最有趣的是一面有如天女的髮編一樣一節節的鐘乳石岩壁...真的是難以相信是大自然的傑作啊^^ 不過岩壁兩側用人工的彩色照明我就覺得有點煞風景就是了... 雖說的確是"色彩繽紛"但畢竟顯得有些雜亂不自然.

在參觀第三樣世界遺產 - 美山的占婆遺址時就沒那麼幸運了... 不但下起大雨把地上弄得泥濘不堪, 而且有許多其他旅行團都在同樣的景點參觀, 使得大家連停下來歇歇腳, 仔細聽導遊的解說, 或是好好拍一張相留念都有點困難. 不過要是說遺址本身的可看度那就算是還蠻值得的...至少大家都覺得這是這次最值得一看的世界遺產啦! 雖然規模恐怕沒有吳哥窟的大 (因為有一大部分都被炸毀了), 但只要一想到那些磚頭都是在很久以前泥漿還沒被發明之前就被一塊塊疊上去的就覺得非常驚奇! 況且看到有一些刻在外牆上的雕像五官都還很意外的清晰就更加難以相信這些建築是在幾千年前就建造而成的傑作. 果然古代人的才智也不見得會輸給現代人如此依賴的機械器具呢...

再來是最後一樣世界遺產...會安. 就像行程介紹上寫的, 它就像是"披上鮮亮黃衣的中國小村子". 擁有古色古香的街道以及房屋, 商店. 各式各樣的手工藝品以及禮服店琳瑯滿目. 有趣的是走在街上頓時覺得到處都是外國的遊客, 尤其是歐洲的口音一轉頭就聽得到. 還看到許多白人悠閒的坐在咖啡廳裡翻閱雜誌書籍... 想不到此處竟如此的受西方人歡迎啊! 雖說最後集合時我們其中一名團員因走失而造成了一陣不小的騷動... 這次的經驗還是非常有趣的 (除了殺價殺得很辛苦之外....語言不通叫我們怎麼殺啊!!@@" 一群人緊繃著臉, 不吭一聲的圍著一台計算機應該是很可笑的畫面吧XD)

最後稍微說一下食物好了... 出發前其實我還有我媽都還蠻期待這次的飲食安排, 畢竟在台灣與紐西蘭的越南菜都算是蠻可口的料理. 但沒想到事實卻不是那麼一回事OO 不但每一餐的料理方法都很簡單粗糙, 在衛生方面也有不幸的發現 (像是服務生直接用手把飯挖到新的飯碗裡啦....). 真的是非常令人失望啊...恐怕是因為中越才剛開放給外人而已所以還沒有比較體面的餐廳可以安排給我們吧...

某個有娛興節目的晚餐中有一個唱歌不停走音的人演唱鄧麗君的歌.... 也因此看到老爸心痛又無奈的背影XD

另外再加一件無聊的發現....我們第一天晚上住的飯店(希拉登酒店)裡有一項有趣的設計喔! 那就是浴室的洗手台竟然在門外! 真的就像老媽說的一樣 - "好像煮菜節目喔!" XD (聽說前幾團有哪位不知好歹的台灣遊客看到那些陶瓷做的洗髮精, 沐浴乳罐還有衛生紙盒很漂亮便把它們給拿走了... 結果被發現後還很不好意思的說是打破了然後還得支付不知道幾倍的賠償金(噗) 大家旅遊時要小心不要輕舉妄動或貪小便宜呀~~XD) 另外當天晚上在同一家飯店的一樓還很幸運的能聽到一場很棒很難忘的現場音樂表演喔~~尤其是老爸簡直是聽得如癡如醉(直說"比極限震撼值得多啦!!")... 而且只不過點了三杯飲料就坐了好幾個小時, 坐到那三位歌手都已經注意到我們並問我們是從哪裡來的觀光客XD 加上之後她們可能因為得知我們是台灣人而獻唱的一首"夜來香", 我看要不是老媽和我半拉半拖的把我爸帶走他應該真的會坐一整夜吧(笑)

本來之前與Mary和Alea一起完成了愉快的韓國之旅後就一直想打一篇心得的
只是在台灣的最後兩個禮拜不是過年就是忙著做最後的採買
(當然也只是因為懶惰的問題...)
所以趁現在回紐西蘭 在我姊位於威靈頓的公寓裡鬼混時
我就來補上一篇吧!
(畢竟拖太久的話不太能保證我老人般的記憶不會退化得所剩無幾呀)

為了避免出現流水帳的現象... 我就說幾樣印象特別深的行程吧

首先介紹一下最舒服的行程~汗蒸幕!
這是韓國傳統的烤箱, 擁有好幾種形式(例如松樹木火汗蒸幕, 玻璃光鹽汗蒸幕, 天然軟玉汗蒸幕等)
但這次我們所體驗的是可促進血液循環的炭燒式汗蒸幕
而且因個人抗熱體質所以分成四種溫度
連我這種平時比較喜歡蒸氣浴的人都能毫無怨言的享受
一開始因為導遊的建議所以我們三人就穿著櫃檯事先發的上衣短褲
並包著導遊熱心教導包法的"咩咩頭"
跟著一大群同樣包著咩咩頭的人(超好認同團的人的...這就是導遊的用意嗎!?)
走進五十幾度的木製房間
但等了半天我們還是沒出甚麼汗
所以就晉級到六十幾度....
結果還是沒啥效果
果然台灣的烤箱都太變態了啊! 八十幾度的都把我們練得刀槍不入了
結果我們索性在七十幾度的那間躺下  終於在十分鐘後毛腺孔大開!!
真的是第一次"等汗"等得那麼辛苦的==
但之後泡完澡的感覺真的挺不錯的!
(雖然泡澡時因為要裸體所以蠻爆笑的 - 誰是台灣人一眼就看出來|||)
尤其是洗完澡後再來一支哈密瓜冰棒...
啊~冷熱融為一體的確有種說不出的舒服!!

再來是傳統韓服體驗... 也跟泡菜體驗位於同一個建築(明顯的觀光勝地??)
這其實沒甚麼好說的啦  用腳想也知道那是甚麼
不過因為我一直對這種古裝的東西很感興趣所以印象特別深(笑)
當然這是簡化的韓服囉
只是為了拍照留念用的所以其實並沒有真的"穿上"而是罩在自己衣服外面
真正值得敬佩的是那些幫觀光客穿上及脫下韓服的媽媽桑們
動作實在有夠快的啊!! 尤其是在脫下的過程大概不到兩秒吧
(冷汗)真的有點被這粗魯的扯衣行為嚇到...

還有旅行團預購特別贈送的NANTA亂打秀~
這是一個深受美國百老匯肯定的舞台表演
融合打擊樂, 搞笑劇情, 以及演員生動的演出所形成的精彩演出
而且因為慕名而來的外國觀光客很多
因此幾乎全場都沒有韓文,
而是以演員的臉部表情加上肢體動作來傳達他們的感受.
說實在的 整場表演都非常令人目不轉睛, 而且時常令觀眾哄堂大笑
台上演員與觀眾的互動更是精彩
但我印象最深的還是表演前在大螢幕上播放的介紹
以幽默的方式傳達表演時的注意事項
還有事先讓觀眾練習拍手, 歡呼, 唱歌等等有趣的安排
真的非常的聰明... 難怪會榮獲百老匯的青睞!
而且老少咸宜, 讓觀眾看完後輕鬆愉快, 意猶未盡
是一場非常值得推薦的舞台劇喔!!
(加上進場前在外面的電影院順手抽走了四張赤壁2的宣傳單爽得不得了☞請注意我手上...嘿嘿) 

再來就稍微講一下食物吧...
我只能說台灣人太挑剔啦!!
從第一餐人參雞開始我們這團的人就沒說過好話
東嫌西嫌的, 甚麼"真的來錯地方啦~給我們吃這甚麼東西" 還有"下次別來韓國了"
然後開始說台灣甚麼甚麼比較好啦, "我們家走出去隨便一家都比這好吃..."
天啊 台灣觀光客真的有夠惡劣的==
虧我們的導遊還已經事先解釋說韓國人沒有台灣人那麼注重飲食!
不過這樣台灣人出國旅行時應該比誰都來的痛苦吧
...真可憐(嘆)
其實我覺得吃得還不錯啊.... 每一餐的泡菜也都很道地, 飯也不會一粒一粒的....(笑)
我看他們唯一不會埋怨的大概就是韓國烤肉吧==
還有韓國又大又甜的草莓.... (甜到有點可疑就是了) 

嗯 那就先講到這裡吧
再說下去就沒人要看了 ==
可是當然還有許多許多有趣的見聞還沒分享到
如果有人有興趣下次見面再好好介紹一下啦
總之  真是一趟不錯的旅行啊!!
稍微嫌時間不夠就是了, 或是因為跟團的關係所以行程有點太趕
導致玩後比玩前還累(汗)
像上次在日本語言學校那樣每次出去都一日或半日遊同一個地點的行程
我還是會比較推薦的~
不過最後一天能看到下雪我們真的很幸運囉!
已經要感謝上天保佑啦 ^^

在此也要感謝一下我們的美女導遊還有助理Jenny小姐~
由兩個女生帶著37人的團體真是辛苦  能順利完成都是託你們的福!!