il Giardino Romantico

I stayed in London for an entire week before heading back home in Taiwan. It was my final destination, and sort of marked the grand finale of my entire year in the UK. You know what they say about London and typical English weather.... However, during the seven days I was there, I did not see a single drop of rain. It's supposed to be a good thing, nonetheless, it didn't feel quite 'London-like'. Yes, there were gray days like this, but no rain at all. It made traveling much easier. 

回台前，在倫敦遊蕩了一整週。這是我的終點站。為我在英國的一年劃下完美的句點。不過大家口中所說的雨中倫敦，我卻是無緣看到！整整七天，一滴雨都沒有！雖然對旅人來說方便許多，但總覺得少了雨就少了點倫敦味！雖然有的像這天一樣灰灰的，但是就是不下雨！

This article shows you two boats that were docked by the Thames. Just by looking at these two different boats, you'll get the feeling that the whole of England can be summed up by them - a place where the new intertwines with the new. 

If you are a Shakespeare fanatic, this is another 'sacred' place you simply just can't miss out on. THE GLOBE. Even though it is not the original, it's as close a replica as it gets. The original was destroyed in a fire in 1613. Just by looking at the materials from which the theatre is build, it's not hard to imagine how fast the building would have burnt down. This reconstruction, though not located in the exact location as the original, is just a few hundred metres away from the original site. It was opened in 1997, with a production of Henry V. 

如果你是莎士比亞迷，那你真的不能錯過這個"神聖"的地方。莎翁環球劇場！雖然這不是原始的那個環球，不過這已經算是複製到夠擬真的地步了！原本的環球在1613年被大火燒掉了。光從外表看這建築物的材質就不難想像當初大火會有多快就把這地方燒個片甲不留。這個重建的環球雖然也不是在原始的那個地點，不過距離相當近。它是在1997年於『亨利五世』的表演進行開幕儀式～

This is what a London train station looks like. I can't remember where the one above was taken. Possibly either Victoria or Waterloo... 

這就是倫敦火車站的樣子～ 這張我已經忘了是在哪拍的。好像是Victoria 還是 Waterloo的樣子。

I shall begin the long awaited London travel logs with the most impressive London feature - the Tube. No one has not hear of the tube. But I wasn't at all impressed by it when I first got on it. The reason was because I had a 30kg luggage PLUS a 10kg backpack on me, and I could not spot a single lift in the stations... So I had to 'carry' them up and down the stairs, most of the time, on my own. If you had to go through this, I don't think you'd have a good first impression either, would you! But alas, it is after all, London tube... You must give it some credit. 

倫敦遊記的一開始，來跟大家分享一下倫敦最著名的建築—倫敦地鐵。相信大家都聽過，但他卻給我留下的很差勁的第一印象。原因是這樣的：當時我扛了一個三十公斤的行李，背上又背了一個十公斤的背包。我卻怎麼也找不到電梯，只好自己扛上扛下那難走的樓梯（大部分時間也沒人幫我）如果你也體驗過這樣的經驗，我想你也不會對他有好印象吧！不過，再怎麼說他都是『倫敦地鐵』啊！

Yet another crooked house! Starting to wonder why there are so many crooked houses in England? If you know why, please, indulge me! Anyway, this is a lot more famous than the one I shared with you earlier, the one in Canterbury. However, now comparing the two, I don't think this one seems as crooked as the other! What do you think?

又是一個不正的房子。開始覺得英國人很詭異了嗎？怎麼房子老是蓋的歪歪的！如果你知道原因的話，歡迎分享喔！這間其實比上間在坎特伯里的還要有名。不過照片比較起來，好像這間比較沒那麼畸形。你覺得呢？

Ever wondered why English/European churches are so fascinating? Other than the history, there is something else. Most churches follow a guideline. Here are a few of the guidelines, and once you've become acquainted with them, next time you walk inside an European church, you can keep an eye out for these structures. 

會不會覺得，為什麼英國（或是歐洲）的教堂都這麼的搶眼嗎？其實除了歷史之外，還有其他的要素。因為教堂的結構有著一定的架構。但是在架構以外的變化，又是這麼的多元。以下就是一些我發現的基本結構。提供大家參考。下次大家走進歐洲教堂，應該可以用不同的眼光觀賞教堂囉！

Nearing the end of my 2009 UK tour, I only had enough budget and time for either Hampton Court or Windsor. While I still couldn't make up my mind, my friend, with whom I was staying, kindly shared her opinion and decided that Windsor was definitely the one to choose. Well, at the end of the day, I wasn't at all disappointed. But I will always wonder... what Hampton Court is like.... 

我的2009年英國旅遊將近尾端時，我知道我只有足夠的經費及時間要在Hampton Court與Windsor之間擇一。這兩個地方若沒去過當然是很難選擇。在詢問好心收留我的好友意見之後，她覺得一定要去溫莎。這也就幫了我做了一個大抉擇。雖然逛了一整天下來一點都不失望，但我心裡永遠都會掛念著一個念頭：Hampton Court到底是啥樣子呢？

Actually, after Canterbury, I spent a day in London. But unfortunately, I had ingeniously deleted all the photos I had taken on the first day. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to walk around the same places again, and re-take those valuable photos. So, going in chronological order of the photos, here comes the Windsor series. 

其實離開坎特伯里之後，我在倫敦市區先晃了一天。不過由於本人才智過人意外的把那第一天所拍攝的照片全部都給刪了！好家在之後還有時間去重遊那些地方，把刪掉的照片再補照回來！所以依照照片時間上的順序，先來看看溫莎的一日遊囉！

This is actually the first time I hung out with my colleagues outside of work, since I started this new job in September. We had a lot of fun chatting. Actually, I had more fun watching and listening to them chat, but same difference. Anyway, we went to a Japanese restaurant, and at first we were going to order our own individual meals, when the waitress suggested that we order a set meal for 4-6 people. (there were five of us). 

這是我第一次下班後跟同事一起出去耶（自從九月到直以來）。聊天聊得很開心，不過我看他們聊的更開心（哈哈！）。這次是來到春日一間日本餐廳。原本各自研究著自己想吃的餐點，不料餐廳阿姨卻推薦我們吃四到六人份的套餐。想想，我們五個人好像可以吃到撐，就決定點了。

This may not seem to be a special pub, but to some, it is. I choose to end the Canterbury entries with the Dolphin, because even until today, I recall the fun we had that night. 

從外表似乎看不出有什麼特別的，不過對某些人來說它卻是。用這篇來做坎特伯里系列的結為是因為我至今還能回想到那天晚上在這裡度過的歡樂時光。