il Giardino Romantico

【中文在下面】



It's been a month already, since I departed from Taiwan.  How do I like it here? I'm absolutely 'lovin' it'! 

典型的英式pub。Scene from a typical English pub.

The food here comes in different types.  There is quality 'restaurant food'.  There is the quid-saver 'take-aways'.  Then, there is the very English 'pub food'. 

Before you start preaching to me about how unhealthy it is to eat pre-cooked meals, I need you to understand a few points.  First of all, I have a small appetite.  Even if I can afford to eat out every night, it would still be a total waste of money because I probably won't be able to finish the whole meal.  Second of all, I don't have a lot of quids to throw around, so I must try and make my own meals on a daily basis and save my money for special occasions.  Thirdly, the vegetables here are so different from Asian vegetables, it will take me a really long time to try and figure out what I can do with them.  Finally, pre-cooked foods are actually GOOD, meaning delicious, here.  I'm sure you'll see what I mean once you see the pictures.

你可以不用告訴我：『微波食物很不健康』。因為我知道。只是你要了解：
一、我的胃口並不大。即使我有很多££，出去吃也不一定能把盤子上的菜吃完。浪費呀！
二、我沒有很多££。所以平時一定要靠自己想辦法。等到大夥人馬想去餐廳用餐時，我才不會覺得自己負擔不起。
三、這裡的蔬菜跟亞洲的蔬菜差很多。還是要一段時間之後才能想出到底能拿他們做什麼。

It's not a badge.  It's a FAMILY CREST.

有什麼原因讓我不愛LFC？我可以想出太多他讓我著迷的地方。每次只要一走進club store，都有一種回到家的感覺。

星期天早上聽到鐘聲後，一見窗外天空大片特藍！此時我對自己說：你不出門的話就太對不起自己囉！這裡的天氣，好的時候，好的不得了。差的時候，又濕又冷的，也是非常糟糕。不過好處是，我來這裡以後幾乎每個週末都有陽光照耀。天氣不好的時候都是要上課，也沒什麼機會可以出去閒晃。因此，我就趁這天沒有安排其他行程的情況下，帶了相機走了幾步路到隔壁的教堂去拼命的猛拍。

The church bells summoned the good weather last Sunday.  After noticing how wonderful the weather was, I decided that it was too good a day to waste away staying indoors.  It gets cold and wet during the week for days on end.  However, I have been lucky, because ever since I got here, the weather was always pleasant on weekends.

Is 'Best Kebab' really the 'Best Kebab' in town?  Well, seeing that I've only had one kebab since I got here, it would be unfair to claim that it is, indeed, the best kebab there is in Liverpool.  But undoubtedly, it is pretty good.  Its name certainly lives up to its reputation!  Below is a picture of my veggie kebab.  Fresh veggies, fried mushrooms, what more can I ask for in a kebab? It's absolutely delicious.  In addition to that, it is just the right portion for someone with a small tummy, like me.  I could finish the whole thing. 

店名叫做『Best Kebab』。不過真的是城裡最棒的kebab嗎？我只吃過這間的kebab，所以如果現在就稱他為城裡最贊的，好像對其他賣kebab的不太公平。但不可否認的是，他真的很好吃。份量剛剛好。胃口本來就不大的我，剛剛好可以把他啃完。新鮮的蔬菜配上熱炒菇菇。那菇菇真是鮮嫩多汁。搭配冷冰冰的蔬菜，溫度剛剛好適合馬上一口接著一口吃。

After our kebabs, we went to a pub on campus and had a pint each.  The after taste of the kebab goes hand in hand with beer.  Although I don't expect myself to dine out much, due to the rediculously expensive prices here, I will definitely return to 'Best Kebab' for another veggie kebab.  I will also try out other kebabs, just to see if their kebab is, truly, the best kebab.

【中文在下面】

There are many things that I can take advantage of while I'm here in the UK.  Other than the vast collection of English resources in the library, the performances in the world renowned Philharmonic Hall by the world acclaimed Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, easy access to football match broadcasts[however vain it may sound...], there is also the frequent lectures and talks by notable contemporary figures in the literary realm.

In fact, I just came back from one last night.  John Carey's talk on William Golding: How Novels Begin was the first lecture I attended since I got here.  John Carey is a literary critic who has edited works by Milton, Donne, and Orwell, just to name a few.  He has also published books and biographies on famous authors.  In his preparation of his new biography on William Golding, the author of the Lord of the Flies, he came to Liverpool and told us about the man, the work, and most importantly, how novels begin.

各位：

禮拜天早上被鄰近的鐘聲叫醒後，發現天氣真是好的不得了。若是待在室內錯過這好天氣，不知道要等多久才能再見到陽光普照的好天氣。因此，我拿起相機做了一個非常觀光客的事情：去教堂拼命的猛拍照。不過由於照片非常多，所以可能還得等個一兩天才會貼出。今天先跟大家分享，我每個禮拜天早上的鬧鐘。

有沒有搞錯？又是一家LFC Club Store？你才有沒有搞錯。這裡是哪裡？利物浦耶！怎麼可能只有一家Club Store。雖然坪數沒有比Superstore大。裝潢也沒有比Superstore豪華，不過店內販售的產品跟Superstore比起來還是有差。在這間看到許多Superstore沒看到的商品。還好這天被我們發現這家店的時候，身邊根本沒多少££。不然我又會經不起誘惑啦！

Yeap.  ANOTHER LFC Club Store.  This is, afterall, LIVERPOOL.  It would be quite absurd to only have one club store, wouldn't it?  Although it is smaller than the superstore, the inner decoration is also not as grand and posh, there are a lot of various items that could not be found in the superstore.  Fortunately for me, I was skint when we found this.  Otherwise, this would have been another trial of temptation which I would have been doomed to fail to pass.

St George's Hall is a neoclassical building which houses law courts and concert halls.  It is a Grade I listed building, along side Buckingham Palace, Royal Opera House, and Albert Dock, which is also in Liverpool, just to name a few. 

The building is situated near Lime Street Station, in the center of the city.  It is an impressive building, and I hope to God that I will have an opportunity to walk inside it [to attend a concert...] at least once while I'm here.