il Giardino Romantico

I don't deny that I like to complain. But the fact of the matter is, I really think that if you make yourself do something that is slightly out of your comfort zone, great surprises may await. I'm starting this off with something seemingly so unrelated because this is why I got a chance to visit Harrods. If it hadn't been 'someone', then I really thought about skipping Harrods. What? I'm not a big fan of shopping anyway. And even if I am, most of the things here are way over my budget anyway! BUT!! I'm glad I went anyway! You'll see why. 

我不否認我是一個很愛抱怨的人。不過我真的要說，有些時候強迫自己做一些異想不到的事情其實後面只會有驚喜等著你。我會以這樣看似無相關的字句開頭，因為這就是我為什麼會來這裡的原因。如果不是受某人之託要來這裡買個東西，基本上我本來是連來都不想來的！畢竟我本來就不太愛買東西。即使會買，這裡的價位對我來說也未免太高了！但是！！我還是很高興我來了！就繼續看下去吧！

The British Museum is open until 8pm every day (summer season). However, not all galleries are open after five. This is what I had not known during my visit. Unfortunately, after they were ushering people out of certain galleries, I realised that I had already been to the galleries that were open till late. I had to come back the next day. When I asked the clerk if I needed to pay again for my audio guide, he kindly signed at the back of the reciept, and assured me that I didn't have to pay again the next day. 

大英博物館在暑期開放至晚間八點。不過不是每個館都開放到這麼晚。當時我就是不知道，所以當我逛到一半被趕出來才知道原來只有某些館是有到八點！而在詢問過後才發現，開放到晚上的館我都早就逛過了啊！所以隔天還要再回來。離開前我問工作人員，隔天再進來的話語音導覽是不是要再次付錢。結果他好心的在那天的收據背後簽了名，並保證隔天來可以不用付費繼續使用！

This is yet another place in London that tourists/travellers must visit while in London. When you plan your itinerary, do make sure that you leave at least one full day for this. Because even if you are an amateur, you'll still end up spending an entire day in here! The best news of all is that there is no admission charge, although it is strongly recommended that you rent an audio guide to get the most out of this trip. 

這又是一個倫敦必逛的景點。安排行程的時候別忘了排出至少一整天的時間給這裡！即使你外行，或是興趣沒那麼大，你還是會需要一整天的時間在裡面閒晃的。不過我想這裡最好的地方就是他不收門票！不過強烈推薦一定要租個語音導覽，才能夠更了解裡頭珍藏的文物。

Who is Samuel Johnson? I'll bet not many people know his contribution to the English speaking world. We are looking at the house of the person who put together the VERY FIRST English dictionary! All of you who have ever even touched a dictionary, whether Merriam Webster, Longman, Cambridge, or even the mighty OED, have Johnson to thank for it! 

Samuel Johnson到底是誰啊？我想應該沒有很多人知道他對英語世界的貢獻吧！這個家的主人呢，就是寫出有史以來第一本英文字典的偉人啊！即使你只是輕輕地觸摸過一本字典，無論是Merriam Webster, Longman, Cambridge或是神聖的OED，都要記得這一切都是拜Johnson所賜啊！

I reckon not a lot of tourists would come here, prior to the time of the 'Da Vinci Code'. This is the place where Langdon brought Teabing, thinking there were tombs of knights here. Only after their arrival did Langdon realise that there were only effigies, not tombs. Then, Teabing's butler came in, shooting, taking Teabing as hostage... 

我想在『達文西密碼』出版前應該很少有觀光客會注意到這裡吧！？這裡就是Langdon帶Teabing來的地方。他們原以為這裡是騎士葬身之地，沒想到之後才發現原來這裡只有肖像，沒有墓碑。後來Teabing的管家拿著槍進來，挾持走Teabing.... 

Although my student ID had already expired, and I've already made the best use of it while I could, I still managed to get concession for the audio guide at the National Gallery (chuckle). Actually, I planned to tell the lady that I hadn't been aware of its expiration date, that is, if she found out. Fortunately, she didn't. And I still got the concession. Look at the first photo, doesn't it look like a painting? 

雖然我的學生證已經過期了，也在他過期之前充分的運用到他。不過來到這我還是成功地以學生價的價位租到語音導覽呢！我本來想說，被發現就裝傻，說不好意思我沒注意到已經過期了。還好根本不用說謊～因為人家根本沒注意看～～ 

London Eye, yet another landmark of London, and made its appearance in so many movies, it should receive its very own Academy Award! 

倫敦之眼！又是一個倫敦代表性的地標（到底倫敦有幾個代表性地標啊！）而且他也在許多電影中出現過，簡直就該頒發一個最佳背景獎給他啊！

The Mandarin nickname of Big Ben, if translated back to English, means 'Big Clumsy Clock'（大笨鐘）. When I was still teaching English to young scholars, I once had a student named 'Ben', and his fellow classmates often teased him about his name (phonetically sounding similar to 笨 = clumsy) Personally, I think it's a rather cute translation of its nickname, and quite aptly named as well. However, few people know the origin of the 'Ben' part of the name. 

大笨鐘的英文其實是『大班』（班傑明的班）。不過中文念起來真的挺像『笨』的。所以以前在教兒童美語的時候就鬧了個笑話：班上的Ben常常就被大家捉弄。其實我覺得這個翻譯的挺可愛的，也挺適合的。不過有多少人知道原文中『Ben』的緣由呢？

Westminster Bridge was built in 1862. Most people know it from the sonnet 'Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802' by the Romantic Poet Laureate, William Wordsworth. Although the surrounding area now, is not quite as picturesque as the sight Wordsworth had seen during his time, the walk over the bridge, I'm sure, continues to be rather pleasant and enjoyable. 

西敏橋建造於1862年。學過英國文學的應該都有聽過浪漫時期桂冠詩人William Wordsworth所寫的十四行詩"Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 2, 1802'. 雖然現今的面貌一定不比當時詩人看到的還要詩情畫意，不過步行在橋上仍然是件很不錯的體驗呢！

Westminster Abbey. I don't know to emphasise its significance in history, and up until the present day. How many kings and queens had their coronation and burials here. Its Gothic style architecture, along with the nearby landmarks of Big Ben and Houses of Parliament, and the London Eye, together completes the picture of this part of London. 

西敏寺。不知道該如何強調他的歷史上至今的重要性。多少英國君主在此加冕登基以及安葬。他的歌德式建築風格以及鄰近的大笨鐘及國會會議廳以及倫敦之眼，全部加總成為倫敦這塊地區的完整地標圖。

The comfy chairs can be seen all over the parks in London, but do think twice before you sit yourself in one of these - they cost money! Anyhow, if the weather is nice, why would you need those chairs? Enjoy the crispy green grass, and the best thing of all about it is it's free!

看到這些舒適的椅子沒有？有沒有很好奇這些人為什麼這麼傻，有椅子不座跑去坐草地？其實那些椅子是要收費的啦！如果天氣好的話，何必為了個座位花錢呢？坐在翠綠的草皮上也是不錯的啊！而且還免費呢！

As I was remorsing for the lost photos I had taken of the changing of the guards, all of a sudden I saw the following...

當我還正在為我刪掉衛兵交接典禮照片時，以下場景開始出現在我面前：

This is Buckingham Palace! Recall what I said before, that I lost all the photos I had taken on my first day? Well, I came here on my first day in London, and caught the changing of the guards. I made sure I did, so that I could have the photos and keep for all eternity. You can imagine how devastated I was when I discovered I had so stupidly deleted all the photos! 

這就是白金漢宮啦！還記得我之前說，我手殘把第一天的照片全都誤刪了嗎？其實讓我最心碎的就是因為我第一天來的就是這裡。而且我還有確認當天我可以看到禁衛軍交接典禮！你可以想像當我發現我誤刪照片時當時的心情嗎？

Don't leave the museum without taking something with you! Even though the gift shop is rather small, it's still packed with useful (and useless) souvenirs for yourself or for your Holmes fanatic friends. 

既然來了就別空手回家！雖然這禮品部不大，但裡面有許多有用（跟沒用的）紀念品。要收藏還是送給福爾摩斯迷的朋友都可以呢！

Whether a fan of the entire Sherlock Holmes, or a comic fanatic of the Japanese kid detective Conan, this is yet another place in London not to miss out on. If you don't have the time, it's still worth a Tube trip to see the station itself. 

無論你是福爾摩斯迷，還是名偵探柯南迷，倫敦又多了一個一定要去的地方！不過如果你真的沒時間，不妨至少經過一下車站。看看也好～

Remember what I said in the article on Bath Abbey Tower Climb? That an even bigger challenge awaited me? This was it! St. Paul's 500+ steps to the top of the tower! 

還記得我在巴斯修道院攀爬塔樓一文中提到說之後還會有更具挑戰的經驗等著我嗎？就是這裡！超過五百層階梯的塔樓攀爬！

If you walk along the Themes, and reach Tower Bridge, it'd be impossible to miss Tower of London. This historical site is such an impressive building because of all the famous lives involved. Even though this time round, I only walked around it, it was still quite intimidating to think of how these important historic people were used to be imprisoned, or even executed here! 

沿著泰晤士河走到倫敦塔橋就不可能錯過嫌眼的倫敦之塔。這具有歷史意義的建築物實在是很壯觀。光想到有多少歷史名人曾在這裡被關或甚至處死刑，就有股毛骨悚然的感覺！雖然這次我只是繞著走一圈，但還是有點畏懼的感覺呢！

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。