2013-01-03 
【Aiden in English】
As I came to my senses from waking out of deep sleep, the smell of muffins wafted toward me. With an unappetizing breakfast, I hurried down to meet our group. I headed for Uruguay, the second-smallest country in South America, and its oldest town, the Historic Quarter of Colonia del Sacramento, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. We left the harbor, an oil refinery, a moored fishing fleet, the Navy Museum, and even the Uruguayan capital city, Montevideo, behind. The lush countryside displayed a vast grassy prairie interrupted only by scattered patches of scrubby woodland along the horizon, reminiscent of the Pampas in neighboring Argentina. Although the trip took about three hours of scenic driving, I spent most of my time recovering and missed out on a precious opportunity for sleep. While half the time I was asleep, sweet and sound, the rest of the time was pathetic. Mom enjoyed sipping yerba mate from a hollow gourd with a bomba (a drinking metal straw), which our tour guide had brewed for the demonstration. Like Chinese tea, the tea was made of potent herbs steeped in hot water. In Uruguay, drinking mate with friends from a shared hollow gourd and using a shared metal straw has become an extremely social practice among people of all ages. I didn't try it because the herbal tea was too strong to drink, and I felt uncomfortable sharing the same straw with others. Colonia del Sacramento was located just opposite the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, the largest city in South America. Skyscrapers appeared vague across the murky waters of the Rio de la Plata, or River of Silver, the world's widest river, with a maximum width of about 140 miles/220 kilometers from east to west. We returned to the late 16th century when Colonia del Sacramento became the only Portuguese settlement along with the Rio de la Plata. La Plaza de Toros (Bullring) was built in Moorish style in 1910 and could accommodate 10,000 spectators. Now, it is fit for a haunted house and left to rot in pieces due to the government's prohibition of the sport. The bull ring was not only magnificent but also creepy. I wished that I could take a glimpse inside. We walked on foot around the small town built on cobblestones. Once crossing a drawbridge and entering the Porton de Campo (Town Gate) via San Miguel Bastion, we were suddenly walking along winding streets lined with vibrantly colored colonial houses reminiscent of old Lisbon, the Portuguese capital. It stood out against the modern world. In Calle de San Pedro (Street of San Peter), we encountered a large stone house featuring a city map in Portuguese blue and white ceramic tiles, and were welcomed by the Rio de la Plata. The river resembled a sea and behaved like an estuary, where freshwater and seawater mingled. We continued to follow the old town's border and stroll the famous Calle de Los Suspiros (Street of Sighs), named for beauty so profound that it evoked a "sigh" when viewed for the first time. It was striking that the Portuguese built their cobblestoned passageways so that the rainwater would drain along the middle, rather than next to the sidewalks. Casa de Nacarello, a 17th-century Portuguese house, glorified its simplicity and loveliness. Once or twice, we would stop, and the tour guide would provide a brief explanation of the place's culture. Most of the history was related to the Spanish and Portuguese wars. The battles continued for several decades, with a focus on the struggles at the Rio de la Plata estuary. Eventually, the Portuguese overcame the immigrating Spanish and signed a treaty to control the town. I wondered why the two large European nations would want natural resources from a tiny village like Colonia del Sacramento in South America. Near Uruguay's oldest church, Basílica del Santísimo Sacramento (Basilica of the Holy Sacrament), dating back to 1695, we dined in a nice restaurant that served Uruguayan cuisine: a veggie salad, asado (barbecue) chicken, and fish, accompanied by a selection of ice cream. Before I left the Historic Quarter for good, Mom and I bought tickets to El Faro, or Lighthouse (1857), and the ruins of the Convent of San Francisco (1683) located in the Plaza Mayor (Main Square). The view was spectacular from the Portuguese irregular and terrain-fitting street layout, the Spanish orthogonal and wide area, and the colonial decorations in variety at the top. When I saw people running on the ground, I thought they were rainbow-colored ants with two legs. The descent was taking forever. A girl no more than five years old hopped down the steps one by one, carefully in front of me. When a beam of sunlight squeezed in, I thought I had made it. However, my intentions were misguided, and it was merely a window. Just as I had given up hope, I reached the bottom and rushed to catch up with the group on the bus, which took us back to the cruise ship. 【紅霞譯】
清晨自然醒來鬆餅飄香，簡單吃過早點，我便匆匆上路。今天要去烏拉圭──南美洲第二小國及其最古老的薩克拉門托“聖禮”殖民古城。早在1995年，聯合國教科文組織就將此地列為《世界遺產名錄》。
我們離開碼頭很快將煉油廠、停泊的漁船、海軍博物館、甚至首都蒙得維的亞“眼見大山”甩在身後，迎面而來的草原牧場廣袤無際，茂密的樹林灌木叢間或把守地平線盡端，好像我們重新置身鄰國阿根廷平原。
沿途共有三個鐘頭車程，雖說風景如畫，但我閉目養神，一半的功夫用來補覺解乏，不困的時間打發得無聊；媽媽不管三七二十一，對品嘗馬黛茶“葫蘆草”心血來潮。導遊先將馬黛茶碎末放入葫蘆罐里，然後倒進熱水浸泡，流程近似中國人沏茶，在烏拉圭不分大人小孩，與朋友共飲馬黛茶是社交場合中不可缺少的環節。我沒有興趣試喝，不僅由於茶濃草藥味道重，味覺受不了，而且由於大家為拉關係套近乎表忠心必須合用同一個金屬吸管，感覺受不了。
話說我們將要登門走訪的薩克拉門托，地理上恰好位於阿根廷首都對面，中間以世界上最寬的普拉塔“銀”河為界，東西跨度140英里／220公里。從薩克拉門托古城向南美最繁華的阿根廷大都會布宜諾斯艾利斯“順風”望去，依稀可見高樓廣廈。
一走進薩克拉門托，展現在我們眼前的是16世紀唯一建立在普拉塔河畔邊葡萄牙殖民地的歷史畫面。
鬥牛場實為一處1910年間完成的露天圓拱馬蹄型摩爾“北非穆斯林”式建築，最多可容納一萬人，由於政府嚴禁鬥牛體育運動而造成常年失修，現在它形如鬼樓陰宅，破爛得不堪入目。實際上，這個建築本身非常雄偉，同時令人毛骨悚然，不過我真希望自己能進去看上一眼。
在薩克拉門托殖民地古城區，我們全部要靠雙腳徒步行走鵝卵石鋪就的馬路上，經吊橋穿過老城門，進入天使城堡，時空一下子把我們帶回1745年。石階石道曲徑通幽，殖民式小屋色彩絢麗，使人恍若現身葡萄牙首都里斯本“美灣”。我們站在聖彼得“磐石”大街，一邊正對石房老屋，其上懸掛一幅用葡萄牙藍、白釉彩瓷磚拼成的城市地圖；另一邊則面朝普拉塔河，寬大無比的河流看上去跟海沒什麼兩樣，入海口處海水與河水交匯。
我們繼續遊逛，漫步走在著名的“嘆息街”上，第一次倘佯葡萄牙人精心打造的鵝卵石街區，心中禁不住發出讚美之聲。有趣的是道路兩旁地勢偏高，並呈坡度向中央傾斜，這樣每當下雨的時候雨水便會自動集中在馬路中央，不會朝兩旁流去而影響人行過道；嘆息街角一間17世紀葡萄牙式納卡雷洛“無花果樹林”之家以其質樸典雅的特點，極大地豐富這條馬路的歷史底蘊。
我們一邊走一邊看景致，一邊停一邊聽解說，每每講到歷史，總免不了跟戰爭掛上鈎，幾十年來西班牙與葡萄牙之間打來打去，無非為了爭奪地盤，最後葡萄牙制服西班牙，薩克拉門托淪為葡萄牙殖民屬地。我真不明白為什麼兩個歐洲大國為掠奪當地自然資源而不惜在南美這個水路交通要塞大動干戈？距離1695年修建的烏拉圭全國最古老的聖禮大教堂不遠，我們在一家口碑不錯的餐館就餐，蔬菜沙拉、雞肉魚片地爐燒烤、冰激凌，使我們在瞻仰異國他鄉歷史的同時，不失時機地享受到本土飲食文化。 離開古城區之前，媽媽和我買了門票，從位於城中心的聖禮修道院(1683年)遺址爬到航標燈塔(1857年)頂層。放眼全城，葡萄牙式狹窄起伏的馬路、西班牙式規整寬敞的街區、殖民式“光閃閃貝闕珠宮，齊臻臻碧瓦朱甍，寬綽綽羅幃繡成櫳，郁巍巍畫梁雕棟”，桃源美景；俯瞰腳下，路上行人個個像身着五顏六色、體架兩條腿的螞蟻一樣來回蠕動，生氣盎然。我循台階下塔時並非順暢，前面有一位不到五歲的小女孩慢慢騰騰擋住去路，起先見到一絲光明，我以為勝利在望，結果滿不是那麼回事，原來不過是一扇窗戶，我心灰意冷，最終好不容易着了地，這時我樂不顛顛一路小跑，飛速踏上歸程之路。 Today in History(歷史上的今天): 2011: 算命先生(Fortune Teller) 2009: 祝願孩子(Wish) 
Yerba Mate, a Traditional South American Beverage Made from the Dried Leaves of the Ilex paraguariensis Plant (馬黛茶“葫蘆草”·傳統的南美飲料，由巴拉圭冬青的干葉製成 01-03-2013)  Scrubby Pastureland (灌木叢牧區)
 Plaza de Toros Real de San Carlos
(自由人皇家廣場 01-03-2013)  Portón de Campo @ Colonia del Sacramento
(聖禮殖民地·城門 01-03-2013)  San Miguel Bastion, Built by the Portuguese in 1680, reflects the Historical Conflicts Between the Portuguese & Spanish from the City's Colonial Fortifications
(聖米格爾“神似”堡壘·由葡萄牙人於1680年修建的殖民時期防禦工事，揭示出葡萄牙與西班牙之間歷史衝突 01-03-2013)
 Map of the Old Town in Ceramic Tiles (老城瓷磚地圖)
 Remains of Portuguese Azulejo (葡萄牙釉面瓷磚遺蹟)
Souvenir Shop (禮品店 01-03-2013)  Wrought-Iron Lamp (鍛鐵燈)
 Calle de los Suspiros in the 17th-Century Portuguese Colonial Style of Architecture
(嘆息街·17世紀葡萄牙殖民時期的建築風格 01-03-2013)
 Casa de Nacarello, a Tiny Portuguese House
(納卡雷洛之家·小型葡萄牙式建築 01-03-2013)  Old Stone House on Calle San Pedro
(聖彼得街·老石屋 01-03-2013)  Ponto inicial Museo Municipal Dr. Bautista Rebuffo
(包蒂斯塔·雷布福太空博士市立博物館 01-03-2013)  Municipal Museum Initially Erected in 1795 & Rebuilt by the Spanish in 1835
(市立博物館·1795年始建，1835年由西班牙人重建)  Basilica of the Holy Sacrament in the 17th-Century Mixture of Spanish & Portuguese Architecture
(聖禮大教堂·17世紀融合了西班牙與葡萄牙風格的建築 01-03-2013) 
Nave de Basílica del Santísimo Sacramento (聖禮大教堂·主殿 01-03-2013) 
Convent Ruins Built in the 1690s, a Blend of Portuguese, Spanish, & Christian Cultures for a Christian Monastery/Convent (修道院遺址·建於17世紀90年代的基督教修道院/尼古庵，融合了葡萄牙語、西班牙語、基督教文化) 
Lighthouse Built in 1857 on the Site of the Convent's Ruins, Making It a Unique Blend of Historical & Architectural Interest (燈塔·1857年建在修道院遺址上，獨特地融合了歷史價值與建築藝術) 
Monumento al Almirante Brown (海軍上將布朗“堅毅”紀念碑)  Colonia Coast Guard HQ (殖民地海岸警衛隊總部大樓)
 The Old Town Restaurant (老城餐廳)
 Lunch @ Meson de la Plaza Restaurante
(廣場客棧餐廳·午餐 01-03-2013) 
Old Bridge Caballada (騎行老橋)  Buquebus Ferry on Río de la Plata (普拉塔河上巴士渡船)
 Río de la Plata, the Widest in the World, w/ a Maximum Width of 220 Kilometres/140 Miles
(普拉塔河·世上最寬的河流，最大寬度達220公里/140英里 01-03-2013) 
Fishing on Río de la Plata (普拉塔河釣魚)  Argentina in Distance across Río de la Plata
(普拉塔河對岸阿根廷)  Historic Quarter of the City of Colonia del Sacramento Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995
(薩克拉門托殖民地·1995年被聯合國教科文組織納入《世界遺產名錄》)  Montevideo Telecommunication Tower in Montevideo
(蒙得維的亞·電信大樓) 
Escollera Sarandíof Montevideo (蒙得維的亞·薩蘭迪“堅強的女人”防波堤) 
Ciudad Vieja of Montevideo (蒙得維的亞·老城區) 
Parish Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Montevideo (蒙得維的亞·聖弗朗西斯“方濟各”阿西西教區教堂)  Terminal Bldg in Port of Montevideo
(蒙得維的亞港航站樓) 
Palacio Salvo in Montevideo, Featuring an Eclectic Architectural Style, Predominantly Italian Gothic, w/ Classic & Neo-Romantic Influences, Completed in 1928 (蒙得維的亞薩爾沃“奇襲”宮·建築風格以意大利哥特式為主，兼具古典主義和新浪漫主義元素，1928年竣工)  Graf Spee Monument in the Montevideo Commercial Port
(蒙得維的亞商港——施佩“矛”伯爵紀念碑)  Uruguayan Naval Fleet in Port of Montevideo
(烏拉圭海軍艦隊駐紮在蒙得維的亞港)
 Fishing Boats Laid Pell-Mell in Montevideo Harbor
(蒙得維的亞港·橫七豎八的漁船)  Rusty, Abandoned Ship in Montevideo Harbor
(蒙得維的亞港·鏽跡斑斑的廢棄船隻)
 Montevideo Oil Refinery (蒙得維的亞煉油廠)
Native Palm Tree (本地棕櫚樹)  Dinner @ Star Princess
(“公主·星辰”號遊輪——晚餐 01-03-2013) 
Sunset in Montevideo (蒙得維的亞·日落)
Crosslinks(相關博文): South America(漂流南美洲)
小學四年級(4th Grade) |
