2013-01-09

【Aiden in English】

        We missed the tour bus in the morning, so Mom and I decided to set out on our own and explore the Brazilian capital, which was created ex nihilo in the country's center in 1960. The glaring sun burned my neck as my mom and I walked around the Monumental Axis of Brasilia.

        Like the newly built Anzac Parade in Canberra, Australia, which we visited three years ago, the Monumental Axis became the heart of Brazilian political power: the laza of the Three Powers (comprising the legislative, Executive, and Presidential offices as well as the judicial branch, the splanade of the Ministers, and the Ministry of External Relations. All landmarks lined up one after the other in a showcase. This was the largest city in the world, which did not exist at the beginning of the 20^th century. The most famous Brazilian principal architect, Oscar Niemeyer (1907-2012), also designed it. Due to its innovative and imaginative elements, Brasilia was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.

        It was a lovely sunny day, but we learned not to trust the weather in the past week. Brasilia, in particular, could rain on a sunny day, shining like water.

        We took an elevator to the top of the TV Tower across from our hotel, Melia Brasil 21, and looked out at a distance. The Cultural Complex of the Republic, including the National Library and National Museum, the Cathedral of Brasilia, the artificial Paranoa Lake, and the JK Bridge, was located on one side, toward the southeast. The Conference Center and the JK Memorial were a little further ahead on the other side, toward the west. By the way, JK, i.e., Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira, was the President who built the new capital city in Brasilia.

        It took a little time to identify what we saw. We could view the Monumental Axis from the intersection with the Highway Axis to the government buildings of the Ministries on each side of the Esplanade!

        Once we had memorized our destinations and historical places, we began with a challenging walk. Our first stop was at an enormous hyperboloid Indian crown. If that wasn't strange enough, right under the Cathedral of Brasilia was Dom Bosco Sanctuary with curved columns. Three angles hung from the rainbow ceiling. It looked gorgeous, but the temperature inside was just as hot as the outside. The humidity almost killed us with no hesitation.

        The National Theatre, in the shape of a truncated Aztec pyramid, became the biggest architectural center in Niemeyer's works.

        The Ministry of Foreign Affairs became one of Niemeyer's most radiant buildings. The marble walls, gardens, and sculpture glorified the success of the Itamarati Palace, which was contributed to by three other extraordinary creators, designers, and artists.

        Pigeon's House featured a 66-ft/20-m high concrete sculpture adjacent to the world's most significant flag, which was flown continuously at the Plaza of the Three Powers.

        Plateau Palace functioned as the working office of the President of the Republic, including the offices of the Vice President and the Chief of Staff.

        The Supreme Tribunal Federal was not only the highest court in Brazil but also the court that judged the constitutionality of laws passed by the National Congress. The facade of the Ministry of Justice had six balconies decorated with running water. The Office of the Attorney-General was one of the few buildings that was not white.

        The Congress consisted of the Senate House (81 members) on the small cupola below and the Chamber of Deputies (513 members) on the sizable, inverted cone above.

        I ran into a boy who was 9, the same age as I was. He collaborated with his mom, who held a jumping pole, to get mangoes and avocados down from the trees at the Esplanade of the Ministers. Due to the language barrier, we did not converse verbally with each other and communicated primarily through gestures and body language.

        Before we knew it, we were again under the searing hot sun. As the heat enveloped us, we entered the Nation's Pantheon of JK, surrounded by historical pictures in the dark. The pictures were worth a thousand words because all the descriptions in Portuguese appeared meaningless to us. In the form of a dove, this national monument was dedicated to honoring the memory of Brazilian national heroes who represented ideals of freedom and democracy.  

        At noon, we started to focus on an eatery where we were supposed to dine out for lunch. There were no formal restaurants commercially available on the Monumental Axis. We were cautious about encountering street vendors. No doubt, the National Congress came at the top of our selections. Once we had briefly passed the security X-ray gate, we asked for directions to a restaurant. No one seemed to know how to tell us in English until a gentleman volunteered to take us there. After an enormous feast, we toured the Senate House with a tour guide who could only speak her mother tongue. We didn't understand anything until the color changed from Green to Black. Until now, we realized that the locals typically didn't speak English. Tourists would benefit if they knew Portuguese or even Spanish. Unfortunately, we understood very little in either language.  

        Mom asked before we left the National Congress if she could cash US dollars from the Bank of Brazil. Sadly, our ATM card was outdated and could not be recognized in this country. Mom would like to find out where we could use our ATM card. A lady who worked in Congress with bilingual staff overheard the conversation between Mom and a banker and volunteered to approach us as our interpreter. We were redirected to the Central Bank of Brazil, the only place to cash out US dollars. She helped us hire a taxi and told the Portuguese-speaking driver to take us from the central bank to our hotel. Even at the Central Bank of Brazil, we couldn't exchange the US dollar, but the Brazilian currency was the Real. Disappointedly, we returned to the sunlight, except the sun was gone. It started to rain, and gallons of water came from the sky. By the time we ran into the hotel a short distance after getting out of the taxi, we were wetter than fish. I felt like a starving stray dog once again.

【紅霞譯】

        早上我們錯過旅遊大巴，只好萬里長征始於足下，徒步自游首都巴西利亞“紅木炭火之地”，一座1956年才開始從荒蕪人煙的巴西中部高原建立起來的現代化京城。

        與兩年前我們拜訪過的澳大利亞新建首都堪培拉“聚會場所”閱兵廣場相似，巴西紀念大道同樣是全國政治心臟：三權廣場(總統府、聯邦最高法院、國會參眾兩院)、政府各部大廈和外交部，依次展示在我們面前，這是世界上自20世紀以來由巴西著名建築師奧斯卡·尼邁爾“神矛·新管家”(1907—2012)主持設計的最大城市，其標新立異的創作手法結合超越時空的想象力，讓巴西利亞於1987年躋身聯合國教科文組織《世界遺產名錄》。

        今天天氣不錯萬里晴空，但我們依然把持一顆紅心兩手準備，尤其在巴西首都老天翻臉不認人，傾盆大雨說下就下，不僅讓盛夏火爆的驕陽掛不住臉面，更令我們這些遠方來客措手不及。

        下榻美利亞“梣樹”巴西21商務中心酒店對面正是電視塔，我們登上至高點鳥瞰全城，國家圖書館和國家博物館所在的文教區、巴西大教堂、瘋狂人工湖和JK橋位居城東南；會議中心和JK總統紀念碑面朝西方。順便提一下，JK是儒塞利諾·庫比契克·奧利維拉的簡稱，1956年時任總統，並下令遷都建城。

        我們沒花多少時間就能辨認出所要參觀的景點，幾乎全部座落在紀念軸與交通要道垂直交叉線以南。

        確定了旅行坐標之後，我們開始正式出征。第一站便是巨大無比呈雙曲面形的印第安人“王冠”──巴西大教堂：論設計，構思自然，風格獨特；論美觀，波浪式斜柱烘托出圓拱形鮑思高聖殿，三位天使凌空懸掛彩虹屋頂之下，看上去非常優雅。一月初南半球酷暑天氣，教堂內部溫度跟外面沒什麼兩樣，但濕度卻囂張到足以叫我們死無藏身之地。

        國家劇院據稱為尼邁爾設計師作品中最大的建築中心，其形狀猶如削掉頂部的阿茲特克“白色之地”金字塔。

        外交部大樓是尼邁爾設計師另一部不朽作品，大理石牆、花園、雕塑各由其他三位傑出的創造家、設計家和藝術家鼎力合作，使這個國務院宮殿建築大放異彩。

        鴿舍是一個66英尺／20米高的鋼筋水泥雕塑，座落於三權廣場中央，旁邊矗立着世界上最大的連日飄揚的國旗。

        高原宮不僅用作巴西總統官邸，同時還是副總統和總統府發言人辦公所在地。

        最高聯邦法院是巴西獨立於國會的最高審級和審判機關；斜對面司法部大樓帶有六個流水平台，旁邊檢察院長辦公樓則是少數幾個非白色建築之一。

        聯邦議會大廈集合了參議院(81席)和眾議院(513席)，前者小圓拱朝下，後者大圓拱朝上，各有不同寓意。

        眼前這位老弟與我同為九歲，在政府部委大廈前我倆不期而遇，當時他正和媽媽分工合作，媽媽手握長杆，試圖將樓道兩旁高樹上結滿的芒果和鱷梨打下來；而他則負責把掉落在地的芒果和鱷梨一個個地收集到桶里，準備帶回家去。因為彼此語言交流不暢，我們不好意思地只能靠手勢互致問候。

        繼續走着，不覺我們一次又一次赤裸裸地暴露在烈日驕陽之中任其生吞活剝，好在這個接骨眼上JK國家紀念館閃現眼前，我們頭也不回地鑽了進去。國家紀念館裡面黑乎乎的，僅能看清牆上歷史圖畫，而這些圖畫絕對勝過千言萬語，因為我們如同文盲，對葡萄牙文大字不識；國家紀念館外形像和平鴿，用以紀念為爭取自由和民主而捐軀的愛國志士。

        中午時分我們需要就地解決吃飯問題，紀念大道未設正式餐館，而我和媽媽又不情願隨便把自己交待給小商小販，無疑眼前國會大廈成為我們最佳選擇，簡單地通過X光安檢掃描之後，我們隨即詢問餐館去向，可現場大部分人不會說英語，幸好一位工作人員見義勇為，主動送我們去職工食堂，水足飯飽後我們遊覽參議院，因為當時會說英語的人手有限，我們大膽報名參加了葡語小組，導遊聲情並茂的解說其實都是對牛彈琴，從綠色大廳到黑色大廳兜兜轉轉，我們如聽天書霧裡看花，說句實話若到巴西旅遊，最好知會葡萄牙語，哪怕連蒙帶猜懂點鄰家通用的西班牙語也方便應酬，信不信由你，在巴西英語幾乎沒有用武之地！如今事到臨頭，我們只能大眼瞪小眼小眼亂轉悠。

        離開國會大廈之前，媽媽想起取點美元零花，可是隨身攜帶的美國銀行卡非常落伍，當地取款機根本無法確認識別，於是媽媽便去地下室巴西銀行分所碰碰運氣，且不說能否辦理，沒有一位工作人員能用英語告訴媽媽“行”或者“不行”，就在我們迷惘之際，一位就職於國會眾議院的女顧客挺身而出，主動給我們擔當翻譯，並建議我們去巴西中央銀行碰碰運氣，我們坐上由她安排的出租，遵照指定路線飛離而去，等趕到巴西中央銀行才明白外匯規定，在巴西任何外國遊客都不允許直接提取美元，倒是我們可以隨意換用巴西貨幣雷亞爾“皇家”。嗨！幾經折騰，我們終於走出室內重見天日，不過此時天氣轉陰，瓢潑大雨即刻傾注而灌，等下車跑回幾步之遙的酒店，我們不光渾身上下被淋得精透，連肚子也開始咕嚕咕嚕發起內訌。

Today in History(歷史上的今天):

2011：情感投資(Emotional Investment)

2010：澳洲艾爾斯財富繼承人巨石(Ayers Rock, Australia)

Cityscape of Brasilia (巴西首都景觀)

Television Tower, Based in a Triangular-Shaped Exposed Concrete Volume

(電視塔·基座為三角形裸露混凝土結構 01-09-2013)

Abraço da Luz or Embrace of Light in Mourning for Niemeyer's Death

(擁抱光明——悼念打造巴西利亞的建築師奧斯卡·尼邁爾逝世 01-09-2013)

Panorama of Monumental Axis, the Widest Median Strip of a Highway in the World 

(紀念軸全景·世上最寬的交通要道中央分隔帶)

Cathedral of Brasilia & Museu Nacional da República

(巴西大教堂與國立博物館)

Cathedral of Brasilia, Museu Nacional da República, & National Library w/ JK Bridge 

(巴西大教堂、國立博物館和國家圖書館及其背後的儒塞利諾·庫比契克大橋)

Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge w/ 3 Asymmetrical Steel Arches

(儒塞利諾·庫比契克大橋——擁有三個不對稱的鋼拱)

Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge, a Steel & Concrete Arch Bridge across Lake Paranoá

(儒塞利諾·庫比契克橋——橫跨帕拉諾阿“海灣”湖的鋼筋混凝土拱橋)

Panorama of National Congress, a Symbol of Brazilian Democracy & a Masterpiece of Modernist Architecture

(國會大廈全景·巴西民主的象徵和現代主義建築的傑作)

National Congress w/ the Small Cupola Down (Senate House) & the Large Inverted Cone Up (Chamber of Deputies)

(國會大廈·參議院小圓拱朝上與眾議院大圓拱朝上 01-09-2013)

National Congress, the Legislative Body of Brazil's Federal Government

(國會·巴西聯邦政府立法機構 01-09-2013)

Black Hall of the National Congress, the Main Entrance to the National Congress & a Common Area for Both the Federal Senate & the Chamber of Deputies 

(國會大廈黑色大廳·國會正門，聯邦參議院和眾議院的共同區域 01-09-2013)

Green Hall of the National Congress, a Hub for Journalists Interviewing Congressmen & Other Political Figures

(國會大廈綠色大廳·記者採訪國會議員和其他政治人物的中心 01-09-2013)

Senate, the Upper House of the National Congress 

(參議院·國會上議院 01-09-2013)

Tour Guide in Portuguese @ Upper House of the National Congress

(國會上議院·葡萄牙語導遊 01-09-2013)

Natl Congress Cafeteria (國會食堂 01-09-2013)

Lunch @ Natl Congress Cafeteria

(國會食堂·午餐 01-09-2013)

Four Evangelists @ Cathedral of Brasília

(巴西大教堂·四位福音傳教士 01-09-2013)

Cathedral of Brasília & Bell Tower，w/ the Hyperboloid Shape Formed by 16 Curved Concrete Columns towards the Sky

(帶鐘塔的巴西大教堂·雙曲面形狀，由16根彎曲的混凝土柱伸向天空 01-09-2013)

Don Bosco Sanctuary w/ Three Angel Sculptures @ Cathedral of Brasília 

(巴西大教堂——博斯科“森林”神父聖殿與三位天使雕像 01-09-2013)

Convention Center Ulysses Guimarães

(巴西政治家和律師尤利西斯·吉馬良斯“憤怒·葡萄牙誕生地”會議中心)

Biblioteca Nacional de Brasília Featuring Clean Lines, Expansive Glass Façades for Natual Light

(巴西利亞國家圖書館·線條簡潔，擁有寬闊的玻璃幕牆，自然採光充足)

Stay @ Melia Brasil 21 on Hotel Sector in Central Braslia 

(下榻·市中心酒店區的美利亞“梣樹”巴西21商務中心酒店 01-09-2013)

Ministry of Justice, 6 Balconies Decorated w/ Running Water

(司法部·六個流水平台)

National Theater, a Truncated Aztec Pyramid

(國家劇院·削掉頂部的阿茲特克金字塔 01-09-2013)

Mast & Natl Pavilion, Pigeon's House, & Natl Memorial 

(國旗桅杆和國家館 | 鴿舍 | 國家紀念館 01-09-2013)

Praça dos Três Poderes or Three Powers Plaza, Representing the 3 Powers of the Republic: the Planalto Palace, the Federal Supreme Court, & the National Congress 

(三權廣場·象徵着共和國的三大權力機構：普拉納爾托宮、聯邦最高法院和國會大廈)

 Tancredo Neves Pantheon of the Fatherland and Freedom

(巴西總理坦克雷多·內維斯“力量·雪”祖國與自由萬神殿)

Pantheon of the Fatherland in Honor of National Heroes Embodied Ideals of Freedom & Democracy

(祖國萬神殿·旨在紀念那些體現自由民主理想的民族英雄)

Pantheon of the Fatherland Symbolizing a Dove, Memorial to Tancredo Neves

(象徵鴿子的祖國萬神殿——坦克雷多·內維斯紀念碑 01-09-2013)

Mural of Freedom in Pantheon of the Fatherland 

(祖國萬神殿·《自由》壁畫 01-09-2013)

Stained Glasses @ Nation's Pantheon

(祖國萬神殿·彩色玻璃)

Painel da inconfidência @ Pantheon of the Fatherland

(祖國萬神殿·雕塑《不信任之心》01-09-2013)

Eternal Flame Burnt on Top of a Tower Built on the Diagonal, Representing the Freedom of the People & the Country's Independence

(祖國萬神殿斜建的塔頂上燃燒着永恆之火·象徵着人民的自由和國家的獨立 01-09-2013)

JK Memorial, a Tribute to Juscelino Kubitschek, the 21^st President of Brazil & the Visionary behind the Construction of Brasília

(前總統儒塞利諾·庫比契克紀念館——向巴西第21任總統、巴西利亞建設的先行者儒塞利諾·庫比切克致敬 01-09-2013)

JK Memorial w/ the Pedestal Possibly Inspired by the Symbol of Communism

(前總統儒塞利諾·庫比契克紀念館——基座的設計靈感可能基於共產主義象徵 01-09-2013)

Museu Histórico de Brasília, the Oldest Museum in the Federal Capital 

(巴西利亞歷史博物館·聯邦首都最古老的博物館 01-09-2013)

Plaza of the Three Powers, the Symbolic Heart of the City & Brazil's Political Power 

(三權廣場·城市中心和巴西政治權力的象徵 01-09-2013)

Statue of the Candangos & Planalto Palace @ Plaza of the Three Powers 

(三權廣場·雕像《坎丹哥斯“移民工人”》與總統府 01-09-2013)

Monument to Candango, a Tribute to the Tens of Thousands of migrant workers who built Brasília, Brazil's modernist capital city

(新首都《坎丹戈“移民工人”》紀念碑·向建造巴西利亞這座現代化首都的數萬名移民工人致敬01-09-2013)

Planalto Palace, the President Official Workplace

 (普拉納爾托“高原”宮·總統工作場所)

Supreme Federal Tribunal for Judicial Review

(最高聯邦法院·司法審查 01-09-2013)

Statue of Justice @ Supreme Federal Tribunal

(最高聯邦法院·雕像《正義》01-09-2013)

Itamaraty Palace, the Ministry of External Relations, the Palace of the Arches for Its Distinctive Series of Concrete Arches  

(伊塔馬拉蒂“小石頭河”宮·外交部，擁有其一系列獨特的混凝土拱門而被稱為“拱門宮殿” 01-09-2013)

Sculpture of Meteor, a Marble Sculpture @ Itamaraty Palace

(伊塔馬拉蒂宮·大理石雕塑《隕石》01-09-2013)

Esplanade of Ministries Housing All the Minister

(部委大道·各部長辦公室所在地 01-09-2013)

Office of the Attorney-General, Non-White Bldg

(聯邦總檢察長·唯一一座非白色建築)

Antony Gormley Freedom

(安東尼·葛姆雷“無價·高貴”雕塑《自由》)

Flores do Cerrado, Traditional Artisanal Arrangements Made from Dehydrated Plants Native to Brazil's Central Plateau

(塞拉多“密集”之花·巴西中部高原特有的脫水植物製成的傳統手工插花 01-09-2013)

Grocery Store (果蔬店 01-09-2013)

Meet 9-Yr-Old & 4^th-Grader Local Pal

(偶遇當地九歲、四年級的小夥伴 01-09-2013)

Popular Telephone Booth (流行的電話亭 01-09-2013)

九重葛、合歡、非洲菊、普通百日草

鳳凰木、乾花、蜂蜜芒果、保質期長的湯米·阿特金斯“雙·紅土後裔”芒果與西番蓮

鱷梨 | 哈登“乾草谷”芒果

Blue Agave (藍色龍舌蘭)

Departure @ BSB Intl Airport

(巴西利亞總統儒塞利諾·庫比契克機場——離別 01-09-2013)

Crosslink(相關博文):

Brazil(出遊巴西)

South America(漂流南美洲)

小學四年級(4th Grade)