2015-06-19
【Aiden in English】
It's hilarious how some things can start again after being destroyed. At times, it becomes impossible to exist anymore. What goes around comes around, and the return can be excellent. In 1650 B.C., a massive earthquake struck Santorini in Greece. The island would never be the same. This most beguiling island of the Cyclades was sitting on two clashing continental plates. One earthquake-triggered tsunami and an eruption from an active volcano shook the island. One-half of the island rose, while a large chunk became a very odd-looking seabed. It created a signature caldera and two smoldering islands situated in the center. Of course, the crater remained on the surface, for the land around it magically and miraculously missed the volcano. The dark beach is directly a result of the volcanic activity along the coastline, in contrast to the azure sea with its onyx-colored sand. Following the entire event, the volcano has remained active to the present day. That's what I call stubborn, which sounds similar to some people trying to win the lottery. The eruption also gave birth to a sheet of very fertile volcanic ash. The ash made exotic plants grow. When settlers came, they farmed a highly lush island of vegetation. Unlike any other part of the Mediterranean Sea, it provided terrific scenic views, with whitewashed villages perched on the volcanic walls. The island was sheathed with a sharp cliff that dropped steeply into the tranquil Caldera Bay. The people of Santorini also followed a very Chinese way of cultivating land, which involved planting in a stairway or terrace style. The farmland made up most of the area, with flower-filled verandas. Santorini had no freshwater, and that factor crippled the civilization. In 1956, a colossal earthquake moved the river flowing through the island. The river had meant life. Now, the people stuck in Santorini are also stuck with having tourists pay to use the restroom. Some islanders were even afraid to invite friends into their houses. I suppose the locals go looking to cover a lot of ground. Water is probably the most considerable imported good; a drop of water might as well be a drop of wine. These sides evened out to a pretty lovely island. The island got a second chance. As we all know, if you beat an orange to a pulp without removing the seeds, it will never grow back or produce another orange. Yet apparently, there is a law in physics that if a volcano blows up an island multiple times, it becomes prettier and more fertile. It defies a crucial law in the universe. The law is based on a concept called "entropy," which means that everything tends to deteriorate over time. At the finish line or at different points along the way, all of existence will disappear, for example, Pompeii in Italy. When Mt. Vesuvius erupted, Pompeii was destroyed and never rebuilt. At present, it appears to be just a replica, and Santorini would never become a bustling metropolis. Our sun only has another 5 billion (give or take a few million) years to burn. Light can be sucked into a black hole. Everything that starts has to stop. Thus, there's room for a few acceptances, such as Santorini, but only far. The universe will disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable, and apparently, so does this entry. Santorini lasted through earthquakes, eruptions, and time. Soon, though, I'm sure there will be something that the island has to fight for its survival. 【紅霞譯】
生命輪迴着實饒有興趣，有些東西從此化為烏有，有些事情一去不再復返，但善有善報，惡有惡報，一旦逃過劫難，未來會更加美好。
公元前1650年，希臘聖托里尼“和平”島發生了強烈地震，從此舊貌換新顏，這個堪稱環狀群島最漂亮的海島地處歐非兩塊衝突的地理板塊之間，地震引起海嘯，火山爆發帶動地殼變遷，一半火山升出水面，剩餘的大片怪石嶙峋並構成地貌迥異的海底世界。聖托里尼島皓若一個盛滿海水的巨型招牌火山口，兩個後來形成的火山島位居其中，與周圍峻山奇嶺遙遙相望；同時，海岸線一帶火山活動成就了漂亮的黑色沙灘，瑪瑙般的沙礫與碧藍的天空形成鮮明對比。
聖托里尼島幾經大自然洗禮，直到現在其火山活動仍然十分活躍，火山簡直太過固執，好像跟賭棍沒啥兩樣，火山噴發釋放出大量火山灰，把土壤滋潤得相當肥沃，有助於奇花異草茁壯生長，難怪當年父老鄉親一踏上這片土地，無不為之欣然傾倒。與地中海其它島嶼卓有不同，聖托里尼島風景秀美，萬丈火山壁陡峭險峻，徑直跌入湛清澄澈的火山海灣，星羅棋布的白色村莊像個龐大的頭套緊緊罩在懸崖之巔。聖托里尼島民因地制宜，乾脆把一畝三分地開墾成中式梯田，屋前陽台花枝招展，房後農莊滿園春色。聖托里尼島淡水短缺，嚴重阻礙了文明建設，1956年地震又徹底摧毀了原有河流，而河水乃是生命之源，如今定居在島上的居民不得不要求遊客付費上廁所，有的甚至不敢貿然邀請朋友來家做客，我覺得當地人礙於沖洗馬桶所致，水無疑成為最大的進口商品，水貴如酒，這麼看來，聖托里尼島真是優缺點參半。
聖托里尼島生命輪迴。正如大家所知，如果你做橙汁的時候無核可剔，那麼這種橙子永遠無法用來播種傳代。按照物理定律，火山爆發的次數越多，土壤色澤越好養分越足，進而揭示出一個殘酷事實，定律基於所謂的“熵”值而論，也就是說世間所有事物最終都會趨於滅亡，只不過時間有早有晚，舊的不去新的不來。意大利的龐貝就是佐證，維蘇威火山爆發之時，正是龐貝滅亡之日，而且絕無可能再獲新生，眼下聖托里尼島重蹈覆轍，恐怕永遠不會發展成為繁華都會。太陽頂多再繼續燃燒50億年(前後加減幾百萬年)，光也能被黑洞遮住，有開始必有結束，因此在我看來，個例時有發生，老天爺非常厚待聖托里尼島，但別期待過高。 宇宙終將消失，取而代之的是一些無法想像和令人費解的東西，這就是熵值的現實意義。聖托里尼島命大，曾逃過地震、火山以及時間之磨難；相信不遠的將來，它還會面對生與死的抉擇。
Today in History(歷史上的今天): 2014: Ocean City, MD(馬里蘭州海洋城)  Caldera @ Firostefani (費拉“閃亮之冠”村·火山臼)
 Caldera Viewed from Emerald Princess
(“公主·翡翠”號遊輪近觀火山臼 06-19-2015)  Old Fira Port in Amoudi Bay Set into the High Volcanic Cliffs of Western Santorini
(位於阿莫迪“沙岸”灣的舊港·坐落在聖托里尼島西部的高火山懸崖之中)  View of Fira from Emerald Princess over the Sea
(從停泊在海上的“公主·翡翠”號遊輪觀望菲拉 06-19-2015)
 Akrotiri Peninsula w/ Caldera Views
(阿克羅蒂里“海岬”半島·火山口景觀 06-19-2015)  Jagged Black Lava (鋸齒狀黑色熔岩)
 Aspronisi Island (阿斯普羅尼西“白”島 06-19-2015)
 Nea Kameni vs Palea Kameni
(新舊卡美尼“燒焦”島 06-19-2015)  Thirasia against Santorini & Nea Kameni
(提拉西亞“收割機”島與背後的聖托里尼島和新卡美尼島) 
Thirasia against Santorini (提拉西亞“獵人”與背後的聖托里尼島)
 12-Yr-Old Pals from PA and CA
(來自賓州和加州十二歲的同齡夥伴 06-19-2015)  Akrotiri Peninsula Outlooked from Mt. Profitis Llias
(從先知以利亞山俯視阿克羅蒂里半島 06-19-2015)
 Hike w/ 10-Km ca 6-Mile Path Running along these Cliffs, Connecting the Town of Fira to Oia
(懸崖徒步·長約10公里/6英里的路徑，連接着菲拉鎮與伊亞“遠”鎮 06-19-2015)  Terraces of Whitewashed, Cliff-top Bldgs in Oia Village
(伊亞村懸崖頂的白色建築露台 06-19-2015)
 Fishing Port (漁港)
 Fira Panorama (費拉鎮全景 06-19-2015)
 Fira, the Modern Capital of Santorini
(費拉鎮·聖托里尼島現代首府 06-19-2015) 
Houses Built on the Edge of the Caldera (建在火山口邊緣的房屋)
 Isle of Saint Nicholas, Amoudi Bay @ Oia Village
(位於伊亞村阿莫迪灣的聖尼古拉斯“人民的勝利”小島)  View of Imerovigli, Example of Cycladic Architecture
(伊莫洛維里“白日瞭望台”景觀·基克拉迪“環島”建築的典範 06-19-2015)
 Panoramic View of the Caldera Taken from Oia
(從伊亞鎮觀看火山臼全景 06-19-2015)  Oia Church w/ Cupola Painted Blue & White Washed Walls
(伊亞教堂·穹頂漆成藍色和牆面刷成白色 06-19-2015)  Wedding Photo (婚紗照)
 Church of Panagia of Platsani (聖母頌教堂)
 Agia Theodosia Church (聖狄奧多西亞“神賜”教堂)
 Church of Agios Charalambos
(聖查拉蘭博斯“喜樂”教堂)  Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church Overlooking Nea Kameni Island
(聖母升天教堂俯瞰新亞卡美尼島)  Greek Orthodox Church Bell Tower (東正教鐘樓)
 Pyrgos Kallistis Church w/ Cupola Painted Blue & White Washed Walls
(皮爾戈斯·卡利斯蒂斯“美塔”教堂·穹頂漆成藍色和白色洗牆)  Pyrgos Kallistis Village (皮爾戈斯·卡利斯蒂斯村)
 Onyx-Colored Black Gravel Beach
(瑪瑙色黑礫石海灘 06-19-2015)  Botticelli Dining Room of Emerald Princess
(“公主·翡翠”號遊輪·波提切利“小酒桶”餐廳 06-19-2015)  午餐：奶酪派、油炸番茄球與希臘沙拉、酸奶黃瓜醬與美味紅薯泥、白巧克力配香草蛋白凍和草莓果醬
 晚餐：鄉村牛肉和蔬菜火鍋配脆皮微型肉餡卷餅、番茄薄片太平洋西北風味蟹餅、川椒蝦仁、桔子蛋白醬煎羅非魚
 黑豆雜燴湯、綠色時菜芹菜心和西紅柿沙拉、蛤蜊扁麵條、三色冰激凌·果仁糖奶油山核桃和菠蘿冰糕
Mother & Baby (母與子)  Pistachio Tree (開心果樹)
Crosslinks(相關博文):
Greece(出遊希臘)
Europe(歐洲掠影) 6th Grade(初中一年級)
|
