2015-06-29

【Aiden in English】

        The city of Nessebar in Bulgaria is a life-size maze of cobble streets and a Byzantine neighborhood. I believed that it was one of a kind. But when I arrived in the Cycladic Mykonos of Greece, my original theory was proven to be far from correct. 

        Similar to Nessebar, Mykonos had a tiny little island built like a labyrinth for the same reason. Piracy was a common act when the island was established back in the 16^th-17^th century. In order to protect itself, the maze was built to confuse invaders and pirates. Navigating the narrow and winding streets was difficult to even with a guide since the area to walk in was cramped and gave off a claustrophobic vibe. The whitewashed paint didn’t exactly help, either. 

        Oh, you won’t imagine the whiteness of that place (not racist)! The reason behind that was how hot the temperatures got sun kisses in summer. Although I didn’t feel much today, the average temperature in Mykonos was 92^oF/33^oC or so during the summer. Not to mention heat waves, pulling the temperature up to 110^oF/43^oC for a few days straight. Everything was painted in white for this reason. However, the temperature at the moment hadn’t reached over 80^oF/27^oC, and that was because of the winds. So when the meteorologists said today’s forecast was 87^oC/31^oC, the tourists felt a cool 75^oF/24^oC or so. I guess they are as wrong as ever. Imagine what life would be without a breeze here. This wind was life to the population. The island was dotted with the Mycenaean windmills. The windmills produced the only source of power for years. Recently, their use of them has decreased since the technology gets more modern. And the wind was so important on the island that the nickname given to the place was called the Island of the Winds. Supposedly the wind god Aeolus would release the winds over this island by stretching his wings. Let’s talk about aerodynamics. The wind also made a great place for wave surfing. The winds, as the years passed, provided natural air conditioning as well. In fact, with the cool air over narrow corridors, the people of the island felt as if they were shielded inside all the time. 

        Although the white was a bit freaky, this classic Aegean island looked cozy and crazy all at once. Not to mention those bathrooms. Most people believe living by the azure sea is good. But in a place called Little Venice, the bathrooms were rectangular prisons bulged out of the quaint houses, hanging over the shoreline. Can you imagine going to use the toilet in a storm?

        The wind and heat shape the charming island of Mykonos, setting the very reason for the difference of its antiquity from the other settlements. The entire island was built to combat them, making it unique at the same time.

【红霞译文】

        走入保加利亚内塞巴尔鹅卵石街道拜占庭式城区，如同掉进真人大小的奇幻迷宫，我蛮以为是个例现象，但不独有偶，等我抵达希腊基克拉迪群岛之一风城以后，我才意识到上述结论下得为时过早。

        与内塞巴尔相似，风城出于同样原因也把弹丸之地打造成洁白迷宫。追溯到十六──十七世纪小岛始建初期，海盗活动极为猖獗，为了保护自身，迷宫被当成迷惑敌人的有效方式。说实在的，在这里即使眼下由导游全程带路，欲想搞清楚东南西北决非轻而易举，因为我所涉足的地域狭窄曲径通幽，犹如身陷囹圄而无法自拔，清一色白花花的外表无济于事，什么忙也帮不上。

        对啦，你根本难以想象那里到底有多白（丝毫没有种族色彩）！夏季高温天气竟然得到太阳无限厚爱，尽管今天我并不觉得怎么着，但在排除热浪来袭的前提下，风城岛夏季平均温度通常保持在华氏92度／摄氏33度左右，否则连续几天气温狂飙至110^oF／43^oC，正因如此，这里老乡干脆把什么东西都刷成白色。好在到现在为止，气温尚未超过80^oF／27^oC，这得归功于海风。所以，当气象员预报气温要达到87^oF／31^oC时，游客感觉只有75^oF／24^oC上下，我认为天气预报可信性一向极差，还是先来想一下假如没有海风人该如何过活吧。海风对当地生态必不可少，岛上迈锡尼风车更是随处可见。从前风车都被用来发电，如今随着科技水平的提高，风车的使用率已大大减少，不过海风仍然至关重要，难怪风城的外号被称作“风之岛”，据说风神埃俄罗斯展开双翅，风呼拉拉地扇到风城岛上。下面再来谈一下空气动力学，风不但有助于帆板运动，而且自古以来一直被视作天然空调，实际上，街道狭长的风城岛饱经凉风洗礼，让大家心有所属情有所依。

        虽然白色显得有点怪兮兮的，可这个古色古香的爱琴海小岛却优游闲适，令人格外痴迷，当然盥洗室另当别论。谁都喜欢临海而居，但在当地有一处号称“小威尼斯”的地方，盥洗室不过为一间长方形监狱，凸出古朴民居之外高悬蔚蓝色海岸之上，风景独好。想过没有，暴风雨来临如何解手？

        海风热浪把风城岛打造得魅力十足，并雕饰出自己的民族本色，风城人始终为弘扬独特的古韵遗风做出不懈努力。

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2015: Delos─Apollo and Artemis, Greece(希腊提洛岛─太阳神和月神诞生之地)

2013: Drama Camp-1(戏剧夏令营之一)

2012: Fat Friday(逍遥星期五)

2011: Drama-Sports Camp-2(文体营之二)

Chora Port (乔拉港)

Nea Mykonos (新风城岛)

Uninhabited Dilos (无人居住的隐蔽岛)

Ferry (轮渡)

Fishing Boats (渔船)

Chora Marina (风城游艇码头)

Chora Marina (风城游艇码头 06-29-2015)

Mykonos Windmill Villa (风城风车庄园)

 Kato Myli Grain Windmills (风城谷物风车)

Boni's Windmill (胖风车)

Windmill & Panachra Church (风车与华丽教堂)

Cycladic Architecture (环岛建筑)

Church of Panagia Paraportiani

(城堡边圣母教堂 06-29-2015)

Ornos Bay (烤箱湾)

St. Nikolas Church (人民胜利教堂)

Monastery of Panagia Tourliani in Byzantine Pattern w/ Conglomeration of Whitewashed Chapels Resembled by a Frosted Wedding Cake

(圣图里亚修道院·拜占庭式且结合粉白礼拜堂，好似打霜的婚礼蛋糕)

Monastery of Panagia Tourliani in 1542

(建于1542年的圣图里亚尼修道院)

Bell Tower of Monastery of Panagia Tourliani

(圣图里亚尼修道院·钟楼 06-29-2015)

The Courtyard of Monastery of Panagia Tourliani

(圣图里亚尼修道院·庭院 06-29-2015)

Hand Carving Altar Screen @ Monastery of Panagia Tourliani

(圣图里亚尼修道院·手刻圣坛屏风)

Medieval Doorway @ Monastery of Panagia Tourliani

(圣图里亚尼修道院·中世纪古门) 

Ano Mera Village (阿诺·梅拉村)

Little Venice (小威尼斯 06-29-2015)

The Large Rocks all over the Island are the Petrified Corpses of the Giants 

(岛上大石头据说是巨人的石化尸体)

Monument to Manto Mavrogenous (黑头斗篷纪念碑)

Chora (风城镇 06-29-2015)

Rocky Beach (岩石海滩)

Houses in White (白色房屋)

Window Shopping @ Matogianni Alley

(最拥挤胡同闲逛 06-29-2015)

Kalafatis Beach w/ Venus Hills in Distance

(蓝旗海滩与背后金星山 06-29-2015)

Sailing @ Kalafatis Beach

(蓝旗海滩·航海 06-29-2015)

The Aegean Sea (爱琴海 06-29-2015)

Wind Surfing (风帆冲浪)

The Island of the Winds (风之岛)

Restaurant Ano Mera (自治村餐厅)

Bar @ Restaurant Ano Mera

(自治村餐厅——吧台 06-29-2015)

Huge Eggplants @ Restaurant Ano Mera

(自治村餐厅——巨型茄子 06-29-2015)

Greek Appetizers (希腊开胃菜)

Greek Veggie Balls (希腊素丸子)

Greek Salad (希腊沙拉)

Greek Lamb Kebab & Pocketless Pita

(希腊羊肉串与无袋皮塔饼)

Stasis (星辰花)

Sea Sponges (海绵花)

Globe Thistle (球蓟)

Wild Cucumber (野黄瓜)

Wild Daucus (野胡萝卜)

Dandelions (蒲公英)

Xerophyte (旱生植物)

Succulent Plant (多肉植物)

Crosslinks(相关博文):

Nessebar—Pearl of the Black Sea, BGR(保加利亚内塞巴尔—黑海明珠)

Greece(出游希腊)

Europe(欧洲掠影)

6th Grade(初中一年级)