2017-05-27 Memorial Weekend

【Aiden in English】
After the first day's experience, I felt hollow. I was a walking skeleton in the dawn with only three hours of sleep. American Airlines offered a brief rest, but it wasn't enough for my tired brain. The sluggish start to this trip also left our plans in shambles. Not only did we miss the meeting time of our first tour, but Mom had to adjust three schedules and set up the easy one today after all the drama that had occurred. Another day's tour has been replaced by today's. Therefore, no activities would be missed. The Hyatt Regency, where we stayed in downtown Montreal, had a lovely location. It was within walking distance of museums, restaurants, and shops, particularly near Chinatown. Today's Montreal City Guided Sightseeing Tour consisted of a drive through the metropolitan area, with stops made periodically along the way. This was not my type of adventure. I prefer the "hop off, walk around" tour, where information is much closer to my face. Under the condition that I was in, however, exercise was not a good idea. Instead, I gladly accepted the laid-back, storytelling fashion of the tour and occasionally hit the snooze button. Montreal was a typical city on the outside. However, details stood out from other American icons because of their historic heritage. The downtown area featured an old cobblestone street. Vendors and stores lined the road like any other metropolitan. Underground, however, was a different world. Due to months of snow, many apartments and malls were linked to an underground system of stores and shops, which then revolved around a subway system. This allowed the city's population to remain indoors throughout the brutal winter. Our adventure in the Underground City included walking around for ten minutes, snapping a few photos, watching a water fountain, and getting lost. However, the underground complex had three floors and a parking garage, which demonstrates the city's size. Canada was initially Native American territory. But, like any other European country, France decided to "colonize" Canada. Therefore, French culture permeated every inch of the city. Montreal was a French city among American wannabes, from food to buildings and language to manners. Luckily, we were not confused, as it is a national law that both English and French are equally recognized as national languages. Montreal, home to the 1976 Olympics, also boasted fantastic scenery. From Mount Royal to many skyscrapers, entire snapshots of the city could be captured on a single frame. Among the buildings, you could tell that Montreal was still a growing city. Many high-rises were under construction, and most roads had workers expanding them. This also showed that it was a changing city. Using some science, the population has created many jokes about the seasons and their effects. They say Montreal has two seasons: winter and construction. If you don't understand, ask your parents. So, what is Montreal like today? Well, it's pretty nice, like its people. They party a lot. They dance in the streets, hold parades, and gather crowds to watch. This gives the area spirit and a soul. City by city, the culture is undergoing a drastic change. Technology has slowly integrated into everything. Montreal itself feels like a modern city that is rapidly growing, yet it does not fully cover its origins. I like that. And in many more ways than one, it's oddly relatable to Philadelphia. 【紅霞譯】
經歷了前一天折騰我身心疲憊,僅剩下仨鐘頭睡眠時間,難怪凌晨出門的時候我宛如一具走肉行屍,美國航空公司只給我們留出這點喘息工夫,弄得腦袋瓜總是昏昏沉沉。一步沒趕上步步趕不上,本次旅遊出師不利,致使整個計劃陷入僵局,因為錯過第一天集合時間,媽媽不得不在應對諸多戲劇性變化之後重新調整今後三天出遊行程,把另外一天的活動挪到今天來搞,這樣每項安排才不會泡湯。 我們入住的凱悅大酒店坐落在蒙特利爾“皇家山”鬧市區,位置相當理想,距離博物館、餐館、商店、尤其是唐人街僅有幾步之遙。今天我們乘坐旅遊大巴跟隨導遊橫穿全城,駐足各大招牌景點,不時捕捉鏡頭算作對自己有所交待,說實話這種遊憩方式並不符合本人口味,我倒情願“下車遛達”,親身感受當地風土人情,而針對現有條件,要想活動筋骨未必可行。既然如此,我不如順其自然,邊聽故事邊兜風,偶爾再打個盹養足精神。 外觀上,蒙特利爾是一個挺不起眼的城市,但由於歷史悠久,一座別具人文魅力的古城就這樣從北美地標上脫穎而出。老城街巷少不了用鵝卵石鋪築,如同其它各大都會,馬路兩旁商家店鋪魚貫而出,地下城儼然是一個不同的世界,由於每年冰天雪地長達數月之久,許多公寓大廈購物中心皆與地下綜合設施聯成一體,地鐵沿線更是車水馬龍,實質上每當嚴冬來臨,地下城為當地人開闢了室內活動新天地。參觀期間我們專程考察了地下城,前後不出十分鐘,從逛街遛彎拍張留影到觀看噴泉表演,剛一轉身立刻掉向,地下城建有三層,附設停車場,由此可見它的規模氣勢。 加拿大原本屬於印第安人地盤,但像歐洲其它國家一樣,法國決定把它開發成“殖民地”,因此法蘭西文化滲透到社會各個角落,無論從飲食到建築,還是從語言到禮儀,蒙特利爾堪稱北美土壤里綻放的法蘭西奇葩,幸虧加拿大國語為英法兩種文字,我們才不至於深陷困境。曾經舉辦過1976年奧運會的蒙特利爾風景秀麗,皇家山和各式各樣的摩天大樓成為全城的道道風景線,從這些建築物中不難看到這座城市依舊處於發展階段,不少高樓正加緊施工,拓寬路面的工人無處不在,表明蒙特利爾還是一個日趨變化的城市。引用一點科學術語,人們編出很多跟季節有關並帶有感情色彩的笑話,蒙特利爾總共有兩個季節:冬天和施工,假如你不明白什麼意思,不妨問一下父母。 那麼今天的蒙特利爾到底怎樣呢?它非常和善,正如當地老百姓一樣;擅長各種爬梯,愛在大街上跳舞,喜歡遊行示威,樂於集會湊熱鬧,這些有助於激發人的精神風貌。就城市而言,文化發生了巨變,科技已經逐漸滲透到各個領域,蒙特利爾就像一個現代化城市快速發展但又不掩飾自己的過去,我喜歡這個樣子。說來也怪,蒙特利爾聽起來在很多方面很像費城“兄弟情誼”。 Today in History(歷史上的今天): 2017: Montreal—City of A Hundred Steeples(加拿大蒙特利爾—百塔之城) 2012: 弗吉尼亞州激流島(Assateague, VA) Downtown Skyline Waterfront View
(市中心天際線河濱景觀 05-27-2017) Saint Lawrence Riverside (聖勞倫斯河岸 05-27-1997)
Gateway of Chinatown (唐人街·牌坊 05-27-2017)
McGill University, Established in 1821
(麥吉爾“外來者之子”大學·1821年建校 05-27-1997) Collège Notre-Dame du Sacré-Cœur Established in 1869
(聖心聖母學院·創建於1869年 05-27-2017)
Mount Royal Park, the Highest Point in the City @ 761 Ft/232 Meters
(皇家山公園·全城的最高點761英尺/232米 05-27-1997) Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal, the Largest Church in Canada & the World's Largest Shrine Dedicated to St. Joseph
(皇家山聖約瑟夫“增加者”大教堂·加拿大最大的教堂和世界上最大的聖約瑟夫聖殿 05-27-2017) Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal, the Highest Bldg in Montreal
(皇家山聖約瑟夫大教堂·蒙特利爾最高建築 05-27-2017) Stade Olympique,the Main Venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics | Montreal Tower, the Tallest Inclined Tower in the World, Nicknamed "The Big O"
(奧林匹克體育場·1976年奧運會所在地 | 蒙特利爾塔·世上最高斜塔,暱稱“大O” 05-27-2017) Riverfront Promenade in the Quais du Vieux Port Area w/ Bonsecours Market
(孟斯庫爾“好幫手”市場邊舊港碼頭河濱長廊 05-27-1997) Place des Festivals, the Place for the Biggest Jazz Fest in the World, Montreal International Jazz Festival
(節慶廣場·全球規模最大的蒙特利爾國際爵士音樂節舉辦地 05-27-2017) Place des Arts, Montreal's Central Entertainment Complex
(藝術廣場·蒙特利爾中央娛樂中心 05-27-2017)
Le Place D'Armes, the 2nd Oldest Public Site in Montreal, from 1693
(兵器廣場·蒙特利爾第二古老的公共場所,1693年創建 05-20-2017) Square Dance @ Le Place D'Armes
(兵器廣場·廣場舞 05-27-2017) Street Demonstration (街頭抗議 05-27-2017)
RÉSO, La Ville Souterraine, the World's Largest Underground Pedestrian Network in Montreal
(蒙特利爾地下城·蒙特利爾擁有世界上最大的地下步行網絡 05-27-2017)
Lunch @ Nudo, Handmade Noodles & Flavorful Broths
(強記中餐館·午餐手工麵條和美味肉湯 05-27-2017) Dinner @ Keung Kee, Authentic Cantonese Cuisine
(強記中餐館·晚餐正宗粵菜 05-27-2017) Hyatt Regency Montreal (蒙特利爾凱悅酒店)
Crosslinks(相關博文): Canada(出遊加拿大) 8th Grade(初中三年級) |