2016-07-11

【Aiden in English】

        Notice how I'm referring to it as "Northern" Ireland. It is technically a different country, as it operates under a separate government and leadership, but it is still considered part of the UK. Ireland was divided when the nation declared independence from Great Britain, with a fourth of the people opposing the dominance of farmers. So Northern Ireland was formed. There isn't much difference between the two countries, except for the significant factor of the Giant's Causeway outside Belfast. 

        The world is a vast and immense place. When events with extreme rarity don't occur, many people believe they will never happen. Think about it again. This world has many areas, providing numerous opportunities for an event to occur. In addition, with a few billion years of Earth's existence, the probability that an event has occurred from the beginning must be somewhat guaranteed, especially if it has anything to do with nature. I mean, it's not like anyone was rushing nature. It isn't everywhere that an event like this would pop up, so the sight would still be stunning. What exactly is the Giant's Causeway?. 

        The Giant's Causeway is a small land comprising approximately 40,000 interlacing basalt columns jutting into the Atlantic Ocean. Why do we come to see the rocks? This recurring theme of viewing internationally famous stones has become a ritual on this trip now. From watching enigmatic mountains to magical stones to mythical ... rock columns, its unique hard material seems to be in the wrong league. But I was incorrect. It is a natural event that its rarity quite distinguishes it from the others. Approximately 60 million years ago, the area was located on the Ring of Fire, and lava was constantly covering and receding from the ground. Towards the top, the cooled lava becomes cracked and broken, but deeper in the Earth's crust, the Earth's rocks form into shapes, making figures with six sides, forming six-sided figures. That is why the Giant's Causeway is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as the stones at the bottom have pushed their way up through uplift and erosion on the surface. Now, people can see the natural pier of hexagonal rocks stretching out into the waters. They are pillars, rising to nearly forty meters in height. Examples of this can be found on the hillsides, where the dirt has been eroded, exposing the vast pillars. They seem to be the doings of God, which is not far off. Of course, when there is a scientific theory, there must be a myth... 

        Once upon a time, Fionn MacCool, an Irish giant, lived on this island. He was the greatest, tallest, and most potent, except one. Benandonner, the largest of the giants, lived on the island of Scotland. Fionn wanted to find out who was the best and threw down these rocks to form a bridge known as the Causeway. There is proof of a bridge since Scotland laid the other end of this bridge, although nowhere near as grand. Benandonner's size surprised Fionn, who returned to his wife, Oonagh, in Ireland and asked for help. He was then dressed as a baby, and when Benandonner arrived, he saw the child. Benandonner, seeing how large a baby was, wondered at the father's height and fled. On his way back to Scotland, he let the bridge collapse. And now, we witness the remains. Believe what you want.

【紅霞譯】

        請注意我開始稱呼“北”愛爾蘭了，實際上它屬於另外一個國家，有着獨立的政體和領導班子，但仍歸英國管轄。愛爾蘭脫離大不列顛統治之後又分成兩個部分，由於四分之一的人口主張反對農民當權，於是北愛爾蘭應運而生。除了首府貝爾法斯特“沙岸津口”外的巨人堤道獨放異彩，愛爾蘭與北愛爾蘭之間說來並無根本區別。

        茫茫宇宙氣象萬千，寒來暑往四季交替，三九天罕見桃花盛開，正因如此，許多人才以為這種稀奇古怪的事情從不會發生。再仔細考慮一下，大千世界偶然事件時有發生，況且地球已運轉了上億年，該發生的事情遲早都要發生，尤其那些順應自然的東西，換句話說這是不以人的意志為轉移的，當然並非每個地方都有大自然打造的撼世傑作，一旦閃現在眼前，無不令人嘆為觀止，這正是巨人堤道給我留下的印象。

        巨人堤道是大西洋上一小片大約由四萬根連鎖狀玄武岩石柱組成的海岸，為什麼要來看這些玩意呢？原來參觀形狀迥異國際知名岩石現已成為旅遊時尚，從莫測的山脈至離奇的石頭再到神秘的……岩柱，其特殊硬質構造看來不過是巧合而已，但我錯了，自然造化的奧秘無異於與眾不同。大約60萬年前，該地區恰好處在火環之中，火山噴發的熔岩幾經冷卻凝固，與之接觸的岩石出現裂縫甚至破碎，稍微深層的岩石則形成五邊形、六邊形、七邊形等不同形狀，憑藉內力向上隆起，暴露在外的表面日久風化，這就是為什麼巨人堤道被列為聯合國教科文組織世界遺產。現在人們可以登上這些海邊由六邊形岩石形成的自然碼頭進行察訪，它們實際上都是石柱，足有四十米高，飽經風化的山崖也能發現類似的結構，大自然鬼斧神工，真是人間勝景。當然了，哪裡有科學理論，哪裡就有神話傳說……

        從前生活在愛爾蘭的巨人大斗士魁梧高大強悍無比，天底下只有一人敢跟他較勁，那就是住在對面蘇格蘭的巨人雷霆山。大鬥士想要弄清誰是天底下最厲害的巨人，打算親自去查看虛實，於是就地撿起石頭順手搭成一座被後人稱為堤道的橋梁。事實勝於雄辯，蘇格蘭境內確有另一端堤道，只是規模大小遠不及愛爾蘭這頭。雷霆山的個子讓大鬥士驚奇萬分，大鬥士火速跑回愛爾蘭告訴名叫“單純”的太太，然後按其吩咐打扮成嬰兒模樣，等雷霆山來到愛爾蘭時，眼前出現的竟是滿臉稚氣的小屁娃，心想既然孩子都長這麼大，要是真到孩他爹那把年紀，塊頭指不定得大出多少倍，隨即逃之夭夭。在趕回蘇格蘭途中，雷霆山故意拆斷堤道，因此我們現在看到的不過是剩下的那段而已，信不信由你。

Today in History(歷史上的今天):

2016: Belfast, Linenopolis NIR(北愛爾蘭沙津口市·亞麻大都會)

2016: Gaelic Towns in Northern Ireland(北愛爾蘭蓋爾“胸針”村鎮)

2016: Glens of Antrim, Long Ridge NIR(北愛爾蘭安特里姆“孤脊”峽谷)

2016: Antrim, Coast Road A2 across NIR(北愛爾蘭安特里姆·穿海岸A2公路)

2016: County Antrim, the Saffrons NIR(北愛爾蘭安特里姆·藏紅花郡)

2014: YMCA Camp—Outdoor Pool-2(基督教青年會營戲水池之二)

Giant's Causeway (巨人堤道 07-11-2016)

Giant's Gate (巨門)

Giant's Harp (巨型豎琴)

Red Basaltic Prisms (紅玄武岩柱 07-11-2016)

Wishing Chair (許願椅)

Basalt Columns (玄武岩柱 07-11-2016)

Giant's Steps (巨型台階 07-11-2016)

Honeycomb (蜂窩 07-11-2016)

Camel's Hump (駝峰 07-11-2016)

Arid Snout (旱鼻子)

Weir's Snout (堰鼻)

Port Ganny Bay (祖母港 07-11-2016)

Basalt Lava Columns (玄武岩熔岩柱)

Chimney Stacks (煙囪堆棧)

Giant's Boot (巨人之靴)

Port Noffer "the Giant" Bay (巨人港灣 07-11-2016)

Port Noffer Bay (巨人港灣)

Weathered Rock Formations w/ Sea Spleenwort, Hare's-foot Trefoil, Vernal Squill, Sea Fescue, and Frog Orchid

(風化岩層長滿了海葵、三葉草、紫薇、羊茅及青蛙蘭花)

Chimney Tops over Amphitheatre (露天劇場上的煙囪)

Amphitheatre (露天劇場)

Portnaboe Bay (牛港灣)

Map of Giant's Causeway (巨人堤道·地圖)

Crosslinks(相關博文):

UK(出遊英國)

Europe(歐洲掠影)

7th Grade(初中二年級)