BlogDay 2005

這是今天下午收留言的時候才得知的消息。原來，今天（2005/8/31）是國際部落格日，許多部落客響應今年的活動，在自己的網站上推薦五個部落格，敝站有幸被Yiling選上推薦。這是第一次知道Yiling，據說她注意到我，是因為她的blogger和我選了相同的背景，我剛剛上了她的樂多網站看了一下，很喜歡她站上帶給人的閒適感，有興趣的朋友可以去看看。

要推薦五個部落格，就讓我來講講這一陣子每天都會去報到的友站。

1. 三年級的背包
這是近期最歡喜的發現，原來是在中時部落格的嚴選優格推薦上看到，看到站主墨綠姨寫下阿茲海默症患者家屬的心路歷程，後來也慢慢在站上看了墨綠姨在紐西蘭生活的種種。因為墨綠姨勤於更新，我每天上去都會看到新文章，所以她的站也成了我這一陣子開電腦以後必定去報到的地方。

2. 晨光下的漫步
發現這個站大概將近一年了，怎麼摸上去的我倒是忘了，只記得是個偶然。站主小葛跟我同月同日生，住在德州，利用文字作為出口，儘管生活忙碌，還是常常花時間寫文章分享她生活中的點點滴滴，文字詼諧幽默，不過看到她經歷的種種，還是不免為她在異地生活的辛苦感到心疼。

3. 愛默生愛說話
這是從Qui-Blog聯播中找到的寶貝。我猜想這位部落客大概住在歐洲的某個角落，他筆下的文化批判，總是讓我受益良多，也更讓我感覺到自己的渺小。對我來說，上站閱讀可以增加工作方面的知識，對於歐洲藝文觀察有興趣的朋友，可以去看看。

4. 一根筋的黑白亂想
小新是我透過網友認識的網友，基本上我頭昏到連我們第一次到底是怎麼碰面都給忘了，還是前一陣子某次聊起來，才被提醒，其實在某一次我回台灣探親的時候，就已經在某次網友聚餐中見過面（事實上我也是從那天才知道她的存在）。小新在文章裡的表達往往一針見血，常常讓我對她許多精闢的見解大為佩服。她到法國留學以後，曾經藉著遊玩到威尼斯的機會，轉到維琴察來找我玩，一整天相處的感覺，讓我覺得這個人很‘漫畫’，有著超可愛的性格。

5. 丁丁飆英文
我常常上去練英文的地方。到目前為止只是潛水魚一隻，因為自覺程度不足，在他面前有班門弄斧之感，所以在丁丁那邊還是一名沉默的觀眾。

Happy Blog Day to ALL!!

Ferrara Buskers Festival 2005 - Home coming

從抵達費拉拉停好車的那一刻，就不停地在走動著，完全沒有停下來休息。撐到半夜，即使情緒仍然高亢，我在體力上仍然不堪負荷。即使市區還是人聲鼎沸，完全沒有止息的跡象。想到接下來還要面對一個半小時的車程，只好忍痛拋下眼前精采的節目，慢慢地往車子的方向開始移動。
From the moment we parked the car we didn’t stop walking. We kept going around until midnight. Though my mood was still high, my physical condition couldn’t really bear it anymore. It’s still crowded and busy in the city center, and the shows seemed to keep going. Thinking that we still had to face the trip home, another one and half hour in the car, we had to give up the wonders in front of us and started moving towards our car.

邊走著，我已經開始期待明年…
While walking, I’ve started to look forward to the coming year…

Ferrara Buskers Festival 2005 - Fringe Programs

在費拉拉街頭藝術節中，非音樂性的藝穗節目也是多采多姿，往往是可以看到藝術家們各顯創意的時候。
There are various fringe artists participating the buskers festival as well, perfect time to see the creativity of the artists.

吹氣球向來是街頭藝術中不可或缺的項目，每次在街頭藝術節中，至少也會看到四五個專精此道的藝術家。各色的長汽球在藝術家的手中，轉眼成了彩色貴賓狗、中世紀武士頭盔、寶劍、甚至卡通人物，讓人眼花撩亂。可惜的是，近年來已經很少看到自己動口吹的藝術家了，大部分人為了省力，都是用工具來打氣，在我眼中，總是少了那麼點味道…
The balloon artists are indispensable in the buskers. There’re at least four or five artists of this kind every year. Colorful balloons are turned into poodles, helmets of medieval warriors, swards or even cartoon characters. It’s a pity that most of the artists turn to balloon pump for help and don’t blow the balloon by themselves any more…

當然，也有那種看起來好像有點創意，實際上卻不太精采的表演，像這位號稱是「世界上最慢的人」，動作不太順暢，乍看之下也不知道他在做什麼，不過街頭藝術也是這一點有趣，有時，在你走過的當下並不會意識到這個藝術家在做什麼，而是後來的幕然回首，讓人回味無窮。
Of course, there’re certain kinds of performances that seem to be creative but eventually are not too successful. This man is said to be “the slowest man in the world”. At the first sight I didn’t realize what he’s doing, but later when I got to know it, his actions didn’t seem to be too smooth… However, that’s one of the interesting parts of the fringe arts. Sometimes when you walk by you won’t realize what the artists are doing. It’s when you think back that you start to enjoy its flavor.

觀賞街頭藝術，最可貴的就是表演者和觀眾之間的互動交流。精采之處，觀眾們忍不住鼓掌叫好，表演者一個微笑、一個眼神，呼應著觀眾，越演越有勁。照片裡這個團體，每個演出者都是技巧高超的操偶師，小舞台上的爵士禿鷹和鱷魚們，隨著音樂舞動，唯妙唯肖的演出，讓許多觀眾忍不住佇足多看兩眼。
The most precious thing in busker performances is the interaction (or I should say conversation) between the audience and the performers. The audience cheers when it comes to the spectacular parts of the show, and the performers answer back with a smile or an expression in his eyes. Both pump up energy for the show. Members of the group in the photo are all good puppet theater performers. The marvelous performance of the vulture and crocodiles attract lots of audiences’ attention.

特色商品也不會錯過推銷的機會。圖片中的每一個掌中玩偶，是用各種顏色的海綿切割組合而成，看了真是讓人愛不釋手，我差點就想帶幾個回家。
Makers and producers of characteristic products won’t miss the chance to promote their art pieces. The puppets here are made of various colors of sponge, cut and assembled. They look just lovely and I was almost about to bring some home.

特技表演當然也不會缺席。到了夜幕低垂之際，市中心的大廣場成了各種雜耍表演的主要場地，最多人圍觀的，無非是吞火、噴火、耍火棒等特技演出。
Acrobatic performances won’t miss its place in such event. When the night falls, the big square in the center is turned to the major location for various kinds of acrobatic shows. For sure the most attractive one is the fire eating/breathing kind of show.

Ferrara Buskers Festival 2005 - Music Programs

今年的藝術節以巴西為主題，因此受邀的二十組藝術家中，有三分之一來自巴西。其中讓我們駐足觀賞的並不是太多，因為平日聽多了爵士藍調等，此類演出自然就不是我和米奇觀注的焦點，機會難得，當然要來點不一樣的！
The main focus of the year is Brazil. Among twenty groups of invited artists, one third are Brazilian groups. We didn’t spend much time hopping from one concert to another. Our focus is not on jazz or blues, coz that’s kind of “common” in our life. Of course we have to take the chance to see something different.

由五個來自塞維爾的堂表姊妹所組成的佛朗明哥歌舞團Las Primas。當初在網站上看到有這麼一個團體，就被我列入目標之一。我向來喜歡佛朗明哥的熱情奔放，有機會觀賞演出決不錯過。她們帶來五首風格各異的演出，雖然歌喉平平，不過舉手投足之間所傳達的情感，還是深深吸引著我。
Las Primas, a flamenco group of five sisters and cousins from Seville. When I saw the info on the Busker official website, I’ve decided to look for their performance during my visit. I always enjoy the passion and enthusiasm delivered by flamenco dance and songs and wouldn’t miss it if there were any chance to see it. They brought five songs with different styles. Even though their singing is not outstanding, I was still attracted by their posture, dance and emotions.

Amadeu Alves & Fabricio Rios Group是我最喜歡的巴西團體。很夏天、很清爽的音樂。演出的時候，兩個打擊樂手不斷地變換著手中的樂器，一件件我很少看到的打擊樂器，也讓我多了視覺上的饗宴。
Amadeu Alves & Fabricio Rios Group is my favorite Brazilian group. Their music is very summery and refreshing. During performance, the two percussionists continuously change their instruments. One piece after another, many of them are new to me. Apart from listening, it has also become a “visual festival” for me.

Didgeridoo這種澳洲原住民樂器，在街頭藝術似乎成了一種流行。這次就看到兩個以各種尺寸形狀的didgeridoo表演的音樂家。一位帶著合成器，邊吹邊錄邊採樣，一層層地把音樂疊了起來；另一位則純粹以didgeridoo表演，技巧上似乎勝出前者一籌，吹奏時的韻律感，讓人忍不住在旁邊打起節拍。
Didgeridoo is a kind of Australian aboriginal instrument. It seems to become a fashion among street artists. There’re two didgeridoo artists this time. They bring with them didgeridoos of various sizes and shapes. One performs with a synthesizer. He performs, records and samples at the same time to build up his music layer by layer. The other one uses only didgeridoos and his techniques seems much higher than the previous one. The dynamic rhythm invites people to tap along.

今年的我們，似乎特別容易受到豎笛所吸引，兩個讓我們佇足許久的三重奏，都有豎笛演出。這兩組人馬似乎都來自東歐，一組以手風琴、豎笛和打擊所組成，另一組則是小提琴、豎笛和吉他。他們的演出，都再再讓我回想到六月底在布達佩斯渡過的美好時光。
We seem to be attracted by clarinet music this year. Clarinet appears in both trios that we stopped to listen to. Both groups are from east Europe. One is composed of accordion, clarinet and percussion. The other is violin, clarinet and guitar. Their music reminds me the happy time we’ve spent in Budapest.

Ferrara Buskers Festival 2005

每年八月底，最期待的就是費拉拉街頭藝術節的到來。這個在今年邁入第十八個年頭的藝術節，打從我搬到義大利以來，就是每年夏天必然去報到的節目之一。來自世界各地的街頭藝術家齊聚一堂，規模雖然不如愛丁堡藝術季來得盛大，不過也成了費拉拉本身文化價值以外的特色之一。這個保留中世紀建築的古城，因為有著許多錯綜複雜的小街道與廣場，特別適合此類活動的進行，轉個角換條街，多采多姿的藝術世界，有待觀眾挖掘。
Every August, I excitedly expect the coming of the Ferrara Buskers Festival. It’s coming to the 18th edition this year. Since I moved to Italy, it’s one of the must-go in summer. Buskers from various countries come to Ferrara. Though it’s not as big as the Edinburgh festival, but it has become one of the characteristics of Ferrara apart from its cultural value. There are many tiny complex streets and squares in this medieval city and it is perfect for such activities. Turing to another street, one might find a totally different atmosphere created by various artists, awaiting audience to discover their beauty.


第一場表演在傍晚六點開始，雖然不是週末假日，市中心還是人山人海，好不熱鬧。
The first performance starts at 6PM. Though it’s not weekend, crowds flood into the city center and make it a busy place.

鄰居花園裡的無花果 Figs in Neighbor’s Garden

在搬到義大利以前，對無花果的印象一直停留在小時候跟媽媽到迪化街辦年貨時，那個栗子大小、淺褐色、表皮皺不拉基的小果子，咬在嘴裡的奇特口感，幾乎是春節假期中我最愛吃的零嘴之一。
Before I moved to Italy, my impression on figs was “the chestnut size wrinkled little fruit with light brown color”. The peculiar texture and taste made it one of my favorite snacks in Chinese New Year.

搬到義大利以後的經驗，腦子裡許多既往的印象受到顛覆，無花果便是一個例子。記得搬來以後的第一個夏天，初次在超市裡看到這種淺綠深紫、如乒乓球大小的果實，還狐疑了老半天，看來看去就是看不出個所以然，問了米奇，才知道這東西就是無花果！對從來沒看過新鮮無花果的我來說，還真是個新鮮的玩意兒，馬上買了一些回家品嘗…回到家剝開來，裡頭白色的子和淺紅色的果肉，看起來煞是噁心，讓我直接想到電影「異形」的某個場景，一下子竟然不敢咬下去，過了幾分鐘，看到一旁的米奇吃得高興地很，我硬著頭皮咬了一口，微酸微甜的滋味真好吃。只是外觀上而言，實在引不起我的食慾…即使到今天，每次要吃無花果的時候，我還是得要想一下，閉著眼睛才咬得下去。
Many of my impressions have been overthrown after I moved to Italy. Fig is just one of the many examples. I still remember the first summer after I arrived. I saw the light green deep purple color fruit in the supermarket. It’s about a ping-pong ball’s size. I wondered what it could be but couldn’t figure out by myself. So I asked Michele… It’s fig!! I’ve never seen a fresh fig in my life, so it has become one of the “news” for me. I just couldn’t wait to taste it! After we arrived home, I opened it and saw the white seeds with light red pulp. It looked disgusting… coz it reminded me one of the scene in the movie “Alien”. I just couldn’t bear the idea to have a bite… but seeing Michele eating one by one satisfactorily, I just had to try. And I did. It tasted good, not too acid/sour and not too sweet. However, its appearance just kills every single appetite I have. Even today, whenever I eat it, I still have to think for a while, close my eyes and then give it a bite.

昨天下午，我和米奇好不容易有點時間去整理花園，把花園裡破掉的、不要的花盆給處理掉。因為受不了蚊子猛烈的攻勢，我早早跑進屋裡，留米奇一個人在花園裡搬東搬西。約莫半小時以後，米奇捧著一盤無花果走了進來，說是鄰居花園裡種的，今年果子長得好，分一些給我們吃。 Yesterday afternoon, Michele and I finally had some time to go and clean the garden, trying to throw away some broken and unwanted pots. I couldn’t bear the attacks of the mosquitoes, so I ran indoors after a while and left Michele alone in the garden to finish the work. Half-hour later, he came inside with a dish of figs. It’s grown in our neighbor’s garden. They’ve got quite some harvest and would like to share some with us.

米奇把無花果端進來以後，便開車出門，把一些不要的廢物載到資源回收中心。我看著這盤滿滿的果實，少說也將近二十個，等不及米奇回到家，忍不住偷吃了一個。味道真是不錯，比前一陣子在市場買的還好吃。心裡頭也開始盤算的，可以把這盤無花果拿來做些什麼變化…
Michele went to the recycle center after he brought in the figs. I looked at them and counted roughly. There’re more or less twenty of them. I couldn’t wait until Michele’s return and tasted one secretly. It’s good, much better than what we’ve bought in the market some weeks ago. In the mean while, I also started to think what I could do with them…

吃完晚餐，米奇把無花果拿了出來。基本上無花果是可以連皮吃的，不過一方面因為我們懶得洗，一方面也因為這些無花果已經熟透了，幾乎是一捏就爛，看樣子是洗不得，所以我們才剝了皮吃。我剝了一顆吃將起來，米奇馬上說：「妳不再把果實剝開來，看看裡面有沒有蟲喔！」他話才講完，我差點沒把滿口的無花果噴了出來…腦子裡馬上想到大學做生態學實驗時數榕果小蜂的景象…真是噁心…
After dinner, Michele took out the figs. Basically, figs can be eaten without peeling. But we’re too lazy to wash them, and they were too ripen to be washed… So we decided to peel it. I peeled one and started to eat. Michele said, ‘you don’t open it and see if there’s any bug inside?’ I was about to spit it out of my mouth… it reminded me the ecology experiment I did in university, counting the little bugs in the fruits of the small-fruited fig tree… it’s so disgusting…

我回過神來，盤子裡的無花果只剩下六個…看樣子大概是留不到我做蛋糕或果醬了…
When I came back to myself, there’re only six figs left in the dish… I guess they can’t really wait until I make them into cake or jam…

Blog Tag: 怪癖 Idiosyncrasies

被點名了被點名了…
I've got tagged!!

這一陣子在各網誌上流行的串聯遊戲。規則如下：
開始遊戲的人出一個題目，寫下答案，然後指定五個人回答問題，並且在文末附上這五個人的網誌連結。五個被點到名的人，在自己的網誌上用網頁聯結的方式引用題目來源，寫下自己的答案，並且點名另五人接著回答。（就像小莎講的，這真的很像電子郵件常常收到的串聯信…還好這種遊戲沒有什麼詛咒或許願的成分。）
So, it's a game that has been spreading around Chinese bloggers for more than two days. The one tagged has to write five idiosyncrasies about himself/herself. Then he/she has to tag another five people to keep the game going on.

本來都只是在別人家看看而已，沒想到今天被希臘小莎給點到，我就‘撂落去’一起玩囉！
I've been watching it for the past few days but was never tagged until today. My friend Sally who live in Athens tagged me! So I decided to join and have some fun.

今天的主題是怪癖，想到要把自己的癖好公諸世人眼前，還是會有點害羞哩…還好應該沒有什麼太丟臉的事，大家看看娛樂一下就好！
So, the theme is five idiosyncrasies of oneself. Thinking to tell these "personal secrets" in front of everyone... I feel embarrassed! Luckily there's really nothing to fee shame about, so just have fun and read.

怪癖一：不吃任何紫色的蔬菜，例如茄子、紫色高麗菜等。很多人都會問我為什麼…簡單，因為「紫色不是食物的顏色」。不過，我也常常在不知道的狀況下誤吃這些被我列入拒絕往來戶的東西。米奇常常笑說，只要茄子看起來不像茄子，我還是會吞下去；最明顯的例子就是我婆婆做的義式蔬菜千層麵pasticcio。婆婆常用削成薄片的茄子來代替義大利麵，這是她的拿手菜之一，剛開始我並不知道她用了茄子，是吃過幾次以後，某次心血來潮問了一下食譜才發現的…不過即使到了現在，在婆婆做這道菜的時候，我還是會假裝不知道裡頭有茄子，盡情用力吃。(反正看起來不像茄子!)
One: I don't eat anything with purple color, for example eggplant and purple cabbage. Many people ask me why and the answer is very simple. For me, purple is not a color for food. Even though, I still eat lots of them by "accident". Michele is always teasing me that as long as the eggplant doesn't look the shape of eggplant I'd eat it. The most obvious example is the pasticcio that my inlaw makes. She uses thinly sliced eggplant instead of pasta. It's one of her specialties. At the beginning I didn't know that she's using eggplant. After I tasted it for several time, I got curious and asker her... then I discovered!! Well, who cares... I like it so much that I'll just pretend there's nothing like eggplant inside. After all, it doesn't have the eggplant shape.

怪癖二：記地圖的時候不記路，而是以餐廳和商店為指標。我想這一點很多女孩子都一樣吧？不過到了米奇眼裡，成了一件很奇特的事情。很多朋友都知道，我從以前住在台北的時候，就是用餐廳來畫台北市地圖，滿腦子只有吃。現在到了義大利，把商店也加了進去，所以在講到某城市的時候，腦子裡第一個出現反應的是XX餐廳或XX店的所在地。
Two: I memorize the street map by restaurants and shops, instead of names of streets. I think many women act the same way. But Michele thinks it's a very peculiar habit. Many friends know that I used to map out Taipei city with restaurants. I enjoy eating! When I arrived Italy, I added my mapping mechanism with shops. So when we talk about a city, the first thing to come in mind is always "the city where XX restaurant or XX shop is located".

怪癖三：愛洗手。出門在外時，能抓到機會洗手一定跑去洗一下，不然包包裡頭隨時也放著一罐乾洗手。從外面回到家以後，第一件事情也是洗手。在家裡頭，尤其是在廚房裡，大概每一分鐘就會下意識地去開一下水龍頭…
Three: I wash my hands a lot. When I am out of home, I grab every chance to wash myhands, otherwise I'd put a bottle of dry wash liquid for hands in my bag. After I return home, the first thing is to wash my hand. When I'm in the kitchen, I wash my hands frequently... I turn on the tap unconsciously...

怪癖四：一定得要混到晚餐以後才會開始認真工作。只有在逼不得已的狀況下，我才會在下午開始工作，平時大概都是晚餐以後（約莫八點），一直做到凌晨一點至兩點。所以…只要有朋友找吃飯，我的工作時間就會被玩掉了。
Four: My working time is after dinner. I only start working in the afternoon when I am really forced to do so. In the normal days, I start working after dinner (after 8PM) and continue working until 1AM to 2AM. So... whenever we're invited for dinner, my working time is "sacrificed" for fun.

怪癖五：不過午時不起床。我承認我命好，每天都睡到下午一兩點才起床。即使‘早起’（在上午起床），基本上腦子也還沒醒，一直要到下午才會開始運作。不過這樣的習慣也糟糕，一天只存在下午和晚上…
Five: I don't get up before noon. I know I am lucky that I can sleep until 1PM or 2PM. When I get up in the "morning", my brain is anyway sleeping and it'll start "functioning" in the afternoon. Well, I admit it's quite a bad habit because my day is constituted only by afternoon and evening.

好了，來點名吧！
So here we go. The following are tagged!!

列日的Dianne
羅馬的Yiyi
威尼斯的Bella
三樓的L
南台灣的小熊



PS.今天(8/18)找到這個遊戲中文版的始作俑者, 有興趣的可以去看看...兩天之內快速蔓延的網路瘟疫!
PS. I didn't really think to tag my foreign friends... for practical and technical reasons... I don't really know where this game comes from but it was originally started in English. The Chinese version started two days ago and is spreading in the Chinese blogs with an unbelievable speed!

【食驗室】自製番茄糊 Home-made Passata

剛到義大利的前幾年，一到夏末，公婆兩人總是會吆喝著，問幾個兒子女兒有沒有空到家裡幫忙，一起做今年份的蕃茄糊，算是每年夏天的年度大事。去公婆家的總不會是我和米奇，因為米奇工作時間上常常不能配合，我又從來沒有做過，其他人剛好夏休可以幫忙，所以到目前為止，我和米奇都只有出嘴巴的份兒，每年都坐在家裡等著公公打電話來，叫我們去領十瓶番茄糊回家。
At the first few years after I moved to Italy, when it came to summer my in-laws were always requesting their children to go back home to help making passata (tomato concentrate) for the year’s reserve. Michele and I were not the ones to go, for the reason that our working time weren’t (and still aren’t) stable and I had never done something like this before. Others were in their summer vacation and had some time to spare. So up to now Michele and I are always the one to help consuming, waiting for my in-law’s call to go and pick-up ten bottles or so.

流星雨 Meteor Shower

「如果天氣好，星期三晚上來吃飯，我們去野餐！」星期天碰面時，希薇亞如是說…
“If the weather is ok, come and join us on Wednesday night. Let’s go for picnic!” said Silvia when we met up for dinner on Sunday.

八月正值義大利的度假期，逢人最常（被）問到的，就是去哪裡度假。我和米奇從布達佩斯回來以後，一個跌到聲音採樣、一個跌到神秘學的萬丈深淵，工作忙到不行。希薇亞和克里斯常常三不五時打個電話過來，看看我們要不要出去透一口氣，對他們來說，我們兩個整天坐在電腦前面的工作方式，實在是很不健康，所以喜歡吆喝三五好友小酌聚會的他們，總是不會忘了打個電話過來叫人。
August is vacation month in Italy. “Where do you go for vacation” is a common topic. Michele and I have been buried in work since we came back from Budapest, one by sound samples for synthesizer and one by occult studies. Silvia and Cristian call us often to see if we want to go out to “change some air”. In their mind, both of us sit in front of the computer almost all day long, and it’s not a healthy thing. So when they organize something with friends, they always ask us to join them if possible.

克里斯、希薇亞和他們常一起廝混的幾個好友，都是夜貓子。每次跟他們出門，不搞到兩三點是不可能結束的…這次也不例外。話說這一陣子常在媒體上看到流星雨的消息，希薇亞找了一個其他人都有空的晚上，吆喝一起到她在山丘上的老家野餐觀星。
What we call “Cristian and the company” are all night people. Every time we go out together, it’s impossible to return home before two o’clock. It’s no exception this time. The meteor shower is a hot thing of this period. Silvia invited everyone to go to her parental house for a night picnic. It’s a nice place hidden away in the hills in the province.

我們抵達時已經過了十點，我們一群十個人，在希爸的帶領下，在希家園子裡找到了一個僻靜的角落，便開始忙著佈置，一些人舖上坐墊點好蠟燭，其他則把車子裡的點心餐食飲料樂器玩具等，一一搬了出來。
We arrived after ten o’clock. We’re in ten people totally. Silvia’s father led us to find a quiet corner in the yard. Then we started to get busy with preparation. Some laid the mats and pads on the ground, some lit the candles, and other brought out all the stuff in the car, including food, beverage, toys and instruments.

除了我、米奇、克里斯和希薇亞以外，其他六人晚上都是廝混夜店的DJ。在他們自己和克里斯的口中，這群人都玩點音樂…這個晚上我們算是見識到了！歌唱得或許有些五音不全，不過號稱會談吉他的幾個人，連和弦名稱都叫不出口，實在是有點誇張。
Besides me, Michele, Silvia and Cristian, all others are DJ. They “claimed” that they know some music and play some instruments. It’s the first occasion for Michele and I to discover whether it’s true or not. They sing somehow out of tune. And the ones that play guitar don’t even know how to call a chord. I guess it’s a bit exaggerating…

然而，大家還是在酒精、兩把吉他和一些打擊樂器的陪伴下，渡過了有點瘋狂的一個晚上。天氣並不太好，原本冀望清朗的天空，卻是層雲密佈，偶爾才會有幾顆星星探出頭來，唯一的一顆流星，是希薇亞認真躺在草坪上等待了一會兒，才好運看到的，跟幾年前我和米奇上到山城阿西亞哥，四十分鐘內數到二十八顆流星的景況，簡直不能相比~~~
With the company of alcohols, two guitars and some percussion instruments, we’ve passed a somehow crazy evening. The weather wasn’t great and it’s actually covered with thick clouds. Once in a while, some stars came out to show their brightness but hided away after some minutes. The only shooting star was seen by Silvia. She lied down on the grass, waited for a while, watched carefully, and she was lucky. I guess our lucky experience in Asiago some years ago is nothing comparable. In less than forty minutes we’ve counted twenty-eight shooting stars…

一會兒，有人瞎起鬨開始跳起‘祈流星雨舞’，逕自繞著一支火把跳舞吟誦了起來…嘻鬧了將近半小時，眼見祈雨舞似乎沒有奏效，眾人興致漸失，我們終於在深夜兩點多下了山回家睡覺。
In a while, someone started to do the “rain dance”, circling around a torch and singing along… However, it didn’t work. Dancing for half hour, we started to lose our interests and decided to go home.

為了看流星雨出門，連流星的影子都沒看到…
We went out for the meteor rain, but didn’t even see a thing…

櫻桃宴 Cherry Party

我所居住的威內多地區，有著得天獨厚的氣候與地理條件，豐富的農產品在全義境內享有盛名。特雷維索的紅菊苣、山區的松露與牛肝菌、巴薩諾的白蘆筍、馬洛斯提卡一帶的櫻桃等，每一個季節，都讓我在滿心期待、盼望大飽口福的心情中度過。
Due to its superb climate and geographical conditions, the agricultural products in Veneto area are famous and well appreciated all over Italy. The radicchio of Treviso, the Porcini mushrooms and white truffles in the mountain area, the white asparagus of Bassano del Grappa, and various kinds of cherries around Marostica are just few examples. There’re different tastes for different season. How lucky I am to come and live in this area.

我最期待的，莫非是每年的櫻桃季。櫻桃向來是我最喜歡的水果之一，搬到維琴察以後，知道這一帶是櫻桃產區，興奮的心情自然不在話下。在維琴察省內的著名櫻桃產地，離我家約莫半小時的車程，因此，每年五到六月間的週末，自然就常常到各地的櫻桃展中報到，品嘗各式櫻桃。
I’m always looking forward to the coming of cherry season. Cherry has always been my favorite fruit. When I just arrived in Vicenza, I was so excited to know that this is the cherry production area. Famous cherry places in Vicenza province are around half hour driving from home. Therefore, we often visit cherry fair savoring cherries every weekend during May and June every year.

通常，為了拉抬一地的人氣，櫻桃展的重頭戲通常都在星期天上午。所謂的重頭戲，簡單來說，就是一群人一起大拜拜的活動，除了當地市政府的頒獎活動以外，每家把自家上好貨色整齊排列以供陳列觀賞的優選展，也是難得一見的景象。平常看慣了市場裡一堆堆的櫻桃，一到了櫻桃展，一顆顆完美無暇的飽滿紅色果實排排站的光景，總是罕見的視覺饗宴。
The important events of cherry fairs are always held in Sunday mornings, so as to attract visitors. The so-called important events are often group activities such as award ceremonies for the best production of the year or the exhibitions for selected cherries from every farm. We’re used to see shimmering piles of cherries in the market. When it comes to cherry fair, selected and perfect cherries arranged neat and tidy in boxes are a sight rarely seen.

頒獎典禮自然是有關櫻桃優良農民的各種獎項，典禮結束以後，會開放展區讓貴賓們一飽眼福，之後便是櫻桃拍賣會。被拍賣的對象，是各家被展出的特選櫻桃，價格也就比攤子來得高，這些櫻桃比較漂亮是真的，不過有沒有比較好吃，我就不得而知了。
The award ceremonies are of course about various kinds of rewards and prizes for farmers. After the ceremony, the exhibition area will be open for visit, and then comes the auction. The cherries exhibited are put to auction, and the price is for sure higher than what we can find in the market. These cherries are of course more beautiful. But do they actually taste nicer? That’s a question I can’t really answer…

喜歡去櫻桃展，眼福雖然不能少，不過滿足口腹之欲才是我的重點。櫻桃展的周圍，都會有一些小市集，有著各種賣衣服、玩具、食品的攤販，而水果攤販，則清一色是櫻桃攤販。一走進市集，我們也顧不得形象，買了一公斤的櫻桃，閒逛時便自顧吃將起來，不過一會兒就滿嘴紅牙，忙著吃櫻桃以外，還要小心米奇的照相攻勢，省得留下拙相，成了被取笑的對象。約莫中午，展場內一切活動結束以後，搖身一變成了美食區，販售的夏日節慶的典型餐食，一陣陣的烤肉香、沁涼的啤酒，卻怎麼也引不起我的食慾，心裡只顧著計算，等一會而要帶多少櫻桃回家。
I like going to cherry fair not only for sightseeing, but also for satisfying my tummy. There’s always an open-air market around with lots of stands selling clothes, toys and food, but the fruit stands sell only cherries. When we’re there, we can’t really take consideration of the so-called “image”. We always get at least a kilo of cherries to be tasted immediately when we walk around and get a mouth of “red teeth” not long after. My mouth is always full, but I always have to be careful because Michele is always taking photos. Around noon, the exhibition area is transformed into lunch area, selling typical dishes that one can find in a town festival. However, the smell of BBQ and the fresh beer can’t really raise my appetite. I’m too concentrated on calculating how many kilos of cherries I should bring back home!

每次櫻桃展買個十公斤以上的櫻桃已是常事，後車廂裡櫻桃到處滾也是難得，剛開始，朋友們常常訝異於我們的大量消費，因為櫻桃在摘下以後不能久放，尤其氣溫日漸升高的六月天，存放季節更是短，殊不知我們除了帶一些與公婆分享以外，大部分的採買都在三日以內就‘屍骨無存’，只因為我和米奇兩人都嗜吃櫻桃，每人一日吃個一公斤以上實屬平常。今年我給自己的功課，除了吃櫻桃以外還想學做櫻桃果醬，這樣子，我就可以把家中的櫻桃季延長一些時日，不過米奇在聽到我的計畫以後取笑道，「這些櫻桃真的有辦法存活到變成果醬嗎？」我想，朋友眼中的「櫻桃饕」絕非浪得虛名！
It’s a norm that we buy more than ten kilos of cherries in the fair, and we always find cherries rolling around in the car when we arrive home. At the beginning, our friends are surprised of the quantity we buy, because cherries can’t stay long after they’re picked from cherry trees. The durability is even shorter in June for the rising temperature. However, they didn’t know that apart from bringing some for Michele’s parents, we finish almost ten kilos of cherries in three days. We both love cherries, and it’s common that each of us consume more than a kilo a day. This year I wanted to try something new. I was thinking to make cherry jam so that they will probably survive longer. After Michele got to know my plan, he started to tease me! “Are you sure these cherries will survive until you make them into cherry jam?” The nickname “cherry glutton” doesn’t come for nothing!!

PS.文章是六月初替ARCH寫的, 不過前幾天接到通知, 雜誌改版, 生活類的文章不登了... 所以... 雖然稿費沒賺到, 還是可以貼出來娛樂大眾!!

悼蘇塔諾夫On Memory of Alexei Sultanov

昨天下午，米奇和我在百忙之中，抽空到某購物中心去，就因為有間CD店正在大清倉，所有CD都以5歐元或10歐元的價格拍賣，在CD平均價格17歐元的義大利，豈能錯過這麼好康的事！
Regardless of our busy work, we took the chance to go to a shopping mall in Vicenza yesterday afternoon because there’s a CD shop doing liquidizing sale. An album is sold at 5 or 10 Euro. The average price of CD in Italy is 17 Euro. Of course we couldn’t lose this great opportunity!!

進到店裡，我馬上走到古典音樂區，一塊塊地翻遍了所有CD，挑出了四塊寶貝，其中，又以蘇塔諾夫彈奏的柴可夫斯基第一號鋼琴協奏曲和拉赫曼尼諾夫第二號鋼琴協奏曲，最是讓我驚喜。我從來都不知道，他也有錄製CD…
When I walked into the shop, I went immediately to the classical music section. Looking album by album, I picked up four CDs. The most “surprising” one is the Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 and Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.2, performed by Alexei Sultanov. I never knew that Sultanov also has CD recordings.

第一次看到蘇塔諾夫彈鋼琴，是在1986年柴可夫斯基大賽上。看似生澀的他，當時只有十七歲，卻能進入高手雲集的大賽，還打進的準決賽，那時正讀小學又習琴的我，對他彈奏的蕭邦簡直是崇拜到不行，只可惜他那次未能進入決賽，鍛羽而歸。
The first time I saw him playing piano is at the Tschaikovsky Piano Competition in 1986. With a young age of 17 years old he was able to enter this international competition, and even arrived the semi-final. His performance of Chopin has made a great impression on me. It’s a pity that he didn’t make it to the final round…

再次聽到他的消息，是在許多年以後。當時的我已經上了大學，雖然漸漸離開了鋼琴的世界，仍然是古典鋼琴音樂會的常客。某次在傳單上看到「蕭邦大賽銀牌獎」、「范克來本大賽金牌獎」的頭銜，二話不說馬上邀了朋友和老哥，一起去買了門票。看著節目單上的照片，我腦海中浮現了柴氏大賽裡的那個小伙子，原來是他~~~果然在鋼琴界大放異彩，也讓我深深慶幸自己沒有錯過這場音樂會。然而，當晚的音樂會卻讓人有些失望，雖然技巧絕頂讓人無話可說，不過爆裂的音色卻讓人不敢恭維，彈奏起李斯特的魔鬼圓舞曲，真的像是鬼打架，跟我印象中的他，差了十萬八千里！仔細讀了節目單，才知道他的演奏生涯，因為健康問題而被迫停擺，該此演出，是在他復出樂壇的不久之後。（註）
The next time I heard of his news was about ten years later. I was in university. Though I gradually left the piano world, I went to piano recitals very often. I remember seeing on a flyer phrases like winner of “Chopin competition silver medal” and “Van Cliburn competition gold medal”. Or course I wouldn’t miss it. So I invited a friend and my brother to come along and got the tickets. Seeing the photo in the program, it reminded me the young guy in the Tschaikovsky. It’s Him!! So he did start his career as a professional pianist! I felt lucky that I didn’t miss the recital. However, the performance of that time was a bit disappointing. Though he’s got outstanding techniques but I didn’t enjoy his somehow violent timber. His Menphisto Waltz was like “fighting with ghosts”!! That’s not the Sultanov in my memory. I spent some time reading the program, and got to know that his career was forced to stop temporarily because of “health problem”. (Note) He just re-started his musical tour not long ago…

以前從來沒有動過找蘇塔諾夫CD的念頭，也許因為從來沒有聽說，也沒看到過。這次趁著店裡出清不小心找到，讓我真是如獲至寶，今天迫不及待地打開來聽，乾淨且控制得道的音色，以及流暢的音樂，那是我印象中的蘇塔諾夫！果然，錄音是在1990年，剛得到大獎沒多久。興之所至，我上了咕狗大師，找一找這位讓我心儀的音樂家，現在到底到哪裡去了。
I’ve never thought of looking for his CD recordings, probably because I’ve never heard of it or seen it with my eyes. So I couldn’t believe my eyes when I found it in the shop. I listened to it this afternoon. The touch is clean and well-controlled and the music is fluent and flowing. That’s the Sultanov in my memory. The CD was published in 1990, not long after he won the prize. I thought of finding some other works of him and what he’s up to at the moment, so I searched his name on Google.

進了第一個跳出來的網站，寫著「紀念蘇塔諾夫生日，特別節目…」繼續往下讀，「一顆巨星的殞落…」一開始，我也許是拒絕相信自己眼睛所看到的，不過定下心來繼續讀著，我懂了，眼眶也溼熱了起來~~~他走了，就在今年六月三十日，享年三十五歲。讀著網站上紀錄的點點滴滴，聽著他在輝煌時期的錄音，我心裡頭，只有天妒英才之憾…
The first site that appeared on the net showed “in memory of Sultanov’s birthday, there’s a special program…” I kept reading and saw “a bright star has gone from this earthly plane…” At the beginning I probably refused to believe what I read, but as I kept going I came to understand… and my eyes were wet… He’s gone. On June 30. He’s only 35 years old…Reading pages and bits on the site and listening to the recording of his golden age, it reminded me what Bernard Shaw said to the great violinist Heifetz, “If you provoke a jealous God by playing with such superhuman perfection, you will die young…”

註：後來跟老哥聊起來，才知道蘇塔諾夫第一次因為所謂的健康問題暫停演出，其實是因為身為空手道黑段高手的他，在練習劈磚的時候‘不慎’傷了手…鋼琴家練空手道，這我還是第一次聽說。小道消息來源，是留學俄羅斯、跟蘇塔諾夫同門的某華裔鋼琴家。
Note: I called my brother right after I got the news. He told me that the first time Sultanov stopped his musical career was due to the fact that he broke his hand/arm during karate practice! Pianist and karate… that’s the first time I’ve ever heard of it. The news came from another Chinese pianist who has followed the same maestro as Sultanov in Russia.

＜布達佩斯記行Budapest 2005＞遊客服務中心 Visitor Information Center

到一個新地方旅行，遊客服務中心往往是蒐集資料的寶地，從吃喝拉撒睡的大小事，到哪裡好玩、有什麼特別活動等，一般都可以在這裡找到資料。因此，我們抵達布達佩斯以後，也希望在第一時間內到遊客服務中心看看。
When visiting a new place, the visitor information center is one of the most important places to collect up-to-date information, from where to eat or where the public toilet is, to recommended places to visits or special events. It’s the most convenient place to tourists. Therefore, when we arrived Budapest, we hoped to find one as soon as possible.

抵達機場的當時，因為時間已晚，而且忙著尋找小巴載我們到市區，從出關到上小巴沒有花太多時間，當下也就沒有想到這檔子事。
When we arrived the airport, it’s already late in the evening. Not only because we’re busy looking for minibus and arranging the trip to city center, but also because it didn’t take too long from passport control to getting the bus, we didn’t think of checking the information center in the airport (if there’s any).

真的想到時，已經是第二天早上採買完畢以後的事了。離公寓不遠的地鐵站算是大站，也有市內主要的火車站，不過不管是地鐵站內或是火車站內，走來走去就是找不到一個長得很像遊客服務中心的地方，我們只好靠著旅遊書和地鐵站的資料，決定每個人各買一張一周乘車卷，一個星期以內無限次自由搭乘市內所有大眾運輸工具（不過不包括登山纜車），要價三千弗林（約莫12歐元），方便地很！之所以捨棄專為遊客設計的布達佩斯卡，實在是因為效期最長的三天票一張將近五千弗林，雖然將所有重要景點與博物館一網打盡，也有大眾運輸無限搭乘的設計，不過算來算去不一定划得來，更不想因此算計起來，想要在有效期內將所有能看的地方都走完，落入「到此一遊」窘境，加上國際博物館協會會員在許多國立博物館都可以享有折扣或免費入場的優惠，所以我們才決定捨棄方便的布達佩斯卡。
When I thought of finding an information center, it’s already the second day after we finished the grocery shopping in the morning. The metro stop close to our apartment is one of the major stops, and we’re not far from the main train station either. However, we didn’t find anything that looks like an information center in metro or train station, and we could only rely on our pocket guide and the information we got in the metro station to decide one of the most important issue, the transportation. We eventually got a weekly travel card that can allow unlimited travel in metro, bus and tram. The funicular that takes people up and down the Buda hill is not included. The travel card costs around 3,000 Hungarian Forint (around 12 Euro) and is quite convenient. We gave up the Budapest card, which is designed specifically for tourists. Even though it allows one to visit most tourist attractions in a fixed price (around 5,000 Forint) and transportation is included, there’re only one-day or three-day options and we would have to get two cards for each person. It’s not necessarily costing less! Also, I don’t want to fall into the “trap” that makes me want to visit as many places in the list as possible, just to accomplish a “visit list”… With ICOM membership I also get discounts or free admission. So we decided to take our chance.

我們找到的第一個遊客服務中心，是在布達丘上馬提亞斯教堂的對面。我走進去以後的第一件事，就是到處搜括各種傳單手冊，不過當我定下神一看，角落有個掛滿小卡片的旋轉架，好奇的我走了過去，簡直是如獲至寶！小小的架子上，粗估約有五十多種不同的卡片，供遊客隨意索取，卡片上有許多觀光景點、商店或餐廳等的基本資料，拿著卡片消費可以享受折扣或免費贈品，卡片的質感非常好，非常容易引起人們的收藏慾望，我站在架子前挑選了二十多張，入神到連旁邊有人照相都不知道~~~
The first visitor information center we found is situated on top of the Buda Hill, right across the Matthias Church. The first thing I did when I entered the center was picking up as many brochures as possible. When I “calmed down” and looked around, I found a small stand at the corner. I went to take a look, and found the most impressive treasure I’ve ever seen in a tourist information center. On this small stand there’re more than fifty kinds of small cards for tourists to collect at their will. On the card there’s the basic information of an attraction, a shop or a restaurant. If one goes to these places with the card he will be able to enjoy a discount or free gift. The quality of the card is superb and can easily raise one’s attention and interests. I stood in front of the stand collecting the cards. I was so concentrated that I didn’t even notice that someone’s taking picture of me.

我的旅遊書上寫著，我們在布達佩斯的那個星期剛好碰上慶祝蘇聯自匈牙利撤軍的布克蘇慶典（Bucsu Festival），書上寫的時間是我們抵達的第二天和第三天，地點在著名的鍊橋上，不過我們在鍊橋兩岸看了一下，並沒有什麼慶典的跡象…服務人員笑笑地拿了一份傳單給我們，表示慶典在週末舉行，詳細資料可以看一下傳單，這下子可真讓我們歡喜，慶幸自己的好運氣，怎麼這樣子誤打誤撞地剛好選到有節慶活動的時候跑來布達佩斯玩耍！
According to my pocket guide, we happened to arrive Budapest during the Bucsu Festival, which are celebrations to commemorate the departure of Soviet soldiers from Hungary. On the guide it’s written “22 and 23”, the third and the forth day of our arrival and there’re special events around the Chain Bridge. However, we looked around the Chain Bridge and found nothing… The lady in the center smilingly handed us a brochure and told us that the festival will be held in the weekend. We can check the brochure for detailed information. We felt so happy that we happened to choose the right time to be in the right place. There’s nothing better than participating the city festival during a trip.

然而，遊客服務中心給我們的好印象也到此為止而已…順手問了一下等一會兒想去參觀的國家美術館、布達佩斯市立歷史博物館和另一間位於布達丘上的美術館分別在哪裡，服務人員雖然沒有忘了多拿一份旅遊資料給我們，不過中心手上的資料過時，連美術館遷館好幾個月的消息都不知道，而位於城堡裡的歷史博物館因為慶典的準備工作而閉館一天，我們都是在隔兩天再次上到布達丘，發現自己不得其門而入的時候才發現的，更好玩的是，因為慶典的關係，星期六晚上大多數博物館會開放到隔天清晨的消息，還是後來透過友人知道的，而之後電詢所謂的二十四小時遊客服務所得到的資訊又錯誤百出，種種層出不窮的荒謬，總讓我們對該市遊客服務的滿意度大打折扣。
However, that’s the end of the good impression we have towards the service… We asked the exact locations of the National Gallery, the Budapest History Museum and the other art gallery. Though she didn’t forget to provide us with brochure and explained where they are, the information is not updated and she didn’t even know that the art gallery was relocated to another place some months ago. Also, the history museum that lies in the castle will be closed for the preparation of the festival… We didn’t know it until we went to the Buda hill again two days later specifically to visit these two places. The more funny thing is about a special initiative that various museums organized for the festival. Many museums were open on Saturday night until the next morning during the festival time. We didn’t know it until a friend mentioned it to us. And when we tried to call the so-called 24-hour tourist service hotline, the information given was wrong again!!! Obviously, we weren’t too happy with the services that were provided by the information center.

儘管如此，我還是無法否定遊客中心的便利性，只是現在回想起來，如果能有一些意見調查或遊客反應，我大概會好好的數落一番…在「沒有」跟「資訊錯誤百出」兩者之間，到底誰強過誰呢？
Even though, I still cannot deny the conveniences of such service. Now that I can think back, if there’s any place that I could provide feedback, I would probably write a long letter to complain… Between “nothing provided” and “wrong information given”, which is better anyway?

＜布達佩斯記行＞吃在匈牙利二

自助旅行最大的好處，就是可以自由安排行程，去一些自己感興趣的地方，不必將就著團體參觀活動，時間自行調度。我有一個讓許多人感到詫異的習慣，到一個新地方，我一定得去看看當地的傳統市場，了解當地人的飲食習慣，光是這一點，就可以是我不選擇團體旅遊的原因。（當然最主要的原因，還是在於我愛看博物館！）在出發前，我就已經跟克里斯和希薇亞提過我想要去市場走走的想法，他們倆人也頗感興趣，後來在手冊上看到一個離布達丘不遠的主要市場，我們便決定把它當成第三天早上的目的地。（有人可能會問，米奇怎麼都沒聲音？呵呵，這就是我和他旅行契合度百分百的原因，他有著非常旺盛的好奇心，看什麼東西都可以看的津津有味，所以在旅途中向來是我安排行程，他隨便怎麼跟著走都沒問題。）

我們順著地圖找到了這個所謂的傳統市場，乍看之下，這棟很現代的三層樓建築，還真讓我有點失望，跟我原本預期的街市有很大的出入。既來之則安之…市場裡井然有序，賣肉的賣菜的賣衣服的等等，很有規劃地自成一區，蔬菜與義大利並沒有太大的差異，只是看到那便宜到爆的櫻桃，我只恨沒法馬上買了洗乾淨大吃起來，米奇總是以「不方便」、「櫻桃沒法放背包裡悶」的理由拒絕我，讓我的饞蟲空留餘恨。市場中最讓我印象深刻的，大概是肉舖的數目與量，接下來的幾天中也證實，肉類在匈牙利人的飲食中，佔了很大的份量，後來回想起在市場看到的景象，也就不足為奇了。

到市場的時候，我們還沒有吃早餐哩！我、希薇亞和米奇趕緊找了一間看起來不錯的麵包店，各自選了麵包吃將起來，而克里斯則因為我們接下來的目的地是布達丘上的知名蛋糕店，寧可餓著肚子，等會兒再來大吃特吃。匈牙利人的早餐，跟我在台灣時的習慣差不多，咖啡加上口味繁多的甜麵包，不管是巧克力口味、淋著糖霜、肉桂、水果派、芝麻餡等琳瑯滿目，每次站在櫥窗前面，讓人口水直流，總是不知道要選哪一個好。相較之下，義大利人的早餐就很乏味了，永遠就是咖啡果汁加上固定四種口味（巧克力、甜奶油餡、杏桃果醬或不加料）的麵包。想當然爾，到了布達佩斯，每天早上我可是樂得很，選兩個麵包吃飽飽的，準備應付一天的行程。

離開市場，我們繼續往布達丘前進。搭乘登山纜車，是上到布達丘最便捷的方法，雖然票價貴到令人咋舌，一趟兩分鐘不到要價七百弗林（將近三歐元），不過這是觀賞布達佩斯市著名鐵鍊橋的最佳地點，因此我們還是忍痛掏了腰包，反正儘此一次。

上到布達丘，電纜車服務人員很好心地告訴我們，半小時過後有衛兵交換的儀式，不過我、希薇亞和米奇並不感興趣，因此克里斯一人留下等待，我們三人則往布達丘上最著名的蛋糕店前去。按著旅遊書找過去，遠遠就看到外頭桌子坐滿了人，米奇進去探了一下，運氣不錯，剛好有桌客人要走，我們趕緊坐了下來。服務生拿來的菜單，琳瑯滿目的點心與蛋糕，不過我們卻看不出個所以然，於是決定使出‘手指神功’，輪流到蛋糕櫃前面，選擇自己想吃的點心。每個人各點了兩塊蛋糕和一壺茶，小小一張桌子被佔地滿滿的，在六種蛋糕裡，最令我回味無窮的是特製櫻桃和獨家奶油餡兩種，若不是肚子已經撐到不行，還真想再點個兩塊來吃勒…

等到克里斯來到蛋糕店和我們會合，我們三人已經吃的差不多了，他大概是餓過了頭，此時反而什麼也吃不下，可惜了這麼一個好地方…只好待我們結完帳，繼續著這一天的布達丘之行。

＜布達佩斯記行＞恐懼之屋

恐懼之屋這個名稱，是照著英文名（House of Terror）直譯過來的。我手中的旅遊書並沒有提到這個地點，之所以會知道它的存在，是因為公寓主人在客廳裡留下一些旅遊資料讓我們參考，平常就愛看博物館的我，很自然地找到了布達佩斯的博物館名單，在簡介中看到「展示共產時代如何嚴刑拷打逼問犯人的工具」之類的敘述，直覺地想到幾年前曾經參觀過的酷刑博物館。好奇心驅使，即使之前參觀酷刑博物館的經驗並不愉快（請參照前文），我還是興致沖沖地跟大家提出參觀恐懼之屋的想法，雖然其他人看了簡介以後有點疑慮，不過也沒有說些什麼，這間博物館就這麼進了我們的參觀名單裡。

話說我們從李斯特紀念館走了出來，看看手錶，已經將近四點。從地址看來，恐懼之屋離李斯特紀念館並不遠，加上根據博物館簡介裡的敘述，這似乎是個不需要花太多時間參觀的博物館，而博物館開到下午六點，按理來說兩個小時應該是綽綽有餘，因此我們便按照地址前往。

Andra'ssy u't街上寬敞的林蔭大道，讓我想到台北市東區的敦化南路，一眼望去，我們並沒有馬上辨認出恐懼之屋的所在地。當我們越走越近，一棟造型特殊的建築物映入眼簾。說它造型特殊，倒不是因為它外觀上與其他建築物有什麼大不同的地方，主要的原因在屋頂上那片突出的屋簷和伸出人行道一半的牆面。從下方往上望去，大大的鏤空字樣「TERROR」，令人印象深刻，灰色的建築，讓我很直接地聯想到共產黨時代人們倍受壓迫的生活。

它並沒有裝飾華麗的入口，一扇像一般公寓入口的門，如果沒有刻意尋找，我們可能就這麼走了過去。和其他博物館不同的是，恐懼之屋的入口有一兩個警衛在站崗，往裡頭瞄了一眼，地面和牆壁上鋪設大理石所營造出的莊嚴感，加上隱隱若現的燭光，讓我回想起幾年前在美國華盛頓特區參觀的大屠殺紀念館。警衛並沒有要求安檢，不過倒是指了指門上「請勿照相」的牌子，刻意請我們把相機收起來。當時的我，已經隱約體會到，之前博物館簡介所給的印象，跟接下來所將看到的有很大的差距，恐懼之屋所呈現的，應該是與大屠殺紀念館類似的主題，收起相機，代表著我們對受難者的尊敬。

走進博物館，最先經過的是受難者紀念廳，莊嚴肅穆的氛圍，以及眼前的受難者紀念碑和許願燭，讓我們收拾起原本嘻笑的心情，開始嚴肅地看待這次的參觀。售票區黑地發亮的大理石，讓人的心情沉了下來，排隊的同時，我並沒有注意觀看牆上偌大的電視螢幕上正在播放些什麼，整個注意力都在柱子後方的那輛大坦克車上。

隨著其他參觀者魚貫進入展覽區，中央天井區的油池上，放著一輛軍用坦克，以顏色、稠度、氣味來看，池子裡應該是機油吧！平靜的池面映射著整個樓層，往走道的另一邊看去，牆面上密密麻麻一張張大頭照，大概是受難者名錄…看到這裡，回想到參觀大屠殺紀念館後難過到熱淚盈眶的心情，心裡頭激動了起來，我們順著方形的池子繞到另一側，正納悶著不知道該怎麼繼續下去，有個參觀者從眼前的樓梯走了下來，「你們得去坐另一邊的電梯，展示從三樓開始！」他好心地告訴我們。我於是往坦克旁的賣店走了進去，想要買本導攬手冊，但是，看來看去就是不見英文版的蹤影，問了店員，原來正在重印，還問我要不要帶匈牙利文版，我還真的動手翻了一下…法文西文就算了，用我彆腳的義大利文還可以猜一猜，德文翻字典勉強看得懂，匈牙利文？門兒都沒有！一點一撇的，看起來真是火星文，看不懂連到哪裡問都不知道，算了，買書的錢省下來拿去買相機票吧！一問之下，「本館禁止拍照」，連付費都不可以~~~還好我有準備筆記書，至於影像，只好真的記在腦子裡了…真是遺憾啊！

我們坐著透明電梯上到三樓，順著指示走進了第一個展示區。紅色帶給人血腥與迫害的感受。入口右手邊的四個大型液晶螢幕，一次又一次地重複播放著，匈牙利的領土如何在二十世紀上半葉受到鄰國的鯨吞蠶食，佇立在展示區中央的牆板，兩側各有電視牆，大戰摧殘至蘇聯入侵佔領，一幕幕戰爭、侵略、斷垣殘牆的景象歷歷在目，讓人不忍觀看，配上令人窒息的音樂，簡直是悲情到了極點。這下子我明白了，簡單來說，這間博物館講的是匈牙利二十世紀的歷史，對於匈國印象只停留在「前共黨國家」的我，本來就想要看看此類主題的博物館，所以算是被我誤打誤撞找到了，只不過，參觀的時間也未免太早了些，感覺上我才剛到這個地方，心理上完全沒有進入狀況…

同行的克里斯，原本就對二十世紀共產黨發展很有概念，所以他大概是四人之中看得最有心得的一個。至於我，則因為對這個國家不夠了解，加上每一個展示區說明單上的資訊太過繁瑣，說實話，我大概只看懂了一半吧！拿了一疊說明單回家，到現在連碰都沒時間碰（趕稿寫部落格的時間都不夠了…哪有時間看閒書）。不過，因為館內用了許多造景與口述歷史的手法，在聽故事和‘身歷其境的假象’下，還是讓我留下許多深刻的印象。展示花了許多功夫著墨共產黨如何逐漸掌握這個國家的治理權，以及這樣的過程發展對人們造成什麼影響，而它所述說的歷史，我大概只能用瞠目結舌來形容我的感受，深深慶幸自己並沒有生長在這樣的一個地方。

參觀過程中還有另一個小插曲，在和希薇亞討論的時候，我突然沒來由地大叫：「我想到了！」之前嘴裡一直唸著這間博物館的名字，感覺上並不是第一次聽到，參觀到一半我才想起來，今年二月到杜林市參加以「博物館說故事」為題的研討會，恐懼之屋的展示設計者曾經和與會者分享這個專案的經驗談，許多已經到此參觀過的同行，也大力推薦之。在我參觀的過程中，也因為設計者的仔細而深受感動，只是，語言所造成的障礙依舊，很多時候也無法避免，當下還有一點「為什麼我聽不懂匈牙利文」的遺憾。

與大屠殺紀念館比較起來，恐懼之屋所呈現的事實較為中肯，也許因為美國式手法擅於操弄情感，利用各種感官來營造氣氛，雖然更能達到撼動人心之效，有時也卻顯太過；相對地，恐懼之屋儘管規模、氣勢、館齡上都不比大屠殺紀念館，不過平實直敘的展示，在我腦海裡留下的深刻印象，並非大屠殺紀念館所能夠比擬的。

我們四人是最後一批離開的參觀者。因為時間緊迫，很多地方並沒有仔細觀看，也算憾事一件。哪一天我若是重回布達佩斯，這間博物館必將成為Must-See的第一名，不過在此之前，我只能透過自己淺薄的記憶，與官網上密密麻麻的資訊和些許照片，來回味這次的參觀行。

猶太受難紀念日有感(舊文新貼)

一月二十七日，義大利的電視上充滿著有關第二次世界大戰猶太人受難的節目，以及有關各種紀念典禮的消息，不禁讓我想起2001年年初訪美參觀華盛頓特區大屠殺紀念館的情形。

這座博物館紀念的是第二次世界大戰期間在德國納粹統治下死亡和受難的人，建築師在設計之初，走訪了各地的猶太集中營，檢驗當時猶太人聚居地點所採用的各種材質與結構，而設計出這棟與其他博物館大不相同的建築物。許多新建的博物館，在外觀設計上抑或積極正面，不然就是力求中性，很少會刻意利用硬體建築與空間配置來影響參觀者，然而設計這座博物館的建築師James Ingo Freed，卻利用各種抽象的形式，或自我創作或汲取參觀集中營的經驗，目的就是要讓建築物本身能夠反映出博物館所呈現的主題與其歷史，企圖引起參觀者的共鳴與詮釋，引發並刺激情緒，讓人感同身受。我想，在參觀過這座博物館以後，我自己實實在在地經歷了上面所說的這些，在我自己的參觀經驗之中，這大概是情緒最為激昂澎湃的一次。

還記得一踏進博物館大門，就被程度上並不亞於機場的嚴格安檢給嚇了一跳。在通過安檢以後，親切的博物館工作人員走上前來，大概因為我們去的時候正值寒冬，訪客人數並不多，所以本來需要先行預約才能參觀的常設展示，就讓我們大刺刺地在櫃檯領了票、走進電梯而直達展示樓層。過了三年才來寫參觀感想，說實在話我也只是零星記得展室的片段，印象最深的，大概就是納粹利用集中營內的猶太人作為人體實驗以及有關毒氣室的內容，參觀期間看到許多令人於心不忍且不堪入目的照片，配合上文字，讓人對納粹在二次大戰期間的暴行留下深刻卻不忍記憶的印象。不巧的是，當天剛好是我老公的生日，讓我頻頻向老公道歉，竟在生日的當天把他帶來這樣主題的博物館。還沒有看到最後，我們兩人的淚水已經在眼框裡打轉，而當我們走出展示區，眼前出現了讓人靜思緬懷的Hall of Remembrance，滿滿的紀念燭與中央的記憶之火，淚水終於奪眶而出，心中激動的情緒久久無法自己。這座在內容、收藏與詮釋方式皆屬上選的博物館，讓我們在裡面足足看了四個小時，心中百感交集，讓我在接下來的幾年中仍無法忘懷，至此還不願意再度走入這座博物館，原因無他，只因為它對情緒的衝擊實在是太大了。

思緒回到電視上看到的種種，不禁讓我想到多年前觀賞「辛德勒名單」的感受，再想想以色列在加薩走廊與對巴勒斯坦人的所作所為，著實諷刺…

展示一隅，從博物館官網抓下來的圖片。