韓版流星花園

書蟲
Bookworm
高中第一次接觸莎士比亞，應該與許多接觸英/美式教育的高中學生一樣，不是『凱薩大帝』、就是『羅密歐與朱麗葉』。當年遇到我人生中第三位恩師 - Margaret Wallace，讓我了解了文學這個領域，更讓我深深的愛上英國文學。不過對於當時的我來說，親自造訪Stratford，簡直就遙不可及。沒想到過了好幾年後，我真的親自來到這裡，見識到莎士比亞的故鄉。
這兩天的行程，第一天的天氣相當不錯。不過到了第二天就開始下起雨來了。雖然這樣的天氣有損照片的品質，不過實際上，兩天下來該看得都看到了。連原本沒有預計要看的也看到了。可以說是非常的充實。
I first encountered Shakespeare, just like many other high school students, through 'Romeo and Juliet'.  It was during that time, when I encountered one of the teachers who had made the greatest influence in my life - Margaret Wallace.  She made me understand what literature was, and also made me fall in love with it.  However, back then, I would have never imagined that one day, I would actually set foot in Shakespeare's home town.  It seemed so ever-so-far from where I stood.

這是我去曼城的Visitor Centre看到一本專門介紹Stratford-upon-Avon的旅遊雜誌中所看到的B&B。雜誌中只有大概的價格，設備，以及地址。實際的圖片是到了他們的網站上才看到的。其實當初會選擇這家的原因，是因為在安排過程中以電話詢問其他兩間B&B卻只聽到已無空房的消息。後來到這個網站上看到可以直接在網路上訂房，也可以在網路上看到哪幾天還有幾間空房，就直接以上面還有空房的日期來決定我們改期的日子。所以原本決定在七月二十四日出發，才會因此延後到八月三日。
之前有說過，安排這次行程的確花了不少時間。不過，我覺得這一切都很值得。主要的原因，是因為這間B&B的老闆 - Pascal，實在是太盡責了。我們先來瞧瞧房間內部，再來細談這位Pascal到底有多盡責。
I found this B&B in a magazine on Stratford at the Visitor Centre in Manchester.  The magazine only told us the relative price range, the facilities, and the address.  We only saw the actual picture of the B&B when we logged on to their webpage.  At first, we tried to phone other accommodations, but only to find that they were fully booked.  To save us from further trouble, we chose to arrange our trip around the availability of rooms in this B&B, because that information is readily available online.  This is the main reason why we moved our original plan of departing on the 24th of July, to the 3rd of August. 
I've mentioned before, how much hassle we'd had to go through to arrange this trip.  In the end, I think it was well worth the trifle.  The main reason is the owner of this B&B - Pascal.  Let's see what the room looks like before I go into more detail.
因為睡單人小床睡太久，很惡霸的跟我同學要了這張床來睡。

這裡不是倫敦。沒有哈利波特那9 3/4月台。也不會通往Hogwarts學院。其實來利物浦這麼久了，我一直到最近幾個月才真正踏入這個車站。之前搭火車都是到比較小的Macromedia相關系列Liverpool Central。直到有朋友來訪，我才第一次見識到Liverpool Lime Street車站原來裡面這麼的壯觀。
而也第一次見識到，原來英國有各式各樣的火車。常常聽人說火車誤點或是取消的麻煩事。不過幸好我自己倒是還沒有碰上過。與朋友去Stratford，還有之後自己坐火車去Cardiff，旅程都很順利。無論是換車，或是抵達時間，都是一切順順順。刻意安排將Stratford排在自己單獨去Cardiff行程前，其實為的就是要很低調的讓人家帶過一次，未分類程式這樣自己單獨行的時候才不會很茫然什麼都不會。以前常怪某人不會善用台灣的大眾運輸工具。來到英國才發現，原來到了異鄉，即使語言上不成問題，還是需要很大的勇氣啊！
This is not London.  There is no 9 3/4 platform, and there are no trains that will take you to Hogwarts.  After having been here for a while already, I have to admit that I had only first set foot inside this station recently.  My previous train rides all departed from a smaller station - Liverpool Central.  It was not until I had to pick up a friend here, that I first saw how impressive this station really is. 
Because it was my first experience, I noticed for the first time how many varieties of trains there were.  I've frequently heard about delays and cancellations, but I had not encountered those during my few travels so far.  Everything ran very smoothly when I went to Stratford with my friend, and also when I was on my own to Cardiff.  Transferring, departure times, and arrival times were all well in control.  I intentionally arranged for the trip to Stratford to be before my trip to Cardiff because I wanted someone to take me through the process before I do it on my own.  I used to moan at Jason for not taking advantage of the public transport systems in Taiwan, but it was only until I arrived here, did I realise that it can be a very big deal for an expat, even if you have no language barrier!
不同於Mersey地區內的火車列車，漫畫CD這些走長途路線的車廂都很乾淨，也很舒適。不過還是比不過台灣的自強號。為什麼哩？因為位子都不能調整喔！一定要一路『直直地』坐到底才行。

在此篇文章中，IntreVideo說明了Stratford-upon-Avon之旅對我的的重大意義。為了與大家共享這段無價旅程的經驗，國小.國中.高中.升學教學

Manchester Metrolink
好像沒什麼好稀奇的。不過我沒坐過這種輕鐵，所以特地花了一點小錢來體驗一下。不過這段時間去的真不巧。因為軌道處處封閉都在維修。不是想去哪裡就可以去的。至於上了電車後我搭到哪裡去哩？下篇將會揭曉。不過，IntreVideo大家要不要來猜猜看呢？你們絕對想不到的。呵呵。
I guess it's not that big a deal.  But seeing that I had never been on a tram, it was still an experience waiting for me to try out.  It wasn't the best time to experience the tram, as certain stops were closed down.  The places I could get to was very limited.  Speaking of that, I'd like you to see if you can guess where I went on the tram.  My guess is that you'll probably never guess it. 
車廂內部。財務、管理、記帳軟體Inside the tram.
曼撤斯特輕鐵最初建造計畫差不多在70至80年代開始。最後到了1992年七月，終於由伊麗莎白女王親自駕臨開幕儀式。整個路網在經過多次修改之後，目前約23哩長，並一共有37站。目前改造的工程其中包含了擴展到曼撤斯特機場的路線。相信完工之後會帶給當地民眾以及旅客不少旅程上的方便。

注意：曼聯迷勿入！！
Warning: Man. United Fans Prohibited.
什麼！！一個號稱是當紅利物浦球隊西班牙籍前鋒 Fernando Torres 的老婆，竟然跑去敵軍戰營 Old Trafford！！有沒有搞錯啊！？沒錯！！由於晃完教堂之後，當下覺得市區好像沒其他有看頭的地方，我只好淪落到搭上Metrolink，來到的敵軍戰營Old Trafford來閒晃！不過，除了覺得這個球場的確是很壯觀之外，其餘的時間，我都在努力的隱藏我的苦瓜臉。因為要是被人家看到了，一定馬上就認出我這個『間諜』來啦！
It's true!  I admit! I went to Old Trafford! How was this possible, though, for someone who claims to be the number one fan of the Spanish striker for Liverpool, Fernando Torres, to visit such a horrible place!  Well, after seeing the cathedral, I decided that there was not much left to see in the city centre.  That is the only reason I decided to see what Old Trafford is all about!  Other than the fact that it is undeniably an impressive stadium, from the outside, there is not much more I have to say.  I spent the whole time trying to refrain myself from making funny faces at it.  After all, I didn't want to get myself into trouble.
球場附近的pub。

University of Manchester的某棟大樓。
One of the many university buildings.
什麼？從去年九月二十二日從曼撤斯特機場入境之後，我就再也沒再踏入曼城一步過了！？大家聽到都覺得有點不可思議。曼城可是大家都逛到不想再逛的地方了，我竟然只到過機場。點點點。一個人旅遊的優點很多，但是缺點就是，若是沒有動力，真的會一拖再拖。所以擇日不如撞日。我隨便選了個日子，告訴我再曼城的朋友說我那天會去。因為話一說出口，駟馬難追。這下子就真的得出發啦。
之前就有稍微看了一下火車以及coach到曼城的價錢。火車￡10不到，但coach只要￡6.50。既然車程不長，當然是選比較便宜的coach囉！其實說實在的，這可以說是我第一次在英國一個人坐coach呢。認識了許多新朋友之後，有的時候會習慣依賴朋友。這次曼城之旅對我來說最大的收穫不是在於看到的景色，而是除了見到老朋友之外，我那細胞裡『一個人去流浪』的慾望又再度燃起囉！
會這麼說得原因呢，音樂素材其實是曼城真的跟大家口述的一樣，就是一個大城市。沒什麼特色。就連他們中國城的拱門，都沒我們利物浦的來的要大。不過最令我失望的是，這麼一座大城市的Linux系列教堂，居然一點看頭都沒有。不過雖然對曼城這個城市非常的失望，但這一趟旅程還是超級有意義的囉。再怎麼說，也都是一種有趣的體驗囉！

01
不過就是個摩天輪，台北也有、迪士尼CD高雄也有。規模也不比倫敦之眼來的壯觀。升學、留學、國家考試DVD只是既然來了，就當作是練習拍照。天氣時好時壞，也算是英國天氣的特色。瞧！這些照片中可輕易看出，往某個角度拍攝，就是灰色的天空。再換個角度拍攝，又變成了藍天白雲。
It's just an ordinary ferris wheel.  We have our own in Taipei and Kaohsiung.  It's not even worth comparing to the London Eye.  But since I'm here, I took the opportunity to brush up my photography skills, if I have any.  You'll see in these pictures, a portrayal of typical English weather.  From one angle, the azure sky provides a beautiful backdrop to the wheel, but from an other angle, the sky looks dim and miserable.
02 藍天白雲 Blue sky and cotton candy
03 天灰灰 Grey cloudy backdrop

第一眼看到這座教堂，我整個人都傻掉了。為什麼這座位於這麼繁榮城市的教堂，會這麼的不起眼？所謂不起眼的地方，當然主要是指他的大小。對於一個比利物浦還要繁榮的城市而言，主要的大教堂就這麼一間？而相較之下，利物浦這種不大又不小的港都，音樂素材主要的大教堂就有兩間。這點實在令人匪夷所思。
不過上網查了資料以後才發現，原來是我有眼不識泰山。這座教堂的歷史遠遠超越利物浦的兩間大教堂。這間原名The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George in Manchester的教堂，事實上早在第八世紀就建立了。而在第二次世界大戰中，大部分慘遭德軍空襲毀損。重建工程花了約二十年才完工。1952年被正式列入Grade I of Listed Buildings。但在1996，再度慘遭愛爾蘭共和軍襲擊造成部份毀損。該教堂存有大量的歷史性資料庫。最古老的文件可追朔到十五世紀。
When I first caught sight of the cathedral, I was absolutely taken aback.  It was not because of how spectacular it was, but quite on the contrary, it was by how little the cathedral was in such an urbanised city as Manchester.  I couldn't come to figure out the reason why a medium-sized city like Liverpool would have two large-scale cathedrals, but a city as large as Manchester only had one significant cathedral.  After checking up on its history, I've decided that size isn't the only thing that mattered.
Manchester Cathedral was originally names 'The Cathdral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George in Manchester'.  It is a medieval church constructed in the 8th centry.  During the second World War, the Blitz destroyed most of the cathedral, and took twenty years for the reconstruction to complete.  In 1952, it became an official Grade I of Listed Buildings.  However, parts of it got destroyed, again, by an IRA attack in 1996.  The cathedral has an extensive archive of documents dating all the way back to the fifteenth century. 
教堂外觀 Exterior of the cathedral.

威爾斯愛情湯匙

聽說今天是七夕。DVD合輯所以天仙決定來插播一篇應景文，來送給世界各地的情人。電腦認證與應用學習希望大家能夠每天都甜蜜、每天都幸福。若是情人不在身邊也沒關係，只要你心裡有他/她，其實也可以很開心、漫畫CD很快樂的囉！
這篇要介紹的是威爾斯的特產『愛情湯匙』- Love Spoon。可別小看這玩意兒。這篇拍到的愛情湯匙都只是簡單小小的紀念品。少則￡2 ~￡5就可以買到一個回家做紀念，或是送給情人當作定情物。導航地圖不過也有很高級的。貴則到￡20以上都有的呢！

這不是一塊荒廢的空地。這是考古學家只挖出一半的羅馬露天劇場。歷史可以追溯到第一世紀。原本是拿來當作是軍隊訓練營。但後來也拿來鬥雞、鬥牛、XBOX360-DVD9及其他競技運動[當然包含大家所熟悉的角鬥]的場所。圖片右上方所見到的教堂即是『聖約翰聖洗者教堂』。
This is not an abandoned site.  This is the ruin of a Roman amphitheatre, of which archeologists have only half uncovered.  The history of this amphitheatre can be traced back to the first century, when it was initially used as a training and drill site for soldiers.  Later, it was also used for cockfighting, bull-baiting, and other combat sports, including gladiatorial combat.  The building you see on the top right hand corner is the Church of St. John the Baptist.
這位老兄是要來帶領其他羅馬小兵來認識古羅馬對切斯特的影響。
This bloke is dressed as a Roman to instruct the little gladiators about Roman influences on Chester.
他不是在瞪我啦！探索、國家、知識頻道VCD