Day 1
飛機經過土耳其黑海岸邊
不過係夜晚，所以淨係見到上面好多燈光
第一個目標係去酒店擺低啲行李。
一開始唔熟英國啲鐵路點玩，而落機又係去咗 T5。孤寒唔搭 Heathrow Express，等 Elizabeth Line 等咗半粒鐘，最後都慢慢嗷咗去 Paddington 轉車。
第一站係白金漢宮。老婆話想睇十一點嘅衛兵交接儀式。我哋去到，好似唔係好多人。時間去到差唔多十一點，冇咩動靜。然後佢忽然話：呀，好似錯咗日子... （難怪啲人喺個鐵欄邊睇咗幾分鐘就走啦）
個天超級晴朗，藍天白雲，成為咗呢一程英國旅行嘅基調。 (i.e. 曬到仆街)
--
之後走咗去參觀 Royal Mews。睇啲馬同馬車。啱啱有個 guided tour。個 tour guide 話馬車要外邊有人開門，我作為好學生舉手發問：Is it physically impossible to open from inside? 得到確認。呢啲設計真係犀利。
最大最浮誇嘅馬車係 Gold State Coach，聽聞係睇得唔坐得。
As the coach is suspended from braces, it lacks more modern comfort. Modern coaches such as the Australian State Coach and the Diamond Jubilee State Coach have electric windows, heating and hydraulic stabilizers.
Most monarchs have expressed displeasure in riding the Gold State Coach. In the words of King William IV, a former naval officer, being driven in the Gold State Coach was like being on board a ship "tossing in a rough sea". Queen Victoria complained of the "distressing oscillation" of the cabin. She would often refuse to ride in the Gold State Coach. A later monarch, King George VI said that his journey from the palace to Westminster Abbey for his coronation was "one of the most uncomfortable rides I have ever had in my life".[7] He had the coach overhauled after the Second World War to rubberize the iron-bound wheels. This would afford at least some comfort to the passengers.[1] Queen Elizabeth II referred to her coronation journey in the coach as "horrible" and "not very comfortable", which is possibly why it was not used for her Diamond Jubilee when she was aged 86, having previously featured in her Silver and Golden Jubilee celebrations.[8] It was brought back as part of a pageant for her Platinum Jubilee celebrations with a Pepper's ghost effect being used to show archive film of the young Queen waving to crowds from the coach.[9][10] King Charles III opted to take the Diamond Jubilee State Coach to his coronation, opting to only use the Gold State Coach on the return to Buckingham Palace due to the ride quality.[11]
啲馬車好多都以英(帝)國嘅領土命名，例如 Scottish State Coach, Irish State Coach, Australian State Coach... 而 Gold State Coach 嘅 symbolism 就係由海神海怪開路，英王將海神踩在腳下，象徵英國作為海上霸主嘅地位。
某程度上個象徵意義都幾惡。
個 guide 話 Gold State Coach 動用嘅時候，因為 London Mews 啲建築嘅嘅門唔夠大，所以係要拆咗個門側邊啲牆先可以搬到佢出嚟。真係超大工程。
--
參觀白金漢宮
入面唔影得相。豪華就固然，但我個人感覺就比較係，英國王室好有一種暴發戶嘅感覺。
裝修風格係「抄」返嚟嘅，主要係「埃及 => 希臘 => 羅馬」咁樣，越抄越得個樣。例如埃及古神廟嘅巨型石柱，變咗懶高級嘅室內裝飾風格。同埋我好懷疑埃及掘出嚟咁多石器，佢哋都學咗用瓷器代替，又係擺出嚟懶高貴。而啲杯杯碟碟，基本上係中式茶具嚟。
話英國係暴發戶一啲都唔過份。英國本身係歐洲文明嘅邊沿國家 (而家都係，見 #Brexit)，到咗17、18世紀喺大航海時代，靠地理位置食正航海條水，一夜之間發展成「日不落帝國」。但本身英國文化上算係蠻夷中嘅蠻夷，流住一半維京人血脈嘅後果就係海上生意做得出色，但文化上只能夠靠外來輸入。
當然 19、20世紀英國人才輩出，但英國 show 俾人睇嘅，係佢哋最輝煌嘅一刻，定格咗喺兩三百年前，仍然充斥住暴發戶氣息嘅奢華寫照。
--
之後行咗陣 Hyde Park
同鴨鴨鵝鵝一齊爭飲水機用
--
去咗 Mercato Mayfair 。嗰度本身係一個教堂，改裝咗做 food court。個祭壇都可以行上去，唯一留返個薄面就係寫住上面唔可以食嘢⋯
我本身唔多肚餓，老婆就嗌咗個 Lobster roll 食。味道唔錯，不過一個「街邊小食」feel 嘅包，俾咗廿磅⋯ :-/ (倫敦物價高漲嘛，我睇 bloomberg 都知...)
由於嗰幾日倫敦比想像中凍，我即刻喺馬沙買咗件羽絨。當晚酒店個冷氣唔知點解凍到仆街，又唔記得叫佢攞多張被，好彩用件羽絨頂咗一晚。
-----
Day 2
大清早冇咩好做，就走咗去行 Hyde Park （酒店對面就係）
之後喺 Hyde Park 另一個出口出。
一出公園就係 Albert Memorial。
老老實實，唔知呢嚿嘢係為啲乜。
英國尤其倫敦周街都係呢類「紀念」石象，有啲的確係舉足輕重嘅人物，但好似呢啲，就更似係皇家嘅高級graffiti。
路經 Royal College of Music 同 Imperial College，影個相，打個卡。
其實是日目的地係大英博物館。附近有個咁嘅嘢：
叫 St George's Church, Bloomsbury。十八世紀起嘅。扮眾神廟，十分搞笑。
行咗咁多地方，博物館仲未開門，所以就去咗間餐廳食早餐。
好似係老婆叫咗個 cheesecake。幾好味咁。
博物館太多嘢，本身都影唔到咁多。影咗幾百張相，呢度又放唔到咁多。淨係 show 啲有趣嘅。
呢個石像據稱係來自 100-200BC Etruscan (現意大利半島) 嘅。望落去勁似佛像。
所以咩 Greco-Buddhism 真係唔可以睇小。
而呢個係觀音菩薩同豬八戒
再一個
然後呢個唔知搞乜，中間有個窿。
奇怪位係：(1) 如果係遠古整嘅，照計唔會有人特登喺上面雕刻人像。 (2) 如果係雕刻之後鑽嘅，又有咩目的要喺嗰個位鑽？
中國遠古嘅玉器有咩特別（功能），又係一個迷嚟。以前玉比金貴，究竟點解？
乾隆嘅鼎 (?)
..... 呀唔係，係香爐.....
西王母，老是常出現 (究竟世界上有幾多件呢啲雕像？)
John Dee 嘅魔法陣
石像嘅癲瘋：表面光滑，輪廓分明，紋路精細，左右對稱
好得意嘅瑪雅公仔圖。有少少令人諗起中文方塊字。
半年前喺埃及見唔到真跡，聽聞呢個係真嘅
又係奇怪嘅窿
呢個⋯ 「耐人尋味」
午餐。麻麻哋。
呢個係下午茶 / 晚餐。佢嗰個幾好睇，而我嗰個幾好食。
換個角度先睇得出佢碟嘢有幾浮誇。
去咗唐人街打卡
第三日，我哋去參觀議會、西敏寺，然後睇 Phantom of the Opera 。
唔知點解總覺得呢個石像總有啲惡趣味。
大堂係咁樣。張櫈係幾好坐。
之後入面唔係好影得相。去咗上議院同下議院。上議院啲擺設真係浮華好多。
--
西敏寺，英國皇家聖堂。華麗還華麗，令我有少少意外嘅係佢入面周圍都係墓棺。即係感覺上無論佢喺公共領域有冇正面貢獻，只要同王室有親就可以享有幾百年後每日俾幾千人經過你身邊嘅榮耀⋯
啲墓棺風格橫跨差唔多一千年，有新有舊，somehow 華麗得嚟有種好凌亂嘅感覺。
btw 西敏寺真係超多人。超多人。某啲出名嘅人嘅墓 (eg. QE2) 係會排長龍好塞車嘅。我哋 skip 咗。
午餐係呢個，西敏寺附近一間餐廳。
--
Phantom of the Opera 未開場個樣。
套劇咁出名果然係有啲料到。幾好睇。老婆睇得好開心。
我就睇得麻麻地開心。側邊有個肥婆 (澄清：我老婆好瘦的)，一坐落嚟 dut 住我。本身我都唔瘦，搞到每程同佢交換咗啲體溫，真係気持ち悪い⋯ 好彩下半場我早有準備，佢去完廁所再坐返落嚟嗰陣，我谷實大腿肌肉，守住我本應擁有嘅空間，然後似乎佢霸到嘅位少咗，算係可以接受咁樣睇埋下半場⋯
之後喺附近亂咁行。夜晚食咗個普普通通嘅 fish and chips。
彩蛋：發現酒店附近有間華人超市仔。呢樣嘢本身好正常，但咁樣⋯⋯ 有少少地獄。
No comments:
Post a Comment