All about Paper / 紙醉紙迷

阿瑪菲是遊南義的重頭戲，千萬名旅客來到此處就是為了造訪阿瑪菲海岸線和沿路幾個具有明媚風光的小鎮。我們一早從熱鬧的蘇連多搭巴士前往阿瑪菲的途中，山路九彎十八拐，但沿海的風景令人讚嘆到每一刻都值得紀錄，所有長途跋涉的辛勞都被我們拋諸腦後。而阿瑪菲就是等待於終點的驚嘆號，遊客如織，店面充滿蓬勃的生氣，海岸邊處處都是急於享受夏日陽光的泳客，五彩繽紛的遮洋傘從沙灘的一端延伸到另一端，好像說著，人生來就是要盡情享受。

Amalfi is one of the highlights of traveling in South Italy. Thousands of tourists come here for the amazing Amalfi coast and several towns located along the way known for their unique features. We took a bus in the morning from the bustling Sorrento. The narrow roads turned and twisted, but the seascape was more than stunning. Every scene was worth recording. The beauty of nature made us leave way behind the difficulty of independent traveling. Amalfis is the quotation mark that awaits tourists at the final point. Tourists fill the streets, store owners shout to bring in more business, and the beach is crowded with sun-bathers eager for the caress of sunlight. Everything says, "Life is all about carpe diem!"

我來到阿瑪菲除了享受美景之外，另外還抱著滿懷的期待，因為據說這裡的手工紙是出了名的，旅行途中雖然經過不少販賣手工紙的精品文具店，卻大多不是用來繪畫。果然一走入主要的購物街，便接二連三地看到阿瑪菲牌的水彩紙，最後因為攜帶方便的考量，選了17 x 24公分的迷你size，不過千萬別小看它，因為這本紙冊價錢不菲，算一算下來，每畫壞一張17 x 24公分的紙張就等與丟近水溝一枚50元台幣。

Apart from enjoying the beautiful views of Amalfi, I went for something much more important. The town is said to be known for its hand-made paper. I'd traveled around Italy only to find hand-made letter sets in many stationery boutiques. Fortunately, Amalfi didn't disappoint me. Some stores on the main shopping street do display the one and only brand of Amalfi paper. I chose the mini-size of 17 x 24 cm given the limited space in my luggage. However, it's far from cheap. Whenever I ruin a piece, it means I waste a 50-NTD coin.

這樣珍貴的紙畫起來是怎麼樣的感覺？阿瑪菲紙必須吸大量的水，而且在吸水之前需要一點時間消化，水量中等的效果很像寫書法時，有一些地方會出現細小的白點，感覺有山水畫裡的蒼勁。

How does it feel to paint on such precious paper? Amalfi paper absorbs much water. Before that, it takes some time for the paper to digest. Without that much water, the effect reminds me of writing calligraphy. Some teeny-tiny white spots appear even within large blocks of color. That feel is kind like in mountain-and water ink painting.

因為這次的旅行，我和如此特別的紙相遇，這是我體驗世界的方法。

Because of this trip, I had a beautiful encounter with such special paper. And this is how I experience the world.