Edinburgh / 愛丁堡

五月底在倫敦享受了一週的夏日天氣，多少也希望這樣的好日子在愛丁堡的旅行也能持續，不過因為太多人警告我，蘇格蘭的陰雨是常態，我自然也沒過份的要求。在皇家哩大道上行走時，突然下去大雨，我們就躲進繽紛的紀念品店，欣賞美麗的蘇格蘭圍巾。

Since we were blessed with a week's summery weather in late May, I, more or less, prayed for the same lovely days when I traveled in Edinburgh. However, too many people had warned me beforehand about the gloomy weather in Scotland. I knew better than to be too demanding. While we walked along the Royal Mile, it started to pour. We thus hopped into colorful souvenir shops to feast our eyes on the beautiful Scottish scarves.

雖然已經是春末夏初，愛丁堡仍舊寒涼，連當地人看起來也很需要熱熱的咖啡取暖。

Though it was already the end of spring, or the beginning of summer, it was quite chilly in Edinburgh. Even the locals were in need of turning to steaming coffee for some warmth. 

愛丁堡的建築不是淺褐色就是深灰色，房子比英格蘭大許多，風格也相當整齊，很有高原的大器。上圖背景是聖賈爾斯大教堂，雖然外牆灰濛濛的，教堂裡又是另一種風景，在下雨天裡給人很溫馨的感覺。

The facades of buildings in Edinburgh are either light ochre or dark gray. In terms of size, they are more spacious than their counterparts in England. The architectural styles are quite consistent, reminding me of the wild highland life. In the background of the photo above is St. Giles Church. Though it appears to be kind of dark on the outside, the inside is pretty heart-and-body-warming on a rainy day.

在倫敦住了九個多月，發現英國有自己的一套路名系統，去愛丁堡又學到「close」指的是從街上通到房屋中庭或樓梯的狹窄通道。

Having lived in London for more than nine months, I discovered that Britons have their set of words referring to different kinds of roads or space. In Edinburgh, we learned that "close" refers to a narrow passage that leads from a street to a court and houses within or to the common stairway of tenements.

愛丁堡的韋佛利車站在橋下，從上往下看像是一群白帳蓬形成的組合屋。

Waverley Station lies one level lower than the main bridge. Looked at from the bridge, it seems like a huge building made up of numerous white tents. 

雖然愛丁堡已是發展完備的城市，但就像倫敦，仍有進行中的基礎建設，例如著名的購物街王子街上正在建一條纜車線。回到倫敦讀了衛報才知道蘇格蘭在2014年要獨立公投。

Though Edinburgh is a well-developed  city, like London, there is infrastructure work going on. For example, a tram line is being constructed on the famous shopping street Princes Street. Also, when I read the Guardian after going back to London, I l realized that a referendum will be carried out on the Scottish independence in the autumn of 2014. 

所以說，就算是說同一種語言，甚至享有相同的歷史背景，仍然會有不同的民族情節啊！

I come to a conclusion that it makes sense for people who speak the same language and share the same historical background to identify with different governments. 

蘇格蘭也有自己發行的鈔票喔！

Scotland's tenners are of a different look! 

其實我們只花了一天在愛丁堡旅行，能看的景點有限，但還好我們去了愛丁堡城堡，這是了解蘇格蘭歷史的好所在。

In fact, we spent no more than one day traveling in Edinburgh, so naturally we could see only a very small number of places. Fortunately we went to the Edinburgh Castle, which is a very good start to learn about the history of Scotland. 

城堡建於火山石上，最高處約一百三十公尺。

The castle stands upon an extinct volcano. The summit of the Castle Rock is 130 metres above sea level. 

我閱讀了一整天的城堡歷史，但因為我不是這方面的專家，再加上我很明白過度資訊的提供只會讓人頭腦爆炸，我決定只用幾句帶過。蘇格蘭一直有自己的王朝和文化，君主也不斷擴建城堡，最重要的國王之一是蘇格蘭的詹姆斯六世，他繼承了沒有子嗣的依莉沙白女王，成為英格蘭和愛爾蘭的詹姆斯一世，此時英格蘭和蘇格蘭還是各自獨立的政治個體，但表面上由詹姆斯一世領導。值得注意的是，在王權統併之後，詹姆斯一世從1603年後就留在英格蘭，駕崩之前只回過蘇格蘭一次，也自稱為英格蘭和愛爾蘭之王，根據我的歷史直覺，我想這和之後蘇格蘭被併入英國有很大的影響。

I read the history of the castle for a whole day. However, I have to admit that I am no expert in this field, and I am so aware that providing too much information will only give the reader a headache, I decide to summarize the history from my own perspective. In a few words, Scotland had its own dynasties and kings who expanded the castle in different eras. One of the most important kings is James VI, King of Scots from 1567. He succeeded Queen Elizabeth, who didn't have any issue and became King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crown in 1603. 

England and Scotland were individual sovereign states, each with their own political systems. It is worth noticing that after the Union of the Crowns, James based himself in England and returned only once to Scotland. He called himself "King of Great Britain and Ireland. My history sense tells me that this has much to do with the fact that Scotland became part of Great Britain later. 

這棟皇宮就是為了詹姆斯六世回到愛丁堡歡慶登基蘇格蘭王位五十年而重新整修的。

The Royal Palace was greatly renovated for James VI's visit to his birthplace for his 50th anniversary as King of Scots. 

在1707年英格蘭和蘇格蘭議會通過了合併法案，並且把國家名稱訂為大不列巔。

Finally, in 1707, the parliaments of England and Scotland passed the Acts of Union and named the united kingdom "Great Britain." 

如同其它的英國王室城堡，總是有囚禁犯人之處，愛丁堡城堡也不例外。在十八到十九世紀之間，英國歷經許多戰爭如七年戰爭、美國獨立戰爭和法國大革命的戰爭，許多囚犯被關在這裡。

Like other English castles, there were always towers reserved as prisons. The Edinburgh Castle is no exception. Between 1715 and 1814, Great Britain underwent several wars such as the Seven Years War, the War of American Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars. Thousands of prisoners were held in the castle. 

這是第一次世界大戰中殉職士兵和軍官的芳名錄。

This is a record of the soldiers that died in the First World War. 

在城堡裡聽見一些遊客和工作人員仔細地討論蘇格蘭和英格蘭的歷史，我對於他們的精神很欽佩，因為這些知識對他們來說不只是課本上的東西，而是生活的一部份，所以我更覺得自己應該把最後一趟旅行好好整理。常被問到英國和美國的生活有何不同，我的感覺是在英國生活，歷史是很重要的一環，畢竟這是英國目前很寶貴的資產。

In the castle, I heard some tourists and staff talk about the history of Scotland and England. I really admire them for their desire to learn and share. It feels like the knowledge is more than facts listed in textbooks. It is rather part of their life. That's why I think I should go through my photos taken on the last trips before leaving the UK. I was often asked the differences between living in the US and the UK. After having lived in both countries, I have the impression that history is a very valuable asset for Brits. 

學習完了之後當然要吃點東西，不如就來試試蘇格蘭鼎鼎有名的羊肉雜碎布丁，把羊的內臟包括心、肝和肺打碎配上洋蔥、燕麥、動物脂肪油和香料及湯底，吃起來味道還可以，不過這也是造成我目前身材肥大的主兇之一。

After a long lesson, we deserved some good food. I couldn't wait to try the renowned haggis, which is a kind of savoury pudding containing sheep's heart, liver and lungs, minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices and salt, mixed with stock. I found the taste to be quite mild, but reading the ingredients, you can tell that it was one of the major reasons for my current "roundness." 

吃完之後去蘇格蘭博物館逛一逛，裡面無奇不有，不過最令人印象深刻的是蘇格蘭人相當以其文化為傲！

After lunch, we went for a stroll in the National Museum of Scotland. We literally found everything in there, but I was especially impressed by the Scots' pride in their own culture!