The Highlands / 蘇格蘭高原

住在倫敦最想念的就是高山，雖然去了好些英格蘭的小城，看到的多半是緩坡丘陵，像溫吞吞的英國人，表面上沒有太多起伏。

What I missed the most when living in London was mountains. Though I visited several English towns and cities, I saw mostly rolling hills. The mild slopes are so representative of the Brits. You can't tell what kind of ups and downs they have gone through from the surface.

這次旅行的導遊是個開朗的胖司機維克特，從一上車就滔滔不絕，整整說了十個小時的話，他把能和大家分享的，上至蘇格蘭地理歷史，下至他的人生觀，都一一道盡。

We were accompanied by a very outgoing round tour guide Victor. He hardly ceased talking after we got on the coach bus. I believed he shared whatever he knew with us, including the history and geography of Scotland and also his personal perspectives on life and social events. 

和他搭檔的是個看起來很有個性的司機艾力克斯，右臂上有彩色的刺青。兩個人在旅途中一搭一唱的，真的很有趣。

Victor was paired with a very cool driver Alex, who has a colorful tattoo on his right arm. On the trip, they two really did a good job entertaining the tourists.

遊覽車上路沒多久，我們就駛進了這般湖光山色。

No sooner had we got on the road than we feasted our eyes on such beautiful scenery.

這個團很有人性，第一個行程就是帶大家到小鎮吃早餐。

The person that designed this tour is certainly very understanding because the first itinerary was having breakfast in Kilmahog.

雖然我們在女王登基週末之際無法在倫敦和群眾同歡，但在鄉下我們也感受到慶祝的熱潮。

Though we didn't stay in London to celebrate the Queen's diamond jubilee during that weekend, we felt the heat in the faraway countryside as well.

我查了當天的行程，在搜尋地名之後，也企圖把自己拍的照片和網路上顯示的圖片對照，不過好多山和湖都長得很像，不如大家就簡單地欣賞蘇格蘭高原的風光吧！

I looked up the itineraries of that day. After Googling the names of the destinations, I tried to match my photos with those I found online. Well, the problem is that the mountains and lakes are so alike that I can't tell them apart. So why don't we just enjoy the lovely highland photos? 

很羨慕那些在高原上健行的人群，我們的一日遊簡直就是沾醬油啊！

I envied those who got time and energy to hike on the highlands. Our one-day-trip didn't suffice for us to experience the highland life! 

旅行的重點是厄奎特城堡，座落於尼斯湖旁，是中古世紀蘇格蘭最大的城堡，據說尼斯湖水怪就是出現在這附近。

The highlight of the day trip was Urquhart Castle, which sits next to Loch Ness. It was    one of the largest strongholds of medieval Scotland. Nessie is said to have been sighted around here. 

既然無緣看到水怪，就自己畫一隻好了。

Since we didn't have the luck to encounter Nessie, I might as well draw one myself. 

在晴朗的日子裡，就連廢墟般的遺址也顯得美麗。

On a sunny day, even the ruins appear to be awesome. 

尼斯湖是蘇格蘭第二大淡水湖，延伸約三十七公里，以尼斯湖水怪聞名。

Loch Ness is the second largest freshwater loch in Scotland, extending for about 37 km. It is known for Nessie. 

看完了美景，踏上回家之途，想不到公路因為前一天凌晨發生車禍，到隔天都處於封路狀態。維克特不斷強調是有另一條路，但要花上五個小時，所以與其花那麼多時間，不如賭一下，也許很快道路就會紓通。

After a wonderful trip, we headed home to Edinburgh. But the carriageway was closed because of a car accident the day before. Victor kept reiterating that there is another route, but it would take five hours. Instead of opting for that choice, Victor and Alex decided to wait, and maybe soon the road would be opened again. 

這時車上的旅客開始自由活動，我畫著窗外的風景，好些人下了車，無視艾力克斯的抗議，到對面的草原散步。

At this time the tourists on the coach bus killed time in all sorts of ways. I was sketching the scenery outside the windows. Some got off the bus and took a stroll on the grassland across from the road disregarding Alex's protests. 

我還順便幫印度遊客阿尼畫肖像。有些人之間熱絡了起來，兩個小時其實足以點起愛的火苗，要是我們再等下去，我都可以寫小說了。

I even drew a quick portrait of an Indian tourist Anil. It was obvious that some people found much to talk about. In fact, two hours are long enough to start a love affair. If we had waited longer, I could have written a novel...

最後維克特和艾力克斯為了把車上一名旅客準時送達愛丁堡巴士站，可說是卯足了勁，我不認識其它蘇格蘭人，但比起英格蘭人，他們倆非常有幹勁！

In the end, to send a young man to Edinburgh bus station, Victor and Alex did their utmost. Well, I don't know other Scots, but compared with English people, they two are quite upbeat and responsible!