My Favourite Towns of Britain – Aberystwyth

Just the word “Aberystwyth” conjures up the image of Celtic mystery. Nobody knows how to pronounce the name; nobody know where the town is situated. Perhaps the only “town” deserving of this epithet in mid-Wales, it’s at least a three hour drive from anywhere resembling a major city: if travelling from London, it’s generally quicker to reach the Mediterranean. By rail, it’s the terminus of a single spur, spitting off from the already little-trafficked Cambrian Coast line. It’s very much end of the journey, and worthy for that alone.

Norwich – Norfolk’s Pleasant Surprise

There I was, as per usual, hitting the (rail)road last bank holiday weekend. My journey took me to East Anglia. Norfolk, to be exact. I had planned to spend the bulk of the… Continue reading →

St. George’s Day – 聖佐治日． 何謂English的意義

自問了解英國傳統，但老實說我也忘了本日是聖佐治日。為何聖佐治日的慶祝活動這麼克制，是個錯綜複雜的文化政治命題

不列顛・最後邊疆記 — 邱吉爾堤壩

跳島連接的堤壩，既有幸冠上邱吉爾之名，自然有點名堂。

Whitby — 德古拉山下

雖說偏遠，但Whitby甚受遊客歡迎，在這熱熱夏日，市集可是車水馬龍。 便先去逛景點吧。Whitby的地標，是原來的修道院Whitby Abbey，聳立在海旁的山崗上，從山下要走上過百級的天梯才能到達。現在雖只剩下在敗柳殘垣，但卻是國際級的熱點－原因無他，來自一本小說Dracula《德古拉》。吸血鬼也。

Bristol in the Rain (1)

When: the rainiest weekend of the nascent 2018

Where: Under Brunel’s magnificent arch, Temple Meads station

And there I was, staring at the map whilst sheltering from the downpour, trying to navigate my way to town.

威爾斯鐵路夏行– Welshpool・池上園林

雖有說名字決定命運，但Welshpool是個偽命題。不論是在歷史洪流中還是現今，這裡不是威爾斯的首府，也不是文化語言的重鎮，反而是英格蘭領主們搞羊毛貿易的根據地。相比日後遊記會寫到的地方，Welshpool沒有特別「塞外」的感覺。

Searching for Hong Kong in Liverpool

The Second City of the Empire; the most important commercial port; the city of dreams for immigrants; the melting pot and hub of popular culture.

From a window on Albert Dock, I contemplated the high praises lavished upon Liverpool. Yet, I cannot help but think that these titles were fittings to another city halfway across the world as well. The Hong Kong of the past; the Hong Kong that I did not really know.

利物浦的香港印象

在春天還不甚和暖的陽光下，站在港口貨倉旁的岸邊，一眺兩岸的風光。這裡是帝國年代的第二城市，重要的商業港，移民城市，文化融爐，流行文化輸出之地。

我到了利物浦。然而以上這句所描寫的，到底是利物浦，還是七八十年代的香港呢？

漫遊《咆哮山莊》之山野— Haworth

在她短暫的一生中，Emily就只寫了一部小說，然而《咆哮山莊》絕非菜鳥作品：兩主角Heathcliff和Catherine之間的愛恨情仇，就足而讓小說升華成英國文學的經典悲劇之一。《咆哮山莊》的背景，正是Haworth附近，勃朗特三姊妹成長遊玩的荒野。