如何在萨里度过圣诞和新年假期?(下) How did I spend my time for Xmas holiday and New Year Eve in Surrey (Part 2)

在这一期,我将给大家讲一讲我和朋友在伦敦所度过的难忘的新年夜。

In this episode, I’m gonna talk a bit about my experience on New Year Eve in London.

如果大家看新闻联播有印象的话,每年新年倒计时,伦敦作为一个世界一线城市,其新年焰火都会被摆在新闻剪辑里最显著的位置。由于吉尔福德地理位置很接近伦敦,所以我和小伙伴们决定,在伦敦以Pub Crawl的方式度过新年夜。伦敦的焰火仪式在伦敦摩天轮(又称伦敦眼 London Eye)举行,正好位于伦敦金融城、威斯特敏斯特和兰贝斯区的中间位置,可谓市中心的市中心了,所以届时会有成千上万的人涌入这里,毫不夸张地说,新年夜当晚从泰晤士两边河畔各自往内延伸三四个街区都将会被封锁,需要提前数月购买观看焰火的门票才能进入。可想而知,近处的观景区内将是人潮涌动、摩肩接踵。我们在计划新年夜活动时,就打算在一个相对轻松而不那么拥挤的环境下进行,所以我们选了在伦敦市区较远的卡姆登镇进行我们的Pub Crawl 和新年夜。

If you guys have been watching any world news for years, you must have some impressions that as a worldwide first-tier city, London’s massive firework always been regarded as one of the most eye-catching celebrations around the world. As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, the Guildford where I’m living now is quite geographically close to London so without any doubt we choose London to celebrate the New Year Eve by joining the themed Pub Crawl. The new year’s fireworks were set to be fired on the London eye, which is located in the heart among the London financial district, Westminster and Lambeth then widely regarded as one of the most well-known landmarks of the London city. So it’s quite foreseeable that there will be literally thousands on thousands of people flocking to here and getting the two banks of Thames river extremely busy and crowded. Long before we planned our trip we’ve already been noticed the heart zone of London will be blocked and you need to purchase the entry ticket several months beforehand. So you could imagine how bustling the streets down there will be based on your common sense and past experiences. However, what we actually wanted is the quite flexible and cozy circumstance, think of it, we come all the way to London to celebrate new year’s coming for relaxing and ‘escaping’ other than back to ‘busy normal’ again…..Then Camden town was chosen to be the place for us to hang out.  

卡姆登镇距离伦敦市中心大概半小时的地铁距离,它背靠Primrose小高地,活跃的跳蚤市场,众多富有特色的餐厅酒吧迪厅和丰富的夜生活将这座古老且略显破旧的小镇焕发着活力。因为伦敦整体上地势平坦,站在Primrose高地上,可以远远地看到泰晤士河畔伦敦眼的焰火,所以比起人头攒动的泰晤士河畔,在这里看烟火可能效果会更好一些。

所有的街道都被装扮的靓丽缤纷

Camden town is half an hour away from central London by taking the tube, which standing behind the Primrose hill. The flea fairs, culturally diversified bars and pubs, very rich nightlife are together making this old town rejuvenated again. Because of the open and flat landscape of London, you would be able to outlook the dazzling firework by standing on the peak of the hill, and which arguably gives you a better feel of seeing the firework rather than bustling heart London.  

我们提前预定了卡姆登镇焰火和包含三个酒吧的Pub Crawl的套票。Pub Crawl是欧美国家年轻人一种很常见的夜间娱乐方式,如字面意思一样,就是在一晚上造访多家酒吧,当然,一般都以大家的极度亢奋和宿醉结尾,以此来宣泄自己的情绪与平日里学习工作的压力。

Everywhere in London will getting extremely busy in New Year Eve and any pub crawl trip is made possible by booking in advance. Pub Crawl is a very common and popular way for the western young generation to have fun at a special festival or weekend. And here someone may be confused that what is ‘Pub Crawl’ stands for? It’s literally the same thing that people visit multiple bars or pubs in a single night, and of course, it normally ended up by crazy drunk and hangover, young people are trying to get rid of tried feeling or releasing tension via using this way.

新年前夜的卡姆登镇格外热闹与迷人,到处充满着年轻人的欢声笑语和对新年的无限美好期冀。在结束意大利风情酒吧的party后,所有人都汇聚在Primrose山,我们将在这里迎接2020年的到来。

在酒吧内跳交际舞的人们

In the last night of the year, Camden town is fairly charming and filled with young people’s joys and their beautiful hopes and expectations for the new year. After the end of the Italian bar’s party everybody was moving to the Primrose hill and preparing to welcome the 2020’s coming.

伴随着人群如海潮般的倒计时,“三,二,一……新年快乐!”,每个人都在用自己最大的热情欢呼新年的到来。我们远远地看到一束束璀璨的烟花从伦敦眼上散发出来,在灯光效果下,美轮美奂,只可惜Primrose山离市中心太远,我们很难看清其中一些细节…此时此刻,深情拥吻的情侣,注视远方、充满憧憬的本地青年工薪阶层,饮酒狂欢、手舞足蹈的学生和孩子们….每个人都在尽情地释放自己的激情,都对未来的一年充满着着美好的希冀,在这一刻,在另一种文化背景下,我感受到了新年所赋予的另一种含义。

在Primrose山上远观新年焰火

Along with the mountainous cheers and count down from people, ‘three, two, one….Happy New Year!’….everyone was maximizing their enthusiasm to welcome 2020. All of a sudden, we saw pieces of dazzling fireworks around the London Eye then brightening the whole city centre with the aid of the surround lighting effect. The only fly in the ointment was that we were standing too far away from the firework location so even such as massive firework still looks fairly small when observing it from afar, and lots of details might be missed out….But at that moment, the kissing couples, the young working-class people whose eyes’ fixed on distance, the young students who can’t help dancing and singing….everybody was fully let out their passion and be very hopeful of the future. For that moment, I realized another meaning of the new year in an entirely different cultural context.