2018.11.15

【關於倫敦】旅行給了我觀察一座城市的機會：原來倫敦你這麼寂寞、也那麼溫暖An Observation of London: The Paradox of Loneliness and Warmth

從什麼時候自己開始愛上旅行的呢？或許是從我發現原來世界的另個角落與台灣這麼不一樣的那天。也或許是我發現原來一座城市的不同角落也可以這麼不一樣的那天。我常常在想，如果今天我生在不同的國家，我是不是會跟隨著宿命而成為同樣的人，或是會客觀的因為社會的規範與文化而成為完全不同的個體？

When did I begin to fall in love with travel? Perhaps on the same day I realized how different other parts of the world are from Taiwan. Or perhaps when I realized that even within the same city each nook and cranny can vary considerably. I often wonder, if I was born in another country, would I essentially be the same person I was destined to be or due to cultural and social differences become somebody completely unrecognizable?

本篇文章是由Tom Eldridge翻譯。

答案可顯而知的是後者吧。
因為每一個社會都是這麼的不同，所以我們在旅行的過程也是最好觀察其他國家文化的過程，旅行給了我觀察一座城市個性的機會。

當你第一次踏進一座城市，有著新鮮感、緊張感還有那小小的不安和興奮
當你第二次踏進了一座城市，除了以上幾種感覺之外，多了點熟悉感、衝突感
因為在新鮮感過後，我們開始感覺到了週遭環境與自己習慣之悟之間的差異，而這些差異就產生了文化間的衝擊。

It seems clear that it’s the latter. Why else would each place have its own unique culture? Travelling allows us the opportunity to observe and experience these cultural differences first-hand.

When you first set foot in an unfamiliar city, you undoubtedly will feel nervous, excited, uneasy and completely taken in by the novelty of the experience. If you return to the same place afterwards, besides the aforementioned feelings, you may also feel a sense of familiarity and also of conflict- this arises because after the feeling of novelty passes, we begin to notice the differences between our current environment and what we’re used to. This is nothing other than culture shock.

本篇文章可搭配我最近的新歡Dennis的嗓音一起享用

旅遊與旅行又有什麼不同呢？I don’t wanna be a tourist,I should be a traveler.
以我自己的定義來說。旅遊所看的是一個國家光鮮亮麗的一面，旅行則是試著看見一個國家真實的一面。或許你可以把他想做一段感情的開始與熱戀期過後的關係，你在熱情消滅後，是否還愛著這個國家，是否還覺得這個國家極度吸引著你，當你面對到這個國家的現實面，你是否還能夠與它生活在一起？

Is there a difference between a tourist and a traveler? I don’t wanna be a tourist, I should be a traveler.
In my mind, tourists see the beautiful, popular and “photo-friendly” side of a place, while travelers try to see the nitty gritty true face of the same place. This is comparable to romance in a way- after the initial honeymoon phase, are you still attracted to the place? Does it still have a hold on you? After you see its true colors, do you want to remain there?

這趟回到倫敦，我真的多了不少的感慨，也看見了不少感動人的畫面與事物，我想，對於想去英國玩的人來說，這些現實層面的描述不會是你們最需要知道的旅行知識，不過卻是你們應該要放在心裡的，懂得靜下來觀察週遭事物，你會在旅行的過程中看見更多的東西。

On this return trip to London, I felt a multitude of emotions and also observed an array of touching scenes and moments. Perhaps from the perspective of a tourist-to-be in England, these descriptions of various layers of reality are unessential, however if truth be told, the ability to calmly observe and digest your surroundings will add depth to your experience and understanding of your travel destination. You will simply see and feel more.

超重要！/倫敦自由行懶人包
自由行全攻略|自助必看！行程景點住宿交通費用懶人包
 倫敦機票|台北倫敦便宜機票比價教學、要飛哪個機場？
住宿攻略|10間平價住宿飯店青旅民宿推薦倫敦市中心高C/P住宿!
背包客住宿攻略|青年旅館/背包客棧篇
 交通攻略|一篇搞懂自助怎樣最省！牡蠣卡Oyster vs.Travelcard
行程攻略|市區分區熱門景點地圖、周邊一日遊城市、路線安排推薦！
倫敦市集攻略|倫敦市集懶人包總整理！交通教學、營業時間、怎麼買怎麼逛
 倫敦美食攻略|5家不是必吃但不踩雷平價餐廳懶人包，去倫敦必看！
倫敦免費景點攻略｜6間倫敦博物館、美術館推薦，小資旅行也充滿學識！
倫敦文青指南|當地人不想被觀光客知道的6個私房景點
 歐洲自由行被罷工懶人包|改退票、理賠求償、旅遊不便險，應變處理看這篇!
歐洲網卡推薦|DJB歐遊卡eSIM使用經驗、開卡教學，免換卡超方便！
歐洲自助公寓指南|5個挑選公寓注意事項、訂房網Airbnb優缺點、案例分享

/一日遊城市懶人包
格林威治|巴斯|巨石陣|溫莎古堡|牛津|劍橋|多佛

/你所需的各種英國攻略。可先開小視窗放著等等看
英國自由行|自助旅行全攻略(行程、住宿、交通、景點、預算)
英國自由行|十個英國旅遊前你要有的心理準備!
英國購物攻略|茶葉控、香水控、戰利品分享跟我一起花錢！
英國穿搭攻略|只要五個單品就不怕颳風下雨
 英國花費攻略|歐洲旅遊沒你想像的貴!
英國交通攻略|誰說英國很花錢? 火車巴士便宜車票訂票教學自由行省錢絕招!
英國美食攻略|5大食物整理平價品牌推薦誰說英國東西不好吃?
英國聖誕攻略|倫敦、約克、利物浦、新堡、愛丁堡聖誕市集這才叫耶誕節阿!
英國自由行|倫敦市集懶人包總整理！交通教學、營業時間、怎麼買怎麼逛

倫敦真的好好玩，只要你想，每天都有做不完的事情。倫敦也很開放(Open minded)，只要你想，你可以完全做自己想做的事情，只要你願意，你可以讓大家注意到你。

London is a very happening place, there is a limitless supply of things to do- the only limit is your own imagination. London is also very open-minded, you can do anything your heart desires- the only limit is your own creativity. If you want to be noticed, you’ll surely be noticed.

倫敦每天每天每天都有超級多事情發生，有逛不完的市集、參加不完的活動還有逛不完的景點，倫敦真的非常的大，人口非常的多，有著不同的種族與文化的火花，到處都有展覽可以看，像是我很喜歡二手市集跟文創品，就算來了倫敦兩趟、待了一個月這時間，我還是逛不完倫敦所有的東西。而且各大知名的歌手、音樂盛典，基本上絕對不會漏掉倫敦，像是我最近很愛的Chet Faker就要在倫敦辦演唱會了，還有像是台灣很夯的Arcadia（好拉，他是來自倫敦所以當然會在倫敦）每個星期都有Event，都有臨時市集，每天市區的每個角落都有不同的派對，只要你想，你可以玩到自己斷氣。也因為這樣，在倫敦我一直覺得一天24小時不夠用，因為我永遠都有參加不完的活動，也因為這樣，住在倫敦好幾年的人都會跟我說：在這座城市千萬不要太貪心，不然你會被自己忙死（笑）

Amazing things happen in London every day! There is a never-ending supply of markets to stroll, activities to participate in, exhibitions to browse, and sights to see. London is a huge city with a huge population, it is also a cultural melting pot with representatives from all over the globe. I personally like second hand shops and stationery, but even though I’ve been here twice and this time for a whole month, I’ve only scratched the surface of what London has to offer in this department. In addition, every well-known singer and star will of course make a stop in London, for example one of my recent favorites Chet Faker is about to perform here as well as Arcadia (OK that’s cheating, he’s from London). There is always some be-there-or-be-square event every week, lots of pop-up fairs, and a hip party going on in each part of the city. If you look, you’re sure to find something to your liking. Due to the never-ending supply of activities, it truly feels like 24 hours per day is inadequate in London. Many Londoners confided in me: Don’t be too greedy for fun here, or you will tire yourself till you drop dead!

你在倫敦可以看見各式各樣的人，印度人、中國人、美國人、愛爾蘭人、歐洲來的人，到處來的人都在這座城市生活著，你其實很難遇見來自倫敦的倫敦人，我這趟旅程中大概跟20幾位在當地生活的人聊天，只有1個是倫敦人，也因為這樣，倫敦是一個對各種文化接受度都很高的城市，你不用擔心穿得怎樣會被路人側目，或是身為亞洲人會被人給排擠，因為這裡的人真的見怪不怪，也不會因為你的外表去評論你，我很喜歡這樣的倫敦。必須說，生活在台灣我大部分的時間很開心，但是路人們的側目與八卦、新聞媒體的短視真的讓我有時候很厭倦（不過也因為這樣我才會想要寫部落格，所以也是件好事拉哈哈哈哈哈哈）我們總是用自己的習慣去評論他人的選擇，而忘了接受多元的重要性。若世界上所有的人都抱著這樣的心態，今天我們不會擁有燈光、不會有汽車也不會有電腦，不會有所謂的發明，你只會原地踏步。

You’ll see all sorts of people in London from all over the world, in fact it’s hard to find Londoners who were born and raised there! I chatted with approximately 20 Londoners during my trip, only 1 of whom was brought up in the city. Due to this factor, cultural awareness and tolerance are extremely high here. No matter what you wear or what you look like, nobody’s going to give you a second glance and nobody’s going to comment on your appearance. You’re just another piece of the social and cultural puzzle. I must say, although in Taiwan I am generally happy, I do weary of constant judgement and gossip, including that found in news media (although this weariness led to the desire to write a blog, so there’s that). In Taiwan we always use our own standards to evaluate the lifestyle choices of others, and often forget the importance of acceptance and cultural relativity. If everybody adopted this shortsighted mentality, we would simply follow each other around in a circle and never make any true advancements or progress. Thank goodness in history there have been those unafraid to step out of the circle and tread their own path, otherwise modern inventions such as the lightbulb, automobile, and computer would be nowhere to be seen.

但是倫敦在歌劇院的音樂與掌聲背後、在酒吧的人群笑聲背後、在一棟棟摩登的大樓燈光背後，其實是由無數個孤單的靈魂所構成的，倫敦其實是一座很寂寞的都市。

However, behind the sounds of music and applause in every opera house , the echoes of laughter in each bar, and the sparkling lights of skyscrapers and high rises, lies a deep, penetrating, and unmistakable sense of loneliness.

「這裡的人真的快樂嗎？」

在倫敦工作、讀書的人，是我遇過最孤單的人們。因為每個人都想在這座大城市闖出一片天，所以沒有人可以停下來聽你講你的故事或是花時間照顧你，畢竟他們沒有多餘的時間花在你身上，你在他們的生活中沒那麼的重要。最核心的原因應該是在倫敦生活要花太多太多的錢，像是我朋友的房租基本上一個月台幣3萬跑不掉，交通費一趟地鐵就是台幣120，一個月算下來就是5千，更不用算餐費還有其他開銷了，當你每天都有這麼多的基本開銷在追著你，你又有多少時間能夠靜下來享受生活、談戀愛呢？
對的，我在倫敦問過很多人，大部分的人並沒有時間談戀愛。有個在韓國打工度假的女生跟我說：我在倫敦每兩個月就必須要換一個約會對象，因為沒有人想要花時間談戀愛，我也問了每一個我見到的人關於這點是不是正確，他們說這是倫敦的文化之一，因為大家都很忙，除非你住得很近不然基本上談不了戀愛，因為下班後就已經很累，隔天又要花很多時間通勤，如果住得不夠近根本沒有時間見面，也別說談戀愛了。

有個在倫敦工作了八年的人跟我說：你看見酒吧那些人笑著聊著，其實都是在講自己有多厲害，沒有人是真正的朋友。我在跟當地人聊天的過程中發現，倫敦人非常多話（這樣講好像很不好但是其實是一件好事，因為你生活在這樣的大城市如果不懂得如何行銷自己的話，沒有人看得見你）非常懂得聊天，但卻給給我一種他沒有想要聽你講話的感覺，在倫敦你要跟人聊天一點都不難，但要讓自己在對方心中有地位卻幾乎不可能，因為你真的沒那麼的重要。

所以我每次來到倫敦，真的都有一種很寂寞的感覺。

「Are people here truly happy?」

In London, I observed that workers and students are the loneliest of the whole bunch. Everybody is here in the big city trying to make a name for themselves, thus there’s no time for them to stop to listen to you or take care of you; they’ve all got bigger things on their mind. Perhaps the major underlying cause for this loneliness is simply the cost of living. One of my friend’s rent is approximately 30,000 NTD per month, then tack on transportation fees (the subway is not cheap here!), cost of food, and additional daily expenditures…with all these expenses dogging you, where exactly can you find time to relax, enjoy life, maybe pursue a romantic interest? That’s right, most people I asked in London said they didn’t have time to date. One woman told me she has to swap guys every several months because nobody cares to spend much time or effort on dating. Upon asking Londoners whether this is correct or not, I was told this is simply London culture; unless the pair live nearby, nobody is excited at all to take time out of their busy schedules to go meet their date with any frequency, so the chances of a fairy tale ending are slim at best.

A man who has been working here for 8 years told me the following: All those guys laughing together and having a grand old time in the bars here are merely talking themselves up; nobody is really true friends with another. I discovered myself how talky and over the top locals can be (although on the surface this seems to be a negative, in fact it is not for after all, in the big city if you don’t know how to sell yourself then nobody will notice you) and how skilled everybody is at conversation, but to a certain extent there is a feeling of not being heard. It’s incredibly easy to have a conversation here, but to leave an impression on somebody or to truly be heard is another story, since who cares what you have to say anyways?

Consequently, every time I come here there is an inescapable sense of loneliness.

但是，倫敦也好溫暖，我總在英國看見那些最溫暖的人事物。

英國的服務生應該是我看過最喜歡聊天的人了哈哈，就連倫敦你都可以在一天的開始、在買咖啡的時候得到最有誠意的問候然後開始你快樂的一天哈哈哈哈哈哈哈，運氣好的話店員還會跟你小聊一下，雖然是Small talk（就是不怎麼重要的那種今天過得好嗎之類的）但也比臭臉來得好～～我這次來倫敦真的愛上這種可愛的噓寒問暖。

再來就是你如果有在研究一些英國品牌的話，可以看見他們對於社會企業、永續經營、生態環境的重視，有非常多使用再生紙、小農食材的咖啡廳，也有不少綠色標章的飯店，我必須承認英國人（也可以說北歐、西歐國家）對於社會回饋的重視真的超越亞洲一大步，像是我很愛的品牌Beara Beara就是個講求公平貿易的小眾品牌（好拉，如果說小眾品牌本來就很文青，那其實大品牌像是Neal’s Yard也是有在重視生態環境的）另一個雜誌品牌Big Issue也是來自倫敦，你們可能也在台北街頭上看過有在賣Big Issue雜誌的街友們，講求著「與其給他們魚吃，不如教他們如何釣魚」的精神，給予街友自己賺取金錢的機會，在英國各個城市都可以看見穿著紅背心、賣著Big Issue的街友們，社會企業在英國真的是發展的滿成熟的，只要你想你可以參與許多相關的活動。

而說到街友，有一天晚上我經過一間酒吧，酒吧門口有個街友（話說倫敦到處都可以看見流浪漢，真的非常多）我聽到門口穿著西裝的男士在跟那位街友聊天，他問他說：你今天吃過飯了嗎？需不需要我買點東西給你吃？你想要吃什麼？

這個事件發生在我旅行的尾聲，也就是我對於倫敦相當失望覺得人們都好冷漠好無情好忙的時候，我發現了其實自己才好冷漠好無情，到了最後才真的停下腳步去看這個社會的小角落，也或許是上帝給了我一個機會看見生命的曙光吧哇哈哈哈哈哈（有這麼猛嗎？有！！！）

「如果是你，你做得到嗎？」

That being said, London can also be incredibly warm and welcoming; I’ve encountered countless kind souls here.

English customer service workers are peerless in terms of chatting ability! When you grab a coffee to start your day, you may very well be bombarded by all kinds of questions regarding your well-being, the sincerity of which are unquestionable, and mark a fortuitous beginning to a long and happy day. The barista may continue this banter all the way until you walk out the door, and although it’s just simple small talk, it certain beats being greeted coldly and mechanically by a mile. In fact on this trip to London, I’ve particularly taken a liking to this kind of chitchat.

If you research various English brands and companies, you’ll discover the value attached to social enterprises and sustainability; many use recycled materials as well as local produce and there are an abundance of green-certified restaurants. I must admit, the English (and many other countries in Northern and Western Europe) are far, far superior to most Asian nations on these ecological and social issues; for example, one of my favorite small market brands Beara Beara advocates fair trade (mainstream brands such as Neal’s Yard also stress environmental friendliness), and the magazine Big Issue also originated in London (perhaps you’ve seen this magazine being sold on the streets of Taipei). Big Issue extols a “Don’t give a hungry man a fish, teach him how to fish” stance and creates a money-making opportunity for disadvantaged citizens. You’ll see these red-vested newspaper peddlers in every city in England, and there are endless opportunities to support social enterprises and participate or volunteer in related activities. Social work is extremely well-developed here.

Speaking of the disadvantaged, there was one night I walked past a bar and overheard an exchange between a vagrant (they are everywhere in London) and a well-dressed gentleman; the gentleman asked the vagrant, “Have you had anything to eat today? You need my help in buying a little something? What would you like?”

This incident happened near the conclusion of my trip, just when I had given up all hope in Londoners and decided everybody here is cold, heartless, and too busy to care. I realized all along it had been me who was too busy to stop for a second and look at all the good that is being done in every corner of every street! Perhaps it was God himself who directed my vision to this scene, if you believe in that sort of thing!

「If it was you, would you have done it?」

其實，沒有任何一座城市是完美的，也因為這樣倫敦才令人心疼，因為他好像個充滿的光鮮亮麗生活的花蝴蝶，每天回家後卻必須面對一個人的餐桌，令人想要好好的疼惜她，也讓人想要再回去看看他的另外一面。

倫敦從來就不是我最喜歡的城市。
但我有感覺，我會一直回到這座城市。

誒，這篇文章會不會太社會觀察，大家還醒著嗎？
哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈
好吧我道歉。

全劇終。（應該）

In reality, no place is perfect, and London is no exception, but this very reason prompts one to appreciate all the good that can be found here. Although there may be lonely nights at the dinner table, and other challenges to face, this is a place to be cherished and loved, a place to delve deeper into.

London may never be my favorite city. That being said, I will keep coming back ad infinitum.

Hmm~ this article may or may not have turned into a sociological rant- is everybody still awake??