水城不止威尼斯

威尼斯也許是世界上最著名的水城。一想到運(yùn)河，腦海中很難不浮現(xiàn)這座意大利城市蜿蜒的水道、優(yōu)雅的拱橋、突突作響的水上巴士和身著條紋衫的船夫的身影。水城的名氣也為威尼斯帶來了一些問題——每天有超過六萬名游客如潮水般淹沒這座城市的狹小街道。威尼斯作為旅游目的地的火爆人氣使聯(lián)合國教科文組織（UNESCO）及一些團(tuán)體都不禁為它的未來感到擔(dān)憂。2009年，威尼斯的當(dāng)?shù)鼐用駷檫@座城市舉行了一次模擬葬禮，同時(shí)也是對(duì)旅游業(yè)的一種抗議?，F(xiàn)在，隨著大量的游船帶來更多游客，人們又有了新的擔(dān)心——這些大型船只甚至可能會(huì)迫使威尼斯的建筑和基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施作出讓步。

如果你想暢游風(fēng)景如畫的運(yùn)河，又想避開威尼斯的洶涌人潮，那么你很走運(yùn)——因?yàn)槿祟愖悦浪鞑贿_(dá)米亞文明時(shí)期就已經(jīng)開始使用運(yùn)河了，美麗的運(yùn)河幾乎遍布地球的每個(gè)角落。一起來發(fā)掘威尼斯以外的水城吧！

Amsterdam， Netherlands

荷蘭阿姆斯特丹

Beautiful canals probably arent the first thing you associate with[同……聯(lián)系在一起] Amsterdam， but they should be—Amsterdam actually has more canals than Venice. The first canals were built in the Middle Ages， as a source of transportation[運(yùn)輸] and defense[防衛(wèi)]. Radiating[呈輻射狀發(fā)出] out from the city center， Amsterdam has four main canals. Today， you can see Amsterdams classic gabled[有山墻的] architecture[建筑] along any of the canals. In 2009， UNESCO named Amsterdams central canal ring a World Heritage[遺產(chǎn)] site.

提到阿姆斯特丹，美麗的運(yùn)河可能不是你聯(lián)想到的第一件事，但它們確實(shí)應(yīng)該被想到——實(shí)際上，阿姆斯特丹的運(yùn)河數(shù)量比威尼斯還要多。阿姆斯特丹的第一批運(yùn)河建于中世紀(jì)，用于運(yùn)輸和防御。阿姆斯特丹有四條主要運(yùn)河，它們從市中心呈放射狀流出。今天，沿著任何一條運(yùn)河，你都可以看到阿姆斯特丹的經(jīng)典山墻建筑。2009年，聯(lián)合國教科文組織將阿姆斯特丹的中央運(yùn)河圈列為世界遺產(chǎn)。

Bruges， Belgium

比利時(shí)布魯日

Just a short train ride away from Brussels lies Bruges， an old canal town in Belgiums Flemish region注1. Settled in the 13th century as a stop in the areass textile[紡織品] trade， Bruges appears like something out of a fairy-tale： small， cobblestone[鵝卵石] streets， beautiful bridges and gabled houses. With such a small-town feel， it might be hard to imagine that Bruges had a population of 200，000 in the 1500s—double that of London at the time. Bruges canals， fed by the North Sea， host a festival every four years， which includes performances by musicians and actors and lights that shine throughout the canals.

布魯日距離布魯塞爾只有很短的火車車程，是位于比利時(shí)弗拉芒大區(qū)的一座古色古香的運(yùn)河之城。布魯日曾是13世紀(jì)該地區(qū)紡織品貿(mào)易的中轉(zhuǎn)站，整座城市就像童話里的一樣：狹小的鵝卵石街道、漂亮的橋梁和山墻房屋。這種小鎮(zhèn)的感覺令人很難想象在16世紀(jì)的時(shí)候，布魯日的人口達(dá)到20萬，是當(dāng)時(shí)倫敦人口的兩倍。布魯日的運(yùn)河源自北海。每四年這里都會(huì)舉行以運(yùn)河為主題的節(jié)日慶典，其中包括音樂和藝術(shù)表演，以及與運(yùn)河交相輝映的燈光秀。

注1：弗拉芒大區(qū)是比利時(shí)弗蘭德地區(qū)目前存在的行政區(qū)劃名稱，也是今日比利時(shí)王國下屬三個(gè)大區(qū)之一。它位于比利時(shí)北部，面積13522 km2（占比利時(shí)陸地面積的44.29%）。如今它是歐洲人口密度最大的地區(qū)之一，每平方公里約有470位居民。

Stockholm， Sweden

瑞典斯德哥爾摩

Water makes up nearly one-third of Swedens capital city—built across 14 islands， Stockholm， sometimes called the “Beauty on Water，” is connected by a vast[巨大的] canal network and 57 bridges. In the winter， when the canals freeze over， locals and tourists alike take to the frozen waterways for ice skate sailing—like windsurfing[帆板運(yùn)動(dòng)]， but with ice skates.

瑞典首都斯德哥爾摩建于14個(gè)島上，由龐大的運(yùn)河網(wǎng)絡(luò)及57座橋相互連接。這座城市大約三分之一的面積都是水，因此有時(shí)也被稱為“水上美人”。冬天，運(yùn)河結(jié)冰后，當(dāng)?shù)厝撕陀慰投枷矚g到冰凍的河面上玩風(fēng)帆滑冰——這種運(yùn)動(dòng)與風(fēng)帆沖浪類似，只不過腳下踩的是溜冰鞋。

Tigre， Argentina

阿根廷蒂格雷

Twenty miles from Buenos Aires sits Tigre， a town built on hundreds of tiny islands in the Paraná Delta[三角洲]. Boats run throughout the area， offering visitors a chance to see a landscape that the New York Times describes as “what Venice might have looked like before development.”Tigres remote[偏遠(yuǎn)的] location inspires a blend[混合] of adventure and relaxation[消遣] among locals and visitors alike： consider a visit to one of the areas “countries” （named after American country clubs）， private spas that also offer kayaking[皮艇]， horseback riding and bird watching.

蒂格雷距離布宜諾斯艾利斯20英里（32公里），是建于巴拉那三角洲數(shù)百座小島上的一個(gè)小鎮(zhèn)。在這里，船只到處穿行，游客們可以一睹《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》所說的“開發(fā)前的威尼斯”的風(fēng)貌。蒂格雷偏安一隅的地理位置給予當(dāng)?shù)厝撕陀慰鸵环N兼具冒險(xiǎn)刺激和休閑放松的氛圍。不妨考慮體驗(yàn)一下這里的“鄉(xiāng)村”（根據(jù)美國的“鄉(xiāng)村俱樂部”命名），以及提供劃皮艇、騎馬和觀鳥等活動(dòng)的私人水療中心。

Bangkok， Thailand

泰國曼谷

Canals arent just for little， old European towns—modern Asian cities also included canals in their city planning. Before being drained[排水] in the 19th and throughout the 20th century to make way for paved[鋪路面] roads， Bangkok had a series of[一連串的] criss-crossing[交叉的] canals. Today， a few original[最初的] canals still exist. The canals are also home to Bangkoks floating markets， which attract large crowds of tourists and locals alike.

運(yùn)河并非古老歐洲小鎮(zhèn)的專利——現(xiàn)代亞洲城市的規(guī)劃中也采用了運(yùn)河。直到19世紀(jì)該市的水被抽干，以及整個(gè)20世紀(jì)為鋪設(shè)道路讓步之前，曼谷曾經(jīng)也有一系列縱橫交錯(cuò)的運(yùn)河。如今，曼谷仍保存著一部分原來的運(yùn)河。這些運(yùn)河也是吸引眾多游客和當(dāng)?shù)厝说穆人鲜袌?chǎng)的所在地。

St. Petersburg， Russia

俄羅斯圣彼得堡

St. Petersburg， Russias second largest city， stands at the meeting point of two bodies of water： the Neva River and the Baltic Sea. To help drain the swampy[沼澤的] land around St. Petersburg， the city dug a number of canals， which Peter the Great modeled after Amsterdam. Float down the Moyka canal to see the impressive Neo-Classical注2 mansions[大房子] built for the 19th-century aristocracy[貴族]， or follow the Winter Canal for sights of the Winter Palace.

俄羅斯第二大城市圣彼得堡位于涅瓦河與波羅的海的交匯處。為了幫助城市周圍的沼澤地排水，彼得大帝仿照阿姆斯特丹為圣彼得堡挖了很多運(yùn)河。不妨乘船沿著莫伊卡運(yùn)河順流而下，欣賞令人嘆為觀止的、為19世紀(jì)貴族而建的新古典主義風(fēng)格大宅，或者沿著冬季運(yùn)河游覽冬宮景點(diǎn)。注2：新古典主義建筑是一種建筑風(fēng)格，由開始于18世紀(jì)中葉的新古典主義運(yùn)動(dòng)產(chǎn)生。新古典主義的設(shè)計(jì)一方面保留了材質(zhì)、色彩的大致風(fēng)格，仍然可以很強(qiáng)烈地感受傳統(tǒng)的歷史痕跡與渾厚的文化底蘊(yùn)，同時(shí)又摒棄了過于復(fù)雜的肌理和裝飾，簡(jiǎn)化了線條。

Alappuzha， Kerala， India

印度喀拉拉邦阿拉普扎

Alappuzha is a city in Indias southern district of Kerala， and its also an important gateway to the Kerala backwaters[回水區(qū)]， a series of lakes and lagoons[瀉湖] parallel[平行的] to the Arabian Sea. For centuries， the residents[居民] of Alappuzha and the surrounding towns would transport rice and other goods via[經(jīng)由] the waterways on houseboats—today， tour operators[旅行社] let visitors experience the houseboats， some of which have been turned into luxury[奢侈] houseboats with numerous floors， balconies[陽臺(tái)] and huge rooms.

阿拉普扎是印度南部喀拉拉邦地區(qū)的一個(gè)城市，也是進(jìn)入喀拉拉邦回水區(qū)（擁有與阿拉伯海平行的眾多湖泊與瀉湖）的交通要道。長期以來，阿拉普扎和周邊城鎮(zhèn)的居民都用兼作住屋的船只經(jīng)由水路運(yùn)輸大米和其他商品。如今，旅行社可讓游客體驗(yàn)船屋生活，其中有些船只已被改造成有多個(gè)樓層、陽臺(tái)和大房間的豪華船屋。

Copenhagen， Denmark

丹麥哥本哈根

Like St. Petersburg， Copenhagen sits on the edge of the Baltic Sea， and like St. Petersburg， Copenhagen is dotted by beautiful canals. Copenhagens most famous canal district， perhaps， is the Nyhavn， the area of town that connects Copenhagens old city center with the sea. Dug in the 1670s， the Nyhavn was once Copenhagens version of a red-light district. The famous Danish author Hans Christian Andersen also lived in the Nyhavn for almost two decades—he wrote his famous story The Princess and the Pea in his apartment at No. 20 Nyhavn. Today， the area is known for its beautiful， colored row houses and historic wooden ships.

哥本哈根與圣彼得堡一樣都坐落在波羅的海邊緣，并且同樣擁有眾多美麗的運(yùn)河。哥本哈根最著名的運(yùn)河區(qū)大概要數(shù)新港區(qū)，哥本哈根的老城區(qū)在這里與大海相連。開鑿于17世紀(jì)70年代的新港運(yùn)河曾是哥本哈根的紅燈區(qū)。丹麥著名作家漢斯·克里斯蒂安·安徒生也曾在這里住了將近二十年——他在其位于新港區(qū)20號(hào)的公寓里寫下了著名故事《豌豆公主》。今天，該地區(qū)以其色彩繽紛的漂亮排屋和古老木船聞名。

Taierzhuang， Shandong Province， China

中國山東省臺(tái)兒莊

Taierzhuang is an ancient Chinese city that was first settled during the Han dynasty， between 206 and 220 AD， and thrived[興旺，繁榮] as a trading hub[中心] during the Ming and Qing dynasties. In 2009， the local government invested[投資] almost $750 million to restore the area， making it a perfect destination[目的地] for tourists looking to explore one of Chinas water towns—its close distance to Beijing makes it an easy day trip. The ancient town is small， but offers visitors lovely canals， as well as traditional temples and modern museums.

臺(tái)兒莊是中國的一座古城，始建于公元206年到220年之間的漢朝，到明清發(fā)展成為繁榮的貿(mào)易樞紐。2009年，當(dāng)?shù)卣顿Y了近7.5億美元重建該區(qū)，使之成為有意探索中國水城的游客的一個(gè)最佳目的地——其靠近北京的地理位置也便于一日游。這座古鎮(zhèn)不大，但有漂亮的運(yùn)河以及傳統(tǒng)寺廟和現(xiàn)代博物館可供游覽。