文字难度：★★★
The weekday streets and bike paths of Amsterdam's Eastern 1)Docklands are reassuringly deserted as I 2)lurch past my brother's apartment on his second-hand Dutch granny bike. The bike may be a 3)Gazelle, one of the best Dutch bike brands, but I'm as graceful as a newborn hippo.
在平日，当我骑着我兄弟的二手荷兰“老爷车”颠簸着路过他的公寓时，阿姆斯特丹东港口区的街道和自行车道绝对是空无一人的。这辆自行车可能是羚羊牌的，荷兰本土最棒的自行车品牌之一，我骑着它，动作如新生河马般笨拙，毫无优雅可言。
My brother Stuart and his girlfriend, Sue, are living in Amsterdam for a year and quicker than they can say “free accommodation”, I fly over for a holiday. Inspired by the local bike culture, Stuart and I plan to cycle around the Netherlands and the 4)Flanders region of Belgium for 11 days.
我的兄弟斯图尔特和他女朋友苏已经在阿姆斯特丹住了一年，还没等他们说“免费收留”我，我就赶忙飞过去度假了。受到当地自行车文化的启发，斯图尔特和我计划用11天的时间骑车环游荷兰和比利时的佛兰德斯区。
The Netherlands and Flanders are ideal for the casual cyclist, with a flat landscape, dedicated cycling infrastructure, a network of long-distance bike routes and celebrated cycling culture. Not to mention plenty of opportunities for coffee, cake and beer along the way. The locals are fluent in English, too, no doubt due to the endless repeats of 5)Knight Rider on Dutch television.
对于业余自行车手来说，荷兰和佛兰德斯无疑是片理想之地，因为这里地势平坦，有专用的自行车基础设施，长距离的自行车道路网和著名的自行车文化，更别提沿途随时能享用到的咖啡、蛋糕和啤酒了。当地人的英语也很流利，无疑是因为荷兰电视里不断反复重播《霹雳游侠》的缘故。
We plan to use Stuart and Sue's second-hand “omafiets” and “opafiets”, or grandma and grandpa bikes. These old single-speed, back-pedal brake, “upright” bikes, fitted with 6)panniers, are designed for short urban trips. The locals think we're mad to cycle around the country on them and I agree, given Sue's omafiets looks old enough to have been ridden by a grandmother in her irresponsible youth.
我们计划用斯图尔特和苏的二手“omafiets”和“opafiets”，即“老奶奶车”和“老爷车”出行。（编者注：omafiets与opafiets是荷兰文，其中oma意为祖母、外婆，opa指祖父、外公，fiets指自行车。）这些老旧的单速、后脚踏闸“直立”型自行车的后架两侧装有驮包，是为市内短途旅游设计的。当地人认为我们俩想骑着它们环游整个国家肯定是疯了，我也赞同，因为苏的“omafiets”看起来老旧不堪，没准曾经是某位老祖母年少轻狂的时候骑过的。
My first couple of days in Amsterdam are a 7)hectic combination of sightseeing, trip preparation and an introduction to cycling, Dutch-style. Amsterdam looks like bike 8)Utopia compared with Sydney, yet there's a particular rhythm and 9)etiquette to cycling that takes some adjustment.
我在阿姆斯特丹的头两天忙作一团，既要观光游览，又要为旅程作准备，还得学习荷兰式骑车规则。和悉尼比起来，阿姆斯特丹看起来就像是自行车的乌托邦，不过谈到骑车，这个地方有其独特的节奏和规则，需要花时间去适应。
I struggle to 10)negotiate the various cars, 11)trams, 12)mopeds, 13)oblivious tourists and carefree local cyclists. My favorite is the “dog-rider” who, instead of walking the several dogs in her care, rides with them on the bike path, causing chaos. Aside from the obvious attractions such as the Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank House, the greatest joy is simply cycling around the beautiful streets and canals of Amsterdam, stopping for coffee and Dutch apple cake at Cafe Winkel and a beer at the Brouwerij 't IJ, a small 14)brewery next to a traditional Dutch windmill.
我努力穿梭于各式各样的汽车、有轨电车、轻便摩托车、横行无忌的观光客和无忧无虑的本地自行车手之间。我“最佩服”的是那位“狗骑士”，她不是小心翼翼地牵着她那一堆狗狗散步，而是在自行车道上骑着车遛狗，制造混乱。除了那些显而易见的景点，例如梵高博物馆和安妮之家以外，最大的乐趣不过是在阿姆斯特丹美丽的街道上、运河旁骑游，在维克咖啡馆前停下来，来一杯咖啡和一份荷兰苹果蛋糕，然后在IJ啤酒厂，一家位于一座传统的荷兰风车房旁的小啤酒厂，喝上一杯啤酒。
After three days in Amsterdam, we set off for 15)Utrecht in light drizzle that soon turns into brilliant sunshine and warm temperatures. My 16)clichéd expectations are indulged as we cycle through the Dutch countryside, passing picturesque villages, windmills and canals. I'm pleasantly surprised by the beautifully 17)manicured houses and 18)quaint gardens that often incorporate funny garden 19)ornaments, 20)moats and farm animals.
在阿姆斯特丹待了三天，之后，我们在蒙蒙细雨中出发前往乌得勒支，而天气很快就变得晴朗又温暖。当我们骑车穿过荷兰的乡村，经过风景如画的村庄、风车和运河时，我那些毫无新意的期望得到了完完全全的满足。那些修葺过的漂亮房屋、那些常常装点着奇趣饰品的古雅花园、壕沟和农场动物都让我感到非常惊喜。
We arrive in Utrecht in the afternoon, with time only for a sandwich and an excellent guided tour of the Domtoren (church bell tower), the tallest in the country. As the sun begins to set on some of the most spectacular scenery of the whole trip, we race to reach Gouda before nightfall. It's immensely satisfying overtaking the locals on our old bikes.
我们在下午到达了乌得勒支，所剩的时间只够吃点三明治，并在导游的陪同下开心地游览了主教塔（教堂钟塔），它是全荷兰最高的钟塔。看着整个旅途中最壮观的景色，渐已是夕阳余晖时了，我们赶着要在天黑之前到达豪达镇。骑着我们的老爷车超过当地人时，我们的心里充满了满足感。
The next day begins with a typical hearty Dutch breakfast, a quick tour of Gouda's town square and an obligatory visit to a cheese shop. We depart for Kinderdijk, crossing the Molenkade River by car ferry before encountering one of the toughest hill climbs of the trip: the short incline from the ferry up to the main road, a challenge on an overloaded omafiets with 21)bulging panniers.
第二天我们先来了一顿丰盛的典型荷兰式早餐，然后快速地参观豪达镇的镇广场，再到了一家必去的奶酪店参观。我们向金德代克出发，坐汽车轮渡船穿过莫兰卡德河，然后开始了整趟旅程中最艰难的一段爬山骑行：一段从渡口至主路的短斜坡，对于一辆驮包胀鼓鼓的超重“omafiets”来说，这确实是个挑战。
On day four, we cross the Belgian border, disappointed by the lack of signs and 22)fanfare. We celebrate with 23)nougat in the woods of De Zoom-Kalmthoutse Heide, a cross-border nature reserve. Eventually, we reach 24)Antwerp and, like the 25)Tour de France riders, cycle along the Scheldt River, past Antwerp Castle and the old docks.
在第四天，我们穿过了比利时的边境，但那里既没有边境标示，也没有什么煞有介事的仪式，颇令我们失望。我们在德—松金厚舍—黑德公园的树林里吃着牛轧糖以表庆祝，该公园是一片跨越两国的自然保护区。最后，我们到达了安特卫普，然后像环法自行车赛车手一样，沿着斯凯尔特河一路骑行，经过安特卫普城堡和旧码头。
Aside from the 26)elation of riding from Amsterdam to Antwerp, the main town square holds special significance to us: Dad's black-and-white photograph of Mum standing by Brabo Fountain is one of our few surviving family treasures. Now we are standing in the same spot, trying to re-create that picture and create a few new ones for future generations.
从阿姆斯特丹到安特卫普，除了快乐的骑行外，那座主城镇广场对于我们来说也有着特殊的意义。爸爸那张有妈妈站在布拉博喷泉前的黑白照片是我们仅存的家族珍宝之一。如今我们也站在了同一个地方，要效仿着那照片来一张，另外也拍下一些新作，留给子孙后代。
We enjoy a rest day wandering around Antwerp's Gothic architecture, sampling such Belgian delicacies as chips with 27)mayonnaise, 28)waffles and Trappist beers. Overnight stays in Gent and Brugge complete the 29)trifecta of historic 30)Flemish towns as we ride on to Middelburg in the Netherlands, passing through a rural landscape of gorgeous fields, red-roofed farmhouses and tiny churches. After crossing the seemingly non-existent border, we follow the North Sea Cycle Route to the coast.
我们休息了一天，漫步于安特卫普的哥特式建筑之间，品尝着诸如蛋黄酱伴炸薯条、蛋奶烘饼之类的比利时美食和特拉比斯特啤酒。在根特和布鲁日度过两晚之后，我们完成了弗兰德历史名城“骑游三部曲”。当骑行前往荷兰的米尔德堡时，我们经过了一片乡村美景，满眼皆是美丽的牧场、红屋顶的农舍和小小的教堂。在穿过了看起来根本就不存在的边境后，我们沿着北海自行车道到达了海岸。
Strong winds greet us the next day as we ride in 31)slipstream formation to the Delta Project, a massive engineering system of 32)dykes, 33)locks and storm-surge barriers built following a flood that killed 2000 people in 1953. We ride over the Oosterschelde Stormvloedkering, which is three kilometres of moveable dams that took 10 years to build and formed part of this year's Tour de France. I'm sure it makes for stunning television but up close it's...breezy. The abundant wind 34)turbines aren't here for decoration. Forget flooding, I'm surprised the country doesn't blow away.
次日，我们迎着强烈的海风，随着车流大军去了三角洲项目。三角洲项目是一个大型的工程系统，纵横交错着堤坝、水闸和风暴潮堤防，于1953年在一场使得2000人遇难的大洪水之后修建。我们骑车经过了东斯海尔德的海防堤坝，它是一条三公里长的可移动大坝，花了十年的时间修建，亦是今年环法赛事的组成部分。我相信在电视上看的话，它是挺壮观的，但此刻走近了，却是……凉风习习。这里随处可见的风力涡轮机不是用来做装饰的。别说洪水了，我很惊奇这个国家居然没被大风吹走。
All too soon we reach the outskirts of Amsterdam. By now, our bikes are falling apart but I've grown to love my adopted granny. Our ride may not be worthy of a 35)yellow jersey but we feel triumphant, if tired. A seat in an Amsterdam bar is the only winner's 36)podium I need.
很快，我们就到达了阿姆斯特丹的市郊。此时，我们的自行车都快要散架了，而我却越来越喜爱这辆借来的“老爷车”。我们这一路骑行，也许配不上 “黄色领骑衫”，但我们都觉得胜利了，虽然有点疲惫。阿姆斯特丹某间酒吧里的一张椅子就是我所需要的冠军领奖台。
