是的，終於在 2008年將結束前，到達這最後的前五名了。先警告大家一下，最後的前五名大概會引起不少爭議，尤其是他們在多數的外國旅遊雜誌票選中，除了某居民超跩的 法語城市外，這五個城市多沒有在前幾名。為什麼我會這麼喜歡它們呢？說穿了 (而且說的肉麻一些)，我剛好在我人生轉折，最脆弱，最沒人扶持的時刻，和這些城市“相遇”，而它們也提供了我心靈的避風港，甚至重新點燃了我對人生的希 望。也許同樣的景，同樣的行程，你們去了，卻完全感受不到我的撼動。因此，我的前五名，只能算是我私人的心情百寶箱，在這裡與你們分享。也希望你們能從同 樣的城市，得到屬於你們自己的感動，譜寫自己和那個城市獨有的樂章。
廢話少說，我的 Top 5 of the World are.....
5. 庫斯科， 祕魯 (Cuzco, Peru - including nearby Sacred Valley, Inca Trail, and yes, Machu Picchu): 我去過的一百多國中，如果有人要我選一個最喜歡的國家，我也許仍會毫不思索的說： 『祕魯』。明年四月，距我上回 (其實也是唯一一回)拜訪祕魯，就剛好滿十年了。 1999年是個悲喜交集的一年，不到 30歲拿到博士學位，卻在拿到博士學位後是長久的失業，以及一場終生難忘，噩夢般的畢業典禮。 那一年的祕魯之旅，是給自己的畢業禮物，在人生開始急轉直下，厄運連連前，最後的美好時光。永遠難忘的是，兩種文化交融，卻又如此自然揉合的庫斯科的印加 及西班牙文化；庫斯科附近，印加聖谷的靜謐怡人，印加小徑的柳暗花明，以及最後到達馬丘比丘時，面對整個高聳卻沉寂的安第斯山時的感動。雖然庫斯科本身並 不是令人眼花撩亂的國際大都會，天黑後有的地方可能還很危險 (我 2006年的南美洲團就有團有在庫斯科被搶)，但庫斯科 +印加聖谷 +印加小徑 + 馬丘比丘，真是是喜愛旅行的人，一輩子一定要至少拜訪一次的地方。要親自看到馬丘比丘，才能了解到自己的渺小。
祕魯相關遊記:
- 『NOWnew.com 玩家經驗／尋訪失落的空中之城(上) 印加小徑驚奇』
- 『NOWnew.com 玩家經驗／尋訪失落的空中之城(下) 馬丘比丘傳奇』
- 『玩家經驗／聖湖豈是凡人能及？的的喀喀湖畔高山症』
祕魯之旅舊相簿:
4. 巴黎，法國 (Paris, France) : 花都巴黎獲得第四名，老實說，會有任何人覺得排太高了嗎 (除非是當年投給小布希的美國人)？花都的浪漫及美妙的形象其實早以深固人心，儘管我去了五次，感覺還有太多的東西沒看到。在那裡，處處是博物館及書店， 隨便找餐廳吃都很好吃 (而且好吃的餐廳其實也沒想像中貴)。當然巴黎人會打扮，懂得裝扮自己，因此走在巴黎街上，總覺得路人也都看來很賞心悅目。雖然巴黎從來不曾是我心靈『避 風港』過，但把它放在第四名，覺感當之無愧。
巴黎去了太多次，反而好像很少為她寫遊記，或製作網頁相簿？目前只找得到這篇2002年的英文遊記：
A Place in My Heart II - Je T'aimerai pour Toujous 及 2005年第五度拜訪時的簡陋相簿。
其實，巴黎並不是我全世界最喜歡的法語城市。
那‧‧‧我最喜歡的法語城市是？
3.蒙特婁，加拿大 (Montreal, Canada): 什麼?! 我喜歡蒙特婁勝過巴黎? 沒錯！因為它也在我人生的某個階段，提供了一個心靈的『避風港』。有一年的暑假，因不能住美國，最後在蒙特婁大學的宿舍住了兩個月。那時什麼也沒做，每天 走在街上，看招牌及菜單多認些法文字。冬天冷得很恐怖的蒙特婁，夏天卻街頭慶典多得不勝枚舉。又是蒙特婁爵士音樂祭 (Montreal Jazz Music Festival)，『博你一笑』喜劇節 (Just for Laugh Festival)，國際煙火大會串 (International Firework Competition)，蒙特婁法語系歌唱大會串 (Les FrancoFolies de Montreal)，及『“狂想”科幻恐怖片電影節』(Fantasia Film Festival) 。整個夏天，光是文化活動，就忙個沒完。而蒙特婁的 party scene，不只是加拿大第一，著名 DJ 很多，在全北美洲應該也有前五名。再加上繭居蒙城的那一年，加幣特別不值錢 (1加元 = 21台幣左右)，也因此覺得蒙特婁真是便宜又大碗的好地方。此外，也許是法語文化影響，感覺蒙特婁人比其他北美洲人都會打扮，走在街頭，也覺得心情特別 好。很巧地，蒙特婁是我全加拿大第一個拜訪的城市 (因為多年前在波士頓讀書時，去蒙特婁比其他加拿大城市都近)。這麼多年後，Montreal remains my No. 1 Canadian city...可惜我一向和最愛無緣，雖然在蒙城找了一陣子工作，卻一無所獲。只留下一個長夏的美好回憶，伴隨一生。
蒙特婁，竟也沒什麼數位相簿及中文遊記，只有一篇 2002年重訪時寫的遊記:
A Place in My Heart - Je me Souvient
現在愈來愈接近第一名了。不過，在這裡先結算一下：在我的 Top 50 中， 歐洲城市佔了 24.5席 (伊斯坦堡因分跨歐亞大陸，因此算半席)，可見我真的是很喜歡歐洲。但若以單一國家來算，幅員廣闊，我又住了很多年的美國在前 50年佔了八席，算是喜愛城市最多的國家。
而我的前兩名，一個來自歐洲，另一個則來自美國...
2. 柏林，德國 (Berlin, Germany):
從小時候的中文課本讀到鍾梅 音的『西柏林，這孤島』時，就對柏林這因歷史的詭弔被一分為二的城市充滿嚮往。1995年首度拜訪柏林時，圍牆已經被敲倒快六年，兩德也已經統一快五年 了。經由溫‧溫得斯的『慾望之翼』 (Wings of Desire)，感覺對柏林的印象一直停在圍牆分隔，冷硬肅殺 (猶如片中的黑白色調)的 1980年代。90年代中的柏林，到處都在敲敲打打，像件未完品。而當時對人生還充滿希望，卻也很不確定自己未來的我，選擇到柏林的青年工作營去度過了我 人生中另個青黃不接的階段。那是個炎熱，愜意，但美好的夏天。和柏林一別九年，已經變得老成，事故的我為了躲避美國長假的寂寞，一個人在十一月來到了寒冷 的柏林，第一次體驗了歐洲的冬天。這個城市，有著殘酷過往拉扯輒輾的軌跡，卻又是如此自得地，不在乎目前經濟的殘破；作為財經無力的一個之都，卻也懂得笑 看政客的醜態。一個在20世紀，短短百年內就經歷了五次歷史劇變的古城，也許比別的城市都了解要如何放開心胸，不要頻回顧過去而踟躕不前，但又把過往錯 誤，掛在嘴邊的談笑風生，不願遺忘。這樣的態度，一直都好像是我希望向柏林看齊的一點。這不是個漂亮的城市，歷史也留下了太多的殘痕。但無論如何，這都是 世上最特別，最難忘的城市之一。有時，歷經太多事故，人生犯下太多不能挽回錯誤的我，也很希望能有柏林的生活態度：I also want to say "Ich bin Berliner!" (我也是柏林人...).
相關文章：
『柏林遺往』
『聖誕節市集』 及刊在東森新聞/NOWnews.com 的版本：『玩家經驗／分手的冬天 啜飲柏林的溫暖』
個人網站上的柏林相簿：
柏林圍牆之東邊藝廊特輯
柏林搜酷(So Cool)頁
刊在英文旅遊網站 BootsNAll.com 上的英文遊記：
『You're Still the One』
柏林從 2004年冬的那次重訪開始，就一直是我的第一名。但現在卻掉到第二名，所以，我有了新的第一名？
那新的第一名是‧‧‧
你記得2008年11月5號台北時間的早晨 (美國中部標準時間晚上九點多)，你在哪裡嗎？ I wish I were there....in that park
和數十萬人一起慶祝某歷史盛事‧‧‧
第一名的城市是‧‧‧
1. 芝加哥，美國 (Chicago, USA): 1992年第一次去芝加哥，過了幾乎 15年，芝加哥才首度進到我的 Top 10。今年，也許是趕 歐巴馬熱潮吧，因來自芝加哥的 Obama象徵著“改變”及“希望”，而這也是 2008年的我，最需要，也終於得到的兩樣無形的東西。因此在 2008即將結束時，芝加哥打敗柏林，首度成為我全球最愛城市的第一名！
當 然，我對芝加哥的情感，遠比歐巴馬及他所象徵的種種，來的複雜太多。為了一段沒有結果的感情，多年來，我放假常往芝加哥跑。2004正式放棄這個可能後， 卻陰錯陽差地在 2006年秋，人生另一段超級低潮時，為了幫朋友看家，成為芝加哥的居民，竟通勤於芝加哥與紐約之間。因紐約，舊金山，波士頓的種種人生失意，以及巴爾地 摩及費城的無趣及治安敗壞，當時的我，已對美國徹底失望，決定在 2007年教的課結束後，永久遷離美國。卻因在芝加哥那段時間經歷的人與事，對這國家重新燃起希望。也因『芝加哥蟄伏時期』的少量收入，但更少的房租支 出，極大部分的時間有空閒在咖啡廳作夢，寫遊記投稿，及安排別的旅途，間接促成了 2007年春的『破百國非洲之旅』。For me, Chicago really symbolized "change" and "hope"。2008年夏，首度在夏天拜訪芝加哥，終於體會到了這有嚴冬的城市，在盛夏時節更懂得盡量享用的歡愉。基本上，紐約有的，芝加哥都有：高聳 入雲，造型別緻的摩天樓，收藏豐富的各式博物館，美麗的沙灘步道 (雖然這裡是湖濱，不是海濱)，便捷的大眾交通系統，來自世界各地的移民而帶來的各式美食，及多樣選擇的夜生活‧‧‧但這裡又比紐約便宜，人民也比紐約友 善。有的人稱芝加哥是『New York Light』，我到覺得是 『New York Improved』
因此，在此正式公告： Chicago is my NO.1 City in the world! I support for the Olympics in Chicago in 2016！全力支持芝加哥 2016 申奧運成功
Top 50 的倒數到此告一段落，在此祝大家新年快樂了！
《全系列完》
===================================
After doing the countdown for the past few months, finally we get to this point: The Final Five. It's like the TV show "American Idol" (though there is only one American city in the Top 5...)
Overall, in my Top 50, European cities occupy almost half of the seats. With 24.5 (Istanbul counts as half an European city, mind you) out of top 50 destinations are European, it is definitely my favorite continent in the world. With 8 cities in the final 50, United States is the country occupies more spots than any other single country. But ironically, my former top cities like New York and Boston are not even in Top 50 (due to "personal deduction"). However, at the end, one American city does get to the Final 5 and doing very, very well. Talking about a year all of us really need are "hope" and "change" and "yes, we can"....
The following is my Top 5 favorite destinations in the world...
5. Cuzco, Peru (including nearby Sacred Valley, Inca Trail, and yes, Machu Picchu): To be exact, Peru is also my favorite country in the world and I definitely think this region should be the first choice for anybody who plan a visit to South America for the first time (yes, Peru is the first South American country I visited). Compared to Antigua in Guatemala (another Top Latin American city for me), Cuzco is an even more beautiful and cultural place. Even the nearby sacred valley of Inca offers a lot of activities to choose: white water rafting along Urubamba River (part of Amazonian system); shopping for Incan crafts at Pisac Sunday market; wandering through less famous Incan sites such as Sacsayhuaman and Ollantaytambo. Of course, no experience can rival that of trekking on Inca Trail, passing by Huinay Huayna, to reach Intipunku (Sun Gate) and have the first encounter with Machu Picchu. Yes, even a person as cynic as me would say: "This is the trip of lifetime!"
My writing about Cuzco and Machu Picchu:
Silence of the Andeans (in Chinese)
Photo album:
4. Paris, France : I guess few people would object that I list Paris in my Top 5 (aside from some millions of Bush-supporters). One of the most beloved and romantic cities in the world, it does have numerous great sites of interest and world-class museums. The best of all, you can rarely go wrong to eat in this city (even the Chinese and Indian restaurants are good). Just some advice, learn some French! You cannot blame people being rude while you don't even try to learn a little bit of their language...
Mmm...I cannot believe that I don't have a special page of photo album devoted to Paris. Okay, there is a travelogue I wrote back in 2002 about Paris:
A Place in My Heart II - Je T'aimerai pour Toujous
3. Montreal, Canada: What?! Montreal ranks higher than Paris? Yes, I actually like this "second largest French speaking city in the world" more. It is a North American city with an European heart, while constantly is confused with its own identity and direction (I can very much relate to that personally). Still struggling to define itself, as the province of Quebec cannot decide it is "Canadian" or not, the bilingual Montreal has actually turned into a multicultural mosaic like Toronto and Vancouver (thanks to Canada's open-door immigration policy). Will it remain a part of Canada? Let's hope so....
Mmm...just like Paris, I also don't have a special page of photo album devoted to Montreal. But there is a travelogue I wrote back in 2002 about Montreal:
A Place in My Heart - Je me Souvient
Next....My No. 2 city in the world was No.1 for 4 years. Now it falls to No. 2...
2. Berlin, Germany:
For a history buff like me, Germany's "former" but also "new" capital is the most fascinating city in our time. It had morphed 5 times in the past 100 years alone. Even after entering 21st century, Berlin still hasn't stopped its process of metamorphoses. Now the avant-garde art and nightlife center of the new integrated Europe, Berlin still remains a bargain destination. Your Euro (or pounds or CN$, and yes, maybe even US$) can still go further here than many other European cities. For architecture buffs, many interesting modern building can be found here. And after 2009, the Museum Island Complex will become the largest museum complex in the world. I have long been aware Berlin is a fun place to visit while most of the world still did not know. Unfortunately, after last year's World Cup, the secret is out....After visiting this city 6 times in the past 12 years, I also want to say "Ich bin Berliner!" (no "ein" here...).
My most recent BootsNAll.com article: "You Are Still The One"
and
An older article The Lost Past of Berlin (in Chinese)
Photo Album Well...it is Chinese only sorry...
So what is the BIG NO. ONE among them all....after all? Yes, I have a new No. 1 now! Isn't it great that finally this year, Time Magazine's "Person of the Year" is some guy most of us all like? And yes, he hails from my No. 1 city in the world - a city I first visited back in 1992 but took me so long to start liking it. Now, it is my favorite city in the world....
My No. 1 is....
1. Chicago, USA: A city I called it home when I was in one of the lowest period in my life. Nothing went right in that period, except anything related to "travel". However, my Chicago days offered me opportunities to write, to be creative, to recoonect with many other aspects of my life. Now looking back in that 2006-2007 miserable period, Chicago actually reignited my hope - hope about the possibility of still living in the US and still enjoying it, hope that had been extiguished after the fiasco in my New York days. Interestingly, more than a year later, someone started his career in this city actually brings hope to the whole country.
It is called "second city" though in my mind it is no second to any other in the US. It is a highly culturally rich and ethnically diverse city, but still manages to be much cheaper and less arrogant than cities on both coasts. Sometimes, even its polital scandal looks amusing and entertaining. Of course, there are always prices to pay for some place this good: yes, the winter is very harsh...
So that is it...Finally I finish it! Another round of Top 50 right before the end of 2008.
Hopefully, everybody have a great travel year ahead in 2009!....
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