最近決定在年底前，推出一個新的單元，正好在年終別人一堆十大 (Top 10)，二十大 (Top 20)的名單中，跟著一窩蜂地應景一下。只是我此回『行家一出手，就知有沒有』，才不會這麼簡單地只出個 My favorite Top 10 或甚至 My favorite Top 20。我決定來個 『My Favorite Top 50』─ 虹在天涯全球最愛 50大城市排行。
五十大？！
沒錯！但想想，我去過的國家逾百，拜訪過的城市，小鎮，觀光景點聖地，全部加起來，說的出名字的至少六，七百個 (見上圖)。所以要排自己最喜歡的，一排排五十個，其實也不是什麼特別稀奇的啦！
因此，這前五十大『全球最愛城鎮』單元，將以倒數方式，分六到七次刊出。我打算在2008年底前刊完整個系列。並在揭曉我全球第一名的城市後，公佈 我『世界上十個我還沒去過但最想去的地方』(有時亦稱『十大夢幻未訪之地』)。此外，為了讓我非華語系國家的友人也可以看這名單，這份 Top 50 List 也將以雙語刊出。
這第一回，將介紹的是我全球第 41名到第50名最喜歡的城鎮。
By the end of 2008, I have traveled to 107 countries/self-administrative territories(added only one this year because I moved to a new country/emirate for a new job). Also since 2007, I have been a certified member of Travelers Century Club. Among the 107 countries visited, I identified more than 600 destinations (on the tripadvisor.com map) visited. That is quite a huge number! Among those hundreds of places, my friends usually ask me, "What are your favorite places?"
It is a hard question to answer. And yes, I do have my favorites. Actually, I always keep a list of my 20 favorite places. However, in the beginning of 2007 (maybe I had too little to do in my life), I listed my Top 50 favorite cities in the world for the first time. Since then, I traveled to many more destinations in Africa, Europe, and America; also re-visited many old ones. However, almost two years have passed and it is the end of 2008, so I think it's time to update my 'Top 50 List' once again.
Fifty is not a small number. So chances are, my friends, your hometown is among one of them. If not, don't get mad! Well, this list may really shock some people because some famous destinations rank very low, or not even in Top 50. Well, there are some reasons about that. Of course, one possible reason is that I haven't actually visited those places (such as Kabul, Bagdad, or Mogadishu, yeah, right)
Also, I decided to list islands or heritage sites or natural wonders separately. Unless they are next to a city or town I like, usually these sites are not listed as stand-alone on my list (So, sorry Angkor Wat and Iguazu Falls.)
So here it is, the complete list of my Top 50 cities in the world - After visiting 107 countries and 669 destinations:
50. 台中, 台灣： 雖然只是台灣的第三大城，但因人文活動豐富，加上風景也不壞，到很多美麗的風景區都不遠，我總覺得台中市是台灣第二有趣的地方。也許因從前有很多好友在台 中讀書，後來畢業後甚至有更多朋友遷居台中，感覺我每次回台灣好像都會至少拜訪台中一次。現在高鐵通車了，台北台中之間一小時即可抵達。我幾週前甚至專門 搭車到台中看金馬獎國際影展，然後當天回台北。如果台北房價一直居高不下，以後要返台定居，也許我會選擇在台中購屋。
49. 杜布洛尼克, 克羅埃西亞 (包含整個大麥汀海岸) 有『亞德里亞海之珠』的杜布洛尼克我是在 2006年六月跟著 Intrepid 旅行社的行程拜訪的。在形成結束後，我又自己在杜布洛尼克這一帶的大麥汀海岸，自己遊歷了一個星期。這一帶有很多可看的古蹟，海岸線也非常漂亮。從這裡， 要到波士尼亞的古城莫斯塔 (Mostar)一日遊也很方便。有機會，可以讀讀我幾篇發表的遊記：
『 玩家經驗／城牆走一圈 細品「亞德里亞之珠」的歷史滄桑』
『 玩家經驗／重建種族和解石橋 莫斯塔浴血新生』
48. 里加, 拉脫維亞: 我於 2006年夏『第二次巴爾幹半島之旅』時，一口氣在五天內拜訪了波羅地海三小國。不過因時間限制，三國我都只拜訪了首都。雖然三個首都都小巧可愛，古蹟也 很多，自助旅行不難，東西也不貴。若要選三城中我的最愛，我會選人口最多，感覺也最多餐廳及夜生活去處的拉脫維亞首都 ─ 里加。其實愛沙尼亞的首都塔林 (Tallinn) 及立陶宛的首都維尼爾斯 (Vilnius)也不錯，反正現在申根簽證，現在這些國家都包括了，大家有機會，就三個一起拜訪吧！
==>因相機被偷，我並沒當時在里加旅遊的照片，波羅地海三小國遊記，是有幾篇，不過都是英文的：
- Arrived in the Baltics - Vilnius, Lithuania﹝初抵波羅地海三小國﹞
- Fun and Frustration of Independent Travel﹝一人自助旅行的甘與苦﹞
- The Little Country That Can ...Sort of - Estonia ﹝小國也能成大器﹞
- The New Prague - Riga, Latvia ﹝東歐的小布拉格﹞
47. 聖塔菲, 美國 (新墨西哥州): 算是美國歷史最悠久的城市之一。由西班牙拓荒者所創建，卻又充滿了濃濃的印地安原住民的風味。因為整個城鎮建築都採用原住民的『阿堵壁』(Adobe，剛 好某電腦程式舊世界用了此名)模式，看起來特別有異國情趣。加上很多藝術家住在聖塔菲，這裡高水準的藝廊也特別多。愛畫美國西南荒野景觀的歐姬芙 (Georgia O'Keefe)在這裡有她的專屬博物館；而西蒙波娃 (Simone de Bauvoir)的1947美國紀行中也特別提到她對聖塔菲的喜愛 (我還跑去他用過餐的咖啡廳東張西望)。這真的是值得一去的地方。我到新墨西哥旅遊是很多年前的事了，不過按下面連結可看到我在 聖塔菲的遊記 (英文) 以及 那次旅行的相片 。
46. 布達佩斯, 匈牙利: 雖然是不錯的城市，感覺沒有布拉格可愛，也沒有克拉科夫有趣具歷史感。其實若不是我在第二次巴爾幹半島之旅，相機在匈牙利被偷，我對這國家印象會好一點。也許，布達佩斯排名還會高一些。關於布達佩斯，我刊出的遊記也有好幾篇，請見：
45. 紐奧良, 美國: 曾經在我全球前十名最喜歡城市的美國紐奧良，這幾年排名一直掉。尤其是在卡翠娜颶風讓全城淹水，讓一半的居民被迫遷走後，我就一直沒什麼打算重新拜訪那個 城市。在2002年之前，我先後去過紐奧良三次 (那時好友的姊姊在那裡開汽車旅館)，覺得那裡可玩的東西很多，很多不錯具異國風味的餐廳，及有些邪門但有趣的景點 (如巫毒博物館及聖查爾斯古墳區)。不過紐奧良一向治安不好，很多地方晚上不能亂跑。在卡翠娜颶風之後據說治安更糟，謀殺案層出不窮。大家要去旅行，還是 小心一點。雖然去了幾次，我紐奧良數位化的相片其實不多，只有這裡有一本相簿集
44. 格拉納達, 西班牙: 其實再安達魯西亞的三大城中，我也很喜歡塞維亞 (Seville) 及哥多華 (Cordoba)啦！不過就讓有阿罕布拉宮及美麗山景的格拉納達入圍我的五十大好了。在格拉納達及安達魯西亞也有一些舊相片。不過那時年紀小，相片掃描 的不好 (那時還沒數位相機)，版面也編排的不怎樣。
迷戀格拉納達的 阿罕布拉宮── Mesmerizing Alhambra
熱情塞維爾──Passionate Sevilla
43. 都柏林, 愛爾蘭: 都柏林是個看似不怎麼特別，不太大，酒吧很多，但是還算有趣的城市。因為小，要四處走來走去很容易，而且一大堆酒吧都有不錯的駐唱歌手。這些酒吧中，我最 喜歡的是有十幾種自己釀製啤酒的 Porter House。本來今年為了找工作，又去都柏林一次，差點搬到愛爾蘭。後來沒找到，想想也好，因為柏林其實天氣不好，一年大半時間都很陰冷 (不像中東地區冬日時刻特別舒服) 。除了都柏林市本身外，郊外也有不少美麗的景點，像 Howth 懸崖步道，離都柏林才45分鐘的車程，就很值得一遊：
愛爾蘭之旅，其實在另一旅遊網站有遊記刊出，但非常不正式，也寫的零零落落。若有興趣，請點選下面連結： 我的愛爾蘭之旅
42. 西治索拉, 羅馬尼亞 (Sighisoara, Romania): 在奇特的民間傳奇很多的羅馬尼亞的『川斯凡尼亞』(Transylvania)區域，西治索拉雖不是最大，也不是最古，卻因為是傳聞中的“吸血鬼”卓古拉 (Dracula) 伯爵的出生地而聞名。其中鎮中心有個小山丘，丘頂有個碉堡，碉堡裡還有股異的石板街道。因此說來，西治索拉本身該算是『川斯凡尼亞』區域最美的城鎮。原本 就安排她是我進羅馬尼亞的第一站，大概只待一兩天。但因相機在匈牙利的夜車上失竊，心情受到重大打擊。幾乎不能 move-on，繼續行程，因此在西治索拉待了四，五天。這段心路有寫在『第二次巴爾幹半島之旅』 的相關遊記中 。因為在西治索拉的療傷歷程，此城也對我別具意義，因此高居 42名，同時也是羅馬尼亞唯一進我 Top 50 的城市。其實這一帶德風甚濃，日爾曼，匈牙利，及羅馬尼亞，甚至吉普賽文化相融並蓄，算是在巴爾幹半島非常特殊的地區。再加上喀爾巴仟山 (Carpathian Mountains)美麗的山景，大家有機會一定得去看一看。
41. 魁北克城，加拿大 (Quebec City, Canada) 加拿大和我一向有緣。加拿大的城市也大幅佔據我的 Top 50 排行榜 (之後 Top 40 還有好幾個)。加拿大各省中，我最喜歡的，其實是和美國最不相像，也最有獨立意識的魁北克省。魁北克省的第一大城稍後會介紹到 (而且名次還‧‧‧非常的高)。而有『北美洲最具歐洲風味』的魁省首府，魁北克城，則是我的第 41名。雖然我在飄著大雪的時候拜訪 (三月底)，也在盛夏時重訪，卻從未在最冷的一，二月拜訪。因此也一直沒機會她的『冬季嘉年華』以及住『冰館』(Ice-Hotel，據說是北美唯一一 家)的趣味。
倒數 (Countdown) 暫時先到此打住‧‧‧
《下一篇：第 31 名到 第 40 名》
=============================
ENGLISH VERSION:
50. Taichung, Taiwan It is the third largest city of Taiwan but culturally, maybe only second to Taiwan's largest and the capital - Taipei. One of my past love went to a university in Taichung and several of my close friends either are from there or eventually settle down there. Thus, I always feel Taichung has been my second hometown in Taiwan. The recent visit of it Museum of Science and Natural History and some nice parks shows that it gradually evolves into an international city of it own. The Golden Horse Film Festival even had a separate festival held over there - the only one outside of Taipei. If I move back to Taiwan, this might be my second choice outside of Taipei)
49. Dubrovnik, Croatia (including nearby Dalmatian Coast) I visited it for the first time in 2006. Nicknamed "Pearl of Adriatics," one of the better preserved walled cities in the world. The view from its fortress wall is especially stunning, so the best experience is take a stroll of its whole 2km fortress wall. It is also a great idea to visit nearby islands, or even travel into Bosnia to visit Mostar.
48. Riga, Latvia: I visited it in the summer of 2006. Now it is certified as "The next Prague." A city still has that "Old Soviet Feel" but also growing vibrant nightlife. Now Latvia is a part of E.U. and many budget airlines start flying there. If you are living in Europe, go there fast before it becomes too touristy. Later change of mind: then I feel Riga, Tallinn (Estonia), and Vilnius (Lithuania) all three are not really that different, maybe give them a three-way tie?
==> My travelogues about the Baltics:
- Arrived in the Baltics - Vilnius, Lithuania
- Fun and Frustration of Independent Travel
- The Little Country That Can ...Sort of - Estonia
- The New Prague - Riga, Latvia
46. Budapest, Hungary: It was also visited first time in 2006 (I traveled to a lot of Eastern European destinations that year). It is one of the most popular cities in former Eastern Bloc. And now there are even budget airlines based in Budapest (WizzAir). I enjoyed its hot spring and wide boulevard. However, since there are quite a few tourist scams in Budapest, you should still be careful when traveling there.
45. New Orleans, USA: Continuing its slip on my list (It was No. 30 just 10 months ago). This used to be as high as No. 2 for me. Unfortunately, after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has become merely a shell of its former self. Of course, NO had long been one of the most dangerous cities (a real murder capital) in the US. Judging from the homicide rate so far in 2007, it seems just get worse. I traveled to New Orleans three times, including the only Mardi Gras I attended in 1999.
44. Granada, Spain: My favorite town in Andalusia, South Spain. Of course, The Alhambra Palace may be enough reason to put it in anybody's Top 50. There are also my photo album from "the old time" (when digital camera was not yet common)
Mesmerizing Alhambra
Passionate Sevilla
43. Dublin, Ireland: Also just visited it for the first time in 2006 and I was pleasantly surprised by its vibrancy and sophistication. Now Ireland is the second wealthiest country in E.U. its capital also attracts a lot of creative young people from all over the world. Okay, the weather is shitty but people are friendly and nightlife is really vibrant. I just like the choices of beers at Porter House and a night stroll along Liffey River. Nearby there are also a lot of great natural wonders offering some choice for daytrips.
42. Sighisoara, Romania: Right in the center of Romania and where Vlad the Impaler (The real life "Dracula") was born. I stayed there for 4 nights to heal my psychological wound after my precious belongings were stolen on a night train from Krakow. It is a nice and small medieval town but it is also near many attractions in Transylvania, including many Saxon villages. Personally I prefer here over the more touristy Brasov.
41. Quebec City, Canada In this updated list, I decided to separate Montreal and Quebec City as 2 destinations, so QC comes back to my list again (about Montreal, well, it is much higher up). The only walled city in North America and feeling more European than any other US and Canadian cities. I still haven't visited its Winter Carnival and ice-hotel...
43. Dublin, Ireland: Also just visited it for the first time in 2006 and I was pleasantly surprised by its vibrancy and sophistication. Now Ireland is the second wealthiest country in E.U. its capital also attracts a lot of creative young people from all over the world. Okay, the weather is shitty but people are friendly and nightlife is really vibrant. I just like the choices of beers at Porter House and a night stroll along Liffey River. Nearby there are also a lot of great natural wonders offering some choice for daytrips.
Well, that's it for now, wait for my next "Part II: No. 40 to No. 31"...
《待續》
《To be continued....》
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