倫敦之旅:帶着孩子來一次倫敦文化遊

Traveling with children seems to operate on a continuum that begins with plane discomfort for the gravely pregnant and ends with teenagers taking ski trips without you. It's the various in-between stages that currently occupy me: the necessary Children-as-Extra-Luggage travel, as I once did on a book tour with a 5-month-old, coordinating feeds between readings; followed by attempts at Traveling Despite the Child, which my husband and I once did in Japan, hoisting our 10-month-old in a backpack and dining in our hotel bathroom while she slept. And then there is the interminable Where Else Could We Possibly Go? stage, a yearslong stretch of visits to the in-laws, house rentals in places where you won't bother other people, forays into Disneyland. Into this category fall the whiling away of two-week breaks, babysitter vacations and four-day weekends that constitute the academic calendar.

帶孩子旅行似乎就是一場漫長的麻煩，它始於懷孕時渾身不適的飛機之旅，結束於青春期子女甩掉父母去遠方滑雪的那一刻。而我，已經體驗過兩點之間若干不同的時期：不可避免的“把嬰兒當作超重行李”的旅行，我曾經帶着五個月的寶寶有過一場閱讀之旅，餵奶和讀書穿插進行；然後，我和丈夫在日本曾有一次“對孩子不管不顧的旅行”，把十個月的女兒裝進揹包行走，在酒店浴室裏吃飯，而她當時只知道呼呼大睡。後來是冗長的“不然還能去哪兒”時期，那一年，我們有時帶孩子到祖父母家暫住，有時因不想打擾他人而租房，興之所至還去了幾次迪士尼樂園。還需包含爲期兩週、照顧子女的假日和四天的週末，才能在學術意義上真正構成這一類別。

All of these middle phases involve compromises. The hope is that despite them, participants young and old manage to eke out some modicum of enjoyment, drawn into one another's world by the sheer force of parental or filial appetite, tolerating or tantruming through the rest.

所有這些中期階段都涉及到委曲求全。儘管如此，我們仍然希望兩代人在旅途中能擠出一些樂趣，通過家長權威或親情，藉由寬厚或發威，進入彼此的世界。

But when, I wondered, would my children want to do more of what I want to do, or vice versa, and when might those tendencies magically converge? At what age can a child truly appreciate the cultural value of an international journey, on mutually agreeable terms?

但我很想知道，什麼時候，孩子們會更樂意按我的期待行事？什麼時候，我會更樂意按孩子們的期待行事？什麼時候，這兩種傾向能神奇地融合？孩子到了哪個年齡段，纔會在親子雙方自願的基礎上，真正欣賞國際旅行的文化價值？

As spring break approached this year, I thought I might have finally hit that moment with my nearly 9-year-old daughter — especially if I left my two smaller children, boys whose predilections would confine us largely to playgrounds and ice cream parlors, behind. Perhaps I could take Beatrice to London, a city I lived in 15 years ago and have traveled to frequently since, as a test case: Would she be old enough to appreciate my London — a city of quirky bookshops, World War history and street scenery straight out of "Bleak House" — and also make it her own? By pursuing our shared passions for books and theater in a city that specializes in both, might we achieve that elusive family-travel synchronicity?

我的女兒碧翠絲(Beatrice)快九歲了。今年春假來臨之際，我想，專屬於我們母女二人的時刻終於來到了，特別是我打算把她的兩個弟弟留在家裏，不然，我們就只能跟着哥兒倆飛奔的腳步，在遊樂場和冰激凌屋附近徘徊。或許我可以帶女兒去倫敦。十五年前，我曾經住在那座城市，離開之後又多次返回短期旅行。還可以把這趟旅行當成實驗案例：她是否已經十分成熟，足以欣賞我心中的倫敦——這座到處是奇趣書店、世界大戰歷史、狄更斯《荒涼山莊》(Bleak House)式街景的都市——並將它融入自己的心靈？在這座專精於書籍與戲劇的城市，我們母女能否憑藉對二者共同的癡迷，在親子游中實現莫可名狀的心靈相通？

As I was contemplating all this, Beatrice happened to be fresh off two viewings of the very English musical "Matilda" and knee-deep in the adventure tales of Enid Blyton, the late children's book author who remains marginal on these shores but is still revered in Britain. She had read all of Blyton's books currently available in the States but was far from sated. Amazingly and reassuringly, even in our globalized, technophilic world, finding the requisite book-related experience can still require a voyage.

在我思忖這個問題的時候，碧翠絲剛好看完了英國歌舞劇《瑪蒂爾達》(Matilda)，深深沉醉於作者伊妮德·布萊頓(Enid Blyton)創作的歷險傳奇。這位已故兒童文學作家在美國海岸地區雖然不太主流，但在英國卻備受尊敬。能在美國買到的所有布萊頓作品碧翠絲都讀過了，卻仍然意猶未盡。令人驚奇也讓人安慰的是，哪怕在這個全球一體、偏愛技術的世界，要想感受與書香有關的必要體驗，依然需要飛越萬水千山。

This upgraded our trip into a kind of literary quest. We would set off in search of British editions, Roald Dahl-based theater, Harry Potter adventure and Rick Riordan-inspired mythology. For my part, having recently read Kate Atkinson's Blitz-era novel, "Life After Life," I was eager to revisit the Churchill War Rooms, and to stock up on British editions of Edward St. Aubyn's Patrick Melrose series. If traveling across the ocean in search of literary pleasure seems an anachronism in our e-reading, Amazon-altered world, I've got no problem with that. I bought tickets before I could reconsider.

於是，我們的旅行成了文學主題的探索，啓程就是爲了尋找各種書籍的英國版本、羅爾德·達爾(Roald Dahl)的戲劇作品、哈利·波特歷險故事和雷克·萊爾頓(Rick Riordand)的神話傳說。而我呢，最近剛讀完凱特·阿特金森(Kate Atkinson)以“二戰”期間閃電戰爲背景的小說《生命不息》(Life After Life)，渴望再次遊覽丘吉爾戰時內閣辦公室(Churchill War Rooms)，置辦幾本愛德華·聖·奧賓(Edward St. Aubyn)的帕特里克·梅爾羅斯(Patrick Melrose)系列小說。在這個爲亞馬遜改變的電子化閱讀時代，如果說這場追尋文學樂趣的越洋旅行顯得不合時宜，我也無所謂。買票之前，我已經反覆斟酌過。

We started off with a slog. Jet lag is bad enough solo, but with a child who's slept two hours en route nd double the suitcases, taking the stingy Heathrow Express route from the airport to South Kensington instead of a taxi was almost certainly unwise. Once the train deposited us at Paddington Station, we had to navigate the Tube's interminable damned-be-the-disabled staircases, before briefly settling into our charming house rental, a two-story mews off the Old Brompton Road. Resisting the lure of the sofa, we formally began our trip on common ground: a bookstore.

倫敦之遊開始了，步履維艱。走下飛機時，光是時差就已經夠讓人難受了，我又帶着兩倍數量的行李和一個在飛行途中只睡了兩個小時的孩子。從機場去往南肯辛頓的那段路，我選擇了搭乘差勁的希斯羅機場快線而不是打車，真是太不明智了。一到帕丁頓地鐵站，就趕緊踏上永無止境的地鐵樓梯，匆忙找了個落腳之地——老邦普頓路旁一座馬廄改建的兩層小樓內可愛的出租屋。我們抵擋住了沙發的誘惑，正式開始尋找志趣相投的目標：書店。

Hatchards, founded in 1797, is the oldest bookshop in London, a short stroll off Piccadilly Circus, and conveniently close to Fortnum & Mason, one of the best venues for extortionate, fancifully packaged treats. Though no longer the independent bookseller it was during my London days (since acquired by the mega-chain Waterstones) Hatchards retains the stubborn texture of an independent. A wooden staircase, buffed by the ages, winds up multiple floors, past displays featuring an idiosyncratic selection of literary fiction and fustily British subjects. There is no cafe.

哈查茲書店(Hatchards)始建於1797年，是倫敦最古老的書店，距離皮卡迪利廣場只有幾步之遙。不遠處就是購買奢華糖果的絕佳去處福特楠梅森百貨(Fortnum & Mason)，真是便利。哈查茲自從被大型連鎖的水石書店(Waterstones)收購之後，已不再是我記憶中獨立書店的模樣，卻依然保留了自由人的倨傲風骨。一道木梯盤旋而上，連接起好幾層樓，在歲月的磨礪之後閃着幽光，沿途陳列着古怪的文學虛構類圖書與發黴的英倫作品。店內無咖啡供應。

The children's section on the third floor may be smaller than that of the average Barnes & Noble, but its shelves are meatier. British bookstores tend to stock a richer inventory of history books, rather than the watered-down social studies and photographic collage that often passes for nonfiction here. They're also particularly strong on fairy tales, geography, folklore and mythology — much of it highly appealing to my third-grade Percy Jackson fan.

兒童部位於三樓，與美國巴諾書店(Barnes & Noble)的各店面相比，面積略小一些，但架上的書籍卻更豐富。英國書店樂於儲備更多歷史書，而不是像美國書店那樣充斥着注水的社科讀物和美其名曰紀實叢書的圖片大雜燴。英國的書店裏還有許多地理書、童話、民間傳說和神話故事，在我三年級的女兒眼中更是動人，因爲她是波希·傑克遜(Percy Jackson)系列故事的發燒友。

But it was the "Enid Blyton section" that truly distinguished the British bookstore from the American. Blyton, who died in 1968, was wildly popular in Britain and throughout the Commonwealth for much of the 20th century, and despite having taken a battering in later enlightened years on charges of sexism, racism, elitism and a lack of imagination, her popularity endures. Some of the most egregious material has been sloughed off recent editions, which also bear remarketed illustrations even as the content — boarding school shenanigans, old-fashioned capers and fantasies — remains largely the same.

但英國書店真正優於美國的，是“伊妮德·布萊頓作品部”。布萊頓去世於1968年，在20世紀的大多數時期，她在英國及英聯邦國家都深受喜愛。儘管在後來的啓蒙年代中，她的作品因包含性別偏見、種族主義、精英主義和缺乏想象力而屢遭詬病，受了重創，但依舊流行。近年的新版已經拋棄了那些備受非議的篇章與作品，許多插圖是重新設計的，但文本——寄宿學校內的惡作劇、老派的詭計與幻想——基本保持原味。

Hatchards carried four shelves full of Blyton's tireless series, and was the first of three bookstores we spent serious time in over the course of our nine-day vacation. A close second was a store new to me, but recommended by friends with children who've spent time in London. Daunt Books in Marylebone is not only an excellent general bookshop, but also one of the finest travel and world literature bookstores I've ever been to, with shelves organized by country. I could have spent the day.

哈查茲書店裏有四個書架擺滿了布萊頓筆耕不輟的成果。在爲期九天的假日中，有三家書店讓我們流連忘返，這是第一個。第二個是附近一家新店，之前我沒去過，但倫敦有好幾位家長朋友曾向我推薦。它的名字叫勇氣書店(Daunt Books)，位於馬里布恩，不僅是絕佳的綜合書店，還是我去過的最佳旅行與世界文學書店，店內的書架按國家分類。本來，我可以在那裏度過整整一天。

But in two days' time, we'd be heading to the Warner Brothers studio where the Harry Potter films were shot, just outside London, and I wanted to explore city-side Potter first. Our Harry Potter walking tour was conducted by London Walks, the same tour company I'd patronized when I'd lived there in the '90s, though my walks were centered on slightly more mature subjects like Churchill's London and the Inns of Court. We began in the old City of London at a busy intersection near the Bank Tube stop, site of a deleted Knight Bus scene from "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." Our tour guide, the Dickensian-named Richard Walker, held Beatrice at rapt attention when he stuck to the subject at hand. (Digressions into Bridget Jones territory left her cold.) By the time we had traipsed over the Millennium Bridge (destroyed by Death Eaters!) to the second of two location shots for the Leaky Cauldron (it was moved from Leadenhall Market to Borough Market between the first and third films), I'd promised a repeatmovie marathon upon our return.

但兩天之後，我們就要去《哈利·波特》系列電影的拍攝地華納兄弟影棚了，那片哈迷樂園就在倫敦郊外，我想先去遊覽一番。我們的哈利·波特主題遊是倫敦遠足公司(London Walks)組織的，90年代我也曾惠顧過這家機構，但當年去的都是更成熟的景點，比如丘吉爾倫敦辦公室和律師學院。我們在倫敦市區的遊玩始於河岸地鐵站(Bank Tube)附近一個忙碌的十字路口，電影《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒》中騎士公交車一幕就拍攝於此，可惜後來被刪掉了。我們的導遊有個狄更斯式的名字——理查德·沃克(Richard Walker)，他專注於主題講解時，碧翠絲深深地入了迷。但當他離開主題，開始大侃布里吉特·瓊斯（Bridget Jones，電影《BJ單身日記》的主角）時，她頓覺索然無味。我們信步走過千禧橋（被食死徒毀掉了！），來到破釜酒吧兩處拍攝地點的第二處（在第一部和第三部電影中，這座酒吧的拍攝地從肉類市場改到了鎮集市），我決心一回家就把冗長的《哈利·波特》系列電影再看一遍。

Determined to avoid the lowest-common-denominator kiddie attractions — no Madame Tussauds or museums dedicated to torture (exception: Tower of London) — I conceded to the London Eye, a mere millennial specter back in 1998. This giant spinning structure doesn't actually afford much of a view, despite its acrophobic attempts. Yet for children and adults alike, the sheer pomposity of the contraption, an odd marriage of funicular and Ferris wheel, are attraction enough. Through the distorted bubble glass of its walls I spied an enticing climbing playground on the South Bank, a few minutes' walk away, and bookmarked it for a return trip.

我決定躲開兒童最常去的景點——杜莎夫人蠟像館或者以折磨遊客爲樂的博物館（倫敦塔除外），去倫敦之眼。這座千禧年的魔影建於1998年，儘管它試圖嚇唬恐高症患者，那些巨大的旋轉裝置其實不怎麼壯麗。然而，對於兒童或類似兒童的成人，它精巧而浮誇的設計、纜車與摩天輪的古怪聯姻，仍然有巨大的吸引力。透過牆上變形的氣泡玻璃，我瞥見南岸一座迷人的攀巖遊樂場，步行幾分鐘即可到達，就決定回程時到那裏走一走。

Also on our list of unabashedly family-friendly activities: a double-decker bus tour, run by one of several seemingly interchangeable operators. For a child, the rooftop view offered tangible evidence of just how different big cities still look, despite the cross-Atlantic proliferation of Whole Foods and Starbucks. Yet a similar, Knight Bus-like experience could be found on standard city transport, provided you capture front row seats on top.

在我們十分親密的母女活動列表上，還有一場雙層巴士之旅，由幾個互通合作的旅行機構組織。對孩子來說，坐在二層俯瞰世間，會真切地明白各個城市多麼的不同，儘管美國的全食超市與星巴克咖啡已經越過大西洋，在英國遍地開花。此外，坐在標準城市交通工具的上層前排，會恍然以爲自己乘坐的是騎士公交車。

It's hard to disappoint Beatrice and me when it comes to sweet foods, but high tea presented the soggiest deflation of high hopes. Despite not particularly liking cucumber sandwiches, I was looking forward to what I conceived as the ultimate Fancy Nancy experience, even for a girl well past her princess phase. I booked a reservation at the Orangery — "the only royal palace in London where you can enjoy a traditional afternoon tea," with a spectacle of jam coloring my imagination. Instead, we were handed an apathetic platter with three small sandwiches and pastries per person. (Warning to those bringing multiple children: Pastry distribution is not equitable; there will be fights.) A request for seconds was grimly rebuffed, and we were charged ￡24 each (about $39) for the privilege.

說到甜食，我和碧翠絲一般不會失望，但那天的下午茶卻爲我們高漲的熱情澆了冷水。雖然我不太喜歡黃瓜三明治，卻仍然期待一場極致的《俏妞茜茜》(Fancy Nancy)式體驗，哪怕身旁這個女孩早已不再迷戀公主夢。我在橘園餐廳(Orangery)訂了座，它號稱“倫敦唯一可以享受傳統下午茶的皇家宮殿”，洋洋大觀的果醬更讓我展開了繽紛的想象。然而，服務員端上來的卻是一個乏味的盤子，盤上三個小三明治和糕點，每人一個。（帶多個孩子旅行的人請注意：糕點不是平均分配的，孩子們很容易打起來。）如果你想再來一份，會遭到冷漠的拒絕。這份優待花費了我們每人24英鎊（約合39美元）。

More economical gratification was easily found. Among the advantages of London's museums are "family trails" — activity-filled booklets for children 6 to 10, typically free or for a minimal fee. The British Museum offers a guide that follows the history of written communication from ancient Rome to the seventh-century Quran. Another, "Hunting for Dragons," highlights fantastical creatures from China to Mexico. Any one of them is likely to send Harriet the Spy types tearing through a museum, pencil at the ready.

很多物美價廉的享受其實可以輕易找到。在倫敦各大博物館的優勢項目中，有一項是“家庭線路遊”。宣傳冊上滿是面向6至10歲兒童的活動，一般都免費，就算收費也很低廉。大英博物館的指南手冊介紹了書面交流的歷史，從古羅馬一直講述到17世紀的《可蘭經》。另外還有一項“獵龍之遊”，亮點是從中國到墨西哥的各國神獸。其中任何一個項目都能讓孩子像少兒片《間諜哈麗雅特》(Harriet the Spy)那樣，在整個博物館內流連忘返，帶着鉛筆隨時準備探險。

The best of these, in Beatrice's view, was "Marvelous Blooms," a flower-centric guide to the National Gallery's permanent collection, which had her eagerly scribbling away with colored pencils provided by the museum. Her mother's attention, however, wandered during these exercises. By the second museum, I realized the solution was to roam the room with an audio guide, swooping in periodically, Montessori-style, lest it start feeling — to me — too much like homework.

在碧翠絲看來，最棒的是“非凡的花朵”，這一鮮花主題的遊覽串起了國家藝術館(National Gallery)的永久典藏，她一見到那些奇花異卉，立即拿起博物館贈送的鉛筆匆忙開始塗鴉。在她寫寫畫畫時，我卻陷入了遐思。來到第二座博物館之前，我留意到語音導遊器是個好東西。它偶爾的穿插講解，像蒙臺梭利(Montessori)的教育一樣潤物無聲，因爲這場遊覽我最怕的就是變得像學校功課那樣刻意而乏味。

Oh, that parental conundrum: when to impose one's preferences and when to recognize the child's own? Try too hard to pique a new interest, rather than appeal to an existing one, and you disrupt her enjoyment. There's often a fine line knowing how much to elevate a child's understanding of a painting or a monument or a view, rather than just allow her to imbibe culture at her own level. Interrupting her impassioned doodles to point out a work I'd studied in Art History 101 was more often a distraction than an enhancement.

哦，養育的經典難題：什麼時候，父母可以將自己的喜好施加於子女，什麼時候能認清孩子自己的喜好？如果你刻意培養孩子的新興趣，而不是讓他們感到目前的愛好更加迷人，那麼你會破壞她的樂趣。世人總是拿着精確的審美標準線來提升孩子對一幅畫、一座紀念碑或一片風景的理解，卻不能乾脆任由她自己的能力去感受。如果我打斷她熱情洋溢的塗鴉，向她介紹我從《101年藝術史》(Art History 101)一書中瞭解到的一件作品，對她將是干擾，而非提升。

But there was also joy and relief in our moments of two-tiered pleasure, simultaneous yet divergent, and often when least expected. The Churchill War Rooms (called the Cabinet War Rooms until a wing devoted to the former prime minister was added in 2005), the government's underground bunker and offices during the Blitz, are just around the corner from 10 Downing Street. Its hallways, map rooms and bedroom nooks are so eerily preserved and smartly presented, even people who aren't Churchill enthusiasts or World War II obsessives will enjoy themselves. Whether it was possible for an 8-year-old child to get it was another question.

母女兩人的遊覽時間雖然同步，方向卻多元，在這雙重的旅行中也有樂趣與輕鬆的時刻，尤其是當我們毫無期待的時候。丘吉爾戰時內閣辦公室過去叫戰時內閣辦公室(Cabinet War Rooms)，後來到了2005年，人們把前首相丘吉爾在側廳內的辦公室也涵蓋了進來。這是“二戰”閃電戰期間英國政府的地下防空洞兼辦公室，位於唐寧街10號轉角處。它的走廊、地圖室和隱祕的臥室都奇異地保留了原樣，又巧妙地再現，哪怕人們對丘吉爾或“二戰”並無興趣，也能津津有味地欣賞。至於八歲兒童能不能看懂，就是另一個問題了。

"Beatrice, did you know that during World War II, Germany bombed London every night for almost two months straight?" I asked gingerly before our visit, trying not to terrify her. "Children had to be sent to the countryside."

“碧翠絲，你知道嗎？在‘二戰'期間，德軍每天晚上轟炸倫敦，一連炸了將近兩個月。”走進展館之前，我先做了鋪墊，免得嚇壞她。“只好把小孩都送到鄉下。”

Blessed be C. S. Lewis: "Isn't that why the Pevensies went to Digory's house to begin with?" she said. Not bad, but was it enough?

感謝英國作家C.S.路易斯(C. S. Lewis) 。“佩文西(Penvensy)他們不就是因爲這個原因纔去狄戈裏(Digory)家的嗎？”碧翠絲問道（佩文西是路易斯的兒童文學作品《納尼亞傳奇》中的人物——譯註）。沒錯，但這是否已經足夠呢？

At Hatchards, I bought her a copy of "Blitz," part of a British "Dear America"-like series of fictionalized narratives. But I needn't have worried (nor torn her from Blyton's "Twins of St. Clare"). The museum provides a separate audio guide tailored to children under 10 — and doesn't even charge them admission. Beatrice had been loath to listen to the one-size-fits-all audio guide at the British Museum, but she listened straight through the Churchill War Rooms guide, tickled that her version differed from mine.

我在哈查茲書店給她買了一本《閃電戰》(Blitz)，該書的風格類似《親愛的美國》(Dear America)，是英國版的虛構口述故事集。但我不需要擔心什麼，也不用把她從布萊頓《聖克萊爾學校的孿生姐妹》(Twins of St. Clare)邊扯開。博物館提供單獨的語音導遊器，專爲十歲以下兒童定製，而且不收他們門票。碧翠絲在大英博物館的時候，懶得聽那種老少共用的語音導遊器，但在這裏，她一路聽到丘吉爾戰時內閣辦公室，心滿意足地瞭解到一個與我的介紹截然不同的版本。

We also amicably split up at the Globe Theater, where Beatrice reunited with one of her best friends from school, also on vacation. Both theater buffs, the two girls were captivated by the 30-minute tour with its gritty details about inaccessible bathrooms, thatched roofs and rudimentary special effects. They then installed themselves inside a sound booth, rehearsing and recording the balcony scene from "Romeo and Juliet." Meanwhile, I found a booth where I could listen to "To be or not to be" performed by everyone from John Gielgud to Kenneth Branagh.

到了環球劇院，我們友好地分開了。在那裏，碧翠絲跟一個也來度假的好同學見面。兩個女孩都是戲劇發燒友。在三十分鐘的遊覽中，那難得一見的浴室、茅草屋頂和原始特效，都細節充沛，深深地吸引了她們。她們走進一間音效亭，排練並錄製了《羅密歐與朱麗葉》中一段陽臺對話。與此同時，我走進另一個亭子，聽了多種版本的《王子復仇記》中《生存還是毀滅》那場戲，包括約翰·吉爾古德(John Gielgud)和肯尼斯·布拉納(Kenneth Branagh)等名演員的表演。

There was no splitting up in the West End, however, and despite temptation, I did not drag Beatrice to Richard Eyre's production of Ibsen's "Ghosts" at the Almeida, and was grateful not to be forced to miss Hilary Mantel's "Wolf Hall," which had yet to open. Instead, we saw three plays based on children's works of literature: First up was "Emil and the Detectives," which we saw at the National Theater, just before it closed. Based on a 1929 German children's book by Erich K?stner, the play offered a moral parable of life in Weimar Germany, with hints of the darkness to come.

但在倫敦西區，我們沒有分開，儘管面臨誘惑，我還是沒有拖着碧翠絲走進阿爾梅達劇院觀賞導演理查德·艾爾(Richard Eyre)對易卜生《羣鬼》(Ghosts)的演繹。我也很感激不用忍痛割捨希拉里·曼特爾(Hilary Mantel)的《狼廳》(Wolf Hall)，因爲劇院還沒開門。取而代之的是，我們看了三部由童話改編的戲劇：一部是國家劇院播放的《埃米爾和小偵探》(Emil and the Detectives)，正趕上關門之前最後一場。它改編自德國作家埃裏希·卡特納(Erich K?stner)1929年的同名兒童故事，是魏瑪德國時期道德生活的寓言，暗示了黑暗即將到來。

Sam Mendes's musical version of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," which is tentatively slated for Broadway next season, was no "Matilda." But Beatrice loved it, especially given our own golden-ticket experience. Though we purchased tickets in the nosebleed balcony, we were upgraded to the Royal Box, just beside the stage. No explanation accompanied this beneficence, though the fact that Douglas Hodge, the Tony award-winning actor who portrays Willy Wonka, took his curtain call from within our perch, offered a clue. Who wants to attract the audience's attention to a half-empty box in prime position?

山姆·曼迪思(Sam Mendes)的歌舞劇《查理與巧克力工廠》試探性地爲下一季的百老匯演出鋪路。它並不是另一場《瑪蒂爾達》，但碧翠絲卻很喜歡，而且還享受到了尊貴的觀劇體驗。我們買的是讓人羨慕到鼻子流血的包廂票，後來又免費升級到了舞臺旁邊的皇室包廂。沒有任何人解釋我們何德何能享受這一恩惠。事實上，託尼獎獲得者、扮演劇中人威利·旺卡(Willy Wonka)的名演員道格拉斯·霍奇(Douglas Hodge)就是從我們的包廂裏站起身來向觀衆謝幕的。有這條線索，你就明白了吧？當觀衆的目光齊刷刷地望向貴賓席時，誰會希望他們看到裏面有一半空位呢？

The final play we saw, "Grimm Tales for Young and Old," was based on Philip Pullman's adaptation of the classic stories, which was published as a book for adults in the United States last year. Billing itself "an immersive fairy tale," the action took place in the basement of the Shoreditch Town Hall, which had been creepily strewed with old dolls, cobwebs, hay, tangled light fixtures and an ineffable cloud of impending doom. The play itself was episodic in nature, following actors from room to room, "Tamara"-style, with short vignettes based on tales both familiar ("Rapunzel," "Snow White") and far less so (the rather nasty "Juniper Tree" and a rendition of the eternally puzzling "Hans My Hedgehog"). I opted not to point out the rape metaphors in "Little Red Riding Hood."

我們觀賞的最後一場演出是《老少咸宜的格林童話》(Grimm Tales for Young and Old)，它基於菲利普·普爾曼(Philip Pullman)由經典改編並於去年在美國出版的成人童話。這部戲自稱“身臨其境的童話”，演出地點是肖迪奇(Shoreditch)市政廳，屋內充斥着詭異的舊玩偶、蛛網、乾草、凌亂的燈架和意味深長的懸念疑雲。演出是連播形式，塔瑪拉(Tamara)風格的，下一場的演員從一個房間走到另一個房間，簡短的故事一個接一個，有的耳熟能詳，如《長髮公主》、《白雪公主》）；有的少有人知，如頗不雅觀的《杜松樹》(Sniper Tree)以及對永遠莫名其妙的《刺蝟漢斯》(Hans My Hedgehog)的再解讀。至於《小紅帽》中的強姦隱喻，我還是不要說出來爲好。

Hands-off parenting moments aside, one of the benefits of the trip was sharing some of my old haunts, several of which centered on the theater district, with my daughter. One favorite, Marchpane, an antiquarian children's bookseller, is on the ridiculously charming Cecil Court, a pedestrian row of used- and rare-book stores off Charing Cross Road, and a world apart from Leicester Square's blockbuster shows. Here was my blissfully eternal London, everything exactly as I'd left it, just a few signed Harry Potter volumes added to the mix.

先把放手式養育放到一邊，這次旅行還有個好處——跟女兒分享我當年常去的地方，其中幾個就在劇院區。我最愛的杏仁糖書店(Marchpane)是個古意盎然的童書之家，坐落於奇幻紛呈的塞西爾巷，這條步行街位於查令十字路附近，街邊林立着許多二手書和稀有書店。較之於萊斯特廣場譁衆取衆的秀場，這個寧靜的地方真是另一個世界。這裏就是倫敦讓我永遠歡喜癡迷的地方，自我別離之後一切如舊，僅僅增加了簽名版的《哈利·波特》叢書。

Marchpane opened in 1989 but feels as though it's been there since the Victorian era. Its owner, Kenneth Fuller, a rare books dealer since 1983, sits at a high desk perched over his wares. The Internet, he said, had proved a disaster for rare books — too many fakes, falsely marketed condition, overall mishandling of precious texts. Intoxicated by the smell of old book glue and the visual splendor of well-maintained first editions, I found it hard to disagree that something got lost when clicked through on a computer. Exploring the shelves, Beatrice spotted an odd little novelization Enid Blyton did of the original Babar picture book by Jean de Brunhoff, which she had to have.

杏仁糖書店開業於1989年，給人的感覺卻是從維多利亞時代穿越而來。店主肯尼斯·福勒(Kenneth Fuller)從1983年開始經營稀有書籍生意，此刻他就坐在這些珍寶上方一張高高的辦公桌前。他說，事實證明，對稀有書籍來說，互聯網是一場災難。這些寶貴的文本遭遇了太多贗品、錯誤的營銷及徹底的不當操作。我沉醉在古書膠的氣息和保存完好的初版珍品美好的視覺感受中，發現這一觀點很難反駁——用鼠標在電腦上翻閱古書，似乎確實少了點兒什麼。碧翠絲在書架間瀏覽時發現了一本奇異的書，是由伊妮德·布萊頓根據法國漫畫家讓·德·布呂諾夫(Jean de Brunhoff)原創繪本《巴巴的故事》(Babar)改編而成，就買了下來。非買不可。

If only the Café in the Crypt at St. Martin in the Fields hadn't changed! In less glossy times, visitors would sneak into the crypt via a side staircase off Trafalgar Square. Below the church lay a murky cavern, its floors composed of gravestones upon which perched a phalanx of wobbly tables. Snacks were served prison-cafeteria-style; spooning into a custardy pool of pudding felt more than a little bit disgraceful. Not only were you eating on top of the dead — you were also eating nothing good for you.

如果聖馬丁教堂的地窖餐館(Café in the Crypt)從來不曾改變該有多好！當年，它還不是那麼光鮮，遊客們從特拉法加廣場(Trafalgar Square)側面一道階梯走下來，偷偷摸摸地蹩進來。它是教堂之下一間燈光昏黃的地下室，地面用墓石鋪成，凌亂地擺着幾張搖搖欲墜的餐桌。顧客像在牢房自助餐廳一樣自取小吃；挖起一勺牛奶布丁，感覺到的丟人豈止是一點點。不僅是因爲你吃飯的位置正位於死人上方，吃的東西也特別差。

All that has been spruced up and swept away in the sheen of 2014 investment-town London. Now an enormous spiral staircase and Apple Store-like glass elevator usher visitors into a full-fledged gift shop. The gravestones have been almost entirely replaced with level flooring. There are salads. Passels of Mummies Who Lunch on their extended paid maternity leaves, gurgling babies by their side, line the tables. The only thing that remained the same was the oversize apple crumble, served with a full pitcher of hot vanilla cream — as vulgarly delectable as always. Beatrice wasn't creeped out in the least.

而今，在流光溢彩的2014年度投資之城倫敦，當年的一切都一掃而光，打扮漂亮了。現在，一座巨大的旋梯和蘋果專賣店般輝煌的玻璃觀光電梯引領遊客進入一座應有盡有的禮品店。墓石完全爲平整的地板所替代。開始供應沙拉。一羣羣帶薪休產假的媽媽帶着笑聲清脆的孩子來吃飯，整整齊齊地坐在餐桌旁。唯一如舊的是超大號蘋果奶酥，與滿滿一罐溫熱的香草奶油一起端上來，仍和過去一樣甜俗發膩。碧翠絲絲毫沒起雞皮疙瘩。

But Beatrice lay down a line of her own at Warner Brothers' Studio Tour London. The immense set for all eight Harry Potter films, 20 minutes outside the city, is a must — no, a requirement — for any fan. Here in all its Hogwartian splendor is the Gryffindor common room. The eminently browseable Diagon Alley. Those life-size chess pieces, guardians of the Philosopher's Stone. I wanted to linger in Ollivander's, eyeing the wand boxes that had been created for every person, from set design to postproduction, who worked on the films. I longed to goggle for hours at the minutiae in the creature workshop, where goblins' masks were steps away from the animatronic Monster Book of Monsters. In a complete loss of self-control, I spent hundreds of pounds buying branded clothing, chocolate frogs (yes, they contain Wizard Cards) and a Marauder's Map. (I later regretted buying so many Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, which include a most realistic "Vomit" and "Earthworm.")

但碧翠絲制定了自己專屬的華納兄弟倫敦影棚遊覽路線。這座巨大的影視基地距離倫敦市有20分鐘的車程，八部《哈利·波特》電影都在裏面拍攝，是一切哈迷必遊之地。在霍格沃茲魔法學校的榮光中，最迷人的是格蘭芬多交誼廳。可供遊覽的美妙斜角巷。真人大小的棋子，哲人石的護衛。我想去奧利凡德魔杖店逛一逛，觀賞各種魔杖的寶匣。從背景設計到後期製作的每個人物，劇組都設計了不同的寶匣。我真想在這座創意工作棚內盡情遊覽幾個小時，看盡每一個細節。這裏是地精的面具，而幾步之外就是電子寵物版的《怪獸之書》。我完全失去了自控力，揮霍了幾百英鎊，買下了名牌服裝、巧克力青蛙（是的，內含巫師卡）和活點地圖。（後來我後悔了，怎麼竟會買下那麼多口味各異的比比多味豆，其中含有無比真實的“嘔吐”與“蚯蚓”口味。）

After three and a half hours of tracking down the studio's hidden snitches and slurping its unctuous Butterbeer, Beatrice wanted to get back to London already, and I had to be dragged back to the bus. Thank goodness my older son just finished his first marathon reading of the series. We're going to have to go back.

碧翠絲在影棚裏追捕隱藏的小飛賊，啜飲油膩的奶油啤酒，消磨了三個半小時之後，就已經想回倫敦市了。她拖着我踏上了返程的公交車。謝天謝地，我的大兒子剛剛把《哈利·波特》這馬拉松般的長篇系列故事讀完第一遍。我一定會回來的。

Reading List

書單

While not all of these books are expressly about London or even England, each in its own way allows children to read their way into London literary life — the language, the characters, the cuisine, the culture, the chattering classes of the pre-Dickens set.

以下書籍不都是專門描述倫敦或者英國的，但都以獨特的方式——譬如，前狄更斯時代背景下的語言、任務、烹飪及饒舌階層——引領兒童深入瞭解倫敦的文藝生活。

"Pop-Up London," by Jennie Maizels. Paper engineering by Richard Ferguson. Candlewick Press.

《倫敦景點立體書》(Pop-Up London)，作者詹妮·梅澤思(Jennie Maizels)，紙藝製作理查德·佛格森(Richard Ferguson)，燭芯出版社(Candlewick Press)。

"London for Children," North Bank and South Bank volumes, by Matteo Pericoli. Macmillan.

《倫敦旅行兒童指南》(London for Children)北岸與南岸卷，作者馬迪奧·佩裏克利(Matteo Pericoli)，麥克米倫出版社(Macmillan)。

"Usborne Illustrated Stories From Shakespeare." Adapted by Rosie Dickens. Illustrated by Christa Unzner. Usborne.

《奧斯本繪圖莎翁經典》(Usborne Illustrated Stories From Shakespeare)，羅西·狄更斯(Rosie Dickens)改編，克麗斯塔·文澤那(Christa Unzner)插圖，奧斯本出版社(Usborne)。

"The London Jungle Book," written and illustrated by Bhajju Shyam. Tara Books.

《倫敦叢林之書》(The London Jungle Book)，文圖作者巴哈吉·詩亞姆(Bhajju Shyam)，塔拉出版社(Tara Books)。

Secrets at Sea," by Richard Peck. Illustrated by Kelly Murphy. Dial.

《海上的祕密》(Secrets at Sea)，作者理查德·派克(Richard Peck)，凱莉·墨菲(Kelly Murphy)插圖，戴爾出版社(Dial)。

"The Mouse With the Question Mark Tail," by Richard Peck. Illustrated by Kelly Murphy. Dial.

《長着問號尾巴的老鼠》(The Mouse With the Question Mark Tail)，作者理查德·派克(Richard Peck)，凱莉·墨菲(Kelly Murphy)插圖，戴爾出版社(Dial)。

"How to Catch a Bogle," by Catherine Jinks. Houghton Mifflin, 2013.

《捉妖指南》(How to Catch a Bogle)，作者凱瑟琳·金克斯(Catherine Jinks)，霍頓米夫林出版社(Houghton Mifflin)，2013年出版。

From the "My Story" Scholastic series:

學者出版社《我的故事》(My Story)系列：

"Blitz: A Wartime Girl's Diary 1940-41," by Vince Cross.

《閃電戰：戰時少女日記1940-1941》(Blitz: A Wartime Girl's Diary 1940-41)，作者文斯·克洛斯(Vince Cross)。

"Factory Girl: A Victorian Match Girl London, 1888," by Pamela Oldfield.

《女工：維多利亞時代火柴廠少女1888年倫敦記事》(Factory Girl: A Victorian Match Girl London, 1888)，作者帕梅拉·奧菲爾德(Pamela Oldfield)。

"Lady Jane Grey:The Diary of a Tudor Lady 1547-1554," by Sue Reid.

《簡·格雷小姐：都鐸千金1547-1554年日記》(Lady Jane Grey:The Diary of a Tudor Lady 1547-1554)，作者蘇伊·萊德(Sue Reid)。

"Elizabeth: A Tudor Princess's Diary 1544" by Kathryn Lasky.

《伊麗莎白在1544：都鐸公主日記》(Elizabeth: A Tudor Princess's Diary 1544)，作者凱瑟琳·拉斯基(Kathryn Lasky)。

"Titanic: An Edwardian Girl's Diary 1912," by Ellen Emerson White.

《泰坦尼克：愛德華時代少女日記中的1912年》(Titanic: An Edwardian Girl's Diary 1912)，作者艾倫·艾默生·懷特(Ellen Emerson White)。

The Classics:

兒童文學經典：

Harry Potter, by J. K. Rowling, Scholastic.

《哈利·波特》，作者羅琳(J. K. Rowling)，學者出版社。

The St. Clare's series.

聖克萊爾學校(St. Clare's)系列

The Famous Five series.

《知名五人幫》(The Famous Five)系列。

The Adventure series.

《歷險記》(The Adventure series)系列。

The Secret Seven series.

《祕密七人團》(The Secret Seven)系列。

All by Enid Blyton. Hodder in Britain; Pan Macmillan in the United States.

以上都是伊妮德·布萊頓的作品，由英國霍德出版社(Hodder)和美國泛麥克米倫出版社(Pan Macmillan)出版。

Bookstores

書店

Hatchards, 187 Piccadilly; .

哈查茲書店，皮卡迪利大街187號；.

Daunt Books, 83 Marylebone High Street, and other locations;

勇氣書店，馬裏波恩高街83號，另有其他分店；

Marchpane, 16 Cecil Court, Charing Cross Road; .

杏仁糖書店，查令十字路塞西爾巷16號；.