步走英倫 Rambling in UK

上次向大家推薦了我個人很喜愛的英倫音樂活動”耳聽英倫“。今天介紹的是完全不同類型”步走英倫”，希望你也喜歡。
Last time I recommended some of my favourite music related events, Music in UK. Today I’m going to talk about some totally different, Rambling in UK. Hopefully you will like them as well.

2-1. 很多人喜愛騎腳踏車這有益身心的運動。如果能夠在世界級奧運競技場上騎幾個圈，那不是很棒嗎?座落於倫敦奧林派克公園旁的室內自行車館就可以給你這個難得經驗。自行車館是為2012年倫敦奧運建立的，是世界一級場館。當年英國自行車隊就在這裏贏得九面獎牌，其中有八面還是金牌噢!
How does cycling in a world class velodrome sound? If you are an avid cyclist, cycling on the London Olympic Velodrome will undoubtedly be an unique experience. This is the fastest track in the world where Team GB won a hoard of 9 medals in the 2012 Olympics including 8 gold.

London Olympic Veledrome, photo : https://www.e-architect.co.uk

奧運會過後，場館開放給公眾享用。一個小時的體驗課程只需£40(包括租車和安全帽)，有專人教導你在橢圓形賽道上奔馳 ，一嚐世界級選手騎腳踏車競賽的感受。若你較喜歡在室外踩腳踏車，那可以到BMX及越野區域翺翔，或在園內的自行車專用道悠閒地慢慢騎。奧運公園一年四季也開放，所以若果你不是在夏季的時間到訪倫敦，你也可以來。詳細資料如價格，課程和交通等等可以在這裡看。
The velodrome is now open to the public and taster sessions are available at £40 per hour which includes bike and helmet rental. You are taught the basics of track cycling on this 250m world class track by professionals, and can experience what it feels like to cycle on a champion track. Outside the velodrome, there is a BMX track, the mountain track and a road circuit to cater for different types of cyclists. The veledrome is open to the public all year round, not just summer so it doesn’t matter if you’re not in London during the summer. This link has more information on the different types of circuits, prices and how to get there.

2-2.倫敦每年9月中旬有一個London Open House。活動的目的是要讓公眾多了解及欣賞都市中的建築設計及空間。這項活動從1992年開始時就非常成功，現在已經發展到世界其他30個城市也在舉辦。開放日(週末)最吸引之處是公眾可以有機會參觀一些平時不對外開放的地方。過去曾經開放的房子包括英國首相府唐寧街10號，和多幢設計獨特的辦公大樓，一些歷史悠久大宅，及私人擁有的房子。相片中可以見到兩家以往曾經開放過，設計獨特的建築物。這項活動是全免費的，而且絕大部分都可以隨便參觀，不用預先登記。但有小部分像首相府就要預先登記並要抽籤才可以參觀。

Architecture buffs will love London Open House held in mid September each year. The purpose of the event is to ‘promote public awareness and appreciation of the capital’s building design and architecture. ‘ London Open House has become so successful since it started in 1992 that it is now held in 30 cities around the world. The event gives visitors a rare chance to visit many iconic buildings and spaces in central London that are not normally open to the public. In 2016 there were over 700 properties that took part, such as 10 Downing Street (the UK Prime Minister’s official residence), iconic traditional buildings, commercial offices, and architecture designed private residences. Some examples which can be seen in the photos below. Entrance is free for all the properties but a few of them such as 10 Downing Street needs to be booked in advance via a ballot.

2-3.我最喜愛的項目是看紅箭表演。他們是英國皇家空軍的特技飛行表演隊，在國際上數一數二，甚至可能是全世界最棒的特技飛行隊。你可能已往在英國的大型慶祝活動或倫敦奧運會開幕時見過他們，在天空以九台飛機排列出紅白藍箭頭的表演。他們整個表演一共有約20個花式，而我最愛看是颶風和心心。
My favourite event in UK without a doubt is the Red Arrows display. They are part of the British Royal Air Force specialising in aerial acrobatics, probably one of the the best if not the best in the world.. You may have seen their fly past ~ the red white and blue arrow made up of 9 aircrafts ~ in special events such as the London Olympics opening ceremony and Royal events. Their entire performance consists of around 20 acrobatics displays, my favorite ones being the hurricane and the heart.

紅箭每年暑假會在英國多個戶外活動表演，而每次都是主打節目，表演令人目不暇給，嘆為觀止。我在2015去了一個戶外飛行展覽，有機會看到整個表演。他們無論飛行位置或是時間上的配合都是天衣無縫，準確度之高就好像在天空畫水彩畫一樣。紅箭參與的表演活動遍佈英國各地，每年也不一樣，詳細資料可以在這裡看。若想到倫敦外面走走，像當地人過一個假日，絕對是一個很好的理由。

You can see the Red Arrows perform at various air shows and festivals over the summer, and their performance is often considered the highlight of the day. When I went to an air show in 2015, I was absolutely gobsmacked by their skills, their precision and coordination in mid air. Many of Red Arrows performance are at events located at different locations around UK. Details can be found here. They all make a fantastic family day out particularly if you want to get out from London and enjoy a weekend like the locals does.

連續兩篇文章跟大家推薦我口袋裡的至愛活動 ~ 古典逍遙音樂會，嘉年華會，露天野餐古典音樂會，騎腳踏車，欣賞都市空間及紅箭特技飛行表演 ~ 你最喜歡的會是那一樣呢?

This concludes my two part personal recommendations of things to do in UK ~ Proms, carnival, picnic, cycling, architecture, Red Arrows.  I know which is my favorite, what about you?