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There are cities that are more than just bricks and mortar, cities built on ideals,…
有些城市不仅只是靠着砖墙而造，而是根据理想而建立的，
cities shaped by a belief that the human experience can be greater tomorrow than it is today.
并依照人类的经验能在未来获得比今日更大成就的信念打造而成。
Edinburgh, is one of those places.
爱丁堡就是这种地方。
Graced with over four and a half thousand heritage-listed buildings,
有超过4500栋受保护列为历史古迹，
the Scottish capital is one of the world’s most beautiful cities.
英国苏格兰首府是世界上最美丽的城市之一。
Edinburgh’s Old Town, with its Royal Mile,
爱丁堡旧城区的皇家一英里，
is filled with the ghosts of medieval merchants, body snatchers, and poets.
充斥着中世纪商人的鬼魂、掘墓盗尸者和诗人。
While its Georgian-styled New Town, still shines with the glories of the Scottish Enlightenment.
而乔治亚风格的新城区，则因苏格兰启蒙运动而依旧辉煌闪耀。
Edinburgh is studded with lofty crags and spectacular gardens,
爱丁堡充满许多高耸的峭壁、壮观的花园，
and throughout the year, hosts parties and festivals like no other.
一年四季举办首屈一指的派对和节庆。
To see Edinburgh in all her glory, walk, ride, or even climb to Arthur’s Seat, the highest of the city’s seven peaks.
了解爱丁堡的光芒和荣耀，可以用走路、骑车的方式，或者甚至是攀登亚瑟王座山，它是全市七座山峰最高的一座。
Some historians believe this peak was the site of King Arthur’s legendary castle Camelot,
一些历史学家认为此峰为亚瑟王传奇卡美洛城堡的所在地，
which is hardly surprising, as Edinburgh has been at the clashing crossroads of history for millennia.
其实这不足为奇，因为爱丁堡在过去几千年的历史以来，一直都处于要塞位置。
Nearby, on another volcanic crag, rise the battlements of Edinburgh Castle, the very symbol of Scotland itself.
不远处，另一个火山岩顶上，矗立着爱丁堡城堡，就是苏格兰本身的象征。
Over the last eleven centuries, this castle has been laid siege to 26 times
在过去的十一个世纪里，此城堡曾遭围攻多达26次，
as opposing clans, kings and countries battled with broadsword and cannon.
是对立族群、国王和各国以刀枪和大炮抢夺和争战的地方。
But still it stands, a testimony to the indomitable spirit of the Scots.
至今它仍然屹立不倒，成为苏格兰不屈不挠精神的最佳见证。
Edinburgh has a special place in the hearts of today’s monarchy.
即使是在现今君主政治的体制下，爱丁堡也代表着特殊的意义。
The last of a long line of royal yachts,
最后的皇家游艇的延续，
Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia sailed over one million miles before she was decommissioned in 1997.
爱丁堡不列颠尼亚号是前英国皇家游艇，于1997年退役，期间共行驶达100多万英里。
Today she is permanently moored at Ocean Terminal,
如今，她永久地停泊在海洋码头，
a symbol the Royal Family’s affection for Scotland and the people of Edinburgh.
成为皇室对苏格兰和爱丁堡人民情感的象征。
Edinburgh has been the jewel in the crown of chieftains and royals for centuries,
过去几个世纪以来，爱丁堡在领袖和皇室眼里都占有极度崇高的地位，
but it’s also a place where old-world chivalry continues today.
但它现在则是将以前的骑士精神延续至今日的地方。
Beneath the crown spire of St Giles’ Cathedral, is Thistle Chapel,
位于圣吉尔斯大教堂皇冠尖顶下方的正是蓟花勋章礼拜堂，
which honors the 16 living Knights and Ladies of Scotland’s oldest order, as well as those who came before.
是用来褒扬苏格兰最古老与最高贵蓟花勋章16位在世的骑士和女士受勋者，以及其他超额的受勋者。
It’s not just the brave and chivalrous who are celebrated in Edinburgh,
爱丁堡不是只有勇气和骑士精神，
this is a city that has given the world some of its best-loved writers and stories.
这座城市也为世界带来了一些深受喜爱的作家和故事。
In Princes Street Gardens, rises the world’s largest monument to a writer,
在王子街花园内，矗立着一座世界上最大的作家纪念碑，
dedicated to Sir Walter Scott, who penned epics such as Ivanhoe and Rob Roy.
它是为了向作家沃尔特·司各特爵士致敬所建，其知名著作包括《艾凡赫》及《罗布·罗伊》
Nearby, at the Writers Museum, learn more about Scott,
不远处，还有一个作家博物馆，可以更深入地了解司各特爵士，
and two more of Scotland’s most cherished literary adventurers, Robert Burns and Robert Louis Stevenson.
以及苏格兰另外两位受爱戴的文学巨匠，罗伯特·彭斯和罗伯特·路易斯·史蒂文森。
Edinburgh continues to cast her spell over contemporary writers too.
爱丁堡也深深地吸引着当代作家们。
JK Rowling wrote the first two of her Harry Potter series in cozy Old Town nooks, such as the Elephant House Café.
J.K·罗琳就是在温馨旧城区里的角落，如大象咖啡屋，撰写了《哈利波特》系列作品的前两部。
But history and literature aside,
但除了历史和文学以外，
perhaps the greatest gifts that Edinburgh has given humankind is in the field of knowledge,
爱丁堡为人类带来最珍贵的礼物也许就是在知识领域的成就了，
which once earned the city the title, The Athens of The North.
因此，它也获得了“北方雅典”的美名。
For over four centuries,
过去的四个多世纪里，
the University of Edinburgh has given us intellectual giants such as Charles Darwin, David Hume and Alexander Bell.
著名伟人如查尔斯.达尔文、大卫.休谟及亚历山大.贝尔等皆出自于爱丁堡大学。
Explore centuries of innovation at the Scottish Museum, or head to South Queensferry to see the Forth Bridge,
前往苏格兰博物馆探索百年创新，或者前往南昆斯费里欣赏福斯桥，
an engineering marvel when it opened in 1890, and one which still takes the breath away today.
于1890年开通后，即成为著名的建筑工程奇迹，至今也仍旧令人赞叹。
Knowledge and beauty go hand in hand at the Royal Botanic Gardens too.
在皇家植物园，知识和美丽也是齐头并进的。
Established in 1670, this is one of the world’s oldest and most important centers of botanical science,
建于1670年，是世界上最古老和最重要的植物科学中心之一，
yet it’s a place which invites even the most harried heart to slow down and swoon.
也是一个能让忙碌的人放慢脚步，尽情沉醉其中的地方，
Beauty is honored at every turn in Edinburgh, whether it be the elegant interiors of the Georgian House,
美在爱丁堡随处可见，无论是乔治亚之家优雅的室内装潢，
the priceless treasures within the Scottish National Gallery, or the simple flower boxes which adorn the city’s pubs.
苏格兰国家美术馆内的无价之宝，还是市区酒吧外墙上单纯的花卉盆栽。
Edinburgh is a city that has given the world countless gifts, but perhaps her greatest is this:
这个城市赋予了世界无数的礼物，但最伟大的就是它告诉我们：
she shows us that all parts of the human experience, the sciences and the arts, the past and the present,
人类生命中的所有体验，科学和艺术，过去和现在，
the sacred and the light-hearted all have equal value.
神圣和轻松愉快，都具有等同的价值。
And that when brought together, these things can create a beauty, a state of mind, a city, like no other.
当它们汇聚在一起时，可以创造出一种美，一种心境，一个举世无双的城市。
