Out of the shadows: Solar eclipse shines a light on Faroe Islands 走出陰影：日蝕讓法羅群島發光發熱
(CNN)It's impossible not to think about the sky when
visiting the Faroes, even when these far-flung islands aren't about to be
darkened by a total eclipse of the sun.
(CNN)到了法羅群島不可能不想到天空，即使這些遙遠的小島在沒有日全蝕的時候。
Although ferries connect the Faroe Islands to Scotland and
Iceland -- the islands lie almost halfway between the two -- the easiest way is
fly.
雖然搭渡輪能從蘇格蘭和冰島到法羅群島—這個群島位於大概兩者之間—最容易到達的方法還是搭飛機。
But arriving via the sky comes with its own issues.
但如果是搭飛機也有一些問題。
Landing is so tricky at the islands' main airport, wedged
between two enormous mountains, that pilots who fly here need additional
training.
降落在這個群島的主機場很困難，
夾在兩座高大的山之間，飛這裡的機長需要做另外的訓練。
The main airport was constructed by soldiers during World War II
who apparently picked a tricky location to deter Germans from landing.
這個主機場是二次大戰時，由幾個軍人所建造，很明顯的他們選了一個很難降落的地點，為了防止德國降落。
The descent offers incredible scenery as a distraction -- black cliffs, pounded by frothing waves, not to mention the
mountains.
後代子孫將這個不可思議的風景提供給人們作為娛樂消遣的地點—被浪花拍打的黑色懸崖，更不用說那些高山。
It's a landscape that'll be appreciated by the thousands of
visitors arriving on the islands this month in the hope of watching the solar
eclipse that will sweep across it for two minutes from 9:41 a.m. local time on
March 20.
這裡的景色在這個月，將會有數千名遊客期望在當地時間3月20日的9:41看到會經過兩分鐘的日蝕，而到這座島上觀賞。
The Faroes and the remote Norwegian island of Svalbard are the
only places that will witness a total eclipse -- where the moon covers the sun fully -- during this solar event.
法羅群島和遙遠的挪威斯瓦爾巴島是兩個唯一可以目睹日全蝕的地方，也就是在這個太陽盛事中，月亮會完全擋住太陽的地方。
The eclipse will reportedly be best seen from the Faroes'
northern islands -- if it can be seen at all.
根據報導，這次日蝕在法羅群島北端的小島上，將會是最棒的觀賞地點，前提是視野良好。
"The
problem is that the weather on the islands is extremely varied, and you can
have bright sunshine in one place while it's pouring where you stand,"
cautions astronomy expert Ole J. Knudsen of Denmark's Aarhus University.
「問題是島上的天氣非常多變，可能在一邊是陽光普照的地方，但你站的地方卻在下大雨」丹麥奧胡斯大學的天文學專家Ole J. Knudsen警告。
"But if we get a totally clear day, it's worth going as far
to the northeast as possible, enabling you to spend a few more seconds in the
shadow of the moon."
「但如果那天是一個晴朗無雲的天氣，就值得盡可能到最東北的遠方，你就會有多幾秒的時間被籠罩在月亮的影子下。」
Spectacular skies 壯觀的天空
Weather conditions are highly changeable on the
Faroes.
法羅群島的天氣狀況非常變化多端。
The islands have always been popular with astronomers, thanks to
the low levels of light pollution that also make them an ideal spot to see the
northern lights.
這個群島對於天文學家非常受歡迎，由於汙染程度低，這也讓這裡成為欣賞極光的最佳地點。
Some of the northern hemisphere's most spectacular
constellations -- Ursa Major (Big Bear), Ursa Minor (Little Bear) and
Cassiopeia -- can be seen here in all their glory.
一些北半球最壯觀的星座區域：大熊座、小熊座、仙后座，在這裡可以都可以看到發光的樣子。
Most eclipse visitors will stay in the Faroese capital of
Torshavn on the largest and most populous island, Streymoy.
大多數為日蝕而來的訪客將會待在法羅群島首都－托爾斯港，在斯特萊默島這個最大、人口最稠密的小島上。
Such is the anticipation that the first stargazer booked their
room 10 years ago.
實在太讓人期待，甚至，為了看星星最早有人在十年前就訂了他們的房間。
It's all rather exciting for the world's smallest capital city,
which has just three sets of traffic lights and a stadium big enough to hold
10% of the Faroes' population.
最興奮的莫過於這個世界上最小的首都了，他們只有三個紅綠燈和一個可以容納十分之一法羅群島人口的體育館。
At the last count, expected visitors numbered 3,000, which posed
a slight problem, since there are only 800 hotel beds in Torshavn.
在倒數時，預期訪客會達3000人，會造成一點問題，因為托爾斯港那裏的旅館總共只有800張床。
"We're asking locals to rent out spare rooms,"
explains exhausted tourism manager Susanna Sorensen. "We've got television
crews flying in from all over the world."
「我們正在要求當地人租出空房間」精疲力盡的觀光經理Susanna Sorensen解釋，「還有從世界各地飛來的電視製作小組。」
The Faroese are used to sudden influxes.
法羅群島人民已經習慣突然湧入的人潮。
During World War II, when the population numbered just 25,000,
10,000 British soldiers descended on the islands.
在二次世界大戰時，當時人口只有兩萬五千人時，有一萬名英國軍人降落在這個島上。
Their duties -- aside from building airports in ridiculous
places -- included keeping an eye out for invading Germans.
他們的責任—除此了建造機場在奇怪的地方之外，也包含要注意德國的入侵。
Crumbling forts still dot a rugged coastline shaped by millions
of years of volcanic eruptions.
殘破的堡壘仍然位在由幾百萬年火山噴發所形成的嚴峻海岸線上。
Volcanic eruptions火山噴發
The landscape of the Faroes was created by millions of
years of volcanic eruptions.
法羅群島上的風景是由數百萬年來的火山噴發塑造而成。
When the eclipse has passed, the Faroes, an autonomous Danish
territory, are hoping to attract more visitors and even win back islanders who
have moved overseas.
當日蝕過去後，希望法羅群島，這一個獨立的丹麥領土，能夠吸引更多旅客，甚至贏回移居海外的島民。
Sub-sea tunnels have been built at great expense between some of
the islands in the hope that better mobility will encourage people to stay.
花費龐大資金建造的海底隧道，希望在這些島之間能有更好的機動性，如此將會增加更多人入住。
A planned tunnel to the island of Sandoy, home to 1,200 people,
will cost $148 million.
一個計畫好通往住了1200人的桑島的隧道，將會花費1億4千8百萬美元。
There's a free bus service and a subsidized helicopter service
for those on the more remote islands (17 out of 18 of the islands are
inhabited, some by just two or three people).
這裡有免費巴士服務和資助直升機服務，給這些比較遙遠的島，(18個島中有17個有人居住，有些只有二到三人居住)。
A one-way trip costs just a few dollars.
一趟單程旅費只要幾塊美元。
The plan appears to be working.
這個計畫似乎會有效果。
Growing numbers of islanders who left to build careers elsewhere
are returning with their families.
為了到別處發展事業而離開的島民，返回故鄉與家人居住的人數正在成長。
Among those returning is Poul Andrias Ziska, head chef at Koks (Oyggjarvegur 45, 100 Torshavn; +298 333 999)
otherwise known as the Faroese version of Copenhagen's legendary Noma
restaurant.
在這些回來的人中Poul Andrias Ziska，是Koks美食餐廳的主廚，除此之外，也以法羅群島版的哥本哈根傳奇Noma餐廳聞名。
Under Ziska, Koks was recently one of five venues in the running
for Denmark's "restaurant of the year" award.
在Ziska的經營下，Koks餐廳成為最近丹麥年度餐廳獎的五家其中之一。
The chef raves about the Faroes' langoustines.
這位主廚陶醉地說著法羅群島的大蝦。
The islands' are one of the world's largest producers and are
reputedly so popular with Russian President Vladimir Putin that he has weekly
shipments sent to Russia.
這個群島是世界上(大蝦)最大的製造者，而且據說也受到俄羅斯總統普丁的青睞，還每週運送回俄羅斯。
That doesn't stop my meal there being as disconcerting as it is
delicious.
這雖然讓人不安，但對我而言其美味程度絲毫不受影響。
My
first course is a tiny amuse-bouche placed atop a sea urchin that needs eating
quickly before it slides inside the spiky shell.
我的第一道菜是一道上面擺放了海膽的開胃小點，必須要在它滑入刺殼之前快點吃掉。
That's hard to do while I'm being distracted by the a display of
northern lights.
當我受到北極光的出現而分心時，這就很難做到。
I gaze out over Torshavn at a vast expanse that, for two minutes
on March 20, will become one of the most
watched pieces of sky in the world.
我眺望著整個托爾斯港的一望無際，就在3月20日的那兩分鐘，這片天空將成為這世界上最多人觀賞的天空之一。
原文網址:
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/03/18/travel/solar-eclipse-faroes/index.html?hpt=travel_hp_herobox
