Former land of the Vikings, as well as home to Hamlet and children's fairytales.
Come take a closer look at Denmark.
維京人,哈姆雷特與孩子童話故事的家鄉‥‥讓我們一同來深度探索丹麥。
PHOTO: AP
A closer look 說古論今
Denmark, a founding member of the UN and NATO, consists of a mainland peninsula, Jutland, and 406 islands. Regarded as Scandinavian even though geographically it falls outside the limits, Denmark is mostly flat and on average only 31m above sea level. The coastline is ever changing due to tidal erosion and human reclamation. The Danes are renowned for their relaxed attitudes, which one could well attribute to the fact that no inhabited location is more than 52km from the sea. The climate is temperate, ranging from 0?C in the winter to around 20?C in the summer. Due to the flat terrain and accessible coasts, cycling, soccer and watersports are popular.
The diet is rather heavy, favoring carbohydrates, fatty foods, meat and fish. A winter favorite might be meatballs (frikadeller) eaten on cold, brief winter days where the sun rises at 8am and sets at 3:30pm (in contrast to the summer where sunrise is at 3:30am and sunset at 10pm). Other firm favorites are open sandwiches and Danish hotdogs sold from special stands called polsevogne.
PHOTO: AP
Although Hamlet didn't exist, Shakespeare based the play on an old Danish legend, and it is possible to visit the castle where the play is set. Another world famous Dane is Hans Christian Anderson, writer of children's classics such as The Little Mermaid, The Emperor's New Clothes and The Ugly Duckling.
The captial Copenhagen offers an extraordinary range of activities, including Europe's longest pedestrian shopping street with brands from Prada to H&M, flea markets, the Carlsberg Brewery, museums and the rather special state within a state, Christiania. Christiania was an old military barracks taken over by hippies in 1971. They declared independence and today, the controversial community is home to a thriving art scene. The government did however stamp out the open selling of hash on the aptly named Pusher Street in 2004.
The Danes have a strong welfare state funded by 25 percent VAT and income taxes of a minimum of 38 percent. Education, including university, is essentially free and varied.
丹麥是聯合國與北大西洋公約組織的創始國之一,領土包含主島的「日德蘭半島」與四百零六個小島。雖然丹麥被視為斯堪的納維亞的一部分,實則不在其地理範圍內,地勢大多平坦,平均只有海拔三十一公尺。受到潮汐侵蝕與人工開墾,海岸線也時常變動。丹麥人是出了名的悠閒,這點可能要歸功於住宅區都位於海岸五十二公里內。丹麥氣候溫和,冬季約攝氏零度,夏季約攝氏二十度。由於地勢平坦,親近海岸,自行車、足球與水上活動也極為熱門。
丹麥的飲食包羅萬象,偏愛碳水化合物、高脂肪食物與魚肉。冬季最愛的食物大概就屬冷盤的肉丸(frikadeller)。短暫的冬季白日約在晨間八點日出、下午三點半日落(夏天日出約在凌晨三點半,約於晚上十點日落)。其他備受喜愛的食物為露餡三明治,及在名為「polsevogne」的特殊攤子販售的丹麥熱狗。
雖然哈姆雷特是虛構人物,莎士比亞的《哈姆雷特》劇本卻以丹麥的古老傳說為基礎,民眾可以到這齣戲場景所在的城堡參觀。另一個舉世聞名的丹麥人是著有《小美人魚》、《國王的新衣》與《醜小鴨》等孩童經典故事的作家漢斯.克里斯帝.安徒生。
丹麥首都哥本哈根提供了包羅萬象的活動,包括從Prada到H&M等品牌都有的歐洲最長購物街,還有跳蚤市場、Carlsberg啤酒廠、各家博物館,與一處相當特別的自由城邦「Christiania」。Christiania原為舊軍營,一九七一年由嬉皮佔據,宣布此區獨立。這個爭議性的社區在今日成為藝術蓬勃發展的家園。不過,政府在二○○四年大舉掃蕩在恰如其名的Pusher Street上公然販售大麻。(註︰pusher為非法販毒者之意。)
丹麥人擁有相當完善的社會福利,都要歸功於25%的加值稅與最低38%的所得稅。包括大學在內的教育都免學費,且呈多元化。 (翻譯:賴美君)
Who Knew? 你知道嗎
Copanhagen offers the tourist several different ways to get around and see the sights. There are river taxis which offer a hop-on, hop-off service in the canals. The city also has pedaled rickshaws, and the drivers can act as guides and give informative tours. For those who are keen to emulate the locals, the old city has a scheme called City Bikes. Bikes the public can use are available at various bike stands in convienient locations around the old city. The user simply inserts 20 kroner (about NT$120) into the stand and later deposits it at any stand to receive a refund, a little like a shopping cart!
For those really keen on exercising while they see the sites, jogging tours (graded for distance, fitness level and pace) are also available in the mornings. For more information, check out www.
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
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