華西亞洞穴城瓹山窿

原本想早些出發截順風車到華西亞，奈何還是近中午才在路上。截了三程車，中間經過河川公路，看到兩旁山崖被紅樹點綴著；入華西亞山谷前，在小鎮卡非斯看到坐立崖頂的堡壘；在山谷中，看到河對面宏偉但險峻的古城，難以想像當時的人怎樣進出及在城來走動。

最後到了聞名的洞穴古城。在石壁佈滿山洞，其實在幾百年前地震才展現了這些出口，之前這些互通的洞穴是隱藏在石壁中。期間亦遭受波斯人的攻擊，所見的洞口只是其中三份之一，可想而知這洞穴城規模很大。

只付約廿五港元的入場費，我們在洞城參觀，在洞穴間穿梭。有些洞穴內還有石室，看似睡房，亦有開鑿出來的窗門。有些甚至有旋轉石階通往第二層洞穴。跟著到了較著名的教堂，亦是從洞穴開鑿出來，門外佈滿壁畫，內裏的壁畫也保存得好。這裏其他洞穴仍然住有僧侶，他們在這教堂作宗教儀式。

我們從教堂側的石通道繞進教堂後面，發現有另一通道住洞穴內的水源，可惜當日有鐵柵欄住，不能進內。我們便偱另一通道迂迴地跨過教堂頂，通道內只有疏落的燈光，有部份漆黑得伸手不見五指，要摸著兩邊牆上樓梯。

在教堂另一面走出來，終於見到藍天，見到更多的洞穴。多留一會便要離開，因為是週日下午，交通疏落，截順風車較難。臨離開還有一段長長的下階通道，還這旅程留下離怎印象。看到老婆很雀躍地笑，她覺得很好玩，舟車勞揗也不算甚麼。幸運地居然給我們截到一程過回旅館的貨車! 為這旅程添上完滿句號。

Finding a good life in a monastery

Staying in Akhaltsikhe for one more day because of the good deal of cheap stay in guesthouse, on the last day of sight seeing we went to the Sapara monastery. Hoping to get a lift for 10.2 km southeast of the town, we waited on the crossroad for an hour on Monday noon (yes we are late again taking off) and there was still no vehicle taking us. So we walk on along the road. We passed village and still followed the road out of my photographic memory of the offline map, not realizing hat there was actually a short cut directly up to a pass. We walked zigzag up passing meadow and had a good view of the town and the old town castle.

When there was still 3 km to go, we were picked up by a father of the monastey who drove a nice big 4x4. We arrived the monastery where there was a monk waited for us to show us the church. He opened the lock and let us see the inside is the church. The fresco was beautiful and well kept since the church was built on the 13th century. David the monk then showed us the old church meat to the current one, it was built even earlier on the 9th century but the fresco had been covered by oil painted during the soviet time and was completely destroyed.  We were left some time to walk around to take some pictures. There was ruin of old castle on the nearby hilltop but we were not interested in climbing up. We picked the sweet water from the spring near the resident building for the monks. 

David offered to find car to drive us half way back. That's so nice of him. 


While waiting for the car he let us ask question about the monastery, I asked about the life in the monastery. There are now eight monks and they are like brotherhood working together, taking turns on different jobs. They include cooking, cutting trees for firewood, raising cattle and milking, conducting religious activities, receiving guests etc. There can be a male guest who can come for 5 days to live with them and their routines. They wake up at 5am sometimes even 4:30 for morning prayers, have only two meals a day, mostly vegetarian unless special occasion there could be meat.

David has been here for four years. Before that he worked in a bank and wanted a more complete life. From friend he knew this place and came as a guest. In staying he followed the lifestyle and felt a more spiritual completeness and kept on. The monks saw his eagerness to stay and allowed him to. Then he became a monk here. As first his parents were surprised and upset about it. Later they visited him and knew he have a happy life, so were less objective against that.

Winter was cold here and the monks still have to work, especially collecting firewood. It was closed off as the road to here was covered in snow, unless a tough 4x4 could risk along. There was no visitor up to five months.

The car came to pick us up for half the way, where we found he way more directly back to the village and then back to the city. In mind I am happy for David who could escape the materialistic world and find a simple lifestyle that makes him happy. Also from the simplicity he has more complete spiritual life and gets closer to God. 

Hope we can do the same too. Happy and spiritual life is in fact not too difficult to reach. Somehow the modern and materialistic lifestyle make such a simple life difficult to reach. Is it just a matter of being able to let go ? It also involves attitudinal change about value of change.

紅廟遇上隔世紅顏

就是她!!!

 

他跟她在紅廟相遇，她隨他坐下，四目交投，時間彊住了。彷彿久別重逢。她不顧經持，嬌情地哎呀了一聲，便一骨碌投進他的臂彎。我看在眼裡，皺了一下眉。見她楚楚可憐的模樣，又心生憐愛，便大方的任由她依偎在丈夫身上。她瞄了我一眼，露出勝利者的姿態，得寸進尺，開始提起一雙小手，左一下、右一下在丈夫大腿之間揼按著。不一會，她便瞇起眼睛，一頭載進他大腿上，一臉陶醉。他見我眼𥚃冒煙，索性合上眼裝睡。我被拋局外，沒事可做，只好在一旁拍照。終於，丈夫張開眼睛，跟我說：「走吧！」我點了一下頭。他一站，她也便乖巧地站起來，依依不捨地看了他一眼。默默的道別，然後別過臉，故意不去看我倆牽著手離開。

 

土耳其依斯坦堡的Hagia Sofia聖蘇菲亞於1985年被選為聯合國教科文組織世界遺產，是遊客必到的古蹟景點之一。其粉紅色的外牆與建於對面的藍廟(Blue Mosque/ Sultan Ahmet Camil)相影成趣。聖蘇菲亞的室內更以3百萬片金磚鑲嵌成壯觀的馬賽克(mosaic)圖案，手工精緻，嘆為觀止。

公元537年，查士丁尼帝命令重建聖蘇菲亞大教堂，成為東正教的中心達900年之久。直到1453年易主，聖蘇菲亞又被奧多曼帝國改為穆斯林清真寺。

在1935年，聖蘇菲亞成為博物館，其宏偉的建築見証著拜占庭和奧多曼帝國加起來近1500年的豐富的歷史。

我哋都有份起嘅聖家大教堂

上兩次去巴塞隆拿都只喺外面看看，見到外面咁多人排隊都怕怕。今次可以留五日，老婆咁鐘意膠地，要去朝聖咯。之前問定朋友蘿莎咩時間去最少人，佢話一係好早例如八點，一係臨關門前兩小時即四五點。

由於晩晩夜上床，出發已經係中午，去到見到出奇的少人只有廿多人。以前見過排長龍可以由教堂一面排到對面，起碼成百多人。今次我哋排咗十五分鐘就可以入場，棈打細算後我哋決定多俾少少上一個塔和一個導遊耳機，盛惠四十歐元。俾咁貴一於看盡啲，聽哂耳機導遊所介紹的每一景點。

這教堂有三大面，正門是”光榮”面，而兩邊是”出生”和”熱情”面。一進場已經被教堂的”熱情”面所著迷。這是有關耶穌被釘十字格及升天的過程。沿着雕塑往上望，層層故事到最後看到升天的耶穌坐在天橋上看着我們世人的凡俗。這一面是我多次來這教堂都看到的一面，還不知况更精彩的還在後面。

不知不覺已經到了預定時間乘電梯到其中一坐高塔頂參觀。它位於”出生”面附近，我們乘十多層電梯到塔頂，看看教堂還未完成的頂部。既然要額外付錢上塔，當然要留多些時間塔頂的雕塑，膠地精心的設計表現在生動的植物輪廓，活化的施轉花款充滿美感。在高處看巴塞羅那的海景，城市景觀一覽無遺。

沿着峽窄的旋轉樓梯落到地面，我們繼續參觀教堂的內部。我們從”熱情”面入口重新參觀，經過鐯有經文的大門看到耶穌騎驢入耶路撒冷的地面畫。再看門中有一金色的十六宮格，怎樣加也是三十三，代表耶穌被釘十字格的年齡，而且當中的10和14是重複的，總數是48，是INRI拉丁字母順序數的總和。INRI即是 Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews)。

終於走進教堂內參觀，膠地的活化設計展示在把森林帶進室內，諭意神(教會?)的庇蔭。特製的合唱團露台加上雙圓錐天窗可以把歌聲傳到街外。這個可容納逾二千人的教堂，當中石柱的設計、位置、用料、牆上的彩色玻璃等全部有特別意思，要解釋設計的意義真的要寫一本書。我們在裏面蹓蹥了很久，感受設計所帶來的氣氛。我們目不暇給地欣賞着,有時候我們懷疑原意使人接近神的設計因為太養眼，使人忙於欣賞，反而難以靜心，一切變成感觀剌激，使人留在俗世繁華中，在這教堂靜修需要很大的用心和修為。

看得眼花撩亂，我們走出對面大門到室外。原想舒氣，但又給另一壯觀面所吸引。這”出生”面是被聯國教科文組列為重要文化遺產，其實就是這一面，而非之前已令我們費心的”熱情”,可見這”出生”的更驚世之處。上面有耶穌出生及其童年事蹟的雕塑。左邊代表約瑟和右邊代表瑪利亞的巨柱把代表耶穌的巨形石面夾在中間，表現教會重視這一家三口的關係。從歷史看這教堂的建成，這計劃的開始原於一個重視耶穌父親約瑟的宗派，眼見工業革命時期物慾橫流的巴塞羅那，銳意重建基督家庭觀而籌錢興建教堂。誰知計劃到了膠地手上，雖然他是 誠的教徒，但也是前衞的藝術家。和很多藝術家一樣:在集資時計劃井條中庸，之後才天馬行空。這永未完成的設計建至他過身(去教堂途中被電車撞死)後，被升上神臺由他的繼承者以追隨他宏願為由繼續天馬行空，更加肆無忌憚，資金滾滾而來，包括來自世界各地的遊客。其實我們的入場費還不知作建築或修葺，未建好的還有”光榮”面、更高的聖母之塔和中央最高的耶穌之塔，一日未建好，我們的錢就落在這大怪物上。起了百幾年只起60%，當局還上在2016前趁膠地百年生晨紀念前完成，看來不完易。

人家旅行團看教堂用一兩小時，我們却看了整個下午。在關門前我們還看了旁邊的一所小學校，是膠地為工人子女用就地材料，以最少材料最大效果建成，可容納二百多學生，波浪型的屋頂使它的吸引力不下於旁邊的大教堂。天黑時我們再進大教堂看室內的燈光，令有一番吸引之處。最後我們還在教堂關門後到其下的小教堂(其實不小了)出席彌撒，能免費入場看大教堂真正有用的部份，再瞻仰膠地的墳墓。這個加泰拿被喻為神的建築師安睡於此，等待傑作的完成。

銀城遊踪

由於不太懂乘巴士，里安度也不太懂，我們也不打萛因為留三天而花時間學，這幾天我們都是步行遊歷。當中看過當地的大 教堂，它是全阿根廷最大的教堂，但我們所參加的彌撒是在小教堂舉行，我心想:起咁大間嘢 (起咗一世紀)把拓咩? 我唔覺得咁大座嘢會令人同神近啲距離囉...

令我哋目不暇給的還有自然科學館，裏面有恐龍化石，好多好多動物標本，亦有中南美土著生活館 (原來有好多土著文明，我太孤陋寡聞了)。
 

 

波利維亞的嘉年華服飾

免了40peso那麼貴的入場費，我們在外面看 Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (較多人認識嘅 Le Corbusier) 設計嘅前衛建築 (喺30年代咁樣已經好前衛，但係其實呢位老兄無見過個客，只係畫兩畫，又無喺現場監工)。從外面看，好多高柱，使裏面的空間很大，棵樹其實在建築物裏面。

我們也經個銀城馬術會，可以進裏面隨便看，發現有隻年輕的雌馬在散步，我們有幸可以和她相處一下，她也散步得有些悶，經常走過來看看我們，我們亦餵她吃點草，她就讓我們摸摸了。

我們在銀城的日子很愉快，比原定的三天過多了二天。亦很高興見到里安度的姪女Carolina，她非常可愛，在家裏受萬千寵愛。 我們離開里安度的家有點趕，因為他們要早些離家去他姐姐的生日派對(我們只在兩小時前才知道)。我們還是感謝他的款待。

在車站渡過四小時，我們跳上巴士，往 Patagonia 進發。