Melbourne's winter days are generally dull and grey, and even when it's sunny the day is short and it gets dark early. That's when I particularly miss the days of watching sunset.
墨爾本的冬天，普遍陰陰沉沉，就算整天出太陽，晝短夜長，甫下班天色便轉黑，所以便會想念看日落的日子。
There's a simple reason for my fascination with sunsets: it's actually a rare commodity in Melbourne! Contrary to the popular impression of a sun-drenched country, Melbourne's weather tends more towards the cloudy side, and strings of sunny days only occur about 5 to 6 times in the second half of the year. Better runs of weather can be found in the first half of the year, spanning a good part of summer (January to early March) and autumn (mid-March to end of May), and when the weather condition looks right it stokes my interest to catch the sunset.
在墨爾本特別喜歡看日落的原因，簡而言之是物以罕為貴：有別於一般人對澳洲陽光充沛的印象，墨爾本天色偏陰，尤其是想找一連幾天放晴的日子，下半年大概只有五六次左右吧。待上半年入夏（1至3月初）及秋天（3月中至5月底）天氣一般較好，有興緻時便會想去海邊看日落。
Living in the eastern half of Melbourne, the best place to watch sunsets is somewhere along the stretch of beaches on the eastern shore of Port Phillip Bay which roughly occupies the middle of greater Melbourne. Each beach boast of a different set of views.
住在墨爾本東部，看日落最好的地方是連綿的海灘：墨爾本的西部和東部，中間隔着個菲臘港灣（Port Phillip Bay），港灣東面由北至南是一個接一個的海灘，各有不同景緻。
The beaches are abuzz in the pleasant weather around sunset. Whether on dry land or in the water, people can find their favourite ways to past time, from a stroll on the trails, gatherings or ball games on the sand, diving from the jetties to various forms of boating.
夏天的日落時份，遇上天氣怡人時是熱鬧的，大家要麼沿海濱步行徑漫步，要麼在沙灘上擠在一起圍坐或打球，要麼更會在水中各適其式地玩樂，由在近岸弄潮，在海堤玩跳水，又或駕各款艇出海各有各的樂在其中。
There is the occasional beachgoer with a camera (or phone) and plenty of patience for capturing the gradual changes as the sun slowly sinks below sea level and the colours of the dusk sky transform. Watching the golden sunset projecting a staircase in the waves then progressively dimming, followed by a sky and the clouds changing their hue and form until completely dark can be captivating; it's nature conjuring its magic.
偶爾有帶同相機（或手機）和耐性者，則會專注捕捉由日落海平線至晚霞漸變的過程，看着橙黃的日落在波浪中投下一道金黃的階梯，耀眼的色彩逐漸變淡，待日落後晚霞和雲彩在天空展現不同顏色和紋理的變幻。
A sunset can also be a perfect backdrop to dinner when the timing coincides. It's simply a double treat to enjoy a fresh meal in open air with such a glorious view, in a restaurant facing the sea!
又由於日落時間有機會接近晚飯時間，所以選擇一家可以看海的餐廳，坐在戶外，美食當前，有燦爛的景色作襯托，口福和眼福兼收，幸福的感覺油然而生。
Watching a sunset brings a satisfying end to a day, and this light show of nature will always mesmerise me.
夕陽西下，為一天帶來美好的終結，伴隨的變幻，令人百看不厭。
Comments