爲避堵車 德國男子每日遊泳上班
Most commuters in Munich, Germany, spend hours stuck in traffic or trying to squeeze into one of the overcrowded subway trains, every morning, but for 40-year-old Benjamin David, commuting is actually a relaxing experience. Every day, he jumps into the Isar River and swims two kilometers to his workplace in Kulturstrand.
在德國慕尼黑，每天清晨，大多數上班族都要在路上滯留數小時，就是想坐地鐵也不一定擠得上去。但是對40歲的本傑明?戴維來說，通勤卻是一件放鬆的事情。他游泳去上班，從伊薩爾河開始遊2千米到他的工作地點——文化海灘。Benjamin David used to be one of the thousands of Münchners trying to make their way to work on busy roads and cycling paths, but two years ago he decided that he needed to find a simpler alternative and the Isar River seemed like the obvious answer. It flows right past his apartment in Baldeplatz, and, even though no one has been using it for traveling purposes in decades, it used to be the best ways to get around. People traveled up and down the Isar using rafts, and, at one point, it was one of the most popular routes between Rome and Vienna. But instead of paddling on a raft, Benjamin decided to swim to work instead, and that’s been his main commute for the past two years.
本傑明?戴維以前也和其他千千萬萬慕尼黑人一樣，每天經由交通繁忙的車道和自行車道去上班。不過兩年前，他決定要換一個更簡單的方式。他一下子就想到了伊薩爾河。這條河從他在巴爾德廣場的公寓前流過，雖然近幾十年沒有人將這條河用作水道，但是這條河曾經是抄近道的一個最佳方式。人們過去曾坐筏子順着河流漂下，有一段時間這條河還是羅馬和維也納兩地間最受歡迎的水道之一。不過本傑明不打算坐筏子，他決定游泳去上班，這一遊就是兩年。Every morning, Benjamin, the founder and spokesman of a small think tank for culture and commerce in public places, leaves his apartment in Baldeplatz, crosses the street and jumps into the Isar River. He has to swim two kilometers to his office in Kulturstrand, which usually takes him about half an hour. Once there, he dries himself with a towel, puts on a t-shirt and waits for his colleagues to get through the heavy traffic, by enjoying a cappuccino at a cafe.
本傑明是一家小型公共文化商業智庫的創始人和發言人。每天早晨，他從巴爾德廣場的公寓出發，穿過街道，跳進伊薩爾河裏。他得游上2千米才能到文化海灘，通常半個小時就能游到。上岸後，他就用毛巾把身體擦乾，穿上T恤，到咖啡廳裏喝一杯卡布奇諾，慢悠悠地等着那些堵在路上的同事們。
The swimming commuter found the perfect way to keep his things dry while he is in the water – a special bag that is not only waterproof, but also fills up with air when you roll it shut, acting as a buoy. It’s called a “Wickelfisch” and it was designed by a startup in Basel, Switzerland, where swimming to work has actually become a big trend. It holds Benjamin’s laptop, paperwork and clothes dry, and allows him to simply float down the river if his arms get tired.
本傑明還找到了一個絕妙的辦法不讓他的東西在水裏溼掉。他把東西都裝在一個特製防水袋子裏。這種袋子捲起來以後裏面充滿的空氣會讓它浮起來，就像一個救生圈。這玩意叫Wickelfisch，是瑞士巴塞爾的一家新興公司設計出來的，在巴塞爾，游泳上班很流行。防水袋能讓本傑明的筆記本電腦、紙質文件和衣服保持乾燥，如果他的胳膊遊累了，可以抱着袋子往下游漂。Depending on the season and temperature of the water, Benjamin will put on a simple pair of shorts or a wet suit, but he always wears rubber sandals to protect his feet. People throw all kinds of things in the river, from glass bottles to bicycles, and the sandals provide protection.
天熱水暖的話，本傑明就穿條短褲；要是天冷水寒，他就穿上潛水衣。不過他一定會穿橡膠涼鞋來保護雙腳，因爲人們把各種各樣的東西都往河裏扔，小到玻璃瓶，大到自行車。
But, even so, swimming in a river can be dangerous. Benjamin is a family man and he doesn’t want to risk his life just to save some time, so, every morning, before leaving for work, he goes online and checks the water level, temperature and the strength of the currents. If everything is within safe limits, he heads for the river, but if not, he opts for one of the conventional means of transportation.
可是就算穿成這樣，在河裏游泳也可能有危險。本傑明是個顧家的男人，他可不會爲了節約幾分鐘就賭上自己的安全，所以每天早晨出門前，他都會上網查水位、水溫和流速。如果所有指標都在安全範圍內，他就準備收拾去游泳；如果不是，他就乘坐傳統的交通工具去上班。Right now, Benjamin David is the only person in Munich who uses the Isar River for his work commute, but with around 30,000 new people moving to the German city every year, traffic isn’t getting any better, so he expects some of his fellow Münchners will be joining him for a daily swim soon.
目前爲止，本傑明是慕尼黑唯一一個用伊薩爾河來通勤的人。但隨着每年三萬左右的外地人口涌入慕尼黑，可以想象，交通擁堵情況會更加嚴重。因此，本傑明認爲以後一些慕尼黑人將會跟他一樣每天遊着去上班。
