Arriving in Scotland a few years ago, I was greeted by a poster boasting that Glasgow has “the latitude of Smolensk and the attitude of Barcelona”. It was a vivid example of the mixture of comradeship and admiration with which Scots look towards Catalonia. Barcelona, the Catalan capital, has many things that Glaswegians covet: better weather, better food, better football. In a striking homage to Catalonia, the Scots even chose an architect from its capital, Enric Miralles, to design their new parliament building.
几年前我去苏格兰,刚刚到达,一条标语便映入眼帘:格拉斯哥拥有“斯摩棱斯克(Smolensk)的纬度和巴塞罗那的态度”。这条标语生动地展现出,苏格兰人对加泰罗尼亚既惺惺相惜,又心向往之。加泰罗尼亚首府巴塞罗那拥有许多格拉斯哥人梦寐以求的东西:更宜人的气候、更美味的食物、更强的足球队。为了向加泰罗尼亚致敬,苏格兰人甚至出人意料地选择了来自巴塞罗那的建筑师恩里克•米拉莱斯(Enric Miralles),来设计其新的议会大楼。