马都拉丹：荷兰的小人国 荷兰小人国

　　在荷兰的海牙，有一个小人国。那是一个活灵活现的微缩城市，汽车、火车、飞机等交通工具一应俱全，商店、咖啡店、旅馆等服务场所应有尽有，还囊括了荷兰所有的名胜古迹。那里的“居民”是各种形象逼真的小人儿，他们惟妙惟肖地展现了荷兰城市的众生相。如果你想体验一把格列佛在小人国的感受，就赶快去那里看看吧。
　　Known as the smallest city in Holland, Madurodam is a miniature2) theme-park that features reproductions of the most famous structures in the country, at a scale of 1:25. Offering a variety of architectural styles, from Gothic to futuristic, this Lilliputian attraction is a convenient way of seeing Holland"s wonders in just a few hours.
　　Located in Scheveningen3), The Hague, the city of Madurodam was founded in 1952, and has since then been visited by millions of tourists from all around the world. Its name comes from George Maduro4), a Dutch law student from Curacao, who fought the Nazi invaders and died at the Nachau concentration camp5). His parents were the ones who donated the funds to start the building of Madurodam.
　　Spread over a 10,000 square-meter area, Madurodam is one of the liveliest cities you"re ever going to visit. 16,000 Lilliputian inhabitants6) call this place home, and every year they cover 14,000 km by car and 16,000 km by train. Airports, trucks, trains, windmills, everything works in Madurodam, giving tourists the distinct feeling they are in a real city. Church bells can be heard every once in a while, planes take off and land, the fire truck rushes by to extinguish7) a fire on the far side of town, and boats sail the channels filled with live fish. When you think just 35 people keep things running smoothly, you just have to admire the Dutch.
　　From the channels of Amsterdam to the Dome of Utrecht, Madurodam features virtually8) every notable tourist attraction in Holland. And every one of them looks so real that you"ll start to feel like a regular Gulliver in the land of the Lilliputians. To fully appreciate the beauty of the miniature models before you, make sure you pick up a brochure9) at the theme-park entrance.
　　One of the most fun attractions of Madurodam theme-park is the porcelain10) factory, where you have to insert a 1 euro coin, to see a truck leave the factory gate, and return in 20 seconds-time with a pair of brand new porcelain clogs11) the size of a key chain. Wooden clogs are still a big part of Dutch culture, and most farmers still use them for the daily chores.
　　Madurodam is one of Holland"s most amazing attractions, especially if you"ve always dreamed what Gulliver must have felt like. And considering you can see the Netherlands" in just a 60～90 minutes walk (unless you waste too much time trying to figure out how they made those tulip fields look so real), it"s definitely worth a trip. You won"t find any cheap hotels in Madurodam, none that you can fit in, anyway, but you can definitely relax in the cozy restaurants and cafes.