From charming royal villa to museum
Crumbling Malta villa where the Queen lived in her 20s is going to turn into a museum attracting British tourists Naučte se gramatiku podle textu
Princess Elizabeth was in the first years of her marriage at the time, and moved to Malta when her husband, Philip, was based there in command of a Royal Navy frigate.
The villa stands proudly in a narrow street at the top of Guardamangia Hill, and at the time commanded sweeping views of the harbour of Marsamxett and Valletta, where the Navy’s frigates were moored.
Much of the structure was built in limestone in the mid-eighteenth century as a summer house. Additions early in the nineteenth century included a belvedere overlooking a large, enclosed garden that served as a backdrop to one of the most frequently used pictures of the young royal couple on the island.
Guardamangia Hill itself was named after a “guardia” or guard, which Maltese and British troops jointly mounted as they trapped French Napoleonic forces for almost two years in Valletta, a siege that led the British to take over Malta at the islanders’ invitation in 1800.
The plan is not just to restore the villa to the way it looked several decades ago, but also to turn it into a museum of Malta’s history as a British colony until independence in 1964, and the links with the British royal family. “The villa had separate apartments for the prince and the princess, each including a bedroom, walk-in wardrobe, an anteroom and a bathroom,” said curator Gambin.
Despite the hefty price tag, the restored property could prove a major attraction for British tourists who account for a quarter of Malta’s tourism arrivals every year.
V dnešním textu se vyskytl idiom, a sice ve větě: „... to get a new lease of life as a museum…” („… dostane nový impulz k životu coby muzeum …“). Idiomy jsou slovní spojení, která nedávají smysl doslovným překladem jednotlivých slov. Často mají význam jen v daném jazyce a je těžké, nebo dokonce nemožné najít český ekvivalent. V takovém případě je překládáme volně. Náš idiom bychom v závislosti na kontextu věty mohli také volně přeložit jako nabrat nový dech nebo vehnat novou krev do žil.
Přeložte idiom:
The volcano came to life a week ago. I can’t for the life of me remember his name. They were running for dear life to get away. Are you going to tell him? – Not on your life! He had the time of his life.