It was around two hours' flight from Toronto to Charlottetown, the biggest city and also the provincial capital of Prince Edward Island. The time difference was one hour between both cities. Viewing from the plane, there weren't high mountains on the island, and I was impressed with its patchwork-like terrain. The coast was edged with the color of red. I looked for a lighthouse, which I had been keen to visit, but in vain. The name of the lighthouse is "Cape Bear Lighthouse". Do you know it? The year 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the Titanic disaster. The point of the disaster is about 600km south and offshore from the Port of St. Jones, Newfoundland. The radio distress beacon from the Titanic was firstly received at this lighthouse. I love traveling. In particular, I love to abandon myself in historic sites. However, this lighthouse is far from Charlottetown and I knew I wouldn't visit it. So, I just wanted to see it from the sky, but couldn't.
Before this trip, I read volume 1 to 5 of Anne of Green Gables from cover to cover. Volume 5 was published in 1917 i.e. 5 years after the disaster and was titled "Anne's House of Dreams", the stage of which was Prince Edward Island. In this volume, the story got started with a story of a woman. She was supposed to come to Prince Edward Island from England by ship, but the ship didn't come on time. Near people's wits end, the ship ultimately arrived at the island. This story reminded me of the Titanic, and I examined the disaster and knew the time and place of the disaster. The author must have gotten some inspiration from the disaster, I strongly felt.
While recalling those stories or something, my plane smoothly landed on the island. I stepped out on the soil of the island. The weather was brilliant. There was only one plane in the airport which I had been on board. There was almost nothing within my eyesight. Such a scene couldn't absolutely be seen in Japan. While I was moved to see around the airport, my daughter went on to the gate. The signboard said "Welcome . . . " in two languages, English and French. How do they feel in a multiracial, multi-language society? I'd like to know the Canadian way of life as much as I can and I decided to observe how people interact in Canada, especially in the eastern part of Canada.
(Vocabulary)
edge 《[他]通例受け身形で》〈服・布・場所など〉を縁取る
be edged with/by/in sth ＜…＞で縁取られている
mark [他] 〈…周年など〉 に当たる
2003 marked the 150th anniversary of his death. 2003年は彼の没後150周年であった．
radio distress signal/beacon from an unidentified boat 不審船からの無線救難信号
Near people's wits end あきらめかけた頃
distress 苦悩, 心痛, 嘆き, 悲しみ
in distress 困窮して
in distress 〈船・航空機などが〉 遭難した
distress signal 遭難信号
abandon yourself to sth(文) ＜感情・快楽など＞に身を任せる, ふける
abandon yourself to sth literary to feel an emotion so strongly that you let it control you completely:
She abandoned herself to grief.
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