Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

First Bon Festival

　　Japan has the custom of making a sacred fire at the Bon Festival in order to welcome departed souls back. During the Bon festival the spirits of ancestors are believed to come back. This fire will be a beacon for the spirits. Originally this fire should be lit on a clay vessel, but I put special spiritual wood on the barbecue grill. My father loved camping and outdoor activities and he would be happy.
　　Coming two weeks from now on, my ancestors will live with us in the same house.

New Shoes

　　I bought a pair of jogging shoes after an interval of several years. The pandemic started, the runners began wearing masks voluntarily in Japan. The experts would be able to run with masks on, but I can't. I would easily become depleted of oxygen, so I haven't practiced jogging for three years. However, I have a marathon which I would really like to join. It's the Honolulu Marathon. That's why I bought new shoes. I asked the shop worker to choose the best ones for beginners. It looks French-made and its cushioning properties are wonderful to protect knees and feet. My next overseas trip will be Oahu island in December.

(Vocabulary)
cushioning properties クッション性

Severe Jet Lag

　　I'm writing this entry at 3 o'clock in the morning. I got back on the 18th and suffer from severe jet lag now. I wake up at an unbelievable time and I'm always sleepy in the daytime, but I decided to ignore the symptom optimistically. I'll recover soon.
　　As usual, I'll arrange pictures by the shooting time and add descriptions. After finishing all the trip memos, I'll arrange all entries by the time and date on my blog. The after-five-years U.K. has changed in a big way. As I'll write later, my fundamental knowledge about the U.K. became enlarged. With my daughter's guidance also, I enjoyed the stay in the U.K. to the fullest.

 

Black Sea

　　I woke up when my lunch was delivered and immediately I made sure where I was. Surprisingly, my plane was flying over the Black Sea. On the screen, "Odesa", "Sevastopol" and other familiar cities in recent news items were shown. There was nothing to keep me busy and I was wandering on the map, zooming it in and out. I found Sinop on the ground and recalled the well-known naval battle in 19th century. By the way, the incident during which the Russian missile cruiser Moscow was sunk by Ukraine in the Black Sea was still fresh in my mind. I uttered "Were the pilots insane?" I recalled the Malaysian passenger plane which had been shot down over the disputed area in Ukraine, which happened to be on the same day in 2014.
　　Looking down over lunch, two distinctive summits of Greater and Little Ararat came in my sight. They were solemnly beautiful. I promptly took my binoculars out and searched Mt. Ararat for the ruin of Noah's ark(grin). I had mistakenly put these binoculars into my suitcase on the way to the U.K., but I carried them into the cabin on the way back to Japan in an attempt to observe the land of Scotland and Iceland. However, I wasn't able to view them, as the plane took the eastbound route, but luckily the clear sky gave me a wonderful splendor of the Eastern district of Turkey.
　　Before long, the street of Yerevan came into my sight. The weather was perfect and Mt. Ararat would be clearly seen from the Armenian Capital city. Recalling the history of Armenia, I felt a feeling of sympathy for the people of Armenia. Mt. Ararat, which is now located in the territory of Turkey, originally belonged to Armenia. Japan is lucky to be an island country.
　　My plane veered to the right then to the left in the meantime. I assumed that the move was to avoid North Korea. The last meal was offered around the time when the plane passed out into the East China Sea. The 13 hours' flight was really a challenging task.
　　This is the last entry on my trip to the U.K. this year. My next trip plan to the U.K. is up in the air at present, but I'd like to visit the U.K. next year too. The most possible destination and time of the year is the western area of London in June. Bath, Bristol, and Wales if I can. I have to learn the area's history and culture from now.

(Vocabulary)
missile cruiser ミサイル巡洋艦
be still fresh in our minds　記憶に新しい
massif 〘地〙中央山塊, 大山塊; 連峰.
binoculars 双眼鏡
Noah's ark ノアの箱舟
Yerevan エレバン（アルメニアの首都）
in the meantime そうこうしているうちに

食事が来たため目が覚め、反射的に現在の飛行位置を確認した。なんと黒海の上を飛んでいる。オデッサ、セバストポリなどニュースで聞き慣れた街が表示されている。しばらく地図を拡大したり縮小したりして周辺を地図状で散策。シノープを見つけた。有名な海戦のあった場所だな～　などとのんびりは出来ず、ただただ早く通り過ぎてくれと祈った。ここはロシアの誇るミサイル巡洋艦モスクワが撃沈された場所ではないか。パイロットは正気なのか？２０１４年の奇しくも同じ日、７月１７日にウクライナ東部の戦場の上空で撃墜されたマレーシア航空機を思い出した。

写真に示した食事を食べながらふと地上を見ると特徴的な山塊が！大小アララト山だ。ノアの箱舟の残骸が見えはしないか（笑）と双眼鏡を取り出した。往路ではうっかり預け荷物の中へ入れてしまったが、復路ではスコットランドやアイスランドを眺めるために手元に置いていた。

しばらくすると、アルメニア、エレバンの街が見えてきた。エレバンの街からアララト山は間違いなく今日も見えているだろう。アルメニアの人々の近代史を思い、同情した。日本人にとって、歴史的、文化的に切り離せない富士山を中国に奪われてしまったような状況だろう。日本は島国で良かった。多分北を避けるためだろう。飛行機は大きく右回旋し、中国大陸を抜ける頃、最後の食事が出た。１３時間のフライトはさすがに長く感じた。

Unexpected Flight Route

　　The BA plane was already in the air when I found myself. The scotches in the lounge gave me a comfortable nap time. Immediately I made sure where I was and was surprised to know my location. My plane was about to fly over Germany.
　　I assumed that the plane would fly to the west to avoid the disputed area on the same route as one from Japan. During my stay in Oxford, I studied about the terrain and history of Scotland and Iceland to enjoy the scenery from the window. It came to nothing in the end. I was going to view the "Falkirk Wheel" over Scotland, which I learned about on a narrow boat on the Oxford Canal. I spotted its site on the map in advance. I wanted to view the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in Iceland. Iceland is apparently the only place in which you can observe the Mid-Atlantic Ridge on land. I found a unique distinctive terrain on Iceland on the flight from Japan and I persuaded myself at that time that the terrain has a solid name. It was the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. However, my study wound up in vain. Disappointed, but bottles of wine were offered. Let's watch a movie over wine.

(Vocabulary)
the Mid-Atlantic Ridge 大西洋中央海嶺
persuade oneself that ～だと確信する

　スコッチが効いたのか、気がついたら離陸していた。位置を確認するとなんと、ドイツ上空にさしかかるところだった。

　ウクライナ戦争を避け、西へ進むと思い、スコットランドや、アイスランドの地形や歴史を勉強して搭乗したのに。スコットランドではナローボートで教えてもらったFalkirk Wheelを上空から眺めるためにその場所を調べておいた。アイスランドには大西洋中央海嶺を地上で観察できる世界で唯一の場所があり、多分上空から見ることができるだろうと思っていた。この独特の地形は往路で見つけており、なにか必ず有名な地形だろうと思って調べたらこのような場所だった。しかし、全て無駄に終わった。がっかりしていたらワインが配られたので、赤も白も戴いた。スコッチの影響が残る中、ワインを飲みながら映画かな。

Plaza Premium Lounge at Heathrow Airport

　　I left for Heathrow Airport by a bus named "Airline", which had confused me on my arrival in London. The weather was nice and I enjoyed the peaceful scenery on the way. I spent wonderful days and was happy to see my daughter's brilliant life. She is still newly-fledged, but I'm very happy to know her to be of assistance in the health of people in the U.K.
　　I had something that I'd like to try to use on this trip. It was a "Priority Pass". This card has been delivered every year in the past several years, but I've not used it, nor was I even interested in it. A British Airlines for Tokyo starts from terminal 5 and I visited Plaza Premium Lounge at terminal 5. Presenting the card, my wife and I were allowed to come in the lounge "for free". We could spend a relaxing time there until departure. We were lucky to carry the card.
　　The lounge was a little cluttered, and I wished that they would keep things neat, but this was maybe due to the customers. Anyway, I enjoyed some new dishes including several kinds of scotch whisky produced on Islay. The Bowmore and Laphroaig never run short in my home. Though both have a unique smack, which smelled bad and terrible at first, I'm addicted to them now. I tasted all of the offered scotch whiskies, maybe five to six kinds. I arranged them in small batches in a line on my table and started to drink from the end, minding glances from others. (grin)

(Vocabulary)
full(y)-fledged 一人前の, 本格的な
new(ly)-fledged 一人立ちしたばかりの.
cluttered 〈部屋などが〉 散らかった, 雑然とした
neat きちんとした, こぎれいな, こざっぱりした

　ロンドン到着時に迷ったエアラインという名のバスでオックスフォードを発った。天気が良くて、景色を楽しめて快適なドライブだった。つつがなく過ごせて良かったし、元気な娘の姿に安心した。一回り成長した姿を見ることができた。まだ半人前だが人の役に立っていることが嬉しかった。

　今回試したかったものがある。それがプライオリティ・パス。毎年、更新されたカードが送られてくるのだが、その価値がまったくわかっていなかった、というより興味も無かった。東京行きのブリティッシュエアウェイズ機はターミナル５から出発する。プラザプレミアムラウンジでパスを提示すると、何の問題もなく、無料でラウンジを利用でき、搭乗前の１時間余りをリラックスした気分で過ごすことができた。カードがなければ有料なので、パスを持っていて良かった。

　ラウンジは日本のエアラインのラウンジと比べると少し雑然としていた。もう少し、整理整頓が出来れば良いのにと思ったが、これは利用者の責任かもしれない。写真に示すように料理やデザートを戴いたが、いろいろなスコッチウイスキーを試すことが出来た。なかでもアイラ島のものが数種類置いてあり嬉しかった。我が家では、Bowmore, Laphroaig を欠かすことはない。あの独特の香りがやみつきになる。５～６種類のスコッチウイスキーを少量ずつ並べて味比べをした。周囲の目が少し気にはなったが、、、

Shopping Mall

　　I noticed that there was no shopping mall while I had gotten around. I asked my daughter about the inconvenience of the absence of a shopping mall or something like that. Actually, however, the mall existed where I didn't walk, and I visited it with my wife. It was surprisingly located adjacent to Pembroke College. I admired that the city had such a free broad convenient space as the shopping mall, but this place seemed to have been an important remains. After an elaborate historical examination, the site was backfilled and the shopping mall was constructed on it. I'll upload some pictures below.
　　Today is the last day in Oxford, in which my daughter spent four years. I enjoyed its scenery and history to my heart's content.

(Vocabulary)
get around あちこちに移動する、動き回る、歩き回る
to one's heart's content 満足いくまで、思う存分、心ゆくまで

　オックスフォードの街を観光していて近代的なショッピング街がないことに気がついた。これはあまりに不便だろうと思って娘に尋ねると、ショッピングモールがあるというので行ってみた。旧市街と比べた時代のギャップに驚いた。市街地から近い便利な場所にショッピングモールを建てる土地がよくあったものだと感心していたら、ここは古い遺跡があったらしい。十分な調査の後、埋め直してモールを建築したらしい。中の様子と、屋上からの風景、発掘調査についての説明を下に示す。
　今日はオックスフォード滞在最終日、娘の晴れの姿と娘が４年も暮らした美しい街を堪能した。

Awful Pack Of Cigarettes

　　On the way back to my hotel, I felt thirsty and dropped in at a convenience store to get something to drink. A customer who was waiting before me asked something to the store staff member. Then, the staff member turned around and opened a hanging break-front cupboard behind him. With an instant glance, I understood that the contents of the cupboard were impressive packs of cigarettes. The awful pictures on the packs caught my eye and I'd like to have taken a close look at them, but its door was closed after taking some packs out. This is my speculation, but the doors of the cupboards might have been protection from the sight of younger generations. At the same time, I wanted one because of the health guidance for my patients. The following picture shows two packs of different cigarettes. The reminders that cigarettes are incriminated as the major cause of lung cancer are read on the packs of Japanese cigarettes too, but they are very gentle being different from those of the U.K.'s. Now, I use these packs as instructional goods.

(Vocabulary)
hanging cupboard つり戸棚
break-front 両開きの戸棚
cupboard doors 戸棚の扉
instructional (教材などが) 指導用の

喉が渇いて寄ったコンビニで煙草が販売されていることを知った。店員の後ろにある扉付きの棚にあった。店員は客の求めにより煙草を取り出しすぐに閉めた。青少年の視線に触れないようにしているのだろう。日本も真似たい行動だ。その煙草は今、禁煙指導のため、手元にある。

Oxford Castle & Prison

　　Leaving the Oxford Canal, I called in at the Oxford Castle & Prison, which was one of the tourist spots in Oxford. Until now, my articles about Oxford were on the better side of Oxford, but the dark aspects of its history were displayed there. Small government-like bodies were born everywhere in medieval Europe. Rival warlords were fighting each other and plagues frequently broke out in the Middle Ages. Consequently, lots of victims were produced. Putting them in perspective however, in my opinion its dark history apparently leads to the present social development.
　　Scanning the nations globally, the developed countries are unexceptionally through the tough time of the feudal era. While seeing the dire displays in the prison, I supposed that numerous victims might have been requisite for later development.

　運河から外れてオックスフォード城跡へ。これまでどちらかというと、オックスフォードの美しい歴史ばかり見てきたが、ここでは暗い歴史が展示されていた。中世ヨーロッパは群雄割拠の時代、各地に小さな国ができて、互いに争い、多大な犠牲も生まれた。しかし、今から振り返れば、それが今の発展に繋がっていると思う。
　世界全体を見渡して、封建時代を経ていない国家はまともな国とはなっていない。残酷な展示を見ながらこのような時代は長い人類の歴史の中で必須だったのかもしれないと思った。

An Industrial Heritage

　　I was going to run to Osney Bridge, which read on the door of the gate at the Trout Inn side of the pasture, but I remembered "The Swing Bridge and Oxford's Industrial Heritage" which I happened to see on the way, so I turned to the Oxford Canal just short of Osney Bridge. The swing bridge was a more valuable historical asset than I expected. There was a signboard for the bridge and its description caught my interest. I examined how valuable it was in my hotel that night.
　　I found a website starting with this sentence; The LMS (London, Midland and Scottish railway) Swing Bridge is one of only two moving bridges on the Thames - the other being Tower Bridge in London. I read the website at a breath. It was the recorded development of the railway of the U.K., the birthplace of the railway. The bridge was designed by George Stephenson, renowned as the "Father of Railways". The swing bridge bore witness that the U.K. was surely the home to the railways. Here's the link to the website of the swing bridge.

https://www.oxfordpreservation.org.uk/content/rewley-road-railway-swing-bridge

　帰りはトラウトインのちかくのゲートのサインボードに書いてあるOsney Bridgeまで走るつもりだったが、来る途中で見た可動橋を思い出し、また同じ道を帰るのも面白くないので、Osney Bridgeの手前でオックスフォード運河の方へ曲がり産業遺産指定されている可動橋をじっくりと観察。この可動橋の修復プロジェクトを説明する看板があり、これを読んで興味を持ち、ホテルに戻ってから歴史を調べた。
　詳しい説明の書かれているサイトへのリンクを下に載せておく。テムズ川に掛かる２つの可動橋のうちの一つがこれ、もう一つがタワーブリッジ。この一文から始まる記事を一気に読んだ。鉄道発祥の国の鉄道発展の記録で、この可動橋のデザインは鉄道の父と呼ばれたスチーブンソンによるものらしい。この場所でイギリスの長い歴史に触れた気がした。

To Go Or Not To Go

　　I was hesitating to enter the inside of the gate for some time, but seeing an elderly couple coming in, I followed them and ran to and from the Trout Inn. I was afraid that the oxen could run after me, but they were so docile and blessedly ignored me. However, looking at the river, a few mute swans were swimming just like they were following me.
　　I didn't shoot the picture of the opposite gate, as I shot it the other day near the Trout Inn. Prince Naruhito rode his bike to another pub from there, but I didn't as the time was short. I'm a slow jogger. I got back halfway on the same way and headed for Osney Bridge, which read on the gate in the picture.
　　When I passed the Perch and a yacht club, I took some pictures. If I lived in Oxford, I would have visited this pub, frequently.

(Vocabulary)
docile 〈人･動物などが〉おとなしい, 従順な, 扱いやすい
blessedly ありがたいことに

　しばらく逡巡していたが、老夫婦が入って行ったので、後に続いてトラウトインまで往復した。牛に追いかけられはしないかと怖かったが無視されて助かった。牛に追いかけられられはしなかったがなぜかこぶ白鳥が追いかけてきた。
　改めて写真は撮らなかったが、先日アップした写真の場所が放牧地の出口となっていた。陛下はこの先にあるもう一軒のパブへも行かれているのだが、時間の関係で（足が遅いので）断念して元来た道を引き返した。帰りは下記の写真にあるOsney Bridgeを目指した。
　帰りにはPerchのそばを走り写真に収めた。オックスフォードに住んでいたらしょっちゅうこのパブへ通うだろうなあ。またヨットクラブの入口の前を通ったので記念に１枚

Jogging Along The Thames

　　"What a beautiful and peaceful scenery it is! I didn't imagine that Oxford city had such a place." When I walked in the city center of Oxford, I felt something cold and cramped due to the existence of the old rock walls and pavement. This feeling might be caused by my Japanese genes. However, the atmosphere around the canals was totally different from those old artificial cold surfaces. According to my later research, the length of the total canals in the U.K. is up to a few thousand miles. The U.K. might be called the land of the canals. When I posted the last entry, I didn't know how to call the boats running up and down on the canals. They are apparently called narrow boats. I got it, just expressing their shapes. While jogging, I often stopped and took snapshots. I'll arrange them and add some descriptions to them.
　　I started jogging from Hythe Bridge and reached Isis Lock as I saw yesterday. I took a left turn there and found a railroad heritage site which strongly attracted me. I decided to drop in at the site on the return leg, and went ahead on its underpass. Then I reached the place where the Thames was a little widened. It's the first picture below. I took it as a reservoir formed by a lock, but it was just the place the Thames widened. After 20 minutes of jogging, I found myself at the tip of the towhead. There were several swans and some of them were brown, which would still be babies. According to my later research, they were mute swans. They are apparently often seen across the U.K.
　　Going ahead, several narrow boats were moored in the yacht club. An angler was fishing something in the 7th picture below. While I was gazing at him, he didn't catch anything. Take a look at the backdrop. Lots of oxen were put out to pasture. I remembered the description about the origin of the name of Oxford in the memoir of Prince Naruhito. The Thames used to have a ford on which oxen could cross it around the area. That's why this area was named "Oxford". Even though Prince Naruhito was busy on a daily basis, he could have been at such peaceful places for a change.
　　I continued to run and reached the place which is shown in the 10th picture as a blue round spot. The just-left cocktail glass mark stands for the Perch which I visited a few days ago. Additionally, the upper cocktail glass mark shows the site of the Trout Inn. The route on which I'd run must have been the route that Prince Naruhito loved and cycled with his guard. The Prince would open the gate and go ahead. I wrote about its goal in another entry: https://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2023/07/thames-path.html

(Vocabulary)
surface 外見
leg 〔旅行の〕一つの行程◆休みを取らずに、方向や進み方が同じ旅行の区間
towhead (立木の生えた)川の中州
mute swan コブハクチョウ
put ~ out to pasture（家畜を）放牧する
pasture （家畜の）牧草地, 放牧場; 牧草
ford 浅瀬
backdrop（景色などの）背景

https://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2023/07/thames-path.html

　

　なんとのどかで美しい景色だろうか。旧市街を歩くと周囲は全て石で囲まれており、窮屈な感じ、あるいは冷たい感じがしていた。オックスフォードにこんな場所があったとは。しかし、この運河周辺は全く異なる。帰国後調べたところ、イギリスの運河の長さは数千マイル、まさに運河の国と呼んでも良いのでは？先の投稿時には知らなかったのだが、運河を航行するボートをその形の通りナローボートと呼ぶらしい。ジョギング中、たびたび立ち止まって景色を写真に収めたので、順に並べて説明していく。

　昨日同様にHythe Bridgeからジョギングを開始した。走り出してIsis Lockまで昨日と同じルートを走り、左手に折れた。古い鉄道の跡があったが、これは帰りにじっくり見るとして線路の下をくぐり進むとテムズ川の川幅が少し広くなったところへ出た。これを北へ曲がり北上。１枚目の写真がテムズ川の広くなっている場所。閘門に繋がるリザーバーかと思ったが、単に川幅が広くなっているだけだった。北へ向かって走ると中州の先端のような場所に出た。なんと、白鳥が居た。成長した雛とともに。どうやら家族だ。後日調べると、Mute Swan（コブハクチョウ）らしい。イギリスのほぼ全域に１年中見られるらしい。

　更に進むと、ナローボートが何隻も係留されていて、ヨットクラブまであった。７枚目の写真では釣り人がいる。その向こうを見て欲しい。牛が放牧されている。そういえば、陛下の留学記に、オックスフォードは牛が渡ることの出来る瀬があるということから名付けられたと書かれていた。陛下は日頃研究で忙しくても、週末に自転車なら２０分ほどでこんな風景が拡がっている。気分転換には最適な場所だ。

　景色に感動しながら走り、１０枚目の写真の場所へ来た。この場所はどこかというと、最後の地図を見てください。　右下の青い丸が僕のいる位置、すぐ左にあるカクテルグラスのマークは先日立ち寄ったパブPerchの場所を示しています。そして、上の方にあるカクテルグラスのマークはTrout Innの位置を示しています。僕がジョギングしてきたこのルートは、陛下が警護官と一緒に自転車でパブをハシゴされたルートに間違いない。陛下はこのゲートを開けて走って行かれたに違いない。そしてそのゴールは先日の記事に書いた。

Thames Pass And A Once-in-a-lifetime Encounter

　　The Thames Path is the lane along the Thames and Prince Naruhito often refers to the path in his memoir. Following my idea that I hit on last night, I went jogging on the path today. On the other hand, my wife enjoyed sightseeing with my daughter. Anyway, I don't know exactly enough about the tutorial system in Oxford University, but it seems to be very unique. Prince Naruhito seemed to receive the tutorial from his designated professor while walking along the path. He loves riding bicycle and has ridden to his favorite pubs with his guard. I imagined that the distance was 20 to 25 km.
　　I started from Hythe Bridge and several boats caught my eye. When I was gazing at one of them, its owner emerged from the inside. I introduced myself as a tourist from Japan. While chatting, I was invited onto the boat and I was treated to coffee.
　　He had a thick accent and I had to ask him to repeat his words. I'm afraid that it was a little impolite, but chatting with him was fun. His wife and he live on the boat and they can move anywhere in the U.K., but this boat wasn't designed to get out to the outer sea. This Oxford Canal apparently used to work as the main transport measure of the coal from Coventry to London. I recalled the title of the research of H.I.H. Prince Naruhito as these: The Thames as highway : a study of navigation and traffic on the upper Thames in the eighteenth century".
　　Suddenly, he asked me if I knew about the principle of Archimedes, though he seemed to be the last person to utter such scientific terms. I didn't catch what he was explaining. Why did he ask me such a question? He continued to tell me about a junction of two channels. However, sadly, I wasn't able to catch some words even after repeated trials. Soon after, his wife brought a tablet to show me what he wanted to explain and I was amazed to see the screen. It was a big machine called the "Falkirk Wheel". If you are connected to the net, search for its pictures or moving pictures on YouTube or something. Finally I understood how the principle of Archimedes worked. The machine has two chambers in which ships are put. Even if a different weight of ships was put in the two chambers, the weight of the chambers are kept balanced as the principle of Archimedes shows. The machine can work with a minimum of electricity. I realized how water transportation system is no less important in the U.K..
　　I asked him how far it was from here as I was eager to directly look at it. He replied that it would take three months for you to reach the place in such an outfit, looking at me from feet to head. At that time, I wore a cap, a souvenir of the participation in the Ehime marathon and a T-shirt, which was also a hospitality gift from some other marathon event, and shorts for jogging. I examined the machine later and found that it was located in Scotland. Its name was derived from a Scottish town in which it is sited. It was a revolving boat lift. As he said, it seemed to take 3 months by my not-so-strong legs.
　　Travels are really wonderful. A popular Japanese expression, "一期一会"(a once-in-a-lifetime encounter)is completely acceptable. It instructs us to be polite to everyone you meet in your life. The opportunity never comes again. Thank you, wonderful couple! for a fun time. Cheery-bye.

(Vocabulary)
have a thick accent 訛りが強い
outer sea 外洋
H.I.H. His Imperial Highness (日本などの)殿下
Archimedes' principle, principle of Archimedes アルキメデスの原理
a once-in-a-lifetime encounter 一期一会
Cheery-bye　お元気で





　タイトルにあるテムズパスとは、陛下が留学記の中で何度も言及されていた散歩道。昨夜、思いついたとおり、今日はこの道をたどってみる。この道は陛下が指導教授と一緒に歩いたり、警護官と一緒に３軒ハシゴした時に自転車で走った小道である。留学記にたびたび登場する。距離は２０～２５ｋｍ程度か。娘と観光を楽しむという家内をホテルに残し、出発。

　昨日のオックスフォード運河からスタート。運河に係留している船が気になってじろじろ見ていたら船主から声が掛かった。日本から来て１週間滞在している旅行者と伝えて雑談をしているうちに船の上へ招かれた。これから朝飯なので一緒にどうかと。コーヒーだけごちそうになった。

　言葉がとても聞き取りづらく、何度も聞き返して少し失礼だったかもしれない。主な話の内容はこの船でどこまで行けるのか？どこでも行けるが外洋には出られない。波のない運河専用だとか。まあそうだろうな。いろいろなところへ旅をしているんだとか。この運河は昔はコベントリーからロンドンへ石炭を運ぶための重要な運河だったらしい。陛下の研究テーマが中世のテムズ川の水運だったことを思い出した。

　このおいちゃんが突然、アルキメデスの原理を知っているかと尋ねてきた。このおいちゃんの頭のどこにそんな言葉が格納されていたのだろうかと驚いた。そんな単語は絶対に出てこないような風貌だったのだ。アルキメデスの原理を応用した＠＃＄％＆を利用したというが、何度聞いてもわからない。奥さんが、運河の交差点のようなものだと教えてくれてなんとなくわかったようなわからないような。首をかしげていたら奥さんがタブレットを出してきて写真を見せてくれた。これには驚いた。YouTubeで動画を探して動いているのを見た。Falkirk Wheelと呼ばれる運河と運河を繋ぐシステム。二つあるチャンバーに入る船の大きさが違っても常に二つのチャンバーの重さは同じだからこれを回すための電力は最小限で足りる。なるほどアルキメデスの原理だ。是非ともYouTubeの動画を探して動いているところを見て欲しい。ほんとにこの国は水運が重要視される国なのだと実感した。

　是非、近くで見てみたいが遠いのかと尋ねると、おいちゃん笑いながら曰く、その格好で行くなら３ヶ月くらい掛かるだろうな～と。ちなみにこのときの僕の格好は短パンに愛媛マラソンの参加記念の帽子にどこかのマラソンでもらった記念品のシャツ。後日調べるとこの機械はスコットランドにあった。スコットランド中央の町ファルカークから名付けられたもの。回転式のボートリフトである。確かに３ヶ月くらいは掛かりそうだ。（笑）

　旅は本当に素晴らしい。一期一会というが、このおいちゃんに会うことはもう無いだろう。楽しい時間をありがとう。

Dinner

　　We visited a Spanish restaurant with our daughter for dinner, it was full and we dropped in at a nearby pizza shop. I asked her how her life had been in the U.K. and realized that she got through various difficulties. A Japanese proverb says, "you should be willing to go through struggles when you are young". I found that this proverb was true. I wanted to work overseas when I was young, but I think that it would have become too much of a burden for me.

　娘が行ったことのあるスペイン料理店に行ったが満席で、近くのイタリア料理店でピザを食べることにした。娘の生活やイギリスの状況をいろいろと尋ねた。日本のことわざに「若い頃の苦労は買ってでもしろ」というのがある。娘の話を聞いていて実感した。自分も留学、あるいは海外の病院で働きたいと若い頃は思っていたが、自分には無理だったかもと思う。ピザは３種類を注文してシェア

Jogging Along Oxford Canal

　　I had some time early evening until the dinner with my daughter. I enjoyed jogging around my hotel. Wandering aimlessly, I found myself on the Hythe Bridge at the westside of Oxford Station. There, I noticed a few slim and unique shaped boats moored on the right hand looking from the bridge and promptly headed for them. All the boats were covered by a roof and some of them bore cargo even on their roof.
　　Those boats were not only moored to the shore, but connected to a power point. There was a garbage dumping site and a toilet near the mooring site. According to the signboard, the mooring was restricted within two days. This site would be synonymous with Japan's RV park.
　　Recently in Japan, the facilities called "Recreational Vehicle Parks" have been built across the country. I've utilized a few campgrounds in Alberta in Canada in the 90s. Finally these facilities started to be opened in Japan too and I'm very happy with this condition. Like the epitome of curiosity, I continued to do slow jogging along the channel over looking around. I stumbled across a person on the way who was operating a lock. Observing him, I realized how the lock worked and it was Interesting.
　　I found a signboard to explain the area and I learned that the name of the channel is "Oxford Canal". I ran up to the north along the canal and turned to the right at Godstow Rd, then ran down Woodstock Rd to the south to my hotel, the easy Hotel Oxford. The total distance was about 10 km. Walking, running, and taking snapshots, everything which came in my sight was fresh and new to me. The jogging was great fun.
　　After dinner, I traced the route on the map which I had travelled and was surprised to know that I had almost reached three pubs which Prince naruhito, present Ten-noh, had referred to in his memoir. I decided to run around the pubs tomorrow.

(Vocabulary)
power point (英）コンセント　outlet(米)

　夕方、娘と約束したディナーまで時間があったのでジョギングした。当てもなく走っていたらオックスフォード駅の西側に出て、Hythe Bridgeという橋の上にいた。ふと右手（北の方）を見ると、細長い船が何隻も川に係留されている。反射的にそちらの方角へ向かった。
　ボートには電源コードが繋がっている。係留は二日までと表示されているこの場所は、日本でも最近増えてきたＲＶパークのようなものだろう。この船達はいわゆるキャンピングカー、あるいはモーターホームに相当するのだろう。運河脇に、トイレとゴミ捨て場も設置されていた。好奇心の塊と化して、キョロキョロしながら水路に沿って走った。途中、ちょうど閘門を操作している人に出会った。なんと人力でやっていた。
　しばらく走っていて案内板があった。この水路の名前はOxford Canal。さらに、この運河に沿って北上し、Godstow Rdに出て右折、Woodstock Rdを南下して宿泊していたeasy Hotel Oxfordへ帰着。１０ｋｍくらいだったか。歩いたり、走ったり、写真を撮ったり、眼に入る全てが新鮮で、楽しいジョギングだった。
　ホテルに帰ってから走ったルートを確認して驚いた。陛下がサイクリングではしごした３軒のパブ（The Perch, Trout Inn, The White Hart）の近くまで走っていた。明日の計画は決まった。

Degree Ceremony

　　The visitor's tickets for the degree ceremony were handed out after the brunch meeting. With it firmly in my hand, I walked to the Sheldonian Theatre in which the ceremony would be held. I had walked through the old city several times and didn't miss the way, but I was surprised to see a horde of visitors to the ceremony at its entrance. I was afraid of whether we came in, or not. I didn't want to end up in standing room, but luckily, we managed to take seats, though my daughter's seat was distant and behind the column viewing from our seats. I had to twist my body to take snapshots of her.
　　I couldn't catch the words used in the ceremony, but it seems to have been Latin. Latin has traditionally been used for as many as 1000 years in the ceremony. How wonderful! The students took their seats before the opening of the ceremony once, then they went out of the room after greeting three university personnel (I don't know the name of their roles, but proctor?). When they re-entered the room next, they were formally dressed with a hood of several colors and a mortarboard. The color of the hoods apparently represented their majors. This is totally my speculation, but the first greeting means the permit for their degrees from the university and the second greeting to the personnel formally dressed might be showing their gratitude. Their - both university side and students - greeting, taking the mortarboard and bowing, was somehow humorous and all the people were smiling. Laden with both a stately and homey atmosphere, the ceremony was awesome. Seeing the smiling faces of the young people who would be leading the world in the future, I became happy. They made me feel that I have to work hard at my post.

(Vocabulary)
standing room 立ち見席
stately　悠然とした, ゆったりとした; 威厳のある, 堂々たる;〈人が〉風格のある, 堂々とした
homey 〈場所・雰囲気などが〉 我が家のような, 居心地のよい

　ブランチの後、学位授与式へのチケットが配られた。学生一人につき二人まで招待できるので我々には２枚配られた。これを手に会場のシェルドニアンシアターへ向かった。何度も歩いた旧市街、迷うことなく到着。しかし、入場の列を見て驚いた。大勢並んでいる。式が始まるまでに入れるのだろうか？立ち見席だったら嫌だなと思っていたのだが、なんとか開式までに席に着けた。しかし、席は近くの柱がちょうど娘を隠してしまっていたが仕方ない。身をよじってなんとか娘を撮影した。
　式進行で使われる言葉がまったく聞き取れなかったが、ラテン語だったらしい。１０００年も続く伝統なのだとか。恐れ入りました。会場内でいったん席に着いた学生たちは、中央に出て正式な役職名はわからないが大学当局者に対して一礼して出て行き、次に入ってくるときにはいろいろな色のフードを着けて帽子を持っていわゆる正装で入ってくる。赤や青や緑など色とりどりのフードは専攻や学位の種別を表しているらしい。全くの想像だが、一度目の挨拶で学位の許可をもらい、２回目は学位を身につけたという挨拶か？帽子を取って会釈する仕草がどことなくユーモラスで大学側も学生側も全員がニコニコしている。厳粛な雰囲気とアットホームな雰囲気が共存している素晴らしい卒業式だった。世界を率いることになる英才達の笑顔を見てこちらも心が温かくなった。自分も自分の持ち場で頑張らねばという思いかな。「一隅を照らす」彼らを見ていてこの言葉を思い出した。

Brunch Meeting

　　All the guests were led into a makeshift tent set on the turfy quad. The brunch meeting was to be held in an upscale dining hall and my daughter wanted us to see the hall, but the hall wasn't available due to the maintenance of the air conditioner. If you want to see the hall, google for it with the key words; Pembroke College Oxford dining hall.
　　I was afraid that I had to chat with people on both sides in English, but I was able to pick the seat at the end of the table. Additionally my daughter took her seat between me and the professor. She worked as an interpreter when the need arose. He had travelled across Japan several times and the most impressive place was apparently Koyasan or Mt. Koya. We had an animated conversation about his travels in Japan.
　　The dishes were simple and so-so, but the dessert and the white wine were great. The British white wine might make my English smoother. I have three daughters and each of them let me experience a variety of things so far. I would be put through lots of fun things from now on too.

(Vocabulary)
quad（学校の）中庭
turfy 芝で覆われた、芝の多い
if [when] the need arises 困ったときに
have an animated conversation about ～の話で盛り上がる
animated 活発な, 生き生きとした, 快活な

 

　本来は歴史的価値のある立派なダイニングルームがあって娘はそれを見せたかったらしいのだが、エアコンの工事中で使えず、急遽、中庭にしつらえたテントの中でのブランチだった。KW: Pembroke College Oxford dining hallでググると写真が出てくるので是非ご覧ください。
　両隣に外国人の方々が着席すると両側と英会話をしなければならなくなるから困るなあと思っていたら、一番端を選ぶことが出来た！超ラッキー。しかもコレッジの教授との間には娘が居るのでいわば通訳付き。願ってもない席順となった。この先生は日本に旅行歴があり、一番印象深かったのは高野山とのこと。日本への旅行の話で盛り上がった。
　料理はまずまず、デザートは良かった。また白ワインも。この白ワインは僕の英語を少し滑らかにしてくれたかも。娘が３人いるのだが、それぞれがいろいろな経験をさせてくれた。今後もいろいろなことがあるのだろうなあ。

Drink Reception

　　When I was thinking what to do until the drink reception in front of the college, my daughter suddenly emerged from the college. She was already formally dressed. After the Degree Ceremony, she would put on her hood and mortarboard. It was a little early for the reception, but my daughter and we headed for the reception room. I'd like to post some pictures of my daughter with her formal dress, but she didn't permit it. I wish that you could feel the atmosphere of the drink reception and the college from my pictures. I was so tense.

そんなことを考えていたら突然中から娘が出てきた。既に正装している。学位授与式の時に帽子と、緑色のフードを着けるのだという。少し早いが一緒にカレッジ内のドリンクレセプションの会場へ向かった。娘の写真を載せたいが、載せてはいけないと言われているので、建物とドリンクレセプションの雰囲気を感じてもらいたい。このレセプションの会場ではかなり緊張した。娘に笑われた。

Pembroke College

　　Today, the Degree Ceremony was held. We equipped ourselves well and headed for Pembroke College which our daughter belonged to. We had seen it from outside, but it was the first time to get in. We arrived at the entrance more than one hour earlier than the schedule, and walked around the college. The buildings were laden with historic importance. They must have survived for a few centuries.
　　How did our daughter spend her time here for a few years? I've read some English papers of our daughter and admired her. The grant which she had received was not reimbursable for two years. Meanwhile, she got her physician's license in the U.K. too. She earned her bread and butter by working as a physician in the U.K. During the pandemic, she went back to Japan and worked as a trainee doctor to make money for learning, joining the class of Oxford University through the net on the other hand. She doubled the postgraduate of Oxford University and a Japanese doctor to survive the pandemic. She's really wonderful.

(Vocabulary)
equip oneself well, get ready to 身支度をする
reimbursable adj.〈費用・経費などが〉償還の対象になる, 払い戻してもらえる
bursary(英), grant (国の) 補助［助成］金, 奨学金

　今日はこの旅行の目的である娘の学位授与式がある。身支度を調え、娘の所属するペンブロークカレッジへ向かった。外から眺めたことはあるが、内部へ入るのは初めて。予定よりも１時間以上早く着いてしまったので、ゆっくりと外周を歩いてみた。その雰囲気に圧倒された。何百年も前の建築に違いない。
　ここで娘はどのようなことを学んだのだろうか。娘の書いた英語論文をいくつか読んでみたが、たいしたものだと思う。最初の２年間は衣食住、学費全て返済不要の奨学金をもらえた。その間にイギリスの医師免許を取得し、医師としてのアルバイトで生計を立て、コロナの時期には一時帰国し、リモートでオックスフォードでの研究を続けながら、一方で研修医として働き、留学に関わる一切の費用を自分でまかなった。オックスフォード大学の学生と日本の研修医の２足のわらじでこの時期をしのいだ。たいした奴だと思う。

Tottenham Court Road Station

　　As we got out from the museum, the rain was falling more gently. We took a walk to nearby Tottenham Court Road Station with help from the Google map on my smartphone. We'd like to have wandered around the station for some time, but took a rain check due to the rain. It was the last opportunity to look around the London city center on this trip, we were reluctant to leave London.
　　We took the tube from here to Paddington for the second time. We were able to pass the ticket gate in a regal way. We didn't have any chance to get on a double-decker bus, and we'll wait for our next chance. We were at a loss to find the platform for Oxford in Paddington, but a person at the information counter helped us.
　　One day trip to London by the public transportation system was successful, but the devil was waiting for us at the last stage. We took a taxi from Oxford station to our hotel. At payment, the driver didn't take my credit card and asked for cash. We were quite at our wit's end as we didn't have any cash. At that time, my wife remembered that our daughter gave us some ￡20 for a rainy day. It was in my daypack. During a week's stay in the U.K. this was the only case that we weren't able to use our credit card. Does this episode mean that Oxford is rural?
　　The dinner was at an Italian restaurant with my wife. My daughter was on strike for higher wages. All young doctors seemed to be out of their work for ONE week. It was hard to imagine in Japan. I was afraid that the medical system in the U.K. was on the brink of disaster.

(Vocabulary)
reluctant 気が進まない, しぶしぶの
regal 威厳のある, 堂々とした, 壮麗な
be at sb's wit's end 途方に暮れて
for a rainy day まさかの時に備えて
be on the brink of disaster 破綻(はたん)寸前である





　大英博物館を出ると、雨が小降りになっており、Googleマップを頼りに最寄り駅のTottenham Court Road Stationまで歩いた。駅周辺を散策したかったがあいにくの雨。また次の機会に。ロンドン市内を見るのは今回の旅ではこれが最後の機会なので、小雨の中、しばらく駅からの眺めを楽しんだ。
　さてここからは、パディントン駅まで地下鉄。もう２回目なので自信を持って利用できた。写真にある２階建てバスには乗る機会は無かったが、これもまた次の機会に。パディントン駅ではオックスフォード行きの列車がどこから出るのかわかりづらかったが、周辺の人に尋ねながらオックスフォードまで帰着。
　公共交通機関を利用してのロンドンへの日帰り旅行。首尾良く行っていたが、最後に落とし穴。オックスフォード駅からホテルまで乗ったタクシーでは現金のみ利用可だった。クレジットカードは使えないという。焦った～～。娘から必要ないだろうけど、念のためと渡されていた現金２０ポンドが役に立った。１週間のイギリス滞在中、カードが利用できず現金を使ったのはこのタクシーだけだった。オックスフォードはそれだけ田舎と言うことか？
　今夜はホテル近くのパブで夫婦二人で夕食。今日は娘は仕事は休みなのだが、研修医の賃上げデモに参加しているとのこと。イギリスの医療の状況を聞いて、イギリスの医療制度はかなり危ないのではないかと心配になった。