Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Trip to Okinawa 3

　　A tiny, croissant-shaped island was featured in a TV news item last night. I checked it on the net and I learned that the island was located just in front of us, so I decided to visit it today. Its name was Min'na-jima, nicknamed Croissant Island. It was 10 minutes drive from our condominium to Toguchi Port, from which the small boats start for the island, and 15 minutes from the port to the island. It was a tiny island, but its beach was crowded with boisterous kids and tourists. I preferred to see its natural circumstances or the lives of islanders than the beach and enjoyed wandering on the strange island. Then I headed for the northern end of Okinawa, called Hedo Cape. I happened to drop in at a roadside soba shop on the way, and the taste was great. I made a note of the shop’s name to revisit it on the next trip. It was worth the bother of stopping by. I had been to Hedo Cape before. Under the control of the U.S., people in Okinawa apparently prayed for the reversion of Okinawa to Japanese administration. I could see Yoron Island in the distance.

(July 14th)

Trip to Okinawa 1

　　My wife and I visited Hilton Okinawa Sesoko Resort in Okinawa, part of which was under development. There's a direct flight from my place to Naha (Okinawa), and we were able to reach Naha in two hours. After renting a car, we headed for Sesokojima Island via the American Village. We happened to pass by the scene of the conflict between the government and the leftist group. A security guard was killed there a few months ago. It was a disgusting accident. Just after our arrival at the resort, I enjoyed wandering around alone, leaving my wife, who was tired, in the condominium. Wandering aimlessly in a strange area was very joyful to me. We had Okinawa's local specialty, soba noodles, for dinner in our hotel. It was great. After dinner, we enjoyed a special concert by the local band "Inagun-gwa". Tonight's nibbles were pig ear jerky as you can see in the following pictures. It was not bad, but I prefer beef jerky.

（July 12th)

At Heathrow

　　We bought a stuffed bear, "Paddington" for our granddaughter at London Paddington. Then, we moved to Heathrow Airport by the Elizabeth Line. It was a direct service and very handy. We had to stop over at Munich. We used award tickets this time and stopping over at Munich was a trade-off for getting cheaper flights. We decided to enjoy the airport itself in Heathrow. After wandering around bookstores and several souvenir shops, we entered a conveyor-belt sushi bar which seemed to be run by Indians. Not only this sushi bar, but in many places, I often came across Indians or people of Indian origin. Anyway, the taste was not bad, but their prices were incredible expensive. We ate only two kinds respectively. Their tastes and cleanliness were acceptable. I recalled that my daughter, who was now in Bath working as a physician, and I felt nauseous in a sushi restaurant run by Koreans in Prince Edward Island in 2012. I'll add the link to the article. 

 

https://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2012/07/japanese-cuisine-.html 

 

(Vocabulary)     

conveyor-belt [conveyer-belt] sushi bar [restaurant] 回転寿司     

 

 

 

　パディントン駅で孫にお土産の熊のぬいぐるみを買った後、エリザベスラインでヒースロー国際空港へ。直通なのでかなり便利。ヒースローからはルフトハンザでまずミュンヘンへ飛ぶ。特典航空券なので直行便で無いのは仕方ない。その代わりにラウンジや空港そのものを楽しむことにする。回転寿司屋があったので寄ってみた。味はまずまずだったが信じられないほど高い。それぞれ２品ほど食べて失礼した。味と清潔さは合格点。 カナダ東部のプリンスエドワード島で、コリアンが経営する寿司屋「竹鮨」でうんざりしたことを思い出した。その時の記事を添付する 

https://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2012/07/japanese-cuisine-.html 

Good-bye Bath

　　I left Bath by the great western railroad (gWr). I took some pictures of the small street leading to my daughter's apartment. I'd never visit here again. I engraved the scene, atmosphere and cool weather on my memory. My daughter lived here and commuted for a year. I wanted to say loudly "Thank you" to all the people who helped her. 

　　I got a cup of coffee on the train and enjoyed the scenery through the window, always checking where I was on the screen of the iPad. I happened to find Windsor Castle on the screen. I looked in the direction of the castle, but I couldn't see it. However, I understood the rough position of the castle. I'd like to visit the castle on the next trip to the U.K. My daughter will move to Brighton this summer following the governmental(NHS) decision. I'll visit Brighton and around London next year. 

 

 

Cardiff

　　It rained on the last day in Bath. I visited Cardiff, which is the capital city of Wales. It has some medieval castles and a coal mine museum called "Big Pit National Coal Museum". This coal mine used to be a major driving factor of the development of the U.K. after the industrial revolution. When I was checking the location of the museum, I happened to find the town of Aberfan. I recalled a miserable coal mine accident. No, not the coal mine accident. It was the worst-ever industrial accident, which killed a hundred school kids. The small town was said to have lost one generation. Anyway, the weather was bad, and the driving seemed to be hard and we stayed at Cardiff and enjoyed wandering the streets and department stores. I wasn't interested in shopping and visited Cardiff Castle alone. In the outer wall of the castle, the preparation of events or something was under way. It robbed the castle of the medieval atmosphere and it was regrettable. The outer wall was a hollow structure and I could walk inside the wall without being caught in the rain. Was this space used to repel enemies? 

　　The streets of Cardiff were generally clean. There were few litters. One thing, most signboards were written in English and Welsh. I tried to pronounce some Welsh words, but their spelling was very unusual and I couldn't even imagine the sound of the words. I'll show you an example later. 

 

(Vocabulary)   

medieval 中世の   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　旅行中、初めての雨。カーディフは言うまでもなくウェールズの首都。いくつかの中世の城が残っており、また産業革命以後、イギリスの発展を支えた炭鉱が博物館になっていると聞き行くつもりだった。Big Pit National Coal Museumだ。場所は南ウェールズ、悲惨な炭鉱事故というより、イギリス史上最悪の産業事故で、ウェールズ南部の小さな、ほぼ一世代を失ったという村、aberfanの近く。しかし、天気が悪く、運転が大変そうだったのでやめて、カーディフ市内のぶらぶら歩きに変更した。カーディフ城では何かイベントの準備で中世の風情は無くなっていて残念だったが、内部は雨も掛からず快適だった。   

　街は総じてきれい。余りゴミはない。が、いろいろな表示が２カ国語表示、ウェルシュ語と英語。発音を真似ようとしてもできない綴り。消えゆく言葉なのかもしれないと感じた。

Stonehenge

　　It was around May when I knew that the World Heritage Site of Stonehenge was located near Bath. I recognized the location of Stonehenge and asked my daughter to take us there. We had breakfast in her apartment and headed for Stonehenge in my daughter's car. Her car was made in Japan and already had run about 200,000km. The car was incredibly obsolete and run down, but worked! When she started her career at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, she bought it and she has used it for a few years. I thought it a junk car, but she wouldn't need it in the next duty hospital in Brighton and seemed to be going to sell it, though I believe that the car would never sell. Anyway, she bought a car and made a contact of her parking lot herself in a foreign country. I saw her pump the gas herself with deep feeling admiring her attainments.
　　The drive in the vast Salisbury Plain was really fun. Viewing the streaming scenes along the road was a soothing relief. When we arrived at the visitor center of Stonehenge, the parking lot was full of visitors and their buses and vehicles. First of all, we got tickets and then got on a shuttle bus to the site of Stonehenge. Stonehenge was circled by rope and visitors weren't allowed to access it. In the museum, there were several descriptions about people who were supposed to have built Stonehenge. Their restored houses and the same size of stone as a stone used in Stonehenge are also displayed. Seeing them, I admired the achievements of research, but at the last part, the description wound up saying, "All about Stonehenge are still unknown".

(Vocabulary)
junk a car 車を廃車にする
junk [junker] car〈米俗〉廃車
duty station (兵士の）任地

　ストーンヘンジがバースからほど近い場所にあることを知ったのは５月頃だった。ここにあったのかと場所を再認識し、是非とも訪問したいと思った。１２日は朝食を娘の部屋で済ませてストーンヘンジへ向かった。娘の車は日本製で、２０万キロくらい走っている。信じられないほどボロだが、動く。ストーク・マンデビル病院勤務時代に購入してもう数年使っている。廃車寸前かと思えば、まだ売れるという。次の任地ブライトンでは不要になるらしく売るそうだ。売れるはずが無いと思うが売れるらしい。(^_^;)異国の地で、車を買い、駐車場所を契約し、ガソリンスタンドで苦も無く給油している姿を見るとずいぶん逞しくなったものだと感慨深い。
　ソールズベリー平原のドライブは楽しいの一言。ロンドンとはまた違ったのどかな風景に心が和む。急ぐ旅ではなく、あちこちへ立ち寄りながらストーンヘンジに到着すると、観光客、それを運んできたバスでごった返していた。まずはビジターセンターで入場券を買う。そしてシャトルバスで現地へ。後でわかったことだが、一般道からでも眺めることができたが、近くから見るには（と言っても５０メートルくらいのところにロープが張られていてそれ以上近くには寄れない)やはり、入場券が必要。併設のミュージアムではストーンヘンジを組み立てたであろう人々の生活の様子が語られていた。復元された住居やストーンヘンジで使われている石と同サイズの石が置かれていた。展示品をずっと見ていくと、、、、最後に一言、それでも尚、ストーンヘンジの意味がわからない、と。結局行き着くところはそこ。（笑）

Afternoon Tea

　　Afternoon Tea is known as a tradition of the U.K. across Japan. My wife had been eager to experience the real and true afternoon tea in the U.K., and my daughter booked our seats in a restaurant, the Pump Room. The room was classy even with live classic music to the point where I wondered why I had to be tensed like this for just eating cakes and drinking tea. The amount of cakes and cookies was enough for me. If I continued "afternoon tea" every day, I would be clinically obese. Do many Britons enjoy it? I asked the waitress of our table this question interrogatively. The old eating habits were twice a day and people felt hungry in the afternoon, so this practice seemed to have started. The tea and confections were nice, but personally, I'd rather sip coffee in a relaxed mood at a cafe like Starbucks.
　　FYI, I feel crazy about the Britons' fondness for tea. The English tanks apparently have electric kettles inside to enjoy tea safely in the tank. (grin)

(Vocabulary)
interrogatively 問いかけるように, いぶかしげに

　イギリスの伝統でもあるアフタヌーンティー。カミさんがなんとしても本場のアフタヌーンティーを経験してみたいというので予約した。ケーキと紅茶を飲むのにこれほど緊張せねばならぬのか、と思わせるほど上品なもので、クラシック音楽の生演奏までついていた。娘は和装で参加。結構腹が膨れた。こんなこと、毎日続けたら肥満になってしまうと思ったが、古くはイギリスは１日２食で昼食はなかったので午後の空腹を紛らすために始まったのだそうだ。お菓子もお茶も良かったが、アフタヌーンティーはもうこれで十分。個人的にはスタバでコーヒーでもすすっている方がリラックスできる。
因みに、イギリスの戦車には紅茶を淹れるためのやかんが装備されているそうだ。安全に戦車の中で楽しみたいという。連中の紅茶好きは想像の域を超えている。

Strolling

　　I strolled in the city of Bath. The first picture is a monument for victims of World War II. Bath was also bombed during the war. The Germans would have done it. What did they aim to do in such a rural city? By the way, Bath has something to do with Frankenstein and there was a museum about him. I had been eager to drop in, but I couldn't due to the time shortage.
　　Then, I walked around the Circus, which was one of the sightseeing points. My daughter's apartment is between the Circus and the Royal Crescent. It's a very easy-to-grasp location. There were lots of cars parked in front of both historic buildings. The gaps between cars were extremely short and I felt sympathy for the car owners. It would take time to park or drive out of the parallel parking spaces. Tesla cars automatically park themselves, but even so, it would take time for many lock-to-lock steering.
　　The last picture is Saracens Head, the oldest pub in Bath, which opened in 1713. According to the audioguide of the city tour bus, the pub was loved by Charles Dickens. He is a well-known novelist, whom even I know, and I really wanted to sit at his regular place in the pub, but I didn't have time to do so due to the following schedule.

(Vocabulary)
easy-to-grasp　わかりやすい
parallel parking space 縦列駐車スペース

　一人で街をぶらつく。最初の写真は慰霊碑。第二次世界大戦でこの街にも空襲があり、その犠牲者を悼むものだった。おそらくはドイツ軍だろうが、こんな田舎町を爆撃して何が目的だったのだろう？この街はフランケンシュタインゆかりの街だそうで、ミュージアムがあったが明日にしよう、明日にしようと思っているうちに時間がなくなり訪問できず。少し残念。
　そして、バースの観光名所の一つ、The Circusを一周した。娘のアパートはこのThe Circusとthe Royal Crescentの間にある。こんなにわかりやすい目印はそうはない。どちらの建物でも車は路上駐車。車間は狭く、入れるのも出すのも大変だろうなあと同情した。テスラ車については自動で縦列駐車をしてくれるが、時間はかかりそうだ。
　そして、最後の写真は１７１３年開店のバースで一番古いパブと言われるSaracens Head。あのディケンズゆかりのパブと観光バスの案内で知った。入ってみたいと思っていたが、次の予定があって立ち寄れず。

Vegetarian Dish

　　I was taken to a vegetarian restaurant called "OAK" by my daughter. I was often looking down on vegetarian dishes, saying "There's no way that I'd eat vegetarian dishes" on a regular basis. "It's delicious and you should try some," said my daughter and I followed her. When in the U.K., it would be wise of me to follow her. The taste was not so bad generally, and I didn't feel any sense of discomfort. However, they didn't seem to go well with my taste. I took pictures of some of the dishes and menus for my memory. I experienced vegetarian dishes for the first time and they were not bad. They were impressive in a good sense. Recalling livestock who are doomed to be slaughtered, vegetarian dishes might be recommended, but I'd not be able to become a vegetarian at once.
　　I heard of vegans and their dietary habit is beyond my imagination. They don't eat eggs or dairy products. That means that they don't eat ice cream or cookies or Christmas cakes and so on. Are there many vegan population in the U.K.? I think that there are some vegans in Japan, too, but I imagine it's very few in Japan.

(Vocabulary)
a sense of discomfort 違和感
be doomed to ～する悪い運命にある
slaughter 〈家畜など〉を解体処理する, 畜殺する;(けなして) 〈多数の人〉 を虐殺する
manslaughter 過失致死(罪)

(June 10th)

　娘に連れられ、OAKという店で初めてベジタリアン料理のコーストやらを食べてみた。味は悪くはないが、また違和感なく食べられたが、僕には合わないような気がした。料理のいくつかとメニューを記念に撮影しておいた。初めてのベジタリアン料理はまずくはなく、良い意味で衝撃的ではあったが、また殺される家畜のことを思えば良いことなのだろうが、一足飛びにベジタリアンにはなれないなあ。
　ヴィーガンという更に厳しい食事制限をしている人もいるらしいが、卵や乳製品を食べないなどとは僕には信じられない。アイスクリームや、クッキーなどを食べないなんて、イギリスではこういう食事を選ぶ人は多いのかな？日本にも居るとは思うが余り聞かない。

The Roman Bath

　　I knew that the influence of the Roman Empire had reached Great Britain, but I didn't know that their remains existed even now. After my daughter started living in Bath, I did research about Bath and knew about the Roman Bath. Principal travel guides carry its pictures holding greenish water surrounded by the Roman style walls and pillars. I jumped to stupid conclusions from them that the Roman Bath indicated this rectangle pool, but the ruins were genuinely beyond my imagination. The ruins had even a sauna bath, a workout gym, and a kind of sanatorium along with a generally accepted public bath. The ruins were under excavation, but the buildings and streets around the ruins apparently prevented the archaeologists from finding out the real magnitude of the Roman Bath.
　　I thought that the efforts of the U.K. inviting visitors might not be enough. The government still has work to do for a publicity campaign as a tourism-oriented country. I think that the U.K. wouldn't be recognized as a tourism-oriented country at least for Japanese people. I believe that it has sufficient quality.

(Vocabulary)
research 調べもの, 情報収集
do research 調べもの［情報収集］をする
tourism-oriented country 観光立国

　ローマ帝国の支配がイギリスにまで及んでいたことは知っていたが、ローマ時代の遺跡が残って居るとは知らなかった。バースに娘が住むようになってバースの歴史や文化を研究して、この遺跡を知った。主要な観光案内には緑色の水のたまったローマ様式の建物が出ているが、実際に観光してみると、それだけではなくかなりの規模の公衆浴場だったことがわかった。今でも発掘中だが、周囲の道路や建物が邪魔になりなかなか進まないらしい。浴場内にはサウナや、スポーツ施設まであり、今で言うサナトリウムのような施設もあったと考えられている。これほどの遺跡とは思わなかった。世界へ向けての宣伝が少し足りないのではないか？
　イギリスは観光立国として少なくとも日本人には認識されていないと思う。観光地として十分な資産を持っていると思うのだが。

Bath Abbey

　　It might be Westminster Abbey which I entered the place called "Abbey" for the first time. I was surprised to know that there were tombs on the floor on which visitors walk. I wondered if visitors' stomping on the tombs was impolite to the dead, or not. It was unbelievable for general Japanese. I didn't want to walk on those tombs other than the tomb of Winston Churchill. Bath Abbey was alike. I felt a crisp atmosphere from its majesty. I walked inside reading epitaphs on the wall. I found epitaphs of a few surgeons and I bent my head for a few seconds as a man in the same business and took pictures of them.

(Vocabulary)
crisp 〈日・天気・空気などが〉 澄んだ, ひんやりとした
The air was fresh and crisp. 空気は新鮮で澄んでいた．
majesty [U] 雄大さ, 壮麗さ

(June 10th)

　イギリスで初めて寺院と呼ばれる場所に入ったのはウエストミンスター寺院だったと思う。床に墓石があり、その上を歩くような形式にビックリしたことを覚えている。亡くなられた人たちに失礼では無いのだろうか。ウェストミンスター寺院ではチャーチルの墓を見つけたので、この墓だけは踏みつけるようにして歩いたが、なるべく墓の上を歩きたくは無かった。
　バース寺院も同様だった。その荘厳さに身の引き締まる思いがした。壁に掛かる墓碑銘を読みながら歩いた。その中に外科医のものもあり、同業者として頭を垂れ、写真も撮って帰った。

The Guildhall Market

　　I knew the word "guildhall" for the first time. Looking it up in the dictionary, it was an important word that I should memorize. I came across the Guildhall Market on the way to Roman Bath, one of the principal tourist destinations, and I entered it. The entrance wasn't so welcoming and I was reluctant to drop in here, but my daughter took me in. There were several kinds of shops and a leather book cover attracted me, but I had patience. My daughter urged us to eat scotch eggs. There were seven to ten kinds of scotch eggs. The number of the choices reminded me that I was genuinely in the best place to eat scotch eggs. I couldn't choose one and I followed the vendor's suggestion. The taste wasn't so special. If it was hot, it might be great. Or, did he serve me old stock? Anyway, I had a question. I was in England and not Scotland. Did scotch eggs come from Scotland? The man at the counter told me that scotch eggs are irrelevant to Scotland. I'll examine the origin of scotch eggs back in Japan.

　まず、Guildhallという単語は初めて聞いた。調べてみると結構大切な単語だった。覚えておかなくては。バースの観光地のナンバーワンとも言えるローマ温泉へ向かう途中、娘に誘われて入ってみた。臆病なのでカミさんと二人なら入らなかったろう。いろいろな物が売られており、革製のブックカバーに惹かれたが、我慢。これを食べなくちゃと言われてスコッチエッグを食べてみた。さすがに本場で、品揃えは豊富。お勧めのものを食べてみたが味は普通。温かかったら美味しかったかも。さてはおじさん、売れ残りそうなのを勧めたか？
　ところで、イングランドでスコッチ？と、さきほどイングランドの旗を見たので思ったが、スコッチエッグのスコッチはスコットランドとは関係ないらしい、、、とは売り子のおじさんの弁。

City Tour

　　I'll show you pictures taken from the city tour bus. The first two pictures show the Avon River. The building at your left hand in the first picture was a part of the bridge over the Avon River. Its structure was like Ponte Vecchio in Florence and there were some shops and a cafe on the bridge. There was a curious level difference between the road on which my bus was running and the surface of the river. I decided to look at the bridge from underneath later. The 3rd picture is Bath Abbey, on which the national flag of England was waving. It was not the flag of the U.K. I realized again that the U.K. was a collective entity. I had a plan to visit Wales later and I felt excited. My bus climbed up and up, then arrived at the Royal Crescent, which was located a few minutes' walk from my daughter's apartment. It looks very crowded and noisy, but it's quiet and comfortable after dark.

(Vocabulary)
from underneath 下から
entity 一個のもの［存在］

　市内観光のバスからの写真を並べる。最初の２枚はエイボン川を捉えたもので、１枚目の左の建物は実は、エイボン川に架かる橋の一部。イタリアのPonte Vecchioベッキオ橋のような構造になっていた。今走っている道の下はどうなっているのだろうと気になった。２枚目はエイボン川。翌日、この川縁に降りてビックリ。写真に期待して下さい。３枚目はこの後で訪問するバース寺院　尖塔の上にたなびくのはイギリス国旗ではなくイングランド国旗！複数の国の集合体であるイギリスなのだと感じた。翌々日にはもう一つの国ウェールズへも足を伸ばすので楽しみ。どんどんと坂を登って最後の写真は前に紹介したThe Royal Crescent。娘の住むアパートから徒歩１分、随分と賑やかに見えるが夜は静かで良い場所だ。

Sally Lunn's

　　When in Bath, you shouldn't take this cafe off from the visit list. Following my daughter's advice, I had brunch at Sally Lunn's. It was before hours when we arrived. We were the first customers of the day, but after a while, there was a crowd of people who were lining up for vacant seats and/or were taking pictures of the cafe. I was surprised that this shop was so famous. I couldn't know this cafe if my daughter hadn't lived in this city. There was Bath Abbey adjacent to this cafe. The first picture shows us in front of the Abbey. It was taken with a wide-angle lens, so you might feel something funny.
　　This cafe was started as a bakery in 1680. I often found large round bread in Bath and they were the bread which this cafe had baked since its start. They were called "buns". I didn't know whether they were unique for this cafe, or universally called so. You can also enjoy a souvenir shop and a museum in the cafe. I was amazed to see the museum in the basement. There was the bakery of the 17th century. Was the present city centre of Bath built on the ground raised by some specific reasons. The 17th century's bakery didn't look excavated and you'll think so seeing the following pictures.

　バースに来たらここ、ということで１０日の朝食はSally Lunn'sで。到着時まだ開店前でのんびり店の前で記念写真を撮れていたのですが、料理が来てふと見ると外には行列。こんな人気店だったとは。バースに住む娘の情報が無ければ入れなかったかも。そばにバース寺院があり、１枚目の写真は前の広場で広角レンズで撮ったものです。
　1680年創業の歴史あるパン屋さんです。バースに来ると、大きな円形のパンを見かけるのですが、、それこそこのお店が昔から作るパンです。Bunと呼ばれていましたが、全国的にそうなのか、この店独特のものなのかはわかりません。
　店内は売店とミュージアムもあります。地下に降りてみてびっくり。１７世紀の店が残っていました。この街は古い町を埋め立ててその上に造られたもの？
この疑問はまだ解決していません。時間を作って調べてみたいと思います。シナモンバターのパンは最高でした。メニューがインターネット上にあります。"Sally Lunn's menu"で検索できます。また行きたい店です。

Arrival in Bath

　　It took an hour and a half from Paddington to Bath. Our supper was Sushi which I had bought at "Wasabi Sushi & Bento" at Paddington station. We ate them at our daughter's room in Bath. I didn't expect much about English Sushi, but they were not so bad. It was the first time to stay in an ordinary room in the U.K., though I'd stayed at hotel rooms several times. Houses built in stone look a little inhospitable to me, but the inside was not so different from Japan's houses. But, I was surprised to know the rent, and I understood the prices are apparently soaring in the U.K.
　　I went out for walking in the morning of June 10th. A few minutes' meandering steps took me to the place in the first picture. This building was one of the main tourist attractions of Bath, Royal Crescent. A room at your right hand was used as its museum and other rooms were for rent. I envied people who lived in such a historic building, but on the other hand, I imagined several hardships or inconvenience which inhabitants couldn't avoid. Lots of cars were parked just in front of the building very tightly. The Royal Crescent was built in the times before cars so no garages. All cars parked along the road were not clean. I found two Tesla cars. They weren't plugged in. Its security system was off. It would be for saving the battery. If an EV couldn't be charged in the house, the merit of the EV would be decreased by half. I felt bad for the owners as an owner of a Tesla car.
　　There was a restaurant near the Royal Crescent whose name was "Sepoy Club". I felt a strong pride of Indians from its naming. Sepoys were mercenaries established by the British East India Company, but later they fought the U.K. for their independence, though their independence didn't come true from their defiance. Don't you feel their sarcasm?

(Vocabulary)
hospitable 〈人が〉もてなしのよい, 歓待する
[反意] inhospitable
2 〈場所・環境などが〉 快適な, 居心地のよい
[反意] inhospitable
3 〈ビジネス環境・市場などが〉 適した, 好条件の
[反意] inhospitable
inhospitable 〈場所・気候が〉住むのに適さない, 荒涼とした;もてなしの悪い, 無愛想な
meander 〈川・道などが〉 曲がりくねっている, 蛇行している
meander through/along something ＜…＞の中を［に沿って］曲がりくねって流れる
meander around/through something ＜場所＞をぶらぶら歩き回る［歩いて通る］
mercenary troops 傭兵部隊
the East India Company 東インド会社
sarcasm 皮肉, いやみ
heavy sarcasm 痛烈な皮肉



　パディントン駅から約１時間３０分でバースに到着。夕食はパディントン駅の”わさび”で買った鮨ですませ、娘の部屋に泊まった。イギリスの普通の住宅に宿泊するのは初めて。石造りの住宅は、日本の家屋に比べてどことなく殺風景に見えるが、内部はそう変わらない。家賃が高いのに驚いたが、今イギリスの物価はどんどん上がっているらしい。
　朝の散歩で娘の部屋から徒歩１分で１枚目の写真の場所に出る。この街の観光地のひとつ。Royar Crescentだ。向かって一番右の部屋がミュージアムになっているがそれ以外は賃貸の住居。歴史ある建物に住めるのは素晴らしいと思う反面、不便なのではないだろうかとも思う。それは、各部屋の前に並ぶ車を見たから。テスラ車が２台、どちらもモデルY。で当然ながら自宅充電設備はない。また電気の消耗を防ぐためだろう，セキュリティが切ってあった。
　ロイヤルクレセントのそばに２枚目の写真のレストランがあった。セポイ？そういえば世界史で『セポイの乱』というのがあったが、セポイって？後に調べるとイギリス東インド会社が編成したインド人傭兵のことだった。要するにイギリス独立戦争で戦ったインド人達という意味。とすればこのレストランのネーミング、インド人の心意気を感じないか？

To Bath

　　We utilized the train called DLR and changed trains at Canary Wharf. This train was driverless. I found a very unique amusement in Canary Wharf as shown in the following pictures. The water of the Thames is said to be considerably contaminated, but the canal in the Wharf seems to be clean and several rafts were floating. People were enjoying a barbecue with swimming suits on the raft and some were also enjoying a hot tub on the raft. The temperature was not so high. I wondered whether they didn't feel cold or not. Anyway, they looked so happy.
　　We got on the tube on the Elizabeth Line to London Paddington. While my wife and I were taking a rest, my daughter and her boyfriend took our luggage from the hotel for us.
　　My wife, my daughter, and I got on the train bound for Bristol and headed for Bath. The train was made in Japan. I felt pride for Japan's train to run on the birthplace of railroads.

　さて、帰りはDLRと呼ばれる自動運転の地下鉄でカナリーワーフ乗り換えでパディントン駅へ移動した。途中、カナリーワーフで面白いものをみた。運河に浮かぶゴムボートの上でバーベキューやジャグジーを楽しんでいる。この寒いのに水着で、，，。
　パディントン駅で少し休んでいる間に娘達がホテルから預けていた荷物を持ってきてくれた。そしていよいよ、目的地バースへ。
　列車は日立製。鉄道発祥の地で日本の列車が走っている。なんか誇らしい。

Royal Observatory & The Greenwich Meridian

　　I had one more place which I wanted to visit in Greenwich. The recognizable Royal Observatory was it. The Greenwich Meridian runs here, zero degree of east and west longitude. As for the latitude, I can understand that the equatorial line is set for zero degree of north and south latitude. It's the line to separate the earth into northern and southern hemispheres. However, why was the site of the observatory set to zero degree of longitude? I can imagine how strong a power the U.K. had kept in the late 19th century. The U.K. used to have been the center of the world and the eastern side was the East and the western alike. "The Middle East" would be the word viewing from the U.K.
　　The Royal Observatory stood on a hill. After walking in the town of Greenwich, we moved to the observatory by taxi. We had to skip the national maritime museum due to shortness of time. Firstly I did what I wanted to do. I straddled the Meridian Line with my right leg in the West and the left in the East.
　　There were several historic mechanical clocks inside the Observatory. They were implying that lots of researchers made strenuous efforts to measure the time. There was an octagon room under the distinctive dome-like roof and Queen Elizabeth had visited the room. As the queen did - you can see her in the following picture - , I peeped into the telescope. I found that the picture of Saturn was attached. (grin)

(Vocabulary)
recognizable すぐにそれとわかる, 見覚えがある，誰もが知る
__ degrees of east longitude 東経＿度
equatorial line 赤道
hemisphere (地球の) 半球
the Northern/Southern Hemisphere 北［南］半球

　

　グリニッジではもう一つ、訪れたかった場所があった。恐らく誰もが知るグリニッジ天文台だ。東経、西経ゼロの子午線が通る場所。緯度については地球の真ん中の赤道がゼロになることは理解できる。この場所が経度ゼロになったのはどういう経緯があったのだろう。当時のイギリスの国力が想像できる。イギリスが中心で、東と西、中東というのはイギリスから見た言い方だろう。
　天文台は小高い丘の上にあり、グリニッジの街を散策した後、時間の関係で王立海事博物館はパスしてタクシーで天文台の入口まで移動した。まずは子午線を跨いで記念撮影。大勢の観光客がいて順番待ち！
　天文台の内部へ入ると、歴史的な時計がいくつも並んでいた。１７世紀から、この場所で大勢の研究者達がいかに時間を操るか苦心をしていたことがわかる。天文台の特徴とも言えるドーム状の最上部は８角形をしており、エリザベス女王の来訪もあったようだ。

River Cruise to Greenwich

　　After checking out of the hotel we deposited our luggage at the cloakroom. The hotel room was kept clean and the price was reasonable. It was located near Paddington station. If I had to stay near Paddington again, I'd like to book this hotel. Then, we headed for Westminster Pier by bus. This visit was the third time for us and we finally became able to use the bus in London. The seats on the second floor were full but we enjoyed the streets' view from the first floor. Getting off at Westminster Abbey and viewing the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben we walked to Westminster Pier. 

　　We were going to Royal Greenwich Observatory running down the Thames. Getting on the boat, a middle aged couple asked me in Japanese, "Are you Japanese?" They were at a loss. They didn't know where they should get off the boat. My daughter and her boyfriend helped them communicate with the cruise staff and they were so thankful. They would travel around the southern part of U.K. for three weeks. 

　　I'll show you some pictures taken from the boat. London Eye, the Tower of London, and Tower Bridge reminded me of my first uneasy visit to the U.K. with my second daughter. Four years have passed since then. This visit is full of fun. Our boat took a short stop at Canary Wharf then arrived at Greenwich Pier. 

 

 

 

　ホテルをチェックアウトして荷物を預け、バスでウェストミンスター桟橋へ向かった。３回目のロンドン、バスに乗ることができるようになった。我ながら進歩したものだ。ウエストミンスター寺院前で降りて桟橋へ向かった。ビッグベンを横に見て桟橋に到着。テムズ川を下ってグリニッジ天文台を目指す。到着した船に乗り込んだところ、中高年カップルから日本人かと日本語で問われた。そうだと答えると、降りる場所がわからなくなったので通訳をしてもらえないかと。息子と彼氏君が手伝ってあげた。３週間くらいかけてイギリス南部を旅行しているのだとか。羨ましい。

　船から撮った写真の一部をＵＰします。ロンドン塔やタワーブリッジなど、初めてのロンドンで不安な思いをしながら次女と歩いたことを思い出しました。あれから４年。彼氏君の職場のあるカナリーワーフ桟橋、そしてグリニッジ桟橋に到着！

Hyde Park

　　I got up bright and early on June 9th. My wife couldn't walk long distances so I left her at the hotel and went out for a walk alone. I headed for Tyburn Tree which I wrote about in the previous entry on Bayswater Rd. A bright sky and a comfortable breeze made me feel uplifted. Every scene along the road attracted me and I took pictures and I'll show you some of them. The 5th and subsequent pictures were taken in the park.
　　I walked all the way around Marble Arch from Tyburn Tree and entered Hyde Park. I had been afraid to come across the homeless, but I didn't see any homeless person and was able to walk around as I wanted. I saw several joggers jogging on the way. I wondered, "Do they enjoy jogging here everyday?" There is a big park near my house. As it's located on a small hill, I feel reluctant to climb up to the park.
　　There was a signboard to warn of something. I found some words on the signboard that I know like "moth", "caterpillar", etc. I understood the warning vaguely, but I took a picture of the board to learn each word. The English words that I come across off guard can be easily absorbed in my mind.
　　There were some facilities for maintenance, all of which were historic and had the British taste. According to the description on the information board for visitors, those buildings were formerly a fire station or a police office. To my surprise, however, there was a private residence in the park. The mailing address would be "Hyde Park, London, U.K." wouldn't it? In the 3rd picture from the last, you can see the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. If you take a close look at the last picture, you can see Kensington Palace in the distance. I got back to my hotel and after grabbing a quick shower, breakfast, then got out for today's main event!

(Vocabulary)
uplifting (人を) 幸せな気分にする, 気持ち［精神］が高揚する（ような）

　少し薄暗い時間に起床し、余り長い距離を歩けないカミさんをホテルに残して早朝の散歩に出発。ホテルからBayswater Rdを歩いて先の記事に書いたタイバーンの木へ向かった。快晴でとても気持ちの良い散歩となった。周辺の景色をカメラに収めながら歩く。５枚目の写真からは公園内部を撮っている。タイバーンの木から工事中のMarble Archを一周してハイドパークに入った。ホームレスが多くいるのではないかと恐れたが、そんなことはなく、気の向くままに歩くことが出来た。途中、数名のジョガーに出会った。毎日ここを走るのだろうか。さぞかし気持ちよいだろうなと思う。うちの近くにも公園はあるが、小高い丘の上なのでジョギングで登るのは気後れする。
　何かに対する警告の看板があった。Moth とかCaterpillarとあったのでおそらくは毛虫に注意だろうと思ったが、後で確認するために撮影。こういうときに出てくる英単語はすぐに覚えることが出来る。
ハイドパークの中には公園管理のための建物があり、古くて趣きがあった。かつては警察署、消防署だった建物はイギリスの長い歴史を静かに物語っていた。そして、個人の家らしきものもあり驚く。郵便物はおそらく、『イギリス　ロンドン　ハイドパーク』で届くのだろう。終わりから３枚目の写真はダイアナ妃記念噴水、最後の写真では一番奥にケンジントン宮殿が見えている。ホテルに戻りシャワー、朝食、そして今日のメインイベントに向かう。

Tyburn Tree

　　A new bill concerning LGBT was voted for the other day in Japan. It is said to have followed the policy of the U.S. and the prime minister had ignored the public opinion of Japan. I was so angry at his act. Japan has originally been generous to LGBT people and this law is unnecessary or harmful in Japan. So, I investigated its background to know why the U.S. was so positive for this legislation.
　　In the U.K. a law was enacted in 1533 which was directed at homosexuals. The law dictated that homosexuals were subject to capital punishment. The execution of three homosexuals in 1726 is recorded. Public execution seems to have been an entertainment for commoners in those days. You can see what was going on at venues for public executions in some pictures.
　　In fact, homosexuals in the U.K. had been suppressed and ill-treated and they have been killed in front of audiences for amusement. There is such a long-term horror story and the Anglo-Saxon would have feelings of redemption for their negative history. I imagine on my own that those feelings would be streaming under radical advocacy for LGBT.
　　I therefore visited the site of a venue for the execution of three homosexuals. An epitaph, which at least seemed to me so, or a panel which read "The Site of Tyburn Tree" was embedded on the ground as shown below. Additionally three trees stood in the busy street. Three trees apparently represent the shape of the execution stage. It was located on the north-east corner of Hyde Park and near Marble Arch. The site was desolate despite being adjacent to one of the tourist attractions. I supposed that even the Briton might not know this site. Marble Arch was under renovation and regrettably I wasn't able to view it.

(Vocabulary)
venue for public executions 公開処刑場
redemption 罪のあがない

　日本で先般、ＬＧＢＴに関する法案が成立した。米国の方針に従うもので国民を無視したものだったので随分腹が立った。日本は法律など無くてもＬＧＢＴの人たちに対して寛容な国だ。少し背景を調べてみた。すると、イギリスでは同性愛者を死刑とする法律が１５３３年に発布されていて、１７２６年に３人のオカマが見せしめのため公開で処刑された記録が残っていた。当時は処刑がエンタテインメントでもあったらしい。当時の絵が残っており処刑台が描かれている。
　要するに見せしめで殺されるほど、イギリスの同性愛者は抑圧され虐待されていたわけで、こうした長年にわたる惨劇があり、自国の負の歴史に対する贖罪の気持ちが、英米の過激なLGBT擁護運動の根底にあるのだろう。と、勝手に思っている。
　で、この処刑場の跡へ行ってみた。『タイバーンの木の場所』と書かれた墓碑銘（と僕には思えた）が設置されていた。３本の木は処刑台を模したものだそうだ。ハイドパークの北東角にこのような場所があるなんて、ロンドン在住でも知らない人の方が多いのではないかと思う。近くの観光名所マーブルアーチは写真の通り工事中。残念。