Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Coffee Roasting

　　While I am a coffee enthusiast, I had never seen coffee beans up close on a tree. Also, Kona coffee, prized by coffee aficionados all over the world, is grown on Hawaii Island. I really wanted to see the coffee beans (seeds) with my own eyes. In Japan, the top coffee brand is UCC, and as luck would have it, its plantation was a mere 20-minute drive from Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport. Since we were going to fly to Oahu Island from this airport today, we dropped in at the UCC plantation before our departure. Upon arrival at the plantation, they welcomed us with their specialty, and a staff member gave us a tour. I inspected the raw coffee beans on the tree and even tried to eat one, which was a first for me. I just couldn't imagine that those beans later became a cup of coffee. I guessed that the first-ever coffee was found after the wildfire by coincidence. Anyway, as shown below, the raw beans will turn white after drying. We were able to roast dried coffee beans as we liked. There was a sample of how the beans would change according to the roasting time. I tried "Full City Roast", and my wife opted for "City Roast". Both are on the dining table of my house now and we are enjoying them every day. The only thing we are sorry about is not being able to enjoy them in Japan. We flew from Kona International Airport, whose peaceful atmosphere resembled a farmer's market, and arrived at Honolulu Airport. Then, we checked in at our familiar Hilton Hawaiian Village. We bought takeout box dinners at our familiar shop. The dinner over wine and a beautiful night view of Waikiki was great. Hawaii is always marvelous.

 

 

 

(Nov. 12th)

Just Relaxing

　　I was not in the mood for doing something special today. Since I am very busy every day in Japan, I wanted to have some free time for myself. I strolled around my condominium and enjoyed the soothing Hawaiian breeze on the hammock that was set up on the beach. I visited a shop nearby and had a poke for lunch. My wife made rice, and we had it with the poke bowl, which is a traditional Hawaiian dish. We had takeout pizzas from an Italian restaurant near our home. We feasted on pizza and admired the view of the setting sun.

(Nov. 11th)

King's Land Waikoloa

　　Compared to Oahu Island, Hawaii Island's sparse population leaves me with a nostalgic and languid impression. Our condominium was at Waikoloa Village on the west coast of Hawaii Island. It was a vast village with quite a few condominium complexes. While I enjoyed myself a great deal in the village, my wife and I went to another condominium, King's Land Waikoloa. After hopping on a shuttle bus, we arrived at the mall in the King's Land area. There were only a few shoppers there. We only saw a few Japanese groups. Contrary to what I'd expected, the area was not bustling with people. It appeared that economically the area was only halfway towards full recovery. We enjoyed a simple lunch at the food court of the mall.

　　I went for a stroll around the Ocean Tower in the afternoon. Tranquility reigned in our area; they suspended the shuttle boat service—one of two ways to travel between condominiums—leaving only the tram running with a few passengers.

(Nov. 10th)

Trip to Hawaii

　　On November 8, my wife and I left for Tokyo before noon. After we whiled away some time at the ANA lounge, we headed for our gate, No. 45. Shortly before embarkation, an announcement informed us of some discovered mechanical problems, resulting in a flight delay. They repeated the announcement several times, and finally, the the flight was delayed for three hours. I felt a bit hungry so staff members of Air Nippon Airways set a few tables in front of us and started delivering snacks and water bottles. I wished for more filling food, like sandwiches, but they would do for the time being. It would have been impossible to prepare them so late in the evening. Anyhow, after our three-hour delay, our plane took off. We were changing planes in Honolulu on Oahu Island, where there was going to be a four-hour layover. I thought that four hours would be more than enough in a not-so-huge Honolulu Airport, yet, catching our reserved flight bound for Hawaii Island proved an exercise in futility. At Honolulu Airport, an assistant was ready to help us with immigration control and to take us directly to the gate of Hawaiian Airlines. Moreover, another arrival delay delayed our flight to Kona. We finally boarded our scheduled flight and arrived on Hawaii Island on the 8th, as scheduled. The laid back atmosphere at the airport felt like we were at a farmer's market. We called for a taxi to take us to our condominium.

(Nov. 8th)

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.

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.

Back Home

　　We wiled away four hours with some drinks in a lounge at Suvarnabhumi Airport and then headed to Kansai Airport on Thai International Airways. I slept all the way on the flight, and the landing announcement awoke me. There was no Japanese-speaking cabin attendant and no Japanese version of an immigration card. I felt that the airline company didn't take proper care of Japanese customers despite the direct flight between Thailand and Japan. We got home utilizing the super-express Haruka, the Shinkansen bullet train, and the super-express Shiokaze for one stretch from Kansai International Airport. The destination of next year's trip to the U.K. will be London and Brighton.

At Munich Airport

　　We utilized award tickets of All Nippon Airways on this trip, but we weren't able to get direct flights. We had to stop over at Munich and Bangkok on the way to Japan. We stayed one night at Flightgate Hotel near Munich Airport. Our room was clean and cozy. The hotel staff were kind. Additionally, the breakfast included in the hotel charges was great. If we will have another opportunity to stop over in Munich, I'd like to book this hotel again. At Munich Airport the next day, I had to pass the passport control twice! I didn't know why. It didn't take so much time. One more thing, my daypack was opened at the inspection and my pack of wet tissues were tested using a thin film. The inspector might have doubted if I had some illegal substances. Anyway strict inspections are also for myself and are welcome. However, I wanted to know the reason why they suspected me of carrying something illegal. We flew Thai Airways International from Munich to Bangkok.

Lufthansa Lounge

　　There were seven to eight different airline lounges that we could use at Terminal 2, and we chose the Lufthansa lounge. We spent some time before boarding with complimentary dishes and alcoholic beverages. The following picture shows a book that I bought at a bookstore. It features reviews of traveling Japan made by foreign tourists. I was interested in how international tourists see Japan. The reason why we chose the Lufthansa lounge was that I wanted to accustom myself to German. I had learned German long ago, but my German speaking skills were rusted now. However, to my disappointment, the language used in the lounge was all English. I understood that we were in the U.K. and it was natural. We arrived at Munich Airport in less than two hours. I was afraid that the immigration process would be more complex due to Brexit, but it proved unfounded. We took a taxi from the airport to our hotel. The atmosphere of the taxi stand was terrible. All the drivers were of Middle Eastern origin. It was midnight and we had no option but to use them. We were cheated out of the taxi fare. It was three times higher than the taxi the hotel called for us the next morning.

(Vocabulary)
complimentary 無料の, 贈呈の, 〈チケットが〉招待の; 称賛の, 敬意を表する

　入ることの出来るラウンジが７～８種類もあって悩んだが、搭乗するルフトハンザのラウンジで出発するまで本を読みながら過ごした。これは、空港で見つけた本、外国人から見た日本観光の評論で、日本の観光地が外国人にどのように映っているのか興味があった。
　ＬＨラウンジを選んだのは耳をドイツ語に少しで慣らしておこうと思ったからだが、なんのことはない、聞こえてくるのは全て英語、スタッフも英語を喋っている。ここはイギリス。そりゃそうだろうな。日本から持参していたドイツ語会話のテキストは結局一度も目を通すことは無かった。行けなかったラウンジの案内板を記念に撮影しておいた。
　２時間足らずでミュンヘンに着いた。ブレグジット後、イギリスからドイツ（ＥＵ）に入国するには何か面倒くさいかと思ったがなにもなし。空港からは深夜だったのでタクシーを利用したが空港のタクシー乗り場の雰囲気が悪い。全員が中東系。仕方なく利用したがぼられた。翌日、ホテルが呼んでくれたタクシーの３倍取られた。

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. 

 

 

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。

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 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。

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。

The Cutty Sark

　　An all too famous English clipper which was built for the tea transport is the Cutty Sark. When she was built, the time was changing from the days of sail to the days of steamship and her time was short. She had called at Japan. She didn't need coal as the fuel and had more space for cargo. I knew her name only through the history class in my high school days.
　　As the Suez Canal was built and steamships were developed, the role of sailboats diminished. I learned like this. I thought then, however, that it could be the trade-off for sailboats to carry more cargo than steamships even if the speed of sailboats was a little slower than steamships. I knew there was no wind in the Suez Canal and sailboats couldn't run through it from the description in the museum. Comparing the steamships which run through the Suez Canal and sailboats running all the way around South Africa, the game would be over before starting.
　　I learned through the BBC or something that the Cutty Sark was burnt down after the turn of this century. To be born in the 19th century and disappeared in the 21st century, she had passed two turns of the century. I thought of this hearing the regrettable news, but later I heard of its restoration and the newly built museum. I have been eager to visit the museum and touch herself. The steel part was not burnt and original. I enjoyed its inside tour. At the last part of the tour, I saw the collection of figure heads, some of them were funny and made me smile.
　　There were several stalls around the museum and the dishes they offered looked nice. We decided to take lunch there viewing the Cutty Sark. She was really beautiful. The legend ship which I've wanted to see was just before me. It was a really profound experience.
　　Then we dropped in at a pub, Gipsy Moth, which I had found from the deck of Cutty Sark. The taste of beer was great.

(Vocabulary)
all too famous あまりにも有名な
days of sail 帆船の時代
steamship 蒸気船

　余りにも有名なイギリスの快速を誇った紅茶運搬船。船が完成したときには帆船の時代が終わろうとしていたため、快速を生かした活躍期間は短い。日本に寄港したこともある。燃料の石炭を積まなくて良いためその分荷物室が広く、荷物を沢山積めたらしい。世界史の授業で名前だけは知っていた。

　スエズ運河が開通し、蒸気船が発達したためその役割は終えたとあったが、大量の荷物を快速で運べるなら蒸気船にも勝てるのでは？と疑問を持っていた。その後、スエズ運河では風が吹かず、帆船は通過できないのだと知った。スエズ運河経由の蒸気船相手では喜望峰周りの帆船がいかに快速であっても勝負にはならない。

　その船が２１世紀になって、一部焼失したが新たに復元され、ミュージアムとして公開されていると聞いていた。一度見たいと思っていたのだ。第一印象は美しい、ということ。船内をゆっくりと歩いて回った。フィギュアヘッドの大集合には笑った。

　周辺に露店が出ていて美味しそうだったので、カティーサークを眺めながらランチ。高校時代に教科書で出てきた船が目の前にある。復元とは言え、焼け残った鋼鉄部分は当時のもの。ここにいること、それ自体が感慨深い。さらに、カティーサークの甲板から見えたパブGipsy Mothでちょっとビール。うまかった。

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！

Kensington Palace and Gardens

　　I had an appointment with the Prince of Wales and visited Kensington Palace where he and his family live. When I entered the premise of the Palace, a statue came into my sight. It was the statue of William III. I didn't know much about him. I just learned that he came from the Netherlands and fought Louis XIV. He apparently built Kensington Palace and died here.
　　I entered the Palace. The great flamboyance was within the scope of my assumption, but the additional exhibition was amazing to me. The names, photos and documented records of people who had supported the royal family since 19th century were displayed. They were what you call commoners. The Royal Family openly expressed their gratitude to them; lots of supporters, housekeepers, gardeners, cooks, clerks, cleaners, and so on.
　　Arriving at Heathrow in the morning, my wife got tired. I asked my daughter to take her to our hotel, and I took a walk alone in the pleasant breeze and weather. I was likely to forget that I was in a big city of London.
　　By ill chance, I found the statue of Queen Victoria near the exit of the Palace. The U.K. was evil in her reign of the latter half of 19th century. Recalling what the U.K. did in Asian and African countries in her reign, I felt nausea coming on. Japan was one of the victims.
　　While walking around, I found a tiny statue of a child. It was Peter Pan. That was it! I recalled that Peter Pan had fallen out of the baby buggy or pram in Kensington Gardens. He can fly in the sky and is an eternal boy. There were several kids cheerfully running around the statue.
　　Then, we were taken to a Greek restaurant near Hyde Park for dinner. I felt a touching effort of my daughter's boyfriend to welcome us. The dishes were new to me and I really enjoyed them over beers from Cyprus.
　　One more thing, Queen Victoria was born and spent her early childhood in Kensington Palace. That's why her statue stood in front of the Palace.

(Vocabulary)
flamboyance (人の) 華やかさ, 華麗さ; (服装などの) きらびやかさ
by ill chance　 運悪く

https://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2023/07/merton-college.html

　イギリスのウィリアム皇太子とアポがあったのでケンジントン宮殿を訪問した。（笑）
敷地に入るとある銅像が眼に入った。ウィリアム３世オレンジ公とのこと。オランダから来たことくらいしか知らなかったが、この宮殿を建て、この宮殿で没したらしい。宮殿の中の豪華絢爛さはいうまでもないが、スタッフ達の笑顔の写真、名前、彼らが付けていた各種台帳など、王室を支えてきた人たちの記録が展示されていた。王室が謝意を示している。大切なことだと感じた。
　朝、ヒースロー国際空港に到着し、ずっと歩き回って疲れたというカミさんをホテルに送ってもらい、僕は一人でケンジントン公園内を散策。快晴で、気持ちの良い風が吹き、ロンドンという都会にいることを忘れそうである。ケンジントン宮殿を出てすぐのところでヴィクトリア女王の銅像があった。１９世紀後半、彼女の時代、イギリスのやってきたことを思うと吐き気がして来る。日本も散々やられた。そんな嫌なことも思い出したが、一回りして小さな子供の銅像を見つけた。ピーターパンの銅像だった。そうだった、ピーター・パンはロンドンのケンジントン公園で乳母車から落ちて迷子となったんだった。空を飛ぶことのできる永遠の少年である。周辺では子ども達の笑い声が響いていた。
　さて、夕食は近くのギリシャ料理レストラン。彼氏君の我々を歓迎しようという努力は涙ぐましい。料理は初めて聞く名前ばかり。キプロス産ビールと共に明るい夜が更けていく。
　なお、ケンジントン宮殿にヴィクトリア女王の銅像があった理由だが、彼女はここで生まれ、幼少期を過ごしたらしい。

Notting Hill

　　We deposited our luggage at the hotel and headed for Notting Hill. I knew this name from the movie "Notting Hill" which was made in 1999. Since then, I wanted to walk around the streets where Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant were cheerfully walking in the movie. Two lead characters come across at a small bookshop and the shop exists even now in a corner of Portobello road in Notting Hill. I had my daughter take pictures of me in front of the bookshop. There was a crowd of people, but few entered the bookshop. I wanted to take pictures inside the bookshop in the same angles as the movie, but refrained from entering the shop so as not to interfere with their business. It so happened that the crowd disappeared for a short time and I was able to take the 2nd picture.
　　One more thing, the movie was actually shot at a different point, which is shown in the 3rd picture. The layout of the bookstore in the 2nd picture was replicated to this shop and the movie was made. This place isn't a bookshop, but bears the signboard, "Travel Book Shop". The owner would leave it as it was very consciously. There was a crowd of visitors in front of the shop. The movie was made no less than 20 years ago, but its popularity continued.
　　The next picture(4th picture) shows "The Distillery". I wanted to try some gin, but two ladies didn't want to, though two men wanted to.
　　We strolled along Portobello Road for about an hour and I had a great time. I wished I had 3 stomachs for eating many kinds of exotic food. More than 10 antique shops entertained us. Lots of silverwork and items from the Mideast were displayed in storefronts and stalls. If I had the ability to appreciate things of beauty, I might have made a real find.
　　We dropped in at a restaurant, Poppies, which seemed to be very famous for its "Fish & Chips", and I ate cod and haddock sharing with my wife over a glass of white wine. It was very nice.

https://www.arukikata.co.jp/web/article/item/3001828/

ホテルへ荷物を預けた後、タクシーでノッティングヒルへ向かう。その昔、ノッティング・ヒル（邦題：ノッティングヒルの恋人）という映画があった。Julia RobertsとHugh Grant主演のロマンティック・コメディで一度現地を歩いてみたかった。二人の出会う書店が現存し、その前で記念撮影。書店の前には人だかりがあるのに中へ入る人は少ない。たまたま人の流れが切れたときに撮影できた。店内で映画と同じアングルで撮影したかったが、邪魔になると思い諦めた。ただ、実は、実際の撮影はこの書店のレイアウトをそのまま移して別の場所で撮られた。その場所が３枚目の写真。因みにここは現在は本屋ではないが、Travel Book Shopと映画撮影の痕が残っている、というより残しているのだろう。ここも人だかり。２０年も前の映画なのに、人気は衰えず。

その次の写真はこれも有名な醸造所The Distillery ジン発祥の地。一口飲みたかったが、女性二人がアルコールが苦手なためパス。ボーイフレンド氏と僕は飲もうとしたのだが。

１時間ほどブラブラする。実に楽しい。胃袋が３つくらいほしかった。中東系の骨董品屋が多くあり、目の肥えた人なら掘り出し物を見つけるのかもしれないが、僕には無理。歩き疲れて立ち寄ったのがFish & Chips で有名な Poppies　https://poppiesfishandchips.co.uk/
codとhaddockという２種類の魚を食べる。美味！

To the U.K. Again

　　Our seats were 60A & 60B on the Boeing 777-300 from BKK to Heathrow. They were the last row on the plane. We didn't bother about the passengers on the back. The toilet was located next to our seats and this condition was helpful to a beer drinker.
　　When drifting in and out of dreamland, a walking cabin attendant met the eye. She looked like a Buddhist priest walking and surprised me. My mother, who is now suffering from serious dementia, was interested in Asian art and was collecting Buddha images. I felt those images walking, and my blood ran cold. The uniform of the cabin attendants was beautiful in the bright light, but ,,,.
　　Waking up completely, it was bright outside. Breakfast was soon delivered. When eating it looking down at the earth, I found a huge airport. Then I spotted a distinctive bend of a big river and a big city. I was instantly sure that the river was the Rhine and the city was Mainz. I detected the influx of the Main into the Rhine. That must have meant that the huge airport I'd found was Frankfurt Airport, which I utilized 4~5 times.
　　I relatively understand the geography of these areas of the EU and there's a rock around that I've long been interested in. I tried to search the Rhine for the rock. Our plane passed the distinctive bend of the Rhine at Filsen and Koblenz came into my sight. That meant we had already passed the rock.
　　Do you know the story of "Lorelei"? I looked for the rock of Lorelei, but in vain. From this height, it might be impossible to spot it. To record where we were, I took a picture of the map on the screen, but it was meaningless with this resolution. (grin)
　　I've examined a few cruise tours of the Rhine while my second daughter was living in Germany. That's why I knew the geography of the middle river basin of the Rhine. After my daughter came back, the chance of visiting Germany decreased, but I'd like to look up the rock of Lorelei from the surface of the Rhine.

(Vocabulary)
have/pay regard to ～を顧慮する
drift in and out of dreamland 浅い眠りでうつらうつらしている
meet the eye 目に映る
one's blood runs cold　ぞっとする（非常な驚きや恐怖を感じて）〔体温が急に下がって血(blood)が冷たくなる(run cold)ような感覚から。〕
bend (道・川などの) 曲がった部分, カーブ
river basin 河川の流域

　バンコクからヒースロー国際空港へはタイ航空B７７７ー３００の６０A/B席だった。これは、一番後ろの２列並びの席で後ろの客に気を遣うこともなく、トイレは横にあるのでビールをいくらでも飲める。出発は午前０時３０分でビールを飲むのにうってつけの時間帯。一杯呑んでから寝ましょう。
　寝ている途中、うっすらと開けたうとうとした目に映ったのはタイ航空機内でＣＡの歩く姿、まるで坊さんが歩いているようで、，，ドッキリ。今や認知症で訳がわからなくなっている母親が東洋美術に興味があり、東南アジアの仏像を集めていた。それらが歩いているようでゾッとした。
　完全に目を覚ますと外は明るくなっていた。朝食が運ばれてきた。下を眺めながら食事をしていると、大きな空港が見える。続いて大河の湾曲が見えてきた。紛れもない、マインツの街だ。ということは空港はフランクフルトだったか。過去に４～５回利用したことがある。
　この辺りはＥＵのなかでも比較的地理を理解している。気になっている場所がある。目を皿のようにして探したが、飛行機はFilsenの特徴的な地形（ラインの湾曲）を過ぎ、コブレンツのが見えてきた。ということは捜していた地点は通り過ぎてしまったことになる。
　実は、ローレライ伝説の岩を探していた。この高度では特定は無理かもしれない。飛行中の場所を記録しておこうとディスプレイを撮影しておいたが、この拡大率では無理がある。（笑）
　数年前にライン川クルーズを検討したので地形をよく覚えている。ドイツに留学していた次女が帰国したためドイツに行く機会が減ったがいつか川面からローレライの岩を見上げてみたい、，，