Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Haleiwa

　　Our minivan entered into the town of Haleiwa, which is located at the north of Oahu island and is the center of the North Shore. Some restaurants, souvenir shops, and a famous shaved ice shop were lined up along the road. I took a plate lunch from a food truck and the Hawaiian garlic shrimps were really delicious.
　　After lunch, my wife and I strolled along the main street of Haleiwa, which was a small village where you can walk from one end to the other end in 30 minutes or so. When I visited the North Shore for the first time, I took a rest at an old warehouse-like shop on the outskirts of the town. I'd like to buy matching aloha shirts for me and my granddaughter this time, but the famous aloha shop didn't have one for female infants, so I bought a gorgeous aloha shirt for me only. My wife enjoyed a colorful shaved ice from its original shop in Hawaii that a Japanese had opened more than 50 years ago. He was the one who made shaved ice take root in Hawaii.

(Vocabulary)
matching outfits（二人以上の人たちの）

ハレイワの街へ入った。オアフ島の北側、ノースショアの中心地でレストランや土産物店、有名なかき氷屋などがある。我々はここで昼食をとった。我々の昼食は小型の廃バスを利用した店のプレートランチだった。名物のガーリックシュリンプはとてもうまかった。

その後、街を散策。といっても小さな町なので３０分もあれば端から端まで歩けてしまう。前回は町外れの古い倉庫を利用した１００年前のたたずまいの店でのんびりしたが、今回はここにある専門店でアロハシャツを買いたかった。出来れば孫娘とお揃いのもの。しかし、子供用は男の子用が数店あるだけで女の子用はなかった。しかたなく、自分用のだけを買ったが最高に良いものを買うことが出来た。カミさんは念願のかき氷。かき氷は日本人が開業しこの地の名物となったらしい。

Chinaman's Hat

　　We drove out to the east side of the island from Moanalua gardens through the mountainous region on the H3. The mountain chain became rugged, far from the gentle slope of the areas of Honolulu and Pearl Harbor. We saw the other aspect of Oafu island. The numerous waterfalls will apparently emerge on rainy days in every valley. I'd like to see them someday.
　　We dropped in at Tropical Farms Macadamia Nuts, which was a specialized store for macadamia nuts and there were lots of customers inside. I tasted several kinds of nuts and coffee from the shop originally grown on their farm. All of them were very delicious. I was at a loss as to what to buy for my friends. I picked some kinds of nuts for souvenirs, though I finally consumed all of them myself. I hope I can get them from Japan.
　　We stopped by to see China Man Hat Island, which actually looked like a Chinaman's hat. I'm not familiar with the earth science. I wondered how the hat had been generated. Did the lava spew out from underground? Was a body of lava blown out from a volcano? Then we saw the entrance of Kualoa Ranch, but we didn't have enough time to visit it.

モアナルア公園を出て３号線を走り、島の東側に出た。山が荒々しくなり、ホノルルやパールハーバー辺りの緩やかな斜面とは全く異なり、オアフ島の別の一面を見た。雨が降ると谷の部分全てに滝が生まれ幻想的な景色になるという。一度見てみたいものだ。

まずはマカデミアナッツ専門店Tropical Farms Macadamia Nutsに立ち寄った。中はごった返していた。サンプルを何種類も食べてみたがどれも美味しい。選ぶのに迷いながらお土産にといくつか買ったが、すぐに自分が消費してしまった。日本で手に入らないだろうか？

すぐそばにChina Man Hat Islandと呼ばれるその名の通りの島があり、立ち寄った。写真を見るとわかるように、まさに中国人の帽子のようだった。クアロア牧場の入口だけをみた。中を見たかったが時間が無い。次回は牧場の中へ入ってみたい。

クアロア牧場　 https://www.kualoa.jp/

Dinner

　　Unfamiliar countries will have unfamiliar food. We dropped in at the Ala Moana Center to get some food for dinner on the way back. A big-size beef as we expected in the U.S., Hawaiian traditional food of poke and turkey sandwiches - turkey is rare to see in Japan - and something unfamiliar. We got a variety of food and cooked as we liked. We enjoyed the merit of staying at the condominium. The last picture was shot at the adjacent yacht harbor from the wonderful walking route.

慣れない土地には珍しい料理がいろいろある。パールハーバーからの帰りにはアラモアナセンターへ寄って、食料品の買い出しをした。アメリカらしいビッグサイズの肉に、ハワイ名物のポキ、アメリカのサンドイッチによくわからないもの（笑）、いろいろ買って思うがままに調理。コンドミニアムへ滞在しているメリットを十分に享受している。最後の写真はコンドミニアムのあるヒルトンハワイアンビレッジの隣のヨットハーバーの夕景です。素晴らしい散歩コースです。

Lounge

　　We took a short rest at the lounge which visitors of the penthouse were allowed to use. We could drink beer, wine, and some soft drinks for free. Light snacks were also ready. This lounge was 20 meters from our room, so it was very convenient. The pictures are an example of what we ate after coming back from Pearl Harbor.

　夕食前にラウンジで休憩。ラウンジでは無料でビール、ワイン、ソフトドリンクを楽しめる。軽食が用意されており、とても便利でした。我々の部屋と同じ階にあり、２０メートルほど歩けば到着する。滞在中、たびたびお世話になった。下の写真は、パールハーバーから帰って軽く食べたもの。

Condominium

　　We stayed at a penthouse of the Hilton Grand Islander, which was a condominium-style accommodation. Condominiums aren't well known in Japan and I'd like to write about them.
　　Condominiums are usually equipped with kitchens, plates and utensils, silverware, appliances like home electric washing machines with a built-in dryer, microwave ovens, fridges, dishwashers, and visitors can stay at them just like living in their houses. Visitors can shop for food and necessities at a supermarket and cook them like in their daily life. The following picture was shot in the kitchen. You'll know that everyone was enjoying staying in the condominium from it. The oven was from the U.S. and its setting was designed to be done by Fahrenheit. On the other hand, Celsius is principally used in Japan. As a result, every time we used the oven, we had to convert Celsius into Fahrenheit. My friend who doesn't cook in everyday life, took a role in conversion work sitting at the counter. To be more precise, his smartphone did the work. The use of unfamiliar appliances or cooking ingredients were also a lot of fun in condominiums.

(Vocabulary)
conversion（計量単位や通貨などの）返還

コンドミニアムについて：

今回の旅ではヒルトンのペントハウスを利用しました。コンドミニアムは日本ではまだあまり認知されていません。この記事ではどのような宿泊施設なのか、説明したいと思います。

キッチン、オーブンや電子レンジなどの家電品、食器類、調理道具、フルサイズの冷蔵庫や洗濯機などが備わっていて住むように滞在できます。写真は料理風景です。オーブンはアメリカ製なので温度設定が華氏で設定するようになっています。オーブンを使うたびに使い慣れている摂氏から華氏に変換してオーブンをセットするのですが、日頃料理をしない友人はカウンターに腰掛け、その摂氏から華氏への変換作業をしています。実際にはスマホがやっているのですが。使い慣れないアメリカ製の調理器具を使うのも、『これ何だろう』と思いながら珍しい食材を買って食べてみる、というのもコンドミニアム滞在の楽しみの一つです。

Honolulu Marathon

　　Before the entrance of my condominium, lots of runners were moving from the direction of Waikiki beach to the starting point. The start line was set in front of the Ala Moana Center, about 1km from my condominium. We got to the starting place 30 minutes before the starting time. The gathering spot was filled with excitement. The Honolulu marathon is one of the sports events, but I didn't feel any sense of tension from runners around me. The organizer of the marathon didn't set a time limit for finishing the marathon, so I enjoyed the marathon without being concerned about "time-out".
　　The marathon was begun not with a shot from a starting gun but the sounds of fireworks. It was 5 o'clock in the morning, but the sky was still dark before the break of day and the fireworks were really beautiful. The number of runners was about 30,000 and it was 15 minutes later for runners around me to move forward. I saw some on-screen talents running with lighting and shooting assistants. I was captured in a video of one of those talents, "Egashira 2:50", and I'll show you below.
　　I saw various runners, one of them was running with a horn. An old lady was running in memory of her doctor in charge. I was able to run in high gear until the 20km post, but as the sun started burning and it got sweltering, I got exhausted. I couldn't cover up the lack of practice.
　　One thing, the scenery of the seaside of Oahu island was wonderful and I often stopped running and took snapshots or chatted or danced with supporters along the route. After all, my finish time was 9 and a half hours, which was unbelievably bad. However, I enjoyed the marathon. I'd like to join the marathon again some day.
　　In the last picture, the marathon runners were having a party with American beef and wine. I look exhausted and the young lady seems to be perfectly normal. Age tells.

(Vocabulary)
be filled with excitement（催し物・試合などの場所が）熱気に包まれている
the break of day 夜明け

外へ出るとコンドミニアムの前にはすでにスタート地点に向けて大勢の人が歩いていました。アラモアナセンター前からの出発で、我々も１ｋｍほど歩いて３０分くらい前にスタート地点に到着。集合場所はすごい熱気で溢れかえりランナー達はみな楽しそう。スポーツイベントなのですが、あまり緊張感は感じられません。リゾート地のマラソンならではでしょう。制限時間がないので、いつも制限時間を気にしながら走る僕でも気楽に走れます。

スタートの合図はなんと、花火！朝とは言えまだ５時。真っ暗な空に打ち上がる花火の轟音とともにスタートするわけですが、僕の周りのランナーたちが動き始めるまで１０分くらいかかりました。参加者は３万人近くだったそうです。芸能人たちが照明係のスタッフとともに走っていて、そのうちの一人、コメディアンの江頭さんの動画に映り込んでいました。キャプチャー画像を下に載せます。さて、マラソンですが、２０ｋｍまでは快調でしたが、日差しが強すぎて後半はバテてしまいました。練習不足はごまかせません。

快晴の中、景色が素晴らしく、観光スポットで写真を撮りながら走るとついついペースが落ちて９時間３０分でゴール。タイム的には呆れたタイムでしたが、マラソン自体は楽しめました。沿道の応援に応えたり、所々で写真を撮ったり、一緒に踊ったり、，，，ホルンを演奏しながら走っている人や、主治医の追悼のために走っていると思われる高齢女性もいました。しんどかったですが、また走りたいと思っています。

最後の写真は夜、それまで我慢していたワインを飲みながら一緒に走った仲間で宴会をしています。僕のやつれた顔と若い女性の顔が対照的。いやはや歳には勝てませんな。

Honolulu Marathon Eve

　　On the eve of the Honolulu marathon, the dinner was beef steaks. I usually have wine with it, but I refrained from drinking wine for fear of impacting on the marathon. I went to bed about 9 p.m. and got up at 3 a.m. 2 hours before the starting time.
　　The following picture is the breakfast of the Marathon day. This was a typical Japanese-style one with rice and miso soup. Rice keeps you going longer than bread and miso soup goes really well with rice. We brought instant miso soup from Japan for this day. We set out for the starting site at 4 a.m.

明日はいよいよホノルルマラソン。夜はステーキを焼いてもらった。いつもならワインを飲むところだが、今日は不可。しっかりと食べて９時前に就寝し、午前３時に朝食。写真はその食事。腹持ちの良いおにぎりと味噌汁など和食。このために日本から持って来た。４時、スタート地点へ向かった。

KCC (Kapi Olani Community College) Farmers' Market

　　There are some farmers' markets on Oahu island and we visited one of them, the most popular one among tourists. It was located in the parking lot of KCC (Kapi Olani Community College) and had been held once a week, on Saturday morning. I'd like to take pictures of unfamiliar fruits and plants there, but I gave up as I ate an oily hamburger and my hands got greasy. The pictures below were given to me by my friend. I was really interested in fruits and raw food, but I refrained from eating them. If I have stomach troubles from them, I should have to give up joining the Honolulu marathon. Being on the safe side, I ate heated food only.
　　We were going to climb up the Diamond Head next, but we had time by the appointed time and went back to Waikiki beach. I'll write about the appointed time of the Diamond Head in the next entry. Anyway, just simply walking around the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel was a lot of fun. People around the hotel pool were full of smiles and cheerfulness. At the entrance hall of the hotel, we saw a statue of three sea turtles and a sand statue of Santa Claus.
　　Sea turtles are called "Honu" in Hawaiian. They are considered to be very holy and are believed to bring good fortune. The airliner, A380, of ANA which connects between Narita and Honolulu is nicknamed "Honu" and three types of Honu are printed on its fuselage. A sand statue of Santa Claus was also displayed. He wore a short-sleeved jacket with a surfboard. That was really what you would have expected in Hawaii in this season.

(Vocabulary)
fuselage （飛行機の）胴体, 機体

　オアフ島で最も有名で観光客を集めている産直市へやって来ました。油っぽいものを食べて手がベタベタであまり写真を撮れず友人が撮影した写真をもらってＵＰしています。気になる食べ物、飲み物がいろいろありましたが、慣れないものを食べて万一腹を壊したら、明日のホノルルマラソンに参加できなくなるので、大事を取って加熱したものだけを食べました。かなり広いのですが、写真が少なくてすみません。

　ダイヤモンドヘッド入山の予約時刻まで間があったのでいったんワイキキビーチへ戻り、シェラトンホテル周辺を散歩。ワイキキビーチはどこを見ても皆笑顔にあふれていて気持ちが良い。シェラトンホテルのエントランスにはウミガメとサンタクロースのオブジェがありました。

　ウミガメは、ハワイ語で「ホヌ」といいます。ハワイではとても神聖な生き物とされ、幸運を運んでくる「海の守り神」として親しまれています。そう言えば、ＡＮＡが成田ーホノルル間を飛ばしているＡ３８０のニックネームはホヌで機体にはウミガメの絵が描かれていますね。そばにはサーフィンを楽しむ砂のサンタクロースがいました。夏の薄着のサンタクロースはどうも違和感がありますね。（笑）

　さて、午後はいよいよダイヤモンドヘッドに登ります。

 

Fireworks and Dinner

　　The fireworks display started on time. This display had been offered by the Hilton once a week on Friday night. A porter told us that our room is one of the best places to view fireworks, so we were waiting for it. His words were correct and we enjoyed it so much. We could watch every rocket from the set-off to its disappearance. The fireworks display is very popular and is an seasonal occurrence in Japan. However, it's rare to watch its ignition. We had a valuable experience. Every time a rocket was shot, a cheer arose on the ground. It would be hot and muggy in the crowd, but we were able to enjoy fireworks in a comfortable air-conditioned room and we were really happy. You can see the situation from the following pictures. Enjoy them.
　　We had a simple meal tonight with pizza and salad. The uncommonly big beef - at least in Japan - was prepared for tomorrow's dinner in advance. We were lucky to be with a good chef. Looking out after a while, the fireworks' viewing boats disappeared and a quiet ocean was there.
　　Viewing this peaceful scenery, I couldn't believe the incident which had occurred on Niihau island in Hawaii today 82 years ago. It was a simple property crime originally, but eventually developed into a serious murder case. Anyway, I'd like to honor a young man who had fought for Japan. He was from the same prefecture as ours.

(Vocabulary)
rocket [C] 打ち上げ花火
Someone set off a rocket. だれかが花火を打ち上げた．
property crime 窃盗事件

 

　ヒルトンの花火が始まった。ポーターがこの部屋は花火を見るには最高の場所だと言っていたが、まったくその通りだった。花火が打ち上がる瞬間から、消えるまで目で追うことが出来た。こんな経験はあまり出来ないだろう。打ち上がるたびに下の方から歓声が聞こけてくる。おそらく下は蒸し暑いだろうが、我々は涼しいところで花火を楽しめた。
　夕食はテイクアウトのピザなどで簡単に済ませた。日本で見ることのあまりないサイズの牛肉は明日に備えて下準備。食後、外を見ると沖合にいた花火鑑賞のための船はいなくなり、静寂な海が拡がっていた。
　この平和な景色を見ていると８２年前の今日、ここで起こったことが信じられなくなってくる。真珠湾攻撃に続いて起こったニイハウ島事件。住民による単純な窃盗事件だったのだが大きな問題になった。それに立ち向かったわが郷土出身のひとりの若者を讃えたい。

Waikiki

　　We went out shopping for food. The 1st floor of the condominium was the trolley terminal and it was very handy. We got on a trolley to the Royal Hawaiian Center and walked along Kalakaua street. I'll show you some snaps taken on the way.
　　I saw a big Christmas tree in the center. It didn't sit well with me in such hot temperatures. People around wore light clothes like a T-shirt, shorts, beach sandals, and so on. No one wore a long coat or snow boots. Anyway, such curious sensations were also a fun part of the trips. We walked through the International Market Place and reached Waikiki Market, which had opened early this year. This market, I thought, would be very convenient for visitors who stayed around Waikiki beach. With prices soaring, daily visits to restaurants cost a lot and take-out supper is also a high price. The room equipped with a kitchen was a blessing.
　　The last picture shows a famous hand gesture called "SHAKA". FYI, "SHAKA" isn't Hawaiian. Anyway, it has a sad story and I'd like to let my friends know the story, but in vain. There stands a statue of a man who had been the origin of the "SHAKA" gesture at the entrance of the Polynesian Culture Center in Kahuku, northeast of Oahu island. Kahuku was his original place. The description of the monument is a little different from the common explanation on the net, but the description on his monument was much more acceptable for me. I was going to take my friends there, but time was short.

(Vocabulary)
wear light clothes [clothing] 薄着する
hand gesture/signal ハンドサイン

　全員で買い物に出た。コンドミニアムの１階がトロリーのターミナルとなっているので実に便利。ロイヤルハワイアンセンターまでトロリーを利用し、後はカラカウア通りをブラブラと散歩。道中のスナップを呈示します。
　こんなに暑い中でのクリスマスツリーにはやはり違和感あり。カラカウア通りからインターナショナルマーケットプレイスを抜けてワイキキマーケット到着。今年初頭にオープンした話題のマーケットなので来てみた。ワイキキビーチ近くのコンドミニアム滞在者には便利な店だろうなと思う。物価が高いのでそうそうレストランは利用できないし、テイクアウトも高いから部屋にキッチンがあるのは助かる。
　最後の写真はシャカSHAKA（実はハワイ語ではありません）、ハワイでの挨拶のハンドサイン。実は悲しい歴史があるのだが、同行の仲間達に伝えることを忘れた。カフクにあるポリネシアンカルチャーセンターの入口にこのサインを生んだ人物の銅像と悲しい歴史が書かれていてそれを見てもらいたかったが時間が足らずに寄れなかった。ネット上の説明と少し異なっていてここに書かれている説明の方が僕には受け入れやすかったので。

Penthouse

　　We stayed in the penthouse on the 34th floor of the Hilton Grand Islander. This is one of the best rooms in the Hilton Hawaiian Village and was very wide. As one of the benefits, we were able to have breakfast and an evening meal, hors d'oeuvre, or pupu in Hawaiian including wine and beer for free in its lounge located on the same floor.
　　Eight of us used this room, so we got 8 key cards and 8 towel cards. The towel cards can be exchanged for towels at the towel stand near the beach or pools. When coming back to the room, you can receive it in exchange for the used towels. This system is very handy.
　　After enjoying the scene from the balcony, we went shopping for food. Shopping for food is one of the daily activities, but it's great fun in unfamiliar places.

(Vocabulary)
hors d'oeuvre〈フランス語〉pupu <ハワイ語＞　オードブル

　アイランダーの３４階にあるペントハウスへ入室した。最上級の部屋だけあってさすがに広い。同じ階にあるラウンジでは朝食と夕食（軽めのオードブル＋ワイン、ビール）が無料でサービスされる。
　８人で利用するので８人分のカードキーとタオルカードを受け取った。タオルカードはビーチに数カ所あるタオルスタンドでタオルに交換してくれる。使ったタオルと交換で返してくれるので何度もビーチへ行ってもその都度新しいタオルを貸してくれる便利なシステムだ。眺めをしばらく楽しんだ後、夕食の食材の買い出しに出かけた。
　買物は日常的な行動だが、見知らぬ土地での買物はそれ自体が非日常で楽しい。

Flight to Hawaii

　　Some airlines like JAL, ANA, Hawaiian, etc fly various types of airliners from several airports in Japan to Honolulu. Japan's Capital, Tokyo, has two international airports, Narita and Haneda. My local airport has direct flights to Haneda, so the flights leaving Haneda are very handy in respect of the connection to overseas flights. However, we chose ANA Airbus A380 among them which starts from Narita International Airport. This is the world's largest passenger airliner and the only full-length double-deck jet airliner. I've experienced it once, but my friends never.
　　This trip is what you call an anniversary trip as I wrote in the previous entry, so we took premium economy seats. I'll show you the seat and our first in-flight meals.

日本からホノルルへは数社が飛行機を飛ばしている。東京には二つの国際空港があり、地元の空港と繋がっている羽田空港が便利だが、今回は先に書いたように記念旅行であり、日本からはこの路線しか飛んでいないA380に乗るために成田空港を利用した。シートは二階席のプレミアムエコノミー。搭乗待合室や最初に運ばれてきた機内食をＵＰします。

United Club

　　We left our local airport and made a connection at Haneda International Airport with an inter-airport connecting bus. It was about noon when we got to Narita International Airport. We checked in at ANA counter and passed through the departure formalities. Then we headed for the lounge offered from United Airlines, United Club for lunch. The three of us were gold members of the Star Alliance and utilized the benefit. The lounge was open and larger than I expected. Its atmosphere was gorgeous. I had lunch and some beer. I'd like to have taken snapshots to record the scene inside, but I couldn't avoid other customers coming in the pictures and gave up taking pictures.
　　I'll upload the pictures which my friend took. Our next destination was ANA's lounge! We had a short and small party there over dishes and alcohol offered from ANA for free. The lounge-hopping was new to me.

(Vocabulary)
come in the pictures 写真に写り込む

 


地元の空港から飛行機と空港間連絡を乗り継いで成田空港へ到着したのがお昼頃。ＡＮＡのカウンターでチェックインを済ませ、出国し、ランチはユナイテッド航空のラウンジで無料の料理やアルコールをいただいた。メンバーのうち３名がスターアライアンスのゴールドホルダーだったので特典を生かして全員で。ユナイテッド航空のラウンジは豪華で広く開放的でくつろげた。写真を撮ろうとしたがどうしても人が映り込んでしまうので迷惑を掛けてもいけないので写真は諦めた。
代わりに同行の友人が撮った写真をＵＰする。ほろ酔い気分でラウンジを出て今度はＡＮＡのラウンジに立ち寄り、まったり。ラウンジのハシゴは初めての経験。

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、、、

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

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

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。