Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

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.

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）

Avon River

　　As you see, viewing from the shooting point, the city of Bath is raised. I was not sure, but I imagined that people would have built the city again on the previous city. I'd been keenly interested in the geology of the city after seeing the basement of Sally Lunn's or the excavation work of Roman Bath. Why was this structure born? I'm going to investigate it. Additionally, I found some rather big lock gates just in front of me. I recalled the locks I'd seen in Oxford, and I realized again that the early modern U.K. had harnessed water for means of transportation.

撮影している場所から対岸を望むと街がかさ上げされている。昔からの街の上に街を作ったのか？Sally Lunn'sの地下のミュージアムやローマンバスの地下を見たときからこの街の地層が気になっていた。どうしてこのようなことになってしまったのか。調べてみたい。また、目の前には川の水面の高さを調節するための閘門がある。イギリスがこれほど水運に頼っていた国だとは知らなかった。

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。

EV Charger

　　I got accustomed to walk around the city of Bath. When walking on the backstreet, I came across a chic B&B. To be exact, an EV charger caught my eye first and then I noticed the charger was installed at the B&B for their guests. The connector was Type 2 and I'd never seen it in Japan. I wanted to know the spec of the charger, but there was no one to tell me. I'm going to write about EVs later. 90% of Tesla cars in Bath were Model Y. Model 3 and Y were fifty-fifty in London, and I didn't see BYD's EVs. I heard that the BYD's EV is very popular in Europe, but it was not the case, at least in the U.K.

(Vocabulary)
chic ʃik/ おしゃれな, シックな
to be exact 正確には

　バースの街にも慣れてきて裏通りを歩いていて、しゃれたB&Bを見つけた。正確にはEV充電器が目に留まり、それがB&Bの宿泊者向けだったという順番。プラグは見たことも無い形状で、日本標準のチャデモとはまったく違う。充電スピードなど詳しいスペックを調べたかったが周囲に誰もおらず尋ねることは出来なかった。後の記事でＥＶについて書くつもりだが、バースで見かけるテスラ車は9割がモデルＹだった。ロンドンではモデル3とＹが半々で、シナ製は見かけなかった。欧州に普及していると聞いていたがイギリスはそうでもない。

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。

Skyline Tour

　　I utilized the "hop-on hop-off bus" to see around the city of Bath. Several bus stops were set along the tour route and you can get on and off wherever you want as long as your ticket is valid. My ticket was valid for two days and I enjoyed this bus tour for two days. The audioguide had 8 language versions and Japanese was one of them. I'd seen this bus in the streets of Oxford last year, but I was too shy to ask how to use it. This time, my daughter who lives in Bath helped us utilize the bus tour. It was a real blessing.
　　The audioguide was very handy and I was interested in a story about the geology of Bath. Some people in Bath insist that the city of Bath must have been formed on the crater bottom. However, the audioguide continues to mention that there's no evidence to show the existence of the crater or volcano around. I recalled the basement of Sally Lunn's, which I wrote about in the previous entry. My curiosity about the geology of Bath was spiraling. When the bus reached the top of a hill, I could command a beautiful view of Salisbury Plain. When I was moved by its vast green plain, the audioguide told me the name of the plain. I promptly remembered a world cultural heritage site from its name and I searched it in the distance, but in vain.
　　I found canals and locks from the 2nd floor of the bus. Narrow boats which I knew in Oxford were found in every canal. These canals link to the Avon river. All Japanese students know this river as a part of the name of the birthplace of Shakespeare, Stratford-upon-Avon. Shakespeare was born in the upper course of this river. To tell the truth, I'd visited this place 6 years ago and I'll add the link to the article about Stratford-upon-Avon below.

(Vocabulary)
Salisbury Plain　ソールズベリー平原
geology 地質学; (ある場所の) 地質
crater bottom 火口底
now that you mention it そう言われてみると
convincing 〈証拠・説明などが〉説得力のある, 納得のいく
in the upper course of a river 川の上流で

https://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2018/10/shakespeare-the-symbol-of-stratford-upon-avon.html

　バース市内観光の手段としてバスツアーがある。市街地を回るコースと郊外を回るコースの両方に乗車した。「hop-on hop-off bus」と呼ばれ、途中で気が向いたときに自由に乗り降りできるのでとても便利。２日間乗り放題なので、何度も乗った。８カ国語での案内があり、楽しめた。「hop-on hop-off bus」は昨年、オックスフォードでも見かけたが気後れして乗れなかった。今回はバース在住の娘が全てアレンジしてくれたので助かった。
　その中に、地質に関する話題があった。バースにはこの街が火口の中に出来た街だと考える人が多いという。言われてみれば確かにそのような地形ではある。しかし、地質学的にはそれを裏付ける証拠はないとのこと。朝のSally Lunn'sを思い出し、この街の地質に興味が湧いてきた。バース市街地が火口の中とすれば外輪山に当たる小高い丘の上にバスがさしかかると、遠くソールズベリー平原が見えた。
　バスの２階席から運河や閘門をあちこちで見かけた。そしてオックスフォードでも見かけたナローボートもあちこちに係留してあった。これらの運河はエイボン川に繋がっている。日本人なら必ず習うシェークスピアの生誕地、ストラットフォードアポンエイボンのあのエイボン川。この川の上流でシェイクスピアは生まれたということになる。６年前に訪問したときの旅行記へのリンクを付記しておく。

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。

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！