Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Change of Guard Ceremony

　　I got on standby at a few steps up the stairs of Victoria Memorial. I was just in front of Buckingham Palace. I took the first picture after the ceremony to record my standing site. I was viewing the ceremony at this point without moving even a single step.
　　My SLR camera was equipped with a 50mm standard lens (fixed focus lens). As my camera was APS-C, the lens was equivalent to a 80mm semi-telephoto lens of the full-frame digital SLR. The second picture was shot by this camera. It was taken by a hand-held shooting, but it's nicely taken. I had another digital camera and took pictures of the ceremony with both cameras. My daughter's position was shown in the next picture. She was also just in front of the central gate, but was on the third line. As we were playing with wild squirrels in the park, she wasn't able to stand on the front row, but after the starting of the ceremony, taking advantage of being packed in chaos, she seemed to come out on the front row. She was able to see even the faces of each guard, but wasn't able to view the whole display of the ceremony.
　　The march of the Guards was gorgeous. When I was a little boy, I played with small replicas of them. It was great for me to see the real guards. The Change of Guard Ceremony was held inside the fence and I wasn't able to watch them from my position, but it was ok. The concierge told us that the best position differed as to what we wanted to see. Marching? or Ceremony itself? Now I understood his words.
　　I was surprised to notice that several policemen had a big gun. You would never see such type of guns in Japan, at least in public spaces. Take a look at them in the last picture. I understood that we were a possible target site of terrorism.

約４０分前にビクトリア記念碑の階段を数段上ったところへスタンバイ。バッキンガム宮殿の真正面だ。どのような場所に居たかと言うことを記録するために取っておいた写真が一枚目。これはセレモニーが終わった後で取ったもので、この場所から一歩も動かずにセレモニーを眺めていた。

一眼レフカメラには５０ミリの標準レンズを付けていたが、僕のはＡＰＳ−Ｃなので、標準換算８０ミリの中望遠レンズとなっていて、こいつで正門を見たのが二枚目の写真。手持ち撮影だがきれいに撮れている。ちなみに娘の位置は三枚目の写真の通り。これまた真正面だが３列目くらいか。野生のリスに餌やりをしていたために最前列は取れず。ただ、見ていたら混乱に乗じて最前列に出られた模様。しかし、彼女の場所からは衛兵の顔まではっきりと見える代わりに全体を見渡すことが出来なかったとのこと。

衛兵の行進は勇壮で豪華だった。子供の頃、この格好をした人形でよく遊んだなあとその頃のことを懐かしく思い出しながら、還暦の年に『本物』をみるとはなあと感慨に浸りながら『本物の衛兵』の行進を眺めた。肝心の交代式は塀の中なのではっきりとは見られなかったがこれは仕方ない。コンシュルジュが何を見るかによって待機場所が違うと行っていたことが理解できた。衛兵交代そのものを見るなら宮殿の塀際に待機すべきだとわかった。

最後の写真を見て欲しい。警備員が持っている銃は日本では街中で見かけることはまずあり得ない銃だ。おそらく殺傷能力の高いものだろう。この銃を見て、テロ攻撃のターゲットになり得る場所にいるのだと感じた。

St. James Park

　　We ate breakfast at our hotel, and went out for Buckingham Palace a little earlier than we had scheduled the previous night. We wanted to take a walk for some time in St. James Park before standing-by for the Change of Guard Ceremony. We found some ducks, geese, fishes, several insects and squirrels in the park. It was a very comfortable place.
　　I noticed that my daughter was chatting with a family. She seemed to be interested in their feeding something to the squirrels in the park. I knew later that they were from Hamburg and she was talking in German for the kid who didn't understand English. To tell the truth, she speaks German better than English. Something which they were feeding to the squirrels proved to be cashew nuts and she was given a small amount of them. She might be liked by the family. Then, nearly for about half an hour, until the cashew nuts ran out, she was chasing squirrels. While she was feeding them, I had to take pictures of her and squirrels. If humans were bitten by rodents, that would grow serious, but she looked indifferent to my concern. I'm a little shy to strangers, but my daughter is really sociable. Communication is the key to making trips happier. I re-recognized this simple thing, seeing her chatting with them.

ホテルで朝食を済ませ、予定より少し早く出発し、バッキンガム宮殿へ向かった。衛兵交代式を見るためである。早く出たのは、途中でセントジェームス公園内を少し歩いてみようと思ったから。公園内には水辺には鴨がいるし、リスも走り回っている。気持ちの良いところだった。

ふと娘を見ると家族連れと話をしている。彼らがリスに何か与えているので気になったようだ。後で尋ねると、ハンブルクからの旅行者。ドイツ人だとわかってからはドイツ語で会話していたとのこと。実はこの娘は英語よりもドイツ語が得意。で、彼らがリスに与えていたものはカシューナッツと判明。しかも分けてもらっていた。どうやら３人に気に入ってもらえたようだ。それから半時間、カシューナッツが切れるまでリスを追いかけていた。齧歯類に噛まれるとやっかいなことになる可能性があるのだが。僕は知らない人に対して少しシャイなところがあり、またじっと黙っていることが快適で楽なのだが、娘は社交的で愛想が良い。周囲とコミュニケーションを取ることは旅を豊かなものにするなあと再認識させられた。

Dinner

　We had dinner at a pub next to our hotel. I didn't expect much for dinner, but the dishes were nice. I ate the spicy roast of spareribs over a British wine. It was a great dinner. I felt for the first time after arriving in the U.K. that it was not bad to re-visit the U.K. The climate of the U.K. looked unsuitable for cultivating grapes for wine. I just had thought so for a long time. When I saw the list of British wines on the menu, I was surprised and I tasted three kinds of red wines and all of them were really nice.

夕食はホテルの隣のパブで。余り期待はしていなかったが、ここはうまかった。イギリスワインとスペアリブ最高。イギリスのワインと聞いてもピンとこなかったが、結構な種類があった。この夕食で、イギリスにもう一度来ても良いような気がしてきた。（笑）

Buckingham Palace

　 We moved from Trafalgar Square through Admiralty Arch via the Mall to Buckingham Palace. On our left side was St. James Park. I found the Duke Of York Column over the stairs on our right side, but it was growing dark and we didn't get there. Victoria Memorial and Buckingham Palace were just far in front of us. According to the concierge, the ceremony of the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace would be held tomorrow morning. The area around the ceremony would be extremely packed as if all the visitors in London got together. We decided the point at which we would stand tomorrow.

トラファルガー広場からアドミラルティ・アーチを抜けてthe Mallを通りバッキンガム宮殿へ向かう。左側はSt. James Park。右側にヨーク公記念碑を右に見たが薄暗くなってきており先を急いだ。ヴィクトリア記念堂Victoria Memorial とバッキンガム宮殿が正面に見える。ホテルで確認したところ、明日衛兵交代式があるのだそうだ。ただ、ロンドン中の観光客が集まってきたかの如く混雑するとか。ホテルから徒歩１０分なので十分に早く来る必要がある。明日、陣取る場所を決めた。

Trafalgar Square

　　When I was walking on the Golden Jubilee Bridge, I saw several people shooting pretty ladies. They were apparently a professional photographer and his assistants. My daughter asked the seems-to-be director if she could take pictures of models and she was allowed to do so. While shooting, several visitors got together around her, and we fled out of the flock. The general atmosphere of my daughter seemed to draw people to her.
　　My fondness for trips is surely inherited from my father, but the influence of the world history class in my high school days also might work. The "Battle of Trafalgar" and "Admiral Nelson" were essential words for understanding the history of Europe and passing the entrance exam of the high class universities. As I was approaching Trafalgar Square, the statue of Admiral Nelson caught my eye. It was too high to look closely, and he is another great admiral compared with Admiral Heihachirou Togo, who had saved Japan from Russian invasion just like Admiral Nelson saved the U.K. from Napoleon. I took a walk around and found the statue of King George 4th, of whom I had an image of a bad king for folks, so I didn't understand why his statue stood in the square. Anyway, I was happy to actually see the National Galley, St. Martin In the Fields Church, and the statue of Admiral Nelson. I wanted to take pictures of myself with lions on the basis of the statue, but it was too crowded to do so.

Golden Jubilee Bridgesを渡ってトラファルガー広場へ向かっていると橋の上でモデル撮影会に出くわした。ミラーレス一眼に凝っている娘がディレクターらしき男に了解を得て撮影していると、また人が集まってきた。娘の笑顔はどうも人を惹きつけるような気がする。早々にこの場所を退散してトラファルガー広場へ。自分の旅行好きは親父の影響もあるが、高校時代の世界史の勉強によるところが大きいかもしれない。トラファルガーとかネルソン提督とかキングジョージ４世とか、世界史の勉強にあたり絶対に覚えなければならない用語が懐かしい。トラファルガー広場に近づくにつれてまず目に入ったのがネルソン提督像。あまりに高すぎて細かな表情は見えないが、日本の東郷平八郎と並んで称される偉大な海軍提督である。ゆっくりと広場を歩いた。キングジョージ４世像もあった。この人は銅像になるほど立派だったのかなとしばしいぶかるが、よく覚えていない。あまり良い印象のない王様である。St. Martin In the Fields Churchにナショナル・ギャラリー、ネルソン提督像の台座のライオン像とツーショットを取りたかったが混雑故に断念。

Street Performers

　　Getting out of the London Eye, we started for Trafalgar Square, but we were caught by fantastic street performers. One of the two most attractive performers was a magnet for kids. He was making enormous soap bubbles using a string whose both ends were attached to the tip of 5-meter long bamboo poles. I admired his idea and the breeze was suitable for his method. The other one was just staying motionless like a statue. My daughter hit on a funny idea and played a prank on him. He was holding still with a grimace, but she spoke to him with a large smile. Then, his face gradually became mild and finally he smiled in spite of himself! Enjoy his varying faces in the following pictures. Men seemed to have weaknesses for women anywhere in the world.

 



ロンドンアイを降りてトラファルガー広場へ向かった。途中、大道芸人が何人も居て足が止まってしまった。印象に残ったのは二人。一人は子供達を惹きつけていた。５メートルくらいの竹竿に付けた紐を使って巨大なシャボン玉を作っている。うまく考えたものだと感心した。ほどよい強さの風が吹いていてシャボン玉日和りでもあった。次に紹介するのは、動かないことをモットーとする銅像なのだが、娘が話しかけるととたんににやけてしまっていた。洋の東西を問わず、男は女に弱いと言うことか。（笑）

London Eye

　　The area from Westminster Abbey to the London Eye was heavily crowded. It took an hour to get the tickets to the London Eye and then another hour to actually get on its capsule. I wondered if the London Eye was worth the two hours' waiting, but the scenery from it was really wonderful. We were able to check the route on which we were going to walk from the air. The last picture is a composite photo which you often see in tourist spots. Our picture was taken while we were waiting for the boarding and then it was combined with the backdrop.

チケットを入手するまでに１時間、それから並んで１時間とロンドンアイに乗るまでに２時間もかかった。それほど時間を掛ける価値があるのかと思ったが、有名な観光地なので一応押さえておこうかということで乗ってみたが、景色が最高だった。今日これから歩く予定にしているコースを空中からチェック。最後の写真は観光地にありがちな合成写真。乗る直前に撮影してもらい、降りたときに気に入ったら購入する形で取ってもらった写真。

Walking around the Hotel

　　The reason why I chose Conrad was not only its free stay, but due to its location. There were several tourist spots within walking distance. Westminster Abbey, London Eye, Buckingham Palace and St. James Park and so on were in the range of 10 minutes' walk from the hotel. After having a coffee which was set in the hotel room, we went out.
　　The first destination, Westminster Abbey was temporarily closed to visitors and we decided to visit it again. We came across a political assembly which was held at Parliament Square Garden on the way to the opposite side of the Thames. They seemed to be the Remain camp and were calling for staying in the E.U.. The assembly was organized orderly and we didn't feel any fear about them. I don't know which is better for the U.K., Brexit or Remain, but I'm interested in the outcome of the Ireland Issue, though it's not my business. One thing, I just hoped that the British would become happier. By the way, I heard a politician-like person on the stage saying that the day of Brexit was March 29th, which was the birthday of my youngest daughter, who was staying in Oxford. What would become of her next birthday?
　　The statue of Churchill stood on the corner of the garden. He is naturally horrible to Japanese, but a great politician to the British at the same time. A road sweeper stopped near us. I presumed that the right-side wall would open when it worked. I wanted to see how it worked, but our time was limited and we headed for the London Eye. Big Ben was under renovation and surrounded by scaffolding and we weren't able to view its beautiful appearance.

(Vocabulary)
camp [C] (意見や主義を同じくする) 同志, グループ, 陣営
Campaigners are split into two opposing camps. 運動家たちは2つの対立グループに分裂している．
scaffold (昔の) 絞首台;[C] (建築現場などでの) 足場;[C](米) (高層ビルの窓拭き作業などで用いる) ゴンドラ [同意] cradle(英)
go to the scaffold 絞首刑になる

　


　
　
コンラッドを選んだのは特典利用で無料で泊まれたからだが、それ以上のその立地による。徒歩圏内にウエストミンスター寺院、バッキンガム宮殿など有名な観光地がいくつもあり、観光には実に便利な場所にある。ホテルについてコーヒーで一服した後、すぐに外出。時間が惜しい、、、

ウェストミンスター寺院にまず向かったが、観光客には開放されていない時間帯だったので、出直すことして、テムズ川の対岸へ向かった。途中、ＥＵ脱退反対のデモがParliament Square Gardenで行われていた。とはいえ整然と行われており危険な雰囲気はなく観光には支障なし。北アイルランドの問題をどう折り合いを付けるのか、ちょっと興味あり。オックスフォードに住んでいる娘の誕生日がなんとBrexit Anniversaryとなるようだ。オックスフォードで迎えるどんな誕生日になるのかな？

広場からウェストミンスター橋へ向かうとチャーチルの銅像があった。この広場の周りにはいくつか銅像があったらしいが、予習をしておらず、チャーチルの銅像だけを確認できた。日本にとっては憎たらしい男ではあるが、イギリスにとっては偉大な人物には違いない。

歩いて橋を渡りロンドンアイの方へ向かった。掃除用の車が停まっていた。右側が開くのだろうか？動いているところを見たかったが先を急いだ。ビッグベンはなにやら工事中で足場が組まれていてその美しい外観を見ることはできなかった。

Paddington Station

　　When our train arrived at Paddington Station, my daughter wondered where "that" famous bear's statue was. "That"? "Is there such a well-known statue in the station?" I wasn't interested in such a statue, but she insisted on finding it. Two policemen happened to pass by at that time and I asked one of them about the statue. He answered in a flash, which, I thought, meant the popularity of the statue. While taking pictures, other tourists were gathering around the statue. The suitcase which the bear had was the same one as mine, the Globe Trotter.
　　Then we headed for the Conrad London St. James by taxi as we carried as many as four suitcases. In addition, I had wanted to get on a traditional taxi in London. The cabin was wide enough and comfortable. The Conrad was really gorgeous. I had enough customers' points from Hilton Hotels to stay at this hotel, but if I had to pay some money, I wouldn't have chosen that hotel. The price was considerably high. This stay was their free offering.

　
パディントン駅に着くや否や、娘が行きたいところがあるという。熊の銅像があるはずと、、、なんやそれ？有名な熊らしい。で、探した。警察官に聞くとすぐに答えてくれた。写真を撮っていると他の観光客も集まってきたのをみると、やはり名の通った奴なのだろう。ちなみにこいつの持っているスーツケースは僕のと同じものだった。(^_^;)
　
さて、荷物が多いのでタクシーにて予約してあるコンラッドへ。ロンドン名物のタクシーには一度乗ってみたかった。広くてスーツケースを持って乗れた。なかなか快適。コンラッドはさすがに豪華なホテルだった。ヒルトンのポイントが貯まってきたのでここを選んだが、普通に支払って泊まるのはちょっと辛いかな。今回は無料招待の宿泊。

Great Western Railway

　　I didn't book the train in advance and got tickets for London at Oxford Station. The Great Western Railway covers the southern and southwestern areas of the U.K., and I thought it was the counterpart of Japan Railway company in Japan. Our train started at 10:55 hours. I had written about the pronunciation of the local people in the previous entries again and again. Though I often wondered who spoke in BBC's English, the English which I heard in the announcement in the coach was just the English as I recognized as British English! It was very clear and easy to understand. It was like music to me. The understandable English was really comfortable. The coach was crowded, but we were able to take seats and we enjoyed the scenery through the window. Take a look at the 5th picture. I instantly assumed that those buildings were part of an atomic power plant, but suspected at the same time that the location wasn't suitable for atomic power plants. The later examination revealed that it was a steam power plant, Didcot Power Station, which had been already closed and whose demolition work was underway.
　　I searched internet for something related to the plant, and found a news item about a fatal accident which occurred in the plant on Feb. 24th in 2016. As the dog that trots about finds a bone, I get such trivial information every time I make trips.

(Vocabulary)
demolition [C,U] (建物などの) 取り壊し, 解体







　
列車の予約はしておらず、駅に着いてから切符を購入。Great Western Railwayはイングランド南部の鉄道会社。日本のＪＲのようなものか。オックスフォード駅から乗車してロンドンはパディントン駅へ向かった。駅でやっときれいな英語に出会えたこと。車内アナウンスで初めてＢＢＣの英語を聞いた。なんと聞き取りやすかったこと。(^_^;)一字一句正確に聞き取れた。車内は混んでいたが何とか座れて車窓からの風景を楽しんだ。乗った列車は１０：５５発のパディントン行き。しばらく走ると右側に原発か？その立地に驚いたが、後で調べると閉鎖され、解体作業中のディドコット火力発電所Didcot Power Stationだった。で、ネットでこんな記事を見つけた。
　
「火力発電所が崩壊…１人死亡、３人不明　英」 2016年2月24日 06:42
　
「英南部のディドコットで２３日、閉鎖された火力発電所の建物が崩壊。１人が死亡し、３人が行方不明、５人が病院に運ばれている。当局は、建物が崩壊した原因などを調べている。この発電所は３年前に閉鎖され、当時、２つのボイラーの解体作業が行われていた。」
（http://www.news24.jp/articles/2016/02/24/10323153.html）
　
犬も歩けば棒に当たるというが、こんな感じで旅に出るといろいろと雑学が増えることになる。

Traffic Accident? Riot?

　　After returning the car, we took a walk to Oxford Station. A bus stop was destroyed on the way. A traffic accident had happened the previous night, or some riot? We didn't find any parts of the car or tire marks and so someone might have destroyed it. I didn't want to see such a violent incident in the peaceful and academic city of Oxford, but the next scene we met was really nice.
　　Then we passed over a bridge and the river below was the Thames. Two kayaks were moving down in the direction of London. I became eager to canoe down to London. This peaceful sight made us happy. The boat house moored at the shore also attracted me.

レンタカーを返した後、オックスフォード駅まで徒歩。途中にあったバス停が破壊されていた。昨日は無かったと思うので夜中に事故があったかな？車の破片もタイヤ痕もないので事故ではないのかも？嫌なものを見たなと思いながら歩いていると、橋にさしかかった。地図を確認すると下の川はテムズ川。ここまで来るとかなり狭くなっている。２艘のカヌーが通り過ぎていった。のどかな風景に気が和んだ。停泊している住居兼ボートにも興味あり。

October 7th

　　The brilliant lights were coming into my room when I woke up on Oct. 7th. We were moving to London today. After seeing around my daughter's college, I took my car back to the car-rental company, Hertz. On the way, I saw lots of people with outfits for jogging walking to the meeting place for the Oxford Half Marathon. If I had known about the marathon in advance, I would have taken part in it. I wished I could have joined it.
　　The 3rd picture is the Hertz's office. I wanted to return the key into the key-return box about 8 o'clock and leave for London, but I waited for someone to show up at 10 o'clock, because I wanted to make sure that the fuel tank hadn't been full when I got the car. After coming back to Japan, as I had been concerned, an additional charge of gasoline fee was claimed from Hertz. The mileage was only 169km and I filled the car with 30 liters of gasoline on the way. I'd rather have them pay some money back. I sent the 4th picture to the company to request a refund. Finally my request was permitted and they gave some money back. I felt at the office that they were slacking a little, and my impression wasn't so far wrong. "2.8" on the left slip means that the gasoline level was 2.8 scales. This figure was written down by a staff member, but this stuff wasn't reported to the boss. One thing, however, the car which they had prepared for us was an Audi car and it was very comfortable and handy.
　　The last picture was shot in front of the Hertz office. I was surprised to find it, as it resembled the Japanese one. I remembered that Mr. Hisoka Maejima who is called the father of the postal system in Japan had studied the British postal system in the U.K. That might be why both countries' mail posts are alike.

(Vocabulary)
scale 目盛り
gas gauge ガソリンメーター

目が覚めてすぐに外を見た。快晴。今日はロンドンへの移動日。娘のカレッジ周辺をもう一度見て回ってからレンタカーを返却。移動中、オックスフォード・ハーフマラソンに集まる人たちを大勢見かけた。前もってわかっていたらオックスフォード滞在を延ばして参加していたと思う。残念。

３枚目はレンタカー会社の前に車を止めてオフィスが開くのを待っているところ。本来なら８時頃にキーをポストへ返却してロンドンへ向かうはずだったのだが、スタッフが来るのを待っている。実は、借り出したときにガソリンが１／３くらいしか入っておらず、そのことを担当者に直接念押しするため。借り出した直後に満タンではないことを指摘したところ、４枚目の写真にあるように２．８目盛りでスタートしたと、急遽係員が記入してくれているのだが、心配だったので。で、帰国後、心配したとおり、ガソリン代の追加請求が来た。４枚目の写真の右にある伝票は途中で３０リットル給油した証明書。走行距離は１６９ｋｍで３０リットル給油済みでこのガソリン代金の追加請求はおかしいだろうと抗議したところ、認めてもらえた。スタート時と返却時のガソリン残量表示の写真を撮っておくべきだったと後悔していたが、請求が認められて良かった。ただ、今回借りれたアウディはほぼ新車でとても快適で、運転に掛かるストレスは殆ど無かった。この点は有り難かった。

営業所の前に日本のポストに似たポストが建っていた。前島密が郵便事業の視察のため渡英したことを思い出した。もしかしたら日本のポストのデザインもイギリスから来ているのかも知れない。

Payment

　　Unfavorable things were happening during this trip. There's a Japanese proverb that says "Never twice without three times." Setting my mind to secure driving, I started for Oxford. The road was well maintained and I was able to come back to Oxford without trouble, though I took a wrong turn once. I saw a signboard on the way indicating the direction for Blenheim Palace, in which Winston Churchill had been born. This Palace was on my yesterday's visit list, but we lost precious time for a visit to complete the report to the police about the pickpocket who had stolen my daughter's purse. I really felt so sorry not to be able to visit the Palace.
　　After grabbing a shower, we had dinner at the restaurant in our hotel. The staff members were kind, but the taste of the dishes was terrible. We should have taken back something from the common world taste of McDonald's hamburger shop. I washed down my dinner with a bottle of red wine.
　　By the way, I put myself to my horrible work, paying the parking fine online. The procedure was very easy, but an interesting idea came up to me. If I didn't pay the fine, what will become of it? My ID would be informed by the authorities from the car-rental company, but they wouldn't be able to claim payment to the credit card company without my signature. Try, or not? Such a thought came into my mind for an instant, but I paid, remembering "Noblesse oblige."

(Vocabulary)
Never twice without three times. 二度あることは三度ある

　
　
今回の旅行はいろいろなことが起こる。日本のことわざに『二度あることは三度ある』というのがある。また何かトラブルに見舞われぬよう注意しなくてはと思いながらオックスフォードへ向けてドライブ開始。道路は整備されていて一度分岐点を間違えたものの問題なくオックスフォードまで戻ってきた。途中でブレナム宮殿（Blenheim Palace）の行き先表示を見かけた。ここはチャーチルの生まれた宮殿で是非とも訪れたい場所だったのだが、昨日のスリのせいで時間が取られて見学できず。本当に残念だ。
　
ホテルについて、シャワーをして、食事。付近にレストランがないのでホテルで食事をした。ウェイターやウェイトレスはとても感じよかったが、見た目は美味しそうな食事が、、、最悪。酷すぎる。世界共通のマクドナルドのハンバーガーでも買ってくれば良かった。ワインで流し込んで夕食終了。
　
さて、ストラットフォードアポンエイボンでの駐車違反の罰金の支払い。オンラインで簡単に終了。ふと思った。このチケットを無視して放置したらどうなるのだろう？レンタカー会社に連絡が行って請求されるのだろうが、サインをしない限り処理されないはず。一瞬、試してみるか？　とも思ったが、大人げないので止めた。

 

Parking Violation

　　As soon as we reached the parking lot, I found a slip of paper on the windshield. It was a parking violation notice. We didn't examine the information of the town beforehand and parked our car without thinking enough at a parking lot which I had happened to find.
　　I caught someone who seemed to be responsible for this matter though he was just about to leave the parking lot, and I asked him what the slip meant. The slip was written in English and I spoke to him in English, but we weren't able to communicate with each other. I even suspected he might not speak in English. I've watched a news item handling the topic about the independence of Scotland before. I noticed and wondered at that time that some people who were interviewed were talking in a certain language other than English. The U.K. is recognized and handled as a single nation in Japan, but I felt that the U.K. wasn't a solid nation. I re-recognized the meaning of "United" of the U.K.
　　This man, who looked to be in the latter half of his 60's, had such a strong and ugly accent. I barely understood that he told us to read the description on the slip. It said the fine was 85 GBP, but if I paid the fine in two weeks, they would give me 35 GBP discount. I didn't need to present myself to the police station and was able to pay online. I gave the money up for a lesson fee for the experience of listening to an obscure and ugly English accent. I saw parking passes on the dashboard of other vehicles around us. This parking lot was apparently for vehicles which got a parking permit in advance. I understood why there was no fare collecting machine there.

イギリスに来てまで駐車違反とは、、、トホホ

さて、街を散策しながら駐車場へ戻った。するとフロントガラスに何かメモが貼ってある。駐車違反切符だった。この町の下調べしておらずたまたま見つけた駐車場に駐めたのが良くなかったようだ。

周りを見渡すと切符を貼り付けたと思われる人がいたので、意味を問いただしたが、言葉が全く通じない。貼ってあった紙には英語が書いてあるので英語で話したが、もしかしたらこいつの話す言葉は英語ではないのかも？と思ったほど。少し前にスコットランド独立騒ぎがあった頃、地元民にインタビューしているニュースを見たことがある。彼らの話す言葉は英語ではなかった。日本ではイギリスと一つの国のように呼んでいるが、この様子を見て、イギリスは決して一つではないと実感したことを思い出した。イギリスの正確な国名を見れば確かに"United"といくつかの国の集合体だとある。

この係員、年齢は６０代後半くらいだろうか。訛りが酷い。何を言っているのか全くわからないが、どうも、チケットの説明書きを読めと言っているようだった。読んでみると、駐車違反８５ポンド、すぐに支払えば５０ポンドにしてやると書いてある。出頭義務はなくオンラインでＯＫと、、、まあ便利ではあるが。仕方ない。５０ポンドは、このおっさんの英語モドキ言語を聞けたことに対する授業料と考えることにした。後で周りに駐めてある車を見ると、中に駐車許可証が置いてあった。駐車場に料金の支払場所がなかったのは、あらかじめ許可をもらった車だけの駐車場だったと思われる。大きなわかりやすい看板を設置して旅行者にもわかりやすいようにしてもらいたい。クソッ。

Shakespeare, the Symbol of Stratford-upon-Avon

　　By the way, where is the Avon River? We saw a river on which a few boats were slowly moving just before our arrival in this town. Is that it? While walking in the town, we came across several sightseeing boats, which we call "Yakatabune" in Japanese, at the pond-like mooring. It looked like a pond, but it was a mooring connected with the Avon River by a short narrow canal. I understood that when I happened to stand on a bridge over the canal. The second picture was shot on the bridge toward the mooring, and the third one was taken toward the river. The 4th and 5th pictures show the serene atmosphere of the river. Dinner was being prepared in a boat. Then we found a statue of Shakespeare. He was looking down from 5 meters high, surrounded by his-made characters; Falstaff, Prince Hal, Hamlet and Lady Macbeth. According to my travel guide, there apparently were several Shakespeare-related tourist spots in the town, but we missed even the principal one, the house of his birth. I hope I will visit the town again.

ところでエイボン川はどこだろう？到着前にボートが行き交っていた川があったがそれか？とにかく水辺へ歩いて行くと、池のような場所があり、何艘もの観光船、日本では屋台船と呼ぶ船が係留されていた。どうやらこの場所はエイボン川と短い運河でつながっていて水位調整が出来るようだった。横付けされているボートの中を覗くとディナーの準備中。ボートのたまり場を一周すると、シェイクスピアの銅像があった。彼の作り出したキャラクター４人に囲まれたシェイクスピアの銅像は数メートルの高さから街を見下ろしていた。この街にはシェイクスピアゆかりの場所が多くあり、観光にはあまりにも時間が足りなかった。再訪したいと思っている。

Stratford-upon-Avon, Birthplace of Shakespeare

　　When we were enjoying English tea and cakes in Burford, my daughter told me that we would be able to reach Stratford-upon-Avon during the daytime. I was nervous about driving in the U.K., but the traffic conditions were just like in Japan. I was able to drive around some roundabouts successfully. We decided to skip a few tourist spots to save time on the way, and arrived at Stratford-upon-Avon before sunset. We parked our car at a parking lot which we happened to find. Then we visited the house in which Shakespeare had been born, but the house was closed five minutes before. We were late by five minutes. So sorry!
　　The following pictures are the house in which Shakespeare was born, the adjacent souvenir shop and a nearby street. Though the rain stopped, it was a little bit dark. Most people would be melancholic, but I was excited to be at the Birthplace of Shakespeare. I knew about this place some time after I started learning English in my junior high school. My visit to Stratford-upon-Avon was an unexpected thing in those days.

シェイクスピアの生誕地　ストラットフォードアポンエイボンにて
　
Burfordでお茶しているときに、この分ならストラトフォード＝アポン＝エイヴォンまで足を伸ばせるなと思いついてやって来た。イギリスで初めて運転するので多少緊張していたが、Burfordまで走ってみて日本での運転と変わらないことがわかり、予定していた立ち寄り場所をいくつかキャンセルしてここまでやって来た。なので予備知識は殆ど無い。シェイクスピアが生まれた場所だと言うだけ。そして着いたときには１６時を回っていた。たまたま通りがかった駐車場ががら空きだったのでそこに停めて生家まで向かった。徒歩で１０分もかからず到着。しかし、１６時３０分で生家は閉館だった。５分遅れた、、、、で、そのあたりを散策することにした。
　
写真はシェイクスピアの生家と隣の土産物屋、そして通りの雰囲気。雨は上がったがどんよりとした天気で夕方。普通ならあまり快活な気分にはなれないが、自分は違って興奮していた。中学時代、英語を学び始めて間もない頃に英語の副読本でこの町の名前を知った。イギリスのどこかにあるという程度の知識だった。まさか自分が訪れるとは思いもよらなかった。

Chipping Campden

　　We arrived at Chipping Campden. The travel guidebook said that there were several spots for visitors, but I just drove in the town to save time. Lots of elegant buildings which had been built from 14th to 17th century were still alive in a district called High Street and I really wanted to enter one of them, but we thought that it would take time to find a parking space and gave up seeing inside of the buildings. I didn't even take pictures, but we were lucky to see those honey-colored traditional buildings. The color would be due to the locally produced limestone.
　　I found very unique appearances of the houses on the outskirts. I pulled over to take a short walk. The Audi in the first picture is our car. I wondered how much labor would be required to keep those gardens and roofs in that way. I understand that the British are fond of gardening, but these gardens were great!

チッピング・カムデンにて

チッピング・カムデンに到着。ガイドブックにはいろいろと書いてあるが、ストラットフォードアポンエイボンへ急ぎたいので、車で町を散策。ハイストリートと呼ばれる地区には１４～１７世紀のエレガントな建物がまだ保存されていて、建物の中へ立ち入ってもみたかったのだが、駐車場探しに時間が掛かりそうで駐車はは諦めた。写真も撮れず。観光客が多かった。でも美しい街並みを見ることができただけでも幸運。特筆すべきは、建物の色がこれまで見てきた町とは異なり、蜂蜜色。この近くでとれる石灰岩なのだろう。

中心街から少し離れたところを走るとこれまた屋根に特徴のある家々が並んでいた。ここでは他の車に倣い、路上に停めてしばし散策。1枚目に写っているアウディＡ１が今回借りている車。ここにある家や、庭の管理にはいったいどれだけの労力が必要なのだろう？イギリス人はガーデニングの好きな人たちだと聞いてはいるが、それにしても立派な庭に、屋根。

Bourton-on-the-Water

　　The River Windrush was flowing through the town of Bourton-on-the-Water and the town seemed to be literally floating on the water. The appearance was of more elegance than that of Venice, though I've never been to Venice. I found more people along the river than in other towns which I had visited before in the Cotswolds. Just walking along the river was fun. According to my travel guidebook, the Motoring Museum on the riverside seemed to house several classic cars and lots of toys and the Model Village, a ninth scaled Bourton-on-the-Water sounded also fun, but we gave up seeing them as we wanted to visit the birthplace of Shakespeare. The time was really limited.

バートン・オン・ザ・ウォーターにて

村の中心をさらさらとウィンドラッシュ川が流れ、名前の通り『水の上』に浮いたようなそのたたずまいはヴェニスの小型版。これまで見てきた街に比べ人が多い。川沿いに散策を楽しんだ。川沿いに立つクラシックカーの博物館には車のおもちゃを集めた展示があると旅行ガイドブックに載っていて、また村の１／９の模型が見られるモデル・ビレッジなど観光施設があったのだが、シェイクスピアの生家を訪ねたくて時間の都合で入館・入場は諦めた。

Bibury

　　The pictures of a tiny village of the Cotswolds, Bibury, would be surely on the pages of the travel guidebooks handling the U.K.. The following pictures which I had taken show you the symbolic sites of the village. The rain was continuing, but this village was also well-matched with the rain. My daughter in a tiny plastic raincoat, leaving her umbrella folded, was walking lightly. If the Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head by B.J.Thomas was being played, she would have started dancing. You'll know "Time flies" or "Time and tide wait for no man", but the flow of the time in Bibury looked slow to me. I found a trout farm nearby and I wondered what the principal industry was. The water and air was really clean. I wished I could have stayed at the Swan Hotel just in front of us even for a few days. The trout steak seemed to be very famous and popular.
　　Take a look at the third picture in which my daughter was shot in a prim and proper manner. The barn-like house behind her was used even now. We didn't look into the house, but happened to see a person watching the T.V. inside. How long ago was the house built? The last picture is the Swan Hotel. Don't you feel its long historic background?

　
バイブリーはおそらくイギリスを扱った全ての旅行ガイドブックに載っている場所。ここを外すわけにはいかない。雨が降っているけれど、ここもまた雨の似合う村ではないだろうか。娘は傘を差さず、合羽を着て身軽に歩き回っている。B.J.Thomasの『雨にぬれても』がかかれば踊り出しそうだった。時間がゆっくりと流れている、そんな気のする街だった。すぐそばにはマスの養殖場があったが、この村の主な産業は何なのだろう。時間さえあれば一泊してゆっくりと散策したい気分に駆られた。目の前にはスワン・ホテル！スモークトラウトが美味しいらしい。娘がすまして写っている３枚目の写真の家には人が住んでいた。覗いたわけではないが、中にテレビを見ている人が見えた。ここで生活しているんだ！いったい何年前に建てられた家なのだろう。

Burford

　　A cafe originated from Burford is getting known and tote bags of this shop brand are popular in Japan. The shop's name was HUFFKINS. We dropped in at Burford to enjoy cakes and tea at this cafe. The following pictures were taken in the street which the shop was facing. I didn't want it to rain today, but the rain might suit this street. I loved this atmosphere. While we were having cakes there, we checked the prices of tote bags on Amazon's shopping site and knew that they were considerably higher than those of tote bags around us displayed in the shop. There was their souvenir shop next to the cafe and we bought several tote bags there for souvenirs for our friends.
　　By the way, when I ordered something at the cafe, I had a hard time again. The shop person understood me, but I wasn't fully able to understand him. Why didn't they speak slowly to a Japanese who was not familiar with English? It's natural, I thought, to care about non-English speaking people. Was it difficult to speak slowly? However, he was kind enough to explain their products again and again, and to advise us which to pick up.
　　The around 10 minutes' walk to the parking lot was also fun. The typical British street, just as I had imagined before, entertained us.

　
バーフォードではある喫茶店に寄るのが目的だった。名前はHUFFKINSという。写真はHUFFKINSの前の通り、この街のメインストリートの雰囲気を撮ったもの。雨が残念だが、雨がこの街には似合うかも知れない。さてこのHUFFKINSだが、日本でそのトートバッグが人気が出てきているのだとか。調べてみるとアマゾンでも入手できるようだが、ここでお土産用にたくさん購入。日本の価格に比べるとかなり安かった。

写真にある一番人気のケーキと紅茶を注文した。これはウェイターのお勧め。美味しかったが、彼の英語がまた早口で聞き取りにくかった。こちらの言うことは理解してくれるのだが、リスニングがしんどかった。英語に不慣れな日本人に対してゆっくり喋ってくれるという配慮があっても良いのにと思うが、ゆっくり喋るのが難しいのだろうか？まあそれは置いといて、この喫茶店の隣がお土産屋でいろいろな種類のトートバッグが置いてあった。娘はしばらく居たかったようだが、先を急ぐので１０分ほどで店を出て街を歩く。歩くだけでも楽しい街だった。