Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

At Munich Airport

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

Lufthansa Lounge

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

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

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

Kappabashi Dougu Street and Alsace Restaurant Gentil

　　I went to Tokyo to attend an exhibition of camping cars on a large scale. Lots of gorgeous and large motor homes didn't interest me and I wanted to check only several small cars equipped with various electrical components like a cooler run by DC 12V, a fridge, and a microwave. If I looked around all the cars, it would take more than 6 hours, but I didn't have so much time. Therefore, the exhibition was open at 9 a.m. but I dropped in at Kappabashi Dougu Street on the way to the exhibition. My wife and I strolled around the street. This street is well-known worldwide. Various buyers from overseas gather at this street to find handmade artisan items. We were going to get a Deba knife specified for cutting fish and stopped by a knife shop where some tourists were asking something to shop staff. One of them seemed to be a chef from the U.S.. He was saying that he made it a rule to buy his knives at this shop. He was an avid user of the shop's products. Dull knives have a high risk of injury, so we bought one.
　　I recalled how dull the set of cooking knives in my condominium in Hawaii was. Every time I visited my condominium, we asked the hotel manager to give proper maintenance to the knives. Nothing changed, however. On the condominium users' bulletin board on the net, it's described that the visitors should bring cooking knives from your home and we have done so every time. Seeing the showcase of cooking knives, an idea came into my mind. The knives which we thought were dull might be common in the U.S., therefore some professional chefs are fond of using ones made by Japanese craftsmen. My idea would be correct. The url of the street is at the end of this entry.
　　Then we headed for an Alsace Restaurant called Gentil, which we had happened to see on T.V. We ordered some traditional dishes which would take time for cooking yesterday in advance. To tell the truth, I had visited Alsace with my second daughter in March in 2010. The trip memos are on this blog. I remember having eaten escargot in Riquewihr in Alsace and I wanted to eat them again. The restaurant was really crowded and that was the token of its popularity. The Gentil's staff members were kind and gentle. The delicious dishes are rather obvious things to say. On the next trip to Tokyo, we'll swing by this restaurant.

https://www.kappabashi.or.jp/en/

https://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2010/04/lunch.html

 

Return Home

　　I returned home from Europe on Nov. 21st. The trip was really enjoyable. The route was like this; I flew into Frankfurt at first and moved to Freiburg, stayed there for three nights, then moved to Florence via Frankfurt, Rome, and came back to Japan via Munchen. I'm going to write about my trip since now and arrange the entries in chronological order later. I visited Freiburg for the third time and ended up staying in Freiburg for about 10 days in total, in spring, summer and this late autumn. My impression was unchanged even in this cold season. People in Freiburg were welcoming us with warmheartedness. I'll write about the reception party, too.
　　I intended to start writing the entries just after coming back, but I was suffering from heavy jet lag. I feel worse in the eastward direction rather than in the westward ones. I like Whistler in Canada and had gone skiing there many times. Every time I visited Whistler, I couldn't enjoy skiing to my satisfaction due to the jet lag for the first two or three days. I tried a variety of remedies for it, some medicine, alcohol drinking, over sleeping, or less sleep to adjust my physical clock to Pacific time, but in vain.
　　Anyway, I'm recovering now and will start. I took lots of pictures and had various experience on the trip. I'll mention my feeling or opinion, even though they are different from general ones.

(Vocabulary)
in chronological order  時系列で

To Japan

　　I had something that I wanted to do in Munich Airport since before the departure from Japan. It was to visit Airbräu, the brewery set up in Munich Airport and enjoy the beer just brewed, but I didn't want to go far away alone from the tour members at the same time. I was a transit passenger and wasn't permitted to go out of the airport. I'll do it next time. Munich, along with Frankfurt, has a direct flight from Japan and is very handy as the hub. I was sure to revisit the airport. While wandering in the airport, I found a stall that served Japanese ramen and I tried one. It was nice and a real Japanese ramen.
　　I'll show you two in-flight meals of ANA. They were delicious and I ordered some bottles of wine. How much wine did I drink during the trip? I enjoyed every one of them. This trip was really nice. The last but one picture was shot from my seat. Could you tell where it was? It is Khabarovsk in Russia and the Amur River, judging from its distinguishing terrain. Covered with snow, it looked cold below and the scenery reminded me of cruel Siberian detention by the USSR. I wondered how many innocent Japanese soldiers were buried around the area?
　　All of us came back to Japan without major problems. Every one of us enjoyed the travel in Germany and Italy. Thank you for everything we got, specially in Freiburg. I hope I will see people in Freiburg again next Spring in my hometown, Matsuyama City. I know some Freiburgites follow these trip memos. Feel free to write me about what you want to see or try in my city in advance. Spring is the best season to come to my city. Cherry blossoms as well as Matsuyama Citizens will welcome you!

(Vocabulary)
Khabarovsk  ハバロフスク
Amur River  アムール川　支那名：黒竜江Hēilóngjiāng
distinguishing  特徴的な, 目立った, 際立った
detain ［正式］〈人〉を引き留める, 待たせる, 手間取らせる（delay）
detention ［正式］引き留め, 阻止；遅延.

To Munich

　　I went out for a walk with some friends to see around our hotel, H10 ROMA CITTA on the last day in Europe. The first picture below shows my daughter and one of my friends who were shopping for souvenirs. It was smart, I thought, to get them in such ordinary shops, because the goods' prices would be lower than those of shops in the tourists spots.
　　A bus picked us up at the hotel entrance and took us to the International Airport of Rome, called Fiumicino Airport or also called Leonardo da Vinci Airport. I was  looking outside on the way, and found a signboard on which "Ostia Antica" was written. I promptly consulted my travel guidebook and found it was a great ancient ruin. Our flight to Munich was scheduled at 14:35 hours and we had enough time to visit Ostia Antica. Didn't our travel company know about it? It is located only 5km south of the airport. I really wanted to visit the ruins. If you see the pictures taken at Ostia Antica, you'd agree with me.
　　A new local guide joined our tour at the airport for the departure procedure, but she was not useful for me, though the local guide on the previous day was excellent. The flight to Munich was operated by Air Dolomiti and I remembered their rough handling of suitcases. I hoped I could get my suitcases back intact.

Route Map: Rome - Munich
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/ROMA_Munchen.html

(Vocabulary)
Ostia Antica 古代オスティア遺跡：立ち寄ることはできなかったが帰国後調べてみると第一級の遺跡群で、ここへ寄らせてくれなかったのは旅行社の手落ちではないかと思う。時間は十分にあったので。

Rome 4 - Pantheon, Piazza Navona and Dinner

　　When I reached the Pantheon, I realized the reason why the local guide urged us on at the previous spot. The Pantheon was rebuilt 1900 years ago and is perfectly preserved, and in which the tombs of two big figures were placed: One was the tomb of Raffaello, and the other was of Vittorio Emanuele the Second. I shouldn't need to write about Raffaello. I didn't have preliminary knowledge about the Pantheon, and this encounter with his tomb really surprised and moved me. I uttered in an exciting and low tone "I'm standing just in front of his tomb." I didn't write about the second person, Vittorio Emanuele II in the previous entries, but I actually visited his memorial hall before lunch. He was the key player for the unification of Italy and the first king of the Kingdom of Italy. He would be one of the most cherished persons for Italians.
　　The next spot which we were led to was Piazza Navona, where we could see various types of sculptures. While looking at those sculptures and several stalls around, I took a walk with my daughter. It was to my regret that I wasn't knowledgeable about western sculptures. We parted from the local guide, Guiliana here and got back to our hotel. Her guidance was really nice.
　　Today's dinner was at the restaurant called VINO E CAMINO and the main dish was saltimbocca, which is one of the principal local cuisines of Rome and I ate it for the first time. It went well with wine.

Route Map: Lunch - Hotel
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/RECAFE_H10.html
Route Map: Hotel - Dinner (partially) The end point is the location of the restaurant.
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/H10_VINO%20E%20CAMINO_Dinner.html

(Vocabulary)
Pantheon ローマ市内のパラティヌスの丘に建造された神殿。元々は、様々なローマ神を奉る万神殿。
urge sb on  ＜人＞を駆り立てる, 励ます
Urged on by the crowd, the Italian team scored two more goals. 観衆に励まされて，イタリアチームはさらに2ゴールを上げた．
should 　まあ～でしょうね、おそらく～でしょう（丁寧な感じや謙遜した感じを表す）
I should say she is over fifty. 彼女は５０を越えているでしょう。
I should hardly think so. そうは思いませんね。
I should like to do = I would like to do = I'd like to do
cherish〈信念・友情など〉を大事にする;(フォーマル) 〈人・物〉を大事にする, 大切に育てる [同意] treasure
cherish a hope/an idea/a dream  希望［考え，夢］を抱く
cherish a/sb's memory  （＜人＞の）思い出を大切にする
Piazza Navona ナヴォーナ広場
knowledgeable 知識の豊富な, 精通している
saltimbocca or saltinbocca サルティンボッカ：ローマを代表する料理で、仔牛肉・鶏肉・豚肉などに、生ハムとセージを乗せたり並べた料理で、単品あるいはワイン・オイル・塩水のマリネと共に盛り付けられる。この料理の最も有名な調理法は、ローマ風サルティンボッカで、薄切りの仔牛肉に、プロシュット（または生ハム）セージの葉を巻き上げたものを、マサラ酒や白ワインとバターで仕上げたものである。（Wikiより）

一緒に行った皆さんへ：
２つめの地図のルートの終点がレストランの場所。停車したバスの右側ばかりを探し、我らが晴香ちゃんが旅行中に一度だけ真っ青になったあの場所です。レストランは道を挟んだ反対側(左側)でした。(^o^)地図を拡大してレストランを探してみてください。レストランの名前はVINO E CAMINOです。バスに乗るときにＧＰＳ受信機の電源を入れ忘れていたのでホテル周辺の記録ができませんでした。(^_^;)

Rome 3 - Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and Piazza di Pietra a Rome

　　After lunch our guide took us to a flashy street along which were several famous prestigious brand shops such as Gucci, and Ferragamo. Our guide stopped at a coffee shop and told us that it was the oldest coffee shop in Rome. I had never heard of its name, but I took a picture of the shop. I'd like to have dropped in, but couldn't due to time constraints. After 15 minutes' walk, we reached the Spanish Steps. Though it was raining in the morning, the sky became clear around the time we reached the Spanish Steps. The Cathedral of Vatican City from the top of the Steps was magnificent.
　　We visited Trevi Fountain next on foot. It was nice and comfortable to take a walk in the old Italian streets. I heard of an icecream shop which was so famous for its special tastes even in Japan, and we confirmed the story was correct. In the Trevi Fountain, I threw in two coins to hope that I would be back in Rome with my wife.
　　We continued walking and suddenly found ourselves standing in Piazza di pietra a Roma. I felt as if I had been wandering in ancient Rome. The old posts were constructed 1900 years ago and I accustomed myself to feel overwhelmed in this old city of Rome. I wanted to look elaborately at those posts, but the local guide urged us to the next sightseeing spot. It was also due to time constraint.

Route Map: Lunch - Hotel
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/RECAFE_H10.html

(Vocabulary)
Spanish Steps  スペイン階段：かつてここにスペイン大使館があった
Antico Caffe Greco  アンティコ・カフェ・グレコ １７６０年にイタリア・ローマのコンドッティ通り８６番地で開業した歴史的なカフェ。ローマでは現存する最も古いカフェとして知られている。
constraint  [C] 制約, 拘束
Trevi Fountain  トレヴィの泉: ローマにある最も巨大なバロック時代の人工の泉(噴水)。
Piazza di pietra a Roma　ピエトラ広場

Rome 2 - The Mouth of Truth

　　It started to rain like a squall as soon as we came back to the bus. The sightseeing spot that we visited next was the Mouth of Truth in the Santa Maria in Cosmedin Church, which was undoubtedly world-widely famous, appearing in the movie, Roman Holiday. Because there was no parking space in front of the church, the bus driver pulled over as close to the church as possible to avoid the rain. When we got out of the church after a short stay, the rain had already luckily stopped. Next, we headed for Piazza del Campidoglio on foot and I got lost for words to describe the scene from there. It was Foro Romano.
　　What caught my eye were the ruins of ancient Roman times. I didn't consult the travel guidebooks and had no background information on the tourist attractions in Rome. The view from there was very interesting and it was utterly regrettable that we didn't have time to walk in the ruins. The paths we looked down might be the paths on which Caesar might have walked! Rome was full of historic assets and we hadn't time for them.
　　Our lunch was designated at the pizza restaurant RECAFE, in which we were led to a bright room with sunlight coming in and were served a very big-size Margherita and mushroom pizza (half and half). I ate it up, but most members couldn't finish it. It was too large for them. The taste was great.

Route Map: Hotel to Lunch
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/H10_RECAFE.html

(Vocabulary)
the Mouth of Truth 　真実の口 　Santa Maria in Cosmedin Church の中にある
Roman Holiday  ローマの休日
Foro Romano フォロ・ロマーノ
イタリアの首都ローマの中心部にある古代ローマ時代の遺跡。カンピドリオの丘とパラティーノの丘の間に位置する。紀元前６世紀から紀元３世紀まで、古代ローマの政治・経済・商業の中心地として栄えた。元老院が置かれたクーリア、セベルス帝の凱旋門、バシリカユリア（ユリウスのバシリカ）、サトゥルヌスの神殿、ウェスタの神殿など、修復・再建されたものも含め多数の遺跡がある。１９８０年、「ローマ歴史地区、教皇領とサンパオロフォーリ‐レ‐ムーラ大聖堂」の名称で世界遺産（文化遺産）に登録された。（Wikiより）
consult [他]〈本・リスト・地図など〉を調べる
advance knowledge / background information  予備知識
Margherita マルゲリータ

 

ヴィットーリオ・エマヌエーレ２世記念堂とヴェネツィア広場は本文には書いていません。

Rome 1 - Colosseo

　　Before leaving Japan, I was so busy that I couldn't read the travel guidebook about Italy, in spite of my first visit to the country. I didn't know even a few Italian phrases of greetings and about the details of principal cultural assets. Numerous historic sites are found densely in Rome. I should have learned some of those historic buildings or incidents. While moving by bus in the city on the previous day, I realized my mistake. So, I decided to shoot lots of pictures and record the route I moved just for future reference. I'll show you various places in sightseeing progression.
　　The breakfast was served in the hotel, H10 ROMA CITTA. I liked it better than that of Novotel in Freiburg. The weather was not good. It was about to rain and we were advised to carry umbrellas from the hotel personnel. A bus picked us up at the hotel and the local guide on the way to the Colosseo. The wireless receivers were delivered at the entrance of the Colosseo and we entered the historic ancient ruins. Looking around, the local guide told us miserable stories about the Colosseo, the fights between slaves and savage animals, the sad lives of conquered countries' citizens, and so on. I saw the dark side of the Roman Empire.

Route Map: Hotel to Lunch
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/H10_RECAFE.html

(Vocabulary)
progression [U](特に書き言葉) 前進, 進行
a natural progression  自然な成り行き
Colosseo コロッセオ、コロシアム、コロッセウム
ローマ市に残る、古代の円形闘技場。西暦７０年代にウェスパシアヌス帝が起工。長径１８８メートル、高さ４９メートル、４階造りで、約５万人の観衆を収容できた。
savage　〈人・攻撃などが〉 非道な, 非人道的な, 〈動物が〉 獰猛(どうもう)な
the Roman Empire ローマ帝国

Guard, Pictures and Dinner

　　When I left the Vatican City, I saw two flashy persons stationed at the gate of the City. The guide told me that they were the guards of the City originating from Switzerland. I don't know exactly, but it might have something to do with the fact that Switzerland is a permanently neutral country. The Vatican City wouldn't want to take on any political hues. We walked underground following the local guide for some time and got on the bus. It was really easygoing and comfortable so that I didn't bother to wonder about transportation.
　　Our next destination was a duty-free shop in the heart of Rome. The scenery on the way was very interesting. I took several dozen pictures. You might be afraid that I would be confused by lots of pictures later, but it's no problem. The pictures have their own time stamps and our route was recorded at the same time. The pictures and the shooting locations are synchronized with the time. For your information I'll show you the four routes: 1. Vatican City to the shop; 2. The shop to the hotel; 3. The hotel to the restaurant; 4. The restaurant to the hotel.
　　Today's dinner was carbonara and an apple cake in Restaurant CAMINETTO. What I bought in the duty-free shop was a pair of gloves for winter. I had substituted gloves for ski use even in official meetings, because they were unnecessary indoors.

Route Map: Lunch --- Vatican City --- DutyFreeShop
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/Lunch_CASANOVA_DutyFree.html

Route Map: DutyFreeShop --- Hotel
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/DutyFree_H10.html

Route Map: Hotel --- CAMINETTO(Restaurant)
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/H10_CAMINETTO_dinner.html

Route Map: CAMINETTO(Restaurant) --- Hotel
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/CAMINETTO_dinner_H10.html

(Vocabulary)
permanently neutral country  永世中立国
take on sth ＜異なる性質・様相など＞を見せ始める, 帯びる
Her face took on a fierce expression.  彼女の顔に荒々しい表情が浮かんだ．

 

Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and Saint Peter's Cathedral

　　After lunch at a nearby restaurant from Vatican City, we stepped into the City. There were so many people around the entrance of the Vatican Museum. Seeing the crowd, I thought we were lucky to be able to have lunch in a short time in the restaurnt which was near the City and never crowded.
　　We didn't have enough time to see all of the exhibitions and the guide picked out the important, famous and historic ones for us. I was overwhelmed by the solemnity of cultural assets. I was not allowed to use the strobe light in the Vatican Museum, and pictures taken there were blurred. On the other hand, I could take pictures freely in Saint Peter's Cathedral, but the Cathedral was so big and the light didn't reach the object of shooting. As a result, the pictures weren't good. The Last Judgement by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel was what I wanted to view most in the Vatican City, but shooting was prohibited. I was looking upwards for 10 minutes or so. The wall painting, which was drawn 500 years ago, was awe-inspiring in a dim light.
　　The single picture which was taken there and can be appreciated was the last picture, which is the Pietà in Saint Peter's Cathedral. It was a zoo around the sculpture and I shouldered my way through the crowd and managed to shoot it.

Route Map: Lunch --- DutyFreeShop
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/Lunch_CASANOVA_DutyFree.html

(Vocabulary)
Sistine Chapel　システィーナ礼拝堂
Saint Peter's Cathedral　サン・ピエトロ寺院
nearby [形] 《[名]の前でのみ》近くの  [副]近くに［で］
pick sb/sth ↔ out (多くの中から) ＜…＞を選び出す
His story was picked out as the best by the judges. 彼の物語は審査員による審査で最優秀作品に選ばれた．[同意] select
blurred　［形］ぼやけた, ぼんやりした, かすんだ.
The Last Judgement　最後の審判
awe-inspiring ［形］［正式］畏敬の念を起こさせる, 荘厳な.
Pietà  ミケランジェロ（１４７５年－１５６４年）は「ピエタ」（Pietà 、慈悲などの意）を題材とする彫刻を生涯に４体制作している。ピエタは聖母子像の一種であり、磔刑に処されたのちに十字架から降ろされたイエス・キリストと、その亡骸を腕に抱く聖母マリアをモチーフとする宗教画や彫刻などのことである。ただし、完成したのは「サンピエトロのピエタ」のみ。
shoulder 〈人・物〉を肩で押す［突く］；［～ one's way］ 肩で押し分けて進む
shoulderone's way through the crowd  人ごみを押し分けて通る.
zoo ［略式］［a ～］ ひどく混雑している場所, 混乱状態
The airport was a ～, with people going in all directions. 空港はあちこちへ行く人たちでごったがえしていた.

Arrival In Vatican City

　　After the 4 hours' bus drive, we entered the central district of Roma. What most impressed me there was the method of parking along the streets. Numerous cars occupied the outermost lane, sometimes two lanes! Moreover, some cars were parked even on the sidewalks. Elderly citizens and challenged people with impaired eyesight, or who move with wheelchairs would feel inconvenient. When I said that Dr. Dieter Salomon would faint away if he saw the scene, the tour members erupted into gales of laughter. Dr. Salomon is the mayor of Freiburg, which was an extremely tidy and peaceful city in southern Germany. Then I wondered how they could start their car. There wasn't enough space both in front and back for going out. The cars must have scrapes.
　　At the point where we came to directly see the building of the Vatican Museum, our bus turned right and stopped in front of the restaurant, CASANOVA. The lunch was fusilli pasta and wine! It was nice. If you want to know the location of the restaurant, you'd better check the map below. The goal of the route was the restaurant.
　　After lunch, the guide, Mrs. Giuliano, joined our group for guiding in Vatican City. We took the bus for a few hundred meters and got off just in front of the Vatican Museum.

Route Map: Florence --- Restaurant CASANOVA
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/Florence_Lunch_CASANOVA.html

(Vocabulary)
Vatican City［the ～］バチカン市国《教皇支配下にあるローマ市内の世界最小の独立国》.
outermost  最も外側の；中心から最も離れた, 一番はずれの（⇔innermost）.
a gale of laughter 爆笑
fusilli フジッリ　パスタの一種。らせん状に巻いた形のもの。

On The Way To Rome

　　It's great fun for me to wander in strange countries. Italy was certainly one of those strange countries. From the color of the ambulances to the shape of power transmission towers, everything new was interesting. The first picture was the gate of the highway taken when reentering the highway after shopping in a souvenir shop along the highway. I wanted to take the ambulance, but failed due to the swinging bus. Around from Tuscany to Lazio I saw several hills on which were ordinary people's houses or ruined-looking stony constructions. Were they remnants of medieval fortresses? The train track was running parallel to our highway and I could take a picture of a train by accident. Might it be a Eurostar? When I shot the picture, I couldn't tell and I examined it after returning to Japan. It was a mere high speed train. To tell the truth, I've never seen the Eurostar. I'm going to get on the Eurostar between England and France some day. The river which we were crossing in the next picture was the Tiber. The signboard on the roadside told me so. It meant we were approaching Rome. I saw the display of "Napoli", too. I thought, when I visited Italy next, I would be sure to see Napoli. I remembered the phrase, "See Naples and then die".

Route Map: Florence --- Restaurant CASANOVA
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/Florence_Lunch_CASANOVA.html

(Vocabulary)
power transmission tower  送電塔
ruined ［形］［限定］破壊された, 廃墟となった.
remnant  (特に書き言葉) (わずかな) 残り物, 生存者
the remnants of their meal 彼らの食事の残り物
fortress  (大規模な) 要塞, 要塞都市
parallel to/with sth  ＜…＞に平行な［並行して］
run parallel  平行に［並行して］走る
Tiber　［the ～］ テーベレ川、テヴェレ川　《ローマを貫いて流れる川》.

 ユーロスターかと思いきや、、、、

　





まっすぐ行けばナポリ！

To Rome

　　We were scheduled to move to Rome by bus on Nov.18th. It would be fun to see the scenes of rural area of Tuscany and Lazio through the bus window. Just before the departure from Nilhotel in Florence, I saw a hotel staff member elaborately sweeping the entrance with something that we, Japanese, were familiar with. It was a broom of Japanese make. My daughter took a snap of me and the staff member when I asked him whether he knew the country of origin or not. He knew it and told me that it was very handy with a shy smile. Most members of my tour were looking at us at that time.
　　After 10 minutes' drive in the busy street, the bus entered onto the highway. Though there were signboards to and fro displaying where we were, I couldn't call to mind the detailed map of Tuscany and Lazio and decided to connect my smartphone with the Internet via the roaming service. It would cost $30 per day, but I couldn't resist the temptation of convenience. I enjoyed the scenery outside the bus seeing the present location mark moving on the map appearing on my smartphone.
　　I'll upload the route map of this day and you'll notice that the bus left the highway one time on the way to Rome. We dropped in at a souvenir shop and I bought a scarf for my own use. It featured AC Milan, one of the most popular soccer clubs in Italy. I liked the design and bought it. The other day after returning to Japan, it was anounced that Mr. Keisuke Honda, a Japanese professional soccer player, would transfer to AC Milan from a Russian club in a few months. As a result, my scarf became the latest popular fashion. I wear the scarf almost every day in December when I'm writing this entry.

Route Map: Florence --- Vatican
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/Florence_Lunch_CASANOVA.html

(Vocabulary)
Tuscany 　トスカーナ州（州都フィレンツェ）
Lazio イタリアの中央部にある州。ローマ首都圏として商工業が発展する一方、果樹栽培なども盛ん。
make (製品の) 製造元メーカー, …製
What make is your car? あなたの車はどこ製ですか．
make of
one of the most popular makes of cell phone  一、二を争う人気の携帯電話メーカー
country of origin 原産国
call to mind sth (フォーマル) ＜…＞を思い出させる; ＜…＞を思い出す
the latest popular fashions  最新流行ファッション

Hotel Raffaello Firenze

　　The title is the name of a hotel in Florence where we had dinner on Nov. 17th. I joined a package tour this time which was arranged by a tour company, so I didn't need to worry about where to eat, stay or visit. That is to say, however, I couldn't choose what I wanted to eat during the trip and the menu had been already decided before leaving Japan. I was wondering about dinner every evening during the trip. This day's dinner was T-bone steak with wine! I heard it was one of the specialties in Florence and was also one of my favorites. Bravo!
　　Let's get back on track. Our bus abruptly stopped in front of a secure fence, which was the gate to our hotel, Nilhotel. It seemed to me like a gate of an Ambassador's building. Was the security around there unstable? Anyway, I unpacked my suitcase in the hotel and went out for dinner at once. We were taken to the restaurant by bus. I recorded the route between our hotel and the restaurant.
　　I didn't prepare enough for Italy, and after returning to Japan, I found that I had missed lots of amusements. Hotel Raffaello Firenze was near the University of Florence and our bus drove in the campus on the way to the hotel. I'd like to have walked around or even just seen the campus, or crossed the Ponte Vecchio and wandered the opposite side of the Arno River.

Route Map: NILHOTEL --- Raffaello
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/Nilhotel_Raffaello.html
Route Map: Raffaello --- NILHOTEL
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/Raffaello_Nilhotel.html


(Vocabulary)
drive　〈車などが〉走る
drive into/out of sth  ＜場所＞に入る［から出る］
A strange car drove into the driveway.  見慣れない車が敷地内に入って来た．
drive past 〈車などが〉通り過ぎる
Ponte Vecchio  ヴェッキオ橋

Sightseeing in Florence

　　We moved from Duomo to Piazza della Signoria on foot through narrow streets following the Japanese guide who had lived in Florence for more than 20 years. The route was so complex and we would lose our way without her. After taking a look at the open space called Signoria, we walked to the riverside of the Arno River. I viewed the old and noted bridge of Ponte Vecchio in the distance. To tell the truth, I wanted to walk on the bridge, but the guide told me that we didn't have enough time to do so. The museum that we visited next, called Galleria degli Uffizi in Italian, was heavily crowded and strictly guarded. We had to undergo the same inspection as we were required when boarding on the plane. I had to take my jacket off and deposit my daypack at the security section. The use of a camera was prohibited inside, but I wanted to take something in the picture and shot a scene of a men's washroom.(hahaha) I didn't notice that it was the urinal. It seemed a simple wall to me at the first look. Was it the usual style of Italy?
　　By the way, the exhibitions were wonderful. I don't know words for them. I had seen some of them in my textbook long ago. I sighed deeply recounting that original ones were here. The tonight's hotel was Nilhotel in the last picture.

Route Map: Freiburg --- Frankfurt --- Florence-Peretola Airport --- Duomo --- Piazza della Signoria --- Ponte Vecchio --- Galleria degli Uffizi
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/Freiburg_Florence.html

Route Map: Galleria degli Uffizi --- NILHOTEL
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/Uffizi_Nilhotel.html

(Vocabulary)
Campanile di Giotto  ジョットの鐘楼
Piazza della Signoria　シニョリーア広場orシニョーリア広場
Galleria degli Uffizi  ウフィツィ美術館
Arno River　アルノ川
Ponte Vecchio　ヴェッキオ橋
urinal  (男性用の) 小便器
recount〈話・出来事など〉 を詳しく話す
recount how/what
Alan recounted how he and Joyce had met. アランは自分とジョイスがどのように出会ったかを詳しく話した．

Breakage of Suitcase

　　I'd like to direct your attention to my daughter's gaze in the first picture below, which was shot just before getting on the bus at the Florence-Peretola Airport. She found the breakage of her suitcase at that time. Her suitcase was the product of the Globe-Trotter and newly bought last August. The handling of the suitcase by the Air Dolomiti personnel must have been so rough. The cabin attendants were polite and I liked the company, but .... Anyway, I asked the tour guide to recognize the occurrence. Then I took several pictures and sent them to my insurance company for the sake of a claim for insurance. I'll show you some of them. I'm writing this entry in December remembering the trip, and I received the insurance benefit the other day.
　　I purchased it from Japan's branch of the Globe-Trotter, not from the parallel import shops. The tour guide worked for me and all the procedure was really smooth. I was relieved to receive the repaired one.
　　We moved to the center of Florence directly by bus without calling in our reserved hotel. The streets around the main tourist attractions were very narrow and winding. Ten minutes' walk after getting out of the bus took us to Campanile di Giotto and the Duomo, meaning the principal cathedral in the city. The last picture is the dome of the Duomo. Do you notice several holes on the wall? They were for footholds for painters.

Route Map: Freiburg --- Frankfurt --- Florence-Peretola Airport --- Duomo --- Piazza della Signoria --- Ponte Vecchio --- Galleria degli Uffizi
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/Freiburg_Florence.html

(Vocabulary)
parallel import 並行輸入
Campanile di Giotto ジョットの鐘楼
Duomo　ドゥオーモ

To Italy

　　I had to get up at 4 o'clock on Nov. 17th despite a light hangover, though it was usual for me in Germany. A chartered bus would pick us up and take us to Frankfurt International Airport. We were supposed to move to Florence, Italy this day. Our breakfast was taken into the bus, which is shown in the following pictures. Something that looks triangular is a piece of cookie that I bit half of. Eating and drinking in the bus apparently weren't permitted in Germany, but the driver allowed us to eat during the rest in the parking lot. I was going to fly from Frankfurt a few hours later and I thought I would like to revisit Germany seeing the scenery from the bus in the dim light.
　　A light meal would be served on the plane, but I didn't expect much and I dropped in at Lufthansa Lounge to eat something. I also wanted to see how the lounge was and use WiFi to upload pictures. The lounge was really comfortable.
　　Our plane from Frankfurt was EMBRAER 90 or 95 operated by Air Dolomiti, which I thought was the powerful rival of the Japanese regional jet of MRJ, because the flight was comfortable. One more thing, I saw an A380 in Frankfurt. I'd like to utilize it some day.

(Vocabulary)
dim  〈明かり・光などが〉薄暗い, 暗い

Route Map: Freiburg --- Frankfurt --- Florence-Peretola Airport --- Duomo --- Piazza della Signoria --- Ponte Vecchio --- Galleria degli Uffizi
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/Freiburg_Florence.html

Winery Visit

　　After taking a quick shower, I changed my clothes into casual ones. A little later, a bus came in in front of the hotel, which had already accommodated members of the official envoy who stayed at another hotel. We were scheduled to visit a winery, Weingut Bernhard Schätzle, which was located in the Lehen district in Freiburg. I'll put together the route from my hotel to the winery below. When we reached the winery, beautiful music welcomed us. They were the local orchestra, whose pictures I'll show you below. Three members of the orchestra had visited Matsuyama City when the sister city treaty was signed 25 years ago. I saw them playing each instrument proudly. I took pictures of the signboard displaying the tasting spot and the flag of the logo of the winery. What kind of wines would be served; my expectations were getting bigger and bigger!
　　The party started with the greeting of the deputy of the owner of the winery, who were late due to another meeting. A German band's iconic songs from Germany and specially southern Germany were really wonderful. The winery's vaunted wines were served one after another, from Kabinett to Auslese. I enjoyed those wines to my content. I really wanted this winery to open a store in my hometown, Matsuyama City. I'd be one of the frequent customers.

(Vocabulary)
vaunted  《[名]の前でのみ》ご自慢の

写真撮影で皆がぐずぐずしていると、突然場を仕切り始めたHarukaちゃん ↑

Route Map:
http://kumo.typepad.jp/Euro13/LEHEN.html

Weingut Bernhard Schätzle:
http://www.weingut-schaetzle.de/index.html
http://www.weingut-schaetzle.de/startseite.htm
http://www.home.regioseiten.com/schaetzle

試飲のはずが、深酒の夜になったフライブルク最後の夜。このワイナリー、松山に店を出さないかな？かなり気に入りました。我らがアイドル、添乗員のHarukaちゃん、我々以外のグループも仕切る仕切る！愛媛ＦＣの社長も、市議会副議長も何のその。右端にいたワイナリーのオーナー(ヒゲの男性）は仕切られて左端最後列へ移動！