Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Miscellaneous Thought

　　There were ethnically mostly white workers in the ticket booths of London Eye, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. On the other hand, simple work like the inspection of tickets, the lending and collecting of the audioguides were for non-whites. The simple jobs which wouldn't apparently make so much money seemed to be for non-whites. The workers for the most part in convenience stores in the big cities of Japan are from other countries. The situation is likely in Japan too, leaving questions of right or wrong.
　　I often listened carefully to conversations which were being made around me and strongly felt difficulty in understanding them. It would be a matter of getting familiar with them. I don't feel so much difficulty in reading English literature, but my skills of listening to English are surely at the beginner level. I decided to spare the time for listening at least 30 minutes a day after this trip. We didn't have enough time and were just able to sightsee only in the center of London. I'd like to visit other places on the next trip to the U.K.

雑感

ロンドンアイ、ロンドン塔、タワー・ブリッジでチケットブースには白人が多かったが、チケットの確認やオーディオガイドの貸出や回収などの単純作業はほとんど有色人種だった。日本人はいなかった。たいした稼ぎにはならないだろうと思える仕事に彼ら、彼女らが多いように感じた。日本でも都会のコンビニは外国人が多いが、似たようなものか。

周りで話されている言葉に聞き耳を立ててみた。アメリカの英語に比べ聞き取りがかなり難しい。慣れの問題だろうが、自信喪失。英語を読むことについては、よほど難解なものでない限り苦労はしなくなったが、リスニングはまだまだ。帰国後、１日３０分のリスニングを心がけようと思う。今回はロンドンの中心部しか歩けなかったので次回があれば、もっとロンドン市内を歩き回ってみたいと思う。

Westminster Abbey

　　A set of postcards in a souvenir shop which I had visited yesterday was showing the wedding of Prince William and Catherine and the following parade to Buckingham Palace. Westminster Abbey was the place in which their wedding ceremony was held. 7 years have passed since then. The year of the wedding was in the same year as the Great East Japan Earthquake, and in addition, the next month of the disaster. That's why I remembered the year of the royal wedding. I wasn't able to even imagine that I actually stood in front of Westminster Abbey 7 years later.
　　When we arrived at the entrance of the Abbey 20 minutes before the opening, the 50-meter-long waiting line was already formed, but we were led to the inside soon. As I expected as one of the main sightseeing spots in the U.K., the audioguides of various languages were fully equipped and enough number of staff members were positioned at every corner of the sightseeing route. At least the Japanese version of the stories in the audioguide was neutrally written. I thought that the stories about the changes of the dynasties and the dark side of British history were correctly described.
　　What I found most astonishing in the Abbey was people walking on the tombstones on the floor. The epitaphs were naturally carved on their surfaces. I was completely unable to walk on the plate, as I felt that I was desecrating the honor and the achievements of the dead "but one". When I was avoiding walking on them, my eyes met a staff member. She asked me with smile if I was a Japanese or not. Most Japanese people seemed to be reluctant to walk on the tombstones. I recalled the allegiance test in the Edo era, called "Fumi-e". Taking advantage of Japanese sensitivity that they can't stomp something they admire. The rulers ordered suspects in Christianity to stomp on the picture of the Virgin Mary and people who weren't able to do it were executed.
　　Churchill's tomb was at the last part of the route. It was bigger than others and attracted sightseers' attention. He was surely a great politician, but took Japan into the Great East Asian War along with FDR. I stomped on his epitaph and went out of the Abbey. Shooting was prohibited inside and no pictures. I took a picture in the corridor outside.

(Vocabulary)
Great East Japan Earthquake 東日本大震災
desecrate〈教会・国旗など〉を冒涜(ぼうとく)する
desecrate to spoil or damage something holy or respected
―desecration 冒涜行為
allegiance 忠誠
stomp = stamp
stomp off/out (怒って) 足を踏み鳴らして出て行く
stomp out of/into something 足を踏み鳴らして＜場所＞から出て行く［に入って行く］
a) [他] …を踏みつける
b) [自] 踏みつけるstomp on somebody/something ＜…＞を踏みつける, ＜アクセル＞を踏み込む

　
昨日立ち寄った土産物店でウィリアム王子とキャサリン妃の婚礼とその後のバッキンガム宮殿までのパレードの絵はがきがあった。その婚礼が行われたのがウェストミンスター寺院。あれから７年（東北大震災と同じ年の春だったので覚えている）、まさかその場所に立つとは思ってもみなかった。

開院の２０分くらい前に寺院の前に着いたが既に５０メートルくらいの列ができていた。飛行機の予定があったので少し焦ったが、開院からほどなく中へ入ることが出来た。オーディオガイドがしっかりと用意されていて楽しく観光できた。オーディオガイドはニュートラルに作られていて、王朝の交代の歴史、それにまつわる暗い部分などについても正確な説明だと感じた。

ここで一番驚いたことは、観光客が墓石の上を歩くこと。墓石にはもちろん墓碑銘が刻まれている。ホーキング博士の墓もあったが、僕にはどうしても踏めなかった。只一人を除いては。墓石を避けて歩いていると、スタッフの一人と目が合った。彼女から『日本人？』と尋ねられた。日本人は墓石に気づくと踏まない人が多いとのこと。そういえば、江戸時代、キリシタンを見つけるためにマリア像を踏ませてみるテストがあったなあと思い出した。

ツアーコースの最後にあったのが、チャーチルの墓。偉大な政治家ではあるが、自国を護るため、アメリカを戦争に誘い込むために日本に戦争をふっかけた張本人の一人。墓はひときわ大きく出口付近にあり、墓碑銘を踏みつけ、泥を落とすかの如く足を踏みならして寺院を出た。寺院内部は撮影禁止だったので写真はない。出て回廊を歩いているときに一枚だけ撮影した。ここも禁止だったかもしれないのだが。

Squirrels in St. James park

　　We got up early today too. We had so much to do today. Westminster Abbey was still left to be visited, though our return flight was scheduled that afternoon. Though, however, my daughter insisted that we would drop in at St. James Park on the way to the Abbey. She wanted to take pictures of squirrels up close. She was chasing squirrels in the park with her smartphone in one hand and cashew nuts in the other hand. She was just like a 3, 4-year old kid. It was a funny scene to me.

今日も早起き。そしてホテルで昨日と同じメニューの朝食。今日はウェストミンスター寺院に行く予定なのだが、娘のたっての希望でセントジェームス公園へ。目的はリスを手なずけて写真を撮ること。片手にカメラ、片手に昨日のカシューナッツを持って、リスを追いかけ回していた。

Alumni Meeting

　　We got on the tube at Monument Station before transferring to another line, and got off at Covent Garden. We could choose Horborn Station, but I've heard of its name and got off at Covent Garden. There were very busy and enjoyable streets around the station. Just wandering such streets was really joyful. Following the ideal route offered from Google, we got to the designated restaurant, 32 Great Queen Street.
　　We were going to meet two alumni there, who used to belong to my junior high school and graduated from colleges in London and Wales respectively and now lived in London, though they were considerably younger than me. One of them asked me about our choice of the dinner in advance, and I chose the British cuisine. That's why we visited that restaurant. I selected a dish from the menu in the following picture. Pigeon and foie gras pastie was that! though I've never eaten pigeons. That was a little bony and difficult to eat, but delicious. Their stories about their life, families and jobs in London were very interesting to me. I told them about what we got through during this trip, like the parking violation and the conversation with the parking lot attendant and other topics about English. They must be freely able to communicate in English. I envied them their English skills and I hoped that they would build their secure bridge head of life in London.

Monument Station から地下鉄を乗り継いでコベントガーデンで下車。Horborn駅でも良かったのだが、聞いたことのある地名だったのでコベントガーデンで降りてみた。実に賑やかで楽しそうな店ばかりが並んでいた。こういうところはただブラブラするだけでも楽しい。グーグルマップの指示通りに歩いて指定された32 Great Queen Streetという店に着いた。

今日の夕食はロンドンの建築関係の会社で働いている同窓生２人と夕食。どのような料理が良いか、選ばせてもらったのだが、イギリス料理の店でと依頼して選ばれたのが写真の店。僕の注文した料理はPigeon and foie gras pastie。鳩を食べたのは初めて。骨っぽくて食べにくかったのだが、美味しかった。ロンドンで暮らす二人の生活の様子が実に興味深く楽しい時間だった。二人はロンドン、ウェールズの大学の出身で、英語はもう自由に使いこなせているはず。今回の旅行で各地で英語のリスニングで苦労した話や、駐車違反をして、その係員の英語がサッパリわからなかった話などで盛り上がった。あの時は、本当に、こいつの喋っている言葉はもしかしたら英語ではないかも知れないとまで思ったから。またロンドンに行って、話をしたいなあと思っている。

Tower Bridge

　　After coming out of the Tower of London, we walked over Tower Bridge. We wanted to see the bridge in detail, but the sightseeing tour inside the bridge was already closed, so we just walked on it, but I was happy to visit one of the London's landmarks. While we were walking along the Thames upstream, I found a weird object, which I didn't know how to express in English. According to my Siri, the area seemed to be called Hay's Galleria and the object was called "The Navigator". That apparently was a masterpiece of an artist, but I wasn't able to understand it. Then, we came across London Bridge. I recalled that my daughters were often singing "London Bridge Is Falling Down". One day, a long time ago, I talked to my eldest 3-year-old daughter that I would take her to London to see London Bridge. Then she replied, "Papa, don't you see? London Bridge has fallen down, and disappeared." Hearing the conversation, my deceased father-in-law laughed at me, saying "You are being teased by only your 3-year-daughter." Such a funny story came up to me.
　　I walked over the bridge, telling the story to my second daughter. As so many people were moving in the opposite direction, we managed to dodge through the crowd. Thanks to the Google Maps, we successfully got to
Monument tube Station.

(Vocabulary)
London Bridge Is Falling Down　ロンドン橋落ちた　童謡

ロンドン塔を出たら目の前にあるのがタワーブリッジ。ここについてもゆっくりと見てみたかったが時間切れで内部は見られなかった。橋を渡り反対側へ移動。川岸を歩いていると、妙な彫刻を見つけた。僕にはこういったものを理解する審美眼はない。調べてみるとかなり有名なものらしい。タイトルはThe Navigatorsというらしい。この場所はヘイズ・ギャレリアHay's Galleriaというらしい。これもまた調べてみると、長い歴史のある観光地だった。先を急ぐので彫刻だけを見て更に歩く。すると、ロンドン橋にさしかかった。『ロンドン橋落ちた』のあのロンドン橋である。この歌は長女が好きだった。よく歌っていたので、大きくなったら連れて行ってあげると話すと、「でもお父さん、ロンドン橋は落ちたからもうないんでしょ」と反論。それを聞いていた亡き亡父が大笑い。３歳の子供にからかわれていると、、、　そんなことを思い出したながら橋を渡り、Monument 駅へ到着。

 

Tower of London

　　We took our purchase back to our hotel, then went out again. We took the tube at St. James station. It was the first time to use the tube, but it wasn't difficult. Our destination was the Tower of London.
　　I believe that I have some knowledge about the Tower of London to a certain degree for a Japanese. It might be more than the average Briton's. I was all the happier for my knowledge to walk around in and outside of the Tower of London. Not only its historical and archaeological importance but its collection of valuable things attracted me. Among other things, the real inherited queen's crowns and the Japanese armour given to King James 1st. as a gift from the shogun of those days, Hidetada Tokugawa, surprised me. The Japanese armour is also the token of the starting first-ever diplomacy between Japan and the U.K.. The possible murder of two young princes committed by their suspicious uncle, cruel executions of queens and miserable lives of numerous prisoners,,,. I was at the special site which had seen those incidents. The pier for the prisoners who were taken to the Tower of London by boat still remained. I took a break over a cup of coffee seeing wings-cut crows, the symbol of the Tower of London. It was my blissful time to be a part of the history.
　　The staff members with red outfits were called Yeomen Warders also known as Beefeaters. I had long assumed that "Beefeater" is the name of a gin. Anyway, they were veterans with exploits and lived in the Tower of London with their family. They weren't routine tour guides.

ホテルへ戻り、荷物を置いて再び出発。今度はすぐそばにあるセントジェームス駅から地下鉄に乗車。初めてだったが迷うことなく乗れた。一度乗り換えてTower Hill駅で下車

ロンドン塔については日本人としては自身、結構知識が有る方だと思っている。もしかしたら平均的なイギリス人以上かもしれない。そのおぞましい歴史を知っているだけにこの場所に来ることが出来て、中を歩くことが出来て本当に嬉しい。建築物としての歴史的、また考古学的価値はもちろんなのだが、収蔵されている宝も国宝級の価値のあるものばかり。女王の王冠の実物(撮影禁止)に驚いたし、徳川秀忠からキングジェームズ１世に贈られた甲冑には本当に驚いた。日本とイギリスの国交開始を記念する品々の一部だという。犯人として伯父にあたる人物が疑われている殺害の可能性が高い不可解な王子たちの死、女王たちのむごい処刑、無数の囚人達の死、いろいろな歴史を見てきた建物の中を自由に歩いた。船で運ばれてきた囚人がロンドン塔内へ初めて入るところなどそのまま残っていた。飼われている羽根を切られたカラスを眺めながらしばしコーヒータイム。歴史の一部になる至福の時。

赤い服を着ている人たちはヨーマン・ウォーダーズ（ビーフィーターとも呼ばれる）と呼ばれる。聞けば、彼ら、彼女らは軍功のあるエリート軍人だと聞いて驚いた。ロンドン塔に家族と共に住んでいるという。只のガイドではないのだと知った。

Shopping

　　We headed for the Piccadilly district to visit Fortnum & Mason, which was the purveyor to the Imperial Household. It took about 10 minutes' walk from Buckingham Palace to the Piccadilly district. The shop was really big and was packed with lots of customers. It lived up to our expectations. A cafe was inside and I wanted to try some sweets and British tea, but our time was limited. I didn't take pictures around the shop, so search for pictures of this shop on the net if you want to see them. We got some souvenirs there, and then dropped in at a grocery to get "cashew nuts" on the way to our hotel. I wondered if my daughter liked cashew nuts, and I understood the reason why she got them tomorrow morning.

(Vocabulary)
purveyor (フォーマル) (商品・サービスなどの) 供給（業）者, (情報などの) 提供者

それから、徒歩１０分程度の距離にあるピカデリー地区のFortnum & Masonを目指した。皇室御用達のスイーツの店だそうで、中は大変な混雑。評判通り、規模の大きいお菓子の店。中はとてもきれいでカフェが併設されていた。ゆっくり出来るなら何か食べてみたかったが、この後の予定があり、お土産を買ってすぐにホテルへ戻った。写真はないのだが、Fortnum & Masonを画像検索してみてください。ホテルへ戻る途中で娘は雑貨店に立ち寄りカシューナッツを買った。カシューナッツが好きだったかなあといぶかったのだが、翌朝理由がわかった。

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。