今日は、移動もなく自由の日。 (Today was a free day with no traveling.)
Iママさんのミューズリーでスタート。美味しいっ！ナツメヤシのドライフルーツ、ナッツを足して、オートミルクでふやかす。私も、ほぼ同じ方法で作るのに、何故こうも味が違うの？？リンゴをすりおろすのがミソなのかもしてない。真似してみよう。 (Started off the day with Mama I’s museli. Yummm! The oats were soaked in the oat milk topped with dried dates and nuts. It’s almost the same way I make it but how come it tastes so differently?? Grated apples must be the key. I must try that the next time I make it.)
街の名前でもある、お城を見物。ドイツで最も古いお城で、一番早くの記録は西暦653年とか。そして、国でなく、個人が所有している、珍しいお城。 (A visit to the castle which is also the town’s namesake. It’s one of the oldest castles in Germany; the earliest mention recorded of the castle is 653AD. I found it noteworthy that it has been owned privately instead of federally.)
フロドの「ミスリル」？！ではなかった！ (Frodo’s mithril?! Not quite!)
ぎゃーっ！！ (Aaaah!)
ワンコも見学に参加。 (Puppies are also welcomed on a field trip here.)
なんて贅沢な、お城からの眺め。 (What an amazing view from the castle!)
夜は、お家で野菜海苔巻きとサラダの食事。 (Vegetable sushi rolls and salad for dinner at home.)
今回、必ず予定に組み込まなければいけなかった事の一つが、Iさんのママさんのプラムケーキ！甘酸っぱいプラム(ドイツのすもも？)がびっしりのケーキが、どれだけ美味しいか、さんざん聞かされ、写真を見せられていた。悲願のプラムケーキは、前評判を裏切らなかった！ (One of the top priorities on this trip was (Ms. I’s) mom’s plum cake. I’ve been hearing about this cake, how it’s filled with the sweet-sour plums (Zwetschgen in German dialect!) and delicious beyond belief (!), and seen the pictures over the years. My long-overdue wish came true, plus it exceeded my expectations.)
「シェフさん」お勧めは、生クリームとアイスクリーム、両方足して食べること。ソロでも美味しかったけど、アラ・クリーム／モードもなるほど良い！！ (“The Chef”’s recommendation was to add some whipped cream AND ice cream. I thought it was great on it’s own but the “a-la-cream/mode” version was also amazing. The Chef knows what she is talking about!)
お茶は、フェンネル(ウイキョウ)ティー。 (Accompanied by the fennel tea.)
亀やペンギンのいる池！ (Her pond has a turtle and penguins residing by!)
プール、寒かったけど、時差ボケが一瞬飛んだ。 (The pool was cold (to me), but it helped me with the jet lug for a brief moment.)
芝刈りロボット！ (A lawn-mowing robot!)
お洒落なレストランでディナー。 (Dinner at an elegant restaurant.)
アミューゼで、パンとハーブバターに続いて、マスの燻製のスプレッド。周りの赤い点は、ビーツのシロップ。 (For the amuse-bouche, the bread and herb butter were followed by the smoked trout spread. The red dots around the spread were beets syrup.)
こんなエレガントなサーモンサンドイッチ、初めて見たかも。サンドイッチの横の、緑の楕円形の正体は、バジルのシャーベット。 (I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a sophisticated salmon sandwich before. The identity of the green-oval shaped concoction was the basil sorbet.)
胡瓜の冷たいスープ。上にはフェンネルとサワークリーム、中には蟹の肉がコロコロ。 (Cold cucumber soup. Fennel greens and sour cream on the top and pieces of crab meat hidden underneath the surface!)
マスのグリルとシャンテレラキノコ。 (Grilled trout and chanterelle mushrooms.)
イワナのグリルは、ニョッキとミント味のソース添え。 (Grilled Arctic chat with gnocchi and mint-flavored sauce.)
お腹いっぱいで、石畳の坂道を登って帰るのは、ちょうど良い運動だった。車社会と違って、食後歩いて帰れるってやっぱ良い。 (We were stuffed and happy to walk back going uphill on a cobble-stone path. It’s so nice to be able to walk home instead of driving home after a meal.)
同僚のお母さんのお家へお邪魔する計画が、10年以上越しに実現した。自分が体調崩したり、アパートが火事にあい、途中で戻らなきゃいけなかったり。。。今度も、コロナ、戦争、最近続出の、フライトの遅れやキャンセル、などなど不安材料が多かったが、何とか出発。話に聞き、写真で見ていたボーデン湖にやっと来れた！ (After almost ten years of trying, the visit to my colleague’s mother at her house actually happened. Something would come up to prevent the trip, like a health issue one time or turning back halfway due to the fire at my apartment building. I was skeptical about this time because of the ongoing pandemic, war, frequent flight delays and cancellations, etc., but I was en route before I knew it. I’m finally here at the Lake Constance after hearing so much about it and seeing the pictures!)
旅は長かった。 (It was a long trip.)
乗り継ぎ地で4時間ほど。肉まんの店にて、豚のバーベキューの肉まんと、ココナッツカスタードのデザートまん(？)。 (We had over four hours of layover. I had the barbecue pork bun and coconut custard bun at the Asian steamed bun place.)
9時間近いフライトで大西洋を超え、チューリッヒへ。空港で、電車に乗り換える前にウロウロしてたら、好きなチョコレート店が目の前に現れた。 (An almost nine-hour flight crossing over the Atlantic to Zurich. At the airport, we were walking towards the train station when one of my favorite chocolate shops was suddenly right in front of me.)
チョコレート数個と、、、 (A few pieces of chocolates and…)
エクレアは、すぐに食べた。甘過ぎないデザート万歳！ (The eclair which I ate immediately. Hooray to the not-too-sweet dessert!)
電車からの風景は、のどかで、ウトウト。 (The view of the field from the train was calming and let me doze off 😪)
コンスタンツに到着。建物のこちら側はドイツ、向こう側はスイス。 (Arrived in Konstanz. This side of the building is Germany and the other side, Switzerland.)
インド料理店で、マンゴーとチーズのサラダで、軽めランチ。 (A light lunch of mango and paneer salad at an Indian restaurant.)
今度は、バスでボーデン湖を目指す。 (We then boarded a bus that would take us towards the Lake Constance.)
ボーデン湖に到着。 (Arrived at the Lake Constance!)
そしてバスごとフェリーに乗り込み、湖を渡る。 (The bus then went onto the ferry to cross the lake.)
スイス、ドイツ、オーストリアと、3つの国に囲まれてるボーデン湖。フェリーからの眺め、素晴らしかった。遠くにうっすらと、アルプスの山も見えた。 (This lake is surrounded by three countries: Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The view from the ferry was fantastic! I could see the Alps in the distance.)
長旅の終わりに待ってた、湖と山の御褒美。やっと来たよー (The lake and mountains were soothing especially after the long trip. I finally made it here😄)
ふと外を見たら、何かいる。なんと、長いロープに繋がれた、猫ちゃんだった。ハーネスまでしてる。お隣さんの猫で、たまにお散歩させてるのを目撃したことがあるのだが、きっと外が大好きなんだろう。 (When I looked out of my room, there was a cat with a long leash! Complete with a harness!! She is my neighbor’s cat and I’ve seen her being walked on a leash before. The cat must love being outside.)
1時間後、まだいた！退屈そうに座り込んでた。この不思議な光景に、車も人も止まって眺めることが多く、おかげで私のアパートも見張られてる感じで、安全かな？良い番猫だ！ちなみに、普段ここを走り回るリスや、飛び回る鳥たちの姿がなかった。ネズミも慌ててたんだろうな。 (She was still there about an hour later! She was just sitting on the grass, looking bored. Both cars and people stopped to look at this strange cat roaming around with a harness, which meant my apartment was also being watched by many. The kitty unintentionally provided me protection from crimes. What a fine watch-cat! I did notice the absence of the squirrels running around or birds flying around. Mice must’ve been alarmed big time, too.)
翌日、再びお出まし。前の日に相手をしたので覚えてたのか、「ミャーミャー！」と、まるで「おーい、出てこい〜」と言ってるかの様に鳴いて、実際私はそれに気づき、ご挨拶に参上した。名前忘れちゃったんだよね。今度聞いておかねば。。。 (She made another appearance the next day. She must’ve remembered me since I played with her a bit the day before; she was meowing loudly and persistently as if to say, “Hey you, come out of your room!” It worked! I heard her and went to say “hello.” I feel badly that I forgot her name. I have to remember to ask my neighbor.)
数週間前に亡くなってしまったKさんを偲び、友人5名で、彼女の好きだったお店に集まった。まだまだショックは断ち切れないが、いざ集まると、笑える話がたくさん出てきた。そして、彼女の豪快な笑い声が、鮮明に聞こえてきた！自分の気持ちに素直で、思ったことを包み隠さず言ってくれる人だった。 (A few weeks ago, we lost a dear friend, Ms. K. Five of us friends got together at her favorite restaurant in honor of her. Although we all are still in a great shock, we could only remember funny stories once we started to talk about her. I could also hear her boisterous laughter so clearly! She was such a down-to-earth person who was not afraid to express her opinions.)
私は、ファラフェルのトーストサンド。 (My falafel toasted pita.)
Kさんが必ず頼んだ、フライドポテト。私は、フライはケチャップよりマヨネーズが好き。Kさんは、嫌いだったから怒ってるかな？？ (She always got fries here. I like to eat fries with mayo rather than with ketchup, but I believe Ms. K didn’t care for it. I hope she isn’t upset with me now!)
デザートは、チョコレートモルトミルクシェイク、コーヒーミルクシェイクと、彼女のお気に入りだったキャロットケーキ。 (For dessert, we had chocolate malt milkshake, coffee milkshake and carrot cake which was one of her favorites.)
みんなに用意してくれていた、去年のクリスマスプレゼントがあった。それぞれ忙しかったり、コロナで集まりにくかったりで、渡しそびれていたらしい。😢 (She had bought Christmas presents for us last year but didn’t have a chance to give us because we were all busy, plus it had been hard to get together with the ongoing pandemic.)
Mさんのプレゼント。初め「何これ？」とみんな分からず。 (Mr.M’s present puzzled us at first. What could this be?)
計量カップでした！ (Measuring cups!)
私には、素敵なスカーフと、ラベンダーの匂い袋。 (I got an elegant scarf and lavender sachets.)
野外コンサート、今日は「ハリー・ポッターと秘密の部屋」。開演前の持ち寄りピクニックは、参加者がグルメ揃いで、素晴らしいご馳走。 (Today’s outdoor concert was the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The potluck-picnicbeforehand was a fabulous feast since many of us were such passionate foodies!)
自分の庭から採れたて、というトマトのサラダ、お取り寄せの白インゲン豆とハーブのサラダ、セサミヌードル、冬瓜の煮込み、キャベツと葡萄とカボチャの種のサラダ、フルーツサラダ、などなどすごい顔ぶれ！お皿は、なるべくゴミを出さないよう、再利用できるお皿。(The amazing lineup on the table: salad with just-harvested tomatoes from the garden, white beans and herb salad using the beans ordered from a company specializing in beans, sesame noodles, stewed winter melon, cabbage, grapes and pumpkin seeds-salad, fruit salad, etc. Reusable plates to keep the waste to a minimum.)
ちょっとずつとっても乗り切らず、とりあえず第1ラウンドはこれで。 (Although I tried so hard to get a very small portion of each, I couldn’t fit them all on the plate. I had to save the rest for seconds.)
チョコレートとヘーゼルナッツのケーキ。なめらかなチョコクリームと、カリカリのヘーゼルナッツが合体。まるで、ヨーロッパの上品なカフェのデザート。 (Chocolate and hazelnuts, a.k.a. Nutella, -cake. We tasted the smooth chocolate cream and crunchy hazelnuts in each bites. It was as if we were having a dessert at some elegant cafe in Europe.)
楽しく食べてたら、雨がパラパラと降り出した。夏の間、ずーっといい天気に恵まれて、水不足が心配されてるくらいだったのに、ちょうど、この大人気のコンサートの今、のタイミングで、降らなきゃいけないの？☹️ (As we were enjoying the picnic, the rain started to sprinkle. We’ve had such great weather throughout the whole summer, almost being in a drought. Did it have to rain, timed (im-)perfectly, on this super-popular concert?!)
パラパラの雨が、次第に強くなり、冷たい風と共に雷まで鳴り出した。会場の責任関係上、雷雨の間は芝生でのイベントを行えない、という法律があり、観客は屋根のあるパビリオンに移動するか、お手洗いへ避難するかで、騒然。諦めて帰る人も多かった。ホント、残念すぎる。 (The sprinkle of rain got stronger, along with a cold wind picking up, and complete with a rumble of thunder. Due to the venue’s responsibility to keep everybody safe, there is a law prohibiting them to hold events on the lawn during the thunderstorms. It was a bit chaotic as people found shelters or some deciding to go home. It really was disappointing for many 😔)
考えてみれば、朝からタイミング悪いことばっかだった。散歩に出れば、道を渡る時、車が微妙な遅さで近づいてきて、そのせいで渡れず、その後ろに5台くらい続き、待つことに。普段、すんなり渡るし、この時もその後、だーれもいない状態。そして、仕事へ出る前、なかなか電話が繋がらず、お互いに留守電にメッセージを残し合ってたヘアサロンに、再び電話したら、こういう時に限って出た！既に、出かけなきゃいけない時間で、短いメッセージ残そうとしただけだったのに！それでさらに遅れたのに、発車した途端、目の前を杖をついたお婆さんが歩いてる。まだ駐車場だったのだが、嫌な予感が的中し、車に気づかないようで、真前をゆっくり歩いてて、端に寄ってくれない。あげくに、お疲れになったのか、立ち止まって上を見てる。ただただ待つしかなかった。「今、このタイミングで？？」と思うことの多い1日だった。 (Come to think of it, all the bad-timings had started since the morning. When I went out for a walk, this car was approaching at a rather slow crawl and came directly in front of me just as I was about to cross the road. Because this car was going at such a slow speed, five or so more cars were following it, forcing me to wait. I normally don’t have to wait at all to cross this place and sure enough, it was all clear and no one in sight after these cars. Later, as I was heading out to go to work, I decided to call my hair salon which had been difficult to get hold of, resulting in a series of phone tagging. Since I was already running late, it would’ve been perfect to leave another quick voicemail but what do you know, they answered this time! That made me even more late. As I was pulling out of the garage, an elderly lady appeared in my path. As I feared, she was walking so very slowly, most likely not noticing me in the car, and wouldn’t go to the side to let me pass or anything. Far from it, she must’ve gotten tired and stopped, looking up as if to rest. I simply had to wait till she started to walk forward again. I don’t know how many times I said to myself today, “Does it really have to be now??”)
知人の庭のバードフィーダーに、リスが来て困る、と聞いてたら、まさに登場。鳥のために用意してる「スエット」という牛の脂などの塊なのだが、棒に後ろ足を引っ掛け、器用に食らいついてる。そりゃご馳走だろうけど、小鳥たちとシェアしないとあかんよ！ (A friend was telling me how frustrating it has been to have squirrels getting to the bird feeder when the squirrel actually demonstrated it right in front of me. Balancing on a pole, he was nibbling at the suet meant for birds. I know it’s hard to ignore such delectable feast but you’ve got to share with the birdies!)
私のアパートの前のリス。よくも、上下左右、自由自在に動くもんだ。 (The squirrel in front of my apartment. They sure can maneuver in any direction at will.)
写真を撮られてる気配を感じたのか、様子を見に来た。餌ないよー (He/She must’ve sensed me taking pictures and came up to the door to check me out! Sorry, I have no food for you.)
川沿いの、とあるレストランは、パンデミックの影響なのか、まだフル回転ではない。平日のメニューは、飲み物とジャンボ・プレッツェルのみで、敷地内にフードトラックが来て、芝生でピクニックしたり、レストランのパティオで飲み物を頼んだりできる。 (There is a restaurant by the river which is not fully operating yet probably due to the effect of the pandemic. It only serve drinks and jumbo pretzels during the week. The food truck is there and people can sit on the lawn or sit on the restaurant’s patio with drinks.)
バンド演奏と、コーンホールもあった。アメリカの夏らしい。 (There was a band playing tunes, and the corn hole game was set up for people to enjoy. This felt so typical of the American summer to me.)
フードトラックで仕入れた、チーズバーガーとフライ。さらにアメリカらしい！ (The cheeseburger and fries from the food truck. Even more American!!)
デザートは、Eさんがペンシルベニア州のアーミッシュのベーカリーから持ち帰った、アップル・ダンプリング。素朴ー (For dessert, we shared the apple dumpling Ms. E had brought back from an Amish bakery in Pennsylvania. So simple and rustic.)
ボート競技のチームや、寛ぎボートが行き交うのを眺める。のどか〜 (Watching the rowing team or leisure boats go by. So serene.)
ワンコが時々吠えたり、芝生でひっくり返ったりで、夏の雰囲気を演出してくれた。 (Dogs contributed to the summer ambiance by barking occasionally or rolling around in the grass.)
友人が、半年ほど前にひきとった保護犬、トゥイギーちゃんは、推定約一歳の仔犬。ハイウエイの脇を、他の犬何匹かとさまよっていたのを、保護されたらしい。きっと、不安で怖い思いをしただろうに、人が大好きで、甘えん坊。 (A friend adopted Twiggy about six months ago. She’s a young pup guessed to be about a year old. She was walking with a pack of other dogs on the side of a highway when she was rescued. She must’ve been scared and had a rough time being on the street. Despite that, she is so sweet and loves people.)
近くの公園へ出かける。車酔いも克服して、今は大好き。 (Off to the nearby park. She used to get carsick but learned how to enjoy the ride now.)
ほとんど人のいない湖のビーチ。 (There were hardly anybody at the lake’s beach.)
途中で見かけた、カイヤックと鹿さん。 (We saw some kayakers and a deer.)
近くの日本食店から、刺身とお寿司のランチをテイクアウトしてくれてた。街の中心からかなり離れてる所なのに、こんな立派なお弁当があってびっくり。 (Twiggy’s human had gotten sashimi-sushi-lunch takeout from a Japanese restaurant close by. I was impressed with the quality especially because the town is pretty far from the city.)
トゥイギーちゃんも、食べたい！粘った末、お寿司のかわりに、パズル！！この中にクッキーが隠れていて、必死になって探すことになる。 (Naturally, Twiggy wanted to join in for lunch. She got the puzzle instead of the sushi! She had to look for her treat hidden somewhere in this puzzle.)
友人の庭のほうれん草を、分けてもらうことになったのだが、こんな大きなほうれん草のかたまり(！)を想像してなかった。なんでも、3年ほど前、知人から3株ほどもらい庭に植えたら、どんどん増えていったらしい。冬に枯れたと思ったら、翌年倍以上になり、勢いは止まらないようだ。 (When a friend told me she was giving me some of the spinach from her garden, I wasn’t expecting such a big block of it! A friend of hers gave a few plants about three years ago, which she planted in her garden, and the rest is history! The plants seemed to have died in the winter but came back the following year, doubling the amount, and are continuing to grow every year.)
一枚ずつカットしてくれ、あっという間に袋にいっぱいになった。 (She cut the leaves off one by one, filling up the bag quickly.)
農薬などは一切ないが、虫さん、鳥さん、鹿さんなども触れていたと思うので、ちょっとずつをさっと洗って、サラダスピナーで水を切って乾かす、の繰り返し作業に時間がかかった。 (There is no pesticide to worry about but there must’ve been insects, birds or deers who made visits to these leaves, so it was a tedious work washing a small amount at a time, removing water with the salad spinner and drying.)
一枚一枚の大きいこと。「ウインター・ジャイアント」という品種らしい。もう少し、違う名前をつけてあげられなかったのか？？「巨大な冬のほうれん草」ってあんま美味しそうでない。 (Each leaves is huge! This particular variety is called the “Winter Giant” spinach. Couldn’t they come up with another name? A “winter giant” doesn’t sound too appetizing to me.)
ペーパータオルで挟んで、ジップロックバッグに入れて、とりあえず冷蔵庫。五袋できたので、二袋ほどは即冷凍庫行きかな？ (Put them in a fridge for now, in ziplock bags layered in between paper towels. There were five such bags. I might need to put at least two of them in a freezer right away.)
クリープランド便り 