88歳おじいちゃんの渡米記🇺🇸第六日目②「夕映えのカーメル、迷子のレンタカー」

そして、１７マイル･ドライブでカーメルに向かう。リゾート地帯と思われる静かな林間道路を走ると太平洋岸にでる。何万カイリ先が日本の房総半島あたりか、と想像される。よくもこの大洋の上空を、ここまで来たかと思うと、自分ながら感心する。しかも８８才というこの歳で！この海岸線には何種かの海鳥やからすに似た黒い鳥が無数に旅人の投げるエサをねらって降りて来る。又岩穴に住む野生のリスが飛んで来て、人々のひざまで上ってエサをねだる。又その仕草の可愛い事、思わず抱いて帰りたくなる。リスと遊んでいると日の暮れるのも忘れてしまう。

Then we headed to Carmel along the 17-Mile Drive. After driving along a road that ran through a forest in what seemed like a resort area, we found ourselves at the Pacific Ocean. I wondered how many miles ahead the Boso Peninsula in Japan is. "Did I really come this far, across the sky, over that ocean?" I thought, and was even impressed myself. And at eighty-eight years of age! Along the coastal highway, countless sea birds of various types and black, crow-like birds swooped down to snatch food thrown to them by tourists. And some wild squirrels that live in caves hopped up and would climb up on people's knees to beg for food. Their movements were so cute, you wanted to scoop one up and take it home. Caught up in playing with the squirrels, I barely noticed that the sun had set.

ボツボツ黄昏る。この道を直進するとカーメルの町に入る。珍しいショッピングプラザがある。三階建ての建物が四角く、美しい中庭を囲み全店それぞれ商品を飾る。ウインドーをのぞくだけでも楽しい。ここを出てあるパン飲み物の店に入りアイスクリームで喉を潤す。

Little by little, dusk had come. The road led directly into Carmel. It has an unusual shopping plaza. A square, three-story building surrounds a beautiful garden, and all the shops have their wares on display. It was fun just window shopping. We left the plaza and stopped in at a cafe-bakery for some ice cream.

すでにすっかり暮れたので帰りを急ぎ乗車しようとしたが、車の所在が判らない。おまけにレンタカーである。日本と違って道路は縦の道（アベニュー）横の道（ストリート）が整然としているので、どの道りへ行っても同じく見える。それに夜ではあり、あせればあせる程迷ってしまう。最後にある商店の横に大きな案内図を見る。そこで私は 確かにNo.１３のアべニューだと思う、と提案したが皆はまだ半信半疑であった。

It had already grown completely dark, so we decided to head back to the car and hurry home. Unfortunately, no one knew where we had parked the car. And it was a rental car to boot. Unlike Japan, here the roads are well organized into avenues and streets, and as a result, they all look the same. Moreover, it was nighttime, and the more we panicked, the more lost we became. Finally, we spotted a big map next to a store. "I think it was on 13th Avenue," I ventured, a suggestion which met with a dubious reception.

とにかく皆で探し歩くのも大変だから、と私と倅がある一角で待つ事にする。待つ身のつらいと何とやら、やがてライトを照らして目の前に車が止まる。車の中から「やっぱりおじいちゃんの感が当たっていた」と一同ニコニコ。やっと憂いが晴れて帰途へ。

At any rate, we decided it would make no sense for us all to look for the car together, so my son and I waited on a street corner. We were chatting about how awful it was to have to wait and various other topics when suddenly we were bathed in a bright light and the car pulled to a stop in front of us. A voice from inside said, "Grandpa was right after all!" and everyone had a good laugh. At last, our troubles were over, and we were on the road home.

それから夜の高速道路をまっしぐらパロアルト目指す。平原に出ると昼間通った景色とは打って変わって一面星の海である。この景色たるやこの世とは思えない。日本では北海道函館の夜景は日本一と聞く。 私はまだ見たことは無いが、このスケールの大きさには勝れまいと思う。何にたとえて良いか形容の仕方がない。普通のツアーでは、とうてい味わう事は出来ない。斯くして今日も大収穫にて終わる。

We headed for Palo Alto at full speed along the darkened highway. When we reached the flatlands, the scene looked nothing like it had during the day--the sky was a starry ocean. The landscape seemed not of this world. It is said that the most beautiful view in Japan is to be found at Hakodate in Hokkaido. I've never been there, but I doubt that it could compete in terms of scale. What can I compare it to? It was beyond words. This was something you could never experience on the standard tour. And thus a very fruitful day drew to a close.

English translation by Paul Atkins
英語のリスニングの練習をしたい方は、是非動画もご覧ください。

#祖父 #おじいちゃん #アメリカ #渡米
#夢 #夢継ぎ #夢代人 #アメリカンドリーム
#英語 #アメリカ英語 #バイリンガル
#カーメル