2012年10月28日日曜日

久しぶりの再会 Reunion With My Old Friend from Australia!

オーストリアの友達がザグレブまで遊びに来てくれてから1週間後、今度はオーストラリア・メルボルン大学大学院に留学していた時の友達が、旅仲間と一緒に遊びに来てくれました。お互いに違う分野を専攻していたのだけれど、少ない日本人留学生同士とっても仲良くしてもらっていました。

みんな1週間でザグレブ、プリトヴィッツェ、スプリットとドブロブニクを駆け足で周るスケジュール。そんなタイトなスケジュールの中、ザグレブを一緒に回ったりカフェやレストランでおしゃべりできたのは楽しかった♪

A week after my Austrian friend had visited me, my Japanese friend, whom I met when I studied at Melbourne University in Australia, visited me in Zagreb with her friends. We majored in different subjects, but we were one of small number of Japanese students there and we became good friends.

All of them planned to visit Zagreb, Plitvice Lakes,  Split and Dubrovnik in one week. But I was very happy to share some time with them in Zagreb walking around the city and chatting at cafes :)



実は彼女とは日本に戻ってしばらくして連絡が取れなくなっていたんですが、Facebookで彼女を発見!Facebookのおかげで5年ぶりにまたこうして会っておしゃべりすることができました☆

Soon after we both went back to Japan after finishing the university, we actually lost contact. But, I found her on Facebook and contacted her for the first time in 5 years! Thanks to Facebook, we could see each other again and have a very fun time together here in Zagreb :)




オーストリアの友達と一緒にプリトヴィッツェに行った一週間後、再びプリトヴィッツェです(笑)写真は「あれ、ここ通ったっけ???」と相談しているところです。

Again we went to Plitvice a week after I took my Austrian friend there :D I becoming a frequent visitor there... The photo was us discussing if we got lost or if we missed a "proper route" to get to the sites shown on their guidebook.





この時は一週間前と比べてかなり水量が減っていました。そのせいか、みんな「あれ、なんだか写真と違う・・・?! もうちょっと滝があるはずなんだけれど…」と混乱していた様子。確かに右の写真を見てみるとちょっと寂しい感じ。日本のガイドブックは一番いい時期の一番いい写真を載せてるんじゃないかなぁ? (^ ^;) とは言うものの、そういう自分も日本のガイドブック見るのは大好きです。

When I took my friends to Plitvice, the volume of water was quite low compared to a week ago. So, everyone was a bit confused and disappointed because they expected to see exactly the same view as shown on their guidebooks. Well, in fact, Japanese guidebooks are full of pictures (unlike Lonely Planet travel guides) and you may call them spoiler. So, Japanese tourists know how places, sites and buildings look like the best and they expect to see the same :S To be fair, I do enjoy seeing the beautiful pictures and I do love to read Japanese guidebooks (which make me feel as if I have been there), but because I have too many information before I actually visit, I feel less impressed, I think :S

9月の中旬でもまだまだたくさんの観光客がプリトヴィッツェを楽しんでいました。右は大滝の前にある岩の上に乗って取った写真。人がぜんぜんいないように見えますが、この岩の上に上るのにも順番待ちでした。順番と言っても、先に上ったもの勝ちっていう感じでしたけど…(^ ^;) 順番を待っていたらずっと岩の上には登れそうにもないので、岩の近くで待機→隙を見て上ってください。

Even in the middle of September, still many tourists enjoy Plitvice lakes. The right photo was taken in front of the Big Waterfall. It looks as if there were no one, but there were many people under this big rock in front of the Big Waterfall waiting for their turn to be on the top of the rock! We Japanese tend to be shy to cut into the queue and wait for their turn in patience. But, that rule only apply for Japanese and others don't follow it there, so I told my friends to just wait near the rock and climb up faster when they found a chance to do that :P I feel like I'm becoming "un-Japanese" :P

2012年10月17日水曜日

正しいチョコレートの食べ方?! How to Enjoy Chocolate

ウィーンの友達がくれたチョコレートたちY 

オーストリアのチョコレートメーカーZotterの左からチョコレートバー、アソートメントと飲むチョコレート。このチョコレートメーカー、実はお土産でもらうまで知らなかったのですが、フェアトレードかつオーガニックなカカオを使っているそうです。人工香料、甘味料、着色料、その他化学物質を一切使わないという徹底ぶり。日本にも進出しているみたいです(ウェブサイトはこちら)。ウィーンの友達に、Zotterのチョコレートはとっても創造的で素晴らしいから、オーストリアに来たらぜひお店に寄ってみて!と言われました。パッケージもキッチュでかわいいY 

アソートメントの中にあった、胡麻のチョコレートが妙に日本っぽい和風な味でびっくり!パッケージもかわいいし、味もおいしいのでオーストリアのおしゃれなお土産としてぴったり。


They are chocolate my Austrian friend gave me :) I didn't know this Austrian chocolate maker called Zotter until he gave me, but it seems like it is well known brand. I checked their website (here) and found out that they use only fair trade and organic cacaos. Also, their chocolate does not contain any artificial flavor, colouring and other chemicals. They also make chocolate for vegans.

My Austrian friend told me that Zotter makes very creative chocolate and I should visit their shop when I visit Austrlia. I also really like their packaging with kitsch and cute illustrationsY

Anyway, they are chocolate bars, chocolate assortment and drinking chocolate from left to right in the photo. There were two small chocolates with sesame in the assortment and they tasted like something Japanese! And other chocolates were also very tasty (and healthy, I guess). Zotter's chocolates are good idea for souvenir of Austria, I think :)
Zotterのチョコレートバーの中に入っていたメッセージがとってもユニーク!

ドイツ語はまったく分からないので、旦那の適当な翻訳ですが、メッセージカードには「チョコレートを食べないで!でもチョコレートを楽しんで」と書いてあります。

I found a very nice message card inside the package of Zotter chocolate bar.

I've never studied German and I don't understand what it says, but according to my husband, who knows a bit of German language, the message card says "CAUTION: Don't eat chocolate, but enjoy it!".
メッセージの裏側にはさらに詳しい説明が・・・。

要約すると、「チョコレートのひとかけらを舌と口の天井の間に挟んで、ゆっくり溶かしながらチョコレートを楽しんでください。そうすることでカカオのすばらしい香りを堪能することができます。呼吸を深く吸って、チョコレートのアロマを楽しんでください。

この説明書き通りに試しにチョコレートを楽しんでみることに・・・。しばらく旦那も私もしばらく無口になりましたが(^ ^;) とっても優雅な時間に浸れたような気分になりました。しかも満足感もばっちり!これから食欲の秋、といってもザグレブは秋を通り越して冬のような寒さですが、食べ過ぎ抑制にもなりそうなので、しばらくこの食べ方でチョコレートを堪能することにします。

There was a detailed explanation how to "enjoy" chocolate on the back of the massage card.

In sum, it says "Hold a piece of chocolate between your tongue and upper palate of your mouth, and slowly melt it with your tongue and enjoy wonderful smell of chocolate. Breath deeply and enjoy aromas of chocolate".

My husband and I tried to enjoy the chocolate according to their way to eat chocolate. For a while both of us were silent because our mouths were busy with melting the chocolate, but we felt like we had elegant and sophisticated time :) And in fact, were were filled with feeling of satisfaction even with small amount of chocolate. It was a nice finding!

2012年10月16日火曜日

ノスタルジー Nostalgie

先月、ウィーンに住むオーストリア人の友達がザグレブの我が家まで遊びに来てくれました。しかもウィーンからザグレブまで自転車で…!!!ウィーン‐ザグレブ間は約350Km。2日かけてザグレブまでやってきてくれて、旦那も私もものすごくびっくり&とてもうれしかった(*゚ー゚*) 

さっそく梅酒をあけて乾杯♪そして旦那と友達はなぜか(?)懐かしのファミコン、スーパーマリオを夢中になって夜中まで遊んでました。クロアチア(その当時はユーゴスラビア)にもファミコンがあったんだ!とちょっとびっくり。「子供の時はもっと上手だったのに、おかしい…」と言いながら子供時代に戻ったように遊んでいる二人が微笑ましい。

My friend who lives in Vienna visited me in Zagreb last month. Surprisingly, he travelled 350km from Vienna to Zagreb by his bicycle!!! We, me and my husband, were both surprised and when I heard that he planed to travel to Zagreb by bicycle, we thought he was joking. But, he succeeded his trip and got to our home safely and we were very happy to welcome him at our apartment :)

To welcome our friend from Vienna, we opened a bottle of umeshu (Japanese plum wine, or plum rakija). Then, my husband and my friend played Super Mario with old antique Family Computer or "Famicon" til midnight :D My husband said he was much better when he was a child, but now, both of them have trouble with cleaning stages! They seemed like they went back to their childhood and enjoyed it a lot.

2日目はカルロヴァッツプリトヴィッツェへ友達を案内しました。ザグレブ周辺、日帰りで行ける場所となると、意外に限られてしまうのが残念。でもカルロヴァッツの戦争博物館もプリトヴィッツェもそれなりに楽しんでくれたみたい。

On his second day in Zagreb, we took him to Karlovac and Plitvice. The day trip destinations are pretty much limited from Zagreb. But it seemed like my friend enjoyed both War Museum in Karlovac and Plitvice.






この日は9月のはじめにも関わらず、雨が降るか、降らないか、というくらい天気が悪くて肌寒かった(>_<) でも、アウトドアが好きな友達には好評でした♪ちなみに、4月、6月に来たときに通行止めになっていた小滝(Mali Slap)への道は未だに閉鎖されたままでした。いつになったら再開するのかなぁ・・・。

Even in the beginning of September, it was very cold in Plitvice, especially because we had a bad weather that day. Still, we enjoyed the beautiful lakes and very fresh and clean air, which was really really great. By the way, a passage to the small waterfall (Mali Slap) was still closed since I visited there last April and June. I have no idea when the passage will be opened again.









遠くまで遊びに来てくれてありがとう!次はウィーンで会えるといいな。ウィーンまではザグレブから車で約4時間半で、スプリットに行くよりもちょっとだけ近いんだけれど、なかなかウィーンに行く機会がないから、いい理由付になるかも?!

Anyway, thank you for visiting me my friend! I wish we will see each other again, maybe in Vienna next time ;)  Actually, Vienna is a bit closer to Zagreb than Split, but we didn't have a chance to visit there, but now we have a good excuse to visit Vienna :)




2012年10月15日月曜日

自転車デビュー New Bicycle

自転車デビューと言っても私ではなく旦那ですが、我が家に新しい自転車がやってきました。家から旦那の会社までは歩いて45分。車で行っても渋滞にはまって無駄にガソリンを消費するだけなので、自転車を、とずっと話していましたが、ついに購入しましたv(。・ω・。)

My husband bought a new bicycle so that he can ride it to the office. He always wanted to buy one, because it takes about 45 mins to the office by foot, and also, it could be save money and time. Even when he goes to the office by car, often he is caught by the traffic jam an wasting time and petrol.


現在、ザグレブではガソリン1L約11.30Kn (日本円にして約158円)。日本とほとんど変わらないと思います。でも、平均月収が約30万の日本に比べたら、平均月収が8万くらいのクロアチアでこの値段ははっきり言ってべらぼうに高いです。とはいうものも周りを見てもたくさんの車が走っているし、どうやってやりくりしているのか不思議なくらい。

そういうこともあって自転車の購入を決定しました。聞くところによると、経済不況、ガソリン価格の高騰の影響でここ3年、自転車に乗る人が急増したらしいです。

近くの自転車屋さん何件か回ってみた感想ですが、自転車の相場はディスカウント抜きで大体2000Kn~(2012年10月15日時点で1Kn = 約13.5円)。自転車屋さんには2000Kn以下で自転車を探すのは難しい、と言われました。

Currently, the petrol price in Zagreb is about 11.30Kn per litter. I think the price is almost the same as in Japan, or could be a bit more expensive than in Japan. Considering that Japanese average monthly income is about 3,000 euro (before taxed), this petrol price is extremely expensive to Zagreb people whose monthly income before tax is about 800 euro! But, still I see lots of cars on the roads. I seriously want to ask how they manage their finances...

Anyway, my husband's coworker told us that more and more people start riding bicycles because of economic crisis and high price of petrol.

When I visited some bicycle shops, I found bicycles are very expensive here. It's very hard to find a bicycle below 1,500Kn. We didn't want to buy too expensive bicycle in case someone steel it :S

自転車の価格もここ3年でかなり跳ね上がったそうです。その影響もあってか、ここザグレブでは自転車の盗難事故が多発しています。たぶん他のヨーロッパ諸国も同じような感じかな。写真はパリで見つけた無残な姿の自転車・・・。聞いた話だと、自転車本体と写真をロックしてちょっとATMによって目を離した2,3分の間に自転車が盗まれた、ということもあるそうです。自転車が盗まれても警察はあまり動いてくれないらしく、自己防衛をしっかりするほかないのだとか。そういう話を聞くと、日本って安全な国だな、と感じます。そんなわけで、我が家も自転車は家の中に入れています。

I've heard that price of a bicycle is doubled or even more in the last 3 years here in Zagreb. It might increases the number of stolen bicycles in Zagreb. I think it is not only the problem in Zagreb, but all European countries share it, but bicycles thefts are very serious problem. I've even heard about a story that a person locked his bike between the main frame and wheel and went to ATM, and in a few minutes when he looked away, someone took his bicycle. The photo above is the bicycle I found in Paris.

So, to avoid our bicycle be stolen, we keep the new bicycle inside our apartment.

The situation is very different from Japan, well, at least from my town and around. There are of course bike thefts. But, most cases, a thief steel a bike which is not locked, and the purpose of steeling is not to sell it but to get a quick ride to his destination and then just leave the bike there. So, when a bicycle is stolen, we usually report it to a local police and they will find it in a month with high chances.

ちなみにザグレブの自転車事情を…。こちらではオランダやデンマークに比べたらまだまだ自転車専用道路の整備もしっかりされていない感じです。写真は歩道の隅に書かれた自転車道。う~ん、でも日本に比べたらちょことだけ進んでる感じなのかな? クロアチア人は車の運転も荒いので、自転車で街を乗り回すときは要注意。方向指示器を出さないで曲がったり、曲がるのと同時に方向指示器を出す人が結構います(^ ^;) 

I think compared to Holland and Denmark or other European countries, Zagreb needs to improve the bicycle roads a bit more. Well, compared to Japan, Zagreb is better, because in my town and around, we don't have it yet (I think we still don't...). Anyway, when you ride a bicycle in Zagreb, watch cars around you carefully. I found out that many Croatian drivers turns without turning the indicator or turns the indicator the moment when they turn. Which actually surprised me because the driving habits are bit different from Japan.