お茶の間留学

Today, I would like to tell you about the most famous legend in my home town Narni, a small castle-town in central Italy. Narni is located in the region of Umbria, whose capital is Perugia, a city similarly structured around a fortress but much much larger. Both Narni and Perugia have a rampant griffin as their city crest, the only difference is that Perugia's is white, while Narni's is red. There is an interesting explanation behind this aesthetic choice, but before diving into the past, we need to explain what a griffin is and what it represents.

The Griffin (or Gryphon) is a chimera, or a creature, in this case an animal, having the parts of different animals. The griffin has the head, front legs and wings of an eagle; the belly and hind legs of a lion; and the ears of a horse. It was said that the griffin could only be female and that it represented qualities such as cunning, strength and protection.

 Agli inizi del medioevo, Narni e Perugia erano in costante conflitto l'una con l'altra. Guerre e battaglie avevano separato quasi irreparabilmente le due città, fino a quando, quasi dal nulla, un temibile grifone apparse nei celi umbri, terrorrizando gli abitanti delle due città. Allorché, entrambe le famiglie reali dell'epoca decisero di allearsi e formare un unico esercito con lo scopo di affrontare la nuova minaccia comune. Alla fine la forza combinata dei due regni riuscì a sconfiggere l'indomita bestia.

At the beginning of the Middle Ages, Narni and Perugia were in constant conflict with each other. Wars and battles had almost irreparably separated the two cities, until one day, out of nowhere, a fearsome griffin appeared in the Umbrian skies, terrifying the inhabitants of the two cities. And in that moment both royal families of the time decided to become allies and form a single army in order to face the new common threat. Eventually the combined strength of the two kingdoms succeeded in defeating the indomitable beast.

 Le due città decisero di spartire la carcassa e tenere i resti del grifone come trofeo: a Perugia andarono le ossa (bianche) mentre a Narni spettò la pelle (rossa).

The two cities decided to keep the remains of the griffin as a trophy and divide the carcass: the bones (white) went to Perugia while the skin (red) went to Narni.

 Il grifone narnese-perugino è quindi simbolo della resilienza delle due città, che hanno deciso di mettere da parte le proprie differenze ed aiutarsi l'un l'altra in un momento di crisi.

The Narni-Perugian griffin is therefore a symbol of the resilience of the two cities, which decided to put aside their differences and help each other in a moment of crisis.

region:～地方

structure:構造

 fortress:要塞

crest:紋章

behind:背景

aesthetic:美的な

represents:表す

chimera:キメラ

 creature:（想像上の）生き物、獣、化物

belly:腹

 hind legs:後ろ足

cunning:狡猾さ

strength:強さ

constant:常に

conflict :対立

 irreparably:取り返しのつかない

out of nowhere:どこからともなく

terrifying:怖がらせる

inhabitant:住民

 threat:脅威

Eventually:最終的に

combined strength:力を合わせる

defeating the indomitable beast.:不屈の獣を倒す

remains of the griffin:グリフィンの残骸

divide:分割する

carcass:死骸

therefore:したがって

resilience :回復

crisis:危機

I recently traveled to Okayama during my last vacation. It's a wonderful place where you can see historical monuments, visit prestigious museums and enjoy delicious local food.

     The weather was nice so we walked through the famous park near the castle. It was a beautiful sight and an unforgettable memory. The area offers many possibilities to the traveler: navigate the romantic Kurashiki canals, enjoy the scenery by bicycle from the bridge that connects the islands of Honshu and Shikoku, go hiking in the surrounding mountains, try on the original Kojima jeans or meet Momotaro's hidden mysteries in his house-museum.

 

     Toda una experiencia que a todos les recomiendo para su próximo viaje.

     An experience that I recommend to everyone for your next trip.

prestigious: 一流

unforgettable:忘れられない

offers:オファー

possibilities:可能性

 canals:運河

scenery:風景

surrounding: 周囲

jeans:ジーンズ

Good morning all,

Aujourd'hui, je vais vous parler de mes voyages. Plus particulièrement de l'Angleterre. Je suis parti de France juste après mes études. J'avais soif de voyage et j'avais aussi envie de parfaire mon anglais.

Today I will tell you about my travels, particularly in England. I left France just after my studies. I was thirsty for travel and I also wanted to improve my English.

J'ai donc mis le cap sur Bournemouth et plus précisément Wimborne Minster dans la cô‌te sud de l'Angleterre. J'avais au préalable trouvé un travail de volontaire en maison d'hô‌te (Ça ressemblait plus à un grand château qu'à une maison). C'était surtout du travail manuel, on s'occupait du jardin, de la cour et de temps en temps on transportait des choses d'un endroit à un autre.

So I headed for Bournemouth and more specifically Wimborne Minster on the south coast of England. I had previously found a volunteer job in a guest house (it looked more like a big castle than a house). It was mostly manual labor. We took care of the garden, the yard and from time to time we transported things from one place to another.

En échange, j'étais nourri et logé. J'ai rencontré plein de gens de différents pays, quelques français, des italiens, mais aussi des personnes originaires d'amérique du sud. À cô‌té de ça, j'avais aussi réussi à trouver un travail dans un café pour me faire un peu d'argent.

In return, I was fed and housed. I met a lot of people from different countries, some French, some Italians, but also people from South America. Besides that, I also managed to find a job in a cafe to make some money.

I stayed there for about three months. It was great. I met some good people. I shared unforgettable moments and all the while improving my English.

Au bout de 3 mois, je suis reparti en France. J'ai pris un car à destination Londres, Paris puis Lyon, ma ville natale.

After three months, I returned to France. I took a bus to London, Paris then Lyon, my hometown.

Si un jour j'en ai la chance, je retournerai là-bas avec plaisir.

If one day I get the chance, I will happily return there.

Je vous souhaite un bonne journée et à bientô‌t dans une leçon j'éspère.

I wish you a good day and hope to see you soon in a lesson.

particularly: 特に

previously: 以前に

manual labor: 肉体労働

In return: その見返りに

I was fed and housed:  食事と宿を与えてもらった

Hello everyone!

 Quando mi presento a lezione dico sempre di essere di Milano o vicino Milano, ma questa non è la verità. Mi presento in questo modo perché Milano è conosciuta da tutti, mentre la zona da dove provengo io non è così famosa. Ma se c'è qualche amante del vino tra di voi potrebbe averne sentito parlare: io vengo dalla Franciacorta. E no, non è in Francia, è in Italia.

When I start a lesson I always say I'm from Milan or near Milan, but this is not the truth. I introduce myself in this way because Milan is known by everyone, while the area where I come from is not so famous. But if there's a wine lover among you, you may have heard of it: I come from Franciacorta. And no, it's not in France, it's in Italy.

 La Franciacorta è una zona nella provincia di Brescia, in Lombardia, a una cinquantina di chilometri da Milano. É una vasta aerea collinare, vicino alle montagne e al lago d'Iseo in cui ovunque si posi lo sguardo si possono trovare delle vigne. Il vino più prodotto e maggiormente conosciuto della Franciacorta è il Bollicine, un Brut simile allo Spumante.

 Io purtroppo non sono un'intenditrice, in quanto non bevo vino e sono quasi astemia, perciò non vi posso dire se sia buono oppure no. Fatto sta che il marchio Franciacorta è molto conosciuto anche all'estero, quindi qualcosa di buono lo deve avere!

Unfortunately, I'm not a connoisseur, as I don't drink wine (I'm almost a teetotaler), so I can't tell you if it's good or not. The fact is that the Franciacorta brand i
s also well known abroad, so there must be something good about it!

 Se vi interessa saperne di più vi invito a cercare informazioni o a chiederne a me a lezione.

If you're interested in learning more, I invite you to look for information or ask me in class.

 Vi aspetto!

I'm waiting for you!

among:～の中で

province:県

vast hilly area:広大な丘陵地帯

vineyards:ぶどう園

connoisseur:エキスパート

teetotaler:全く飲酒しない人