日本にいるとあまり気づかないけれど、海外に行くとやはり、海外の方が空が青いように思います。日本の方が大気が汚れているということですね。中国の北京のようなかすみはないですが。アメリカの青空はやっぱりきれいです。緑ももっと緑に感じます。以前訪れたイースター島は、もっと青かった。あまりにも青が濃いのでひどく驚いた覚えがあります。地球の温暖化はじめ、さまざまな環境問題を真剣に考えていかないと、災害が我々を襲ってくる時代に入ってしまいましたね。

日本で人気の観光地といえば誰もが京都を思い浮かべると思います。

しかし、コロナの影響を受けて外国人観光客の数が激減したことで京都の主要な観光地は閑散としていました。

私が学生時代京都に住んでいた時は、外国人観光客をみない日はないというくらいでしたが、かなり減ってしまったように感じます。

最近になり、少しずつ外国人観光客が増えてきており、最盛期までとはいきませんが活気が戻ってきているようです。

京都に観光に行く際には電車や新幹線を使うことをお勧めします。というのも、京都は他県に比べて狭い道が比較的多く、自動二輪車（特に原付）の数もとても多いので、運転に慣れていない人だと観光どころか移動だけで一苦労です。秋になり、紅葉を楽しむことができるのも京都の良い魅力ですね。楽しい思い出にするためにも、安全第一で。

Hey y’all!

The food storm continues! Let’s get into it! 

See y’all in class! 

Beef nachos with guacamole, salsa, jalapeños, sour cream and pico de gallo 

A Texas take on Asian food: beef brisket rangoons with beef takoyaki 

Cheese enchiladas with a beef crispy taco 

Bill Miller’s BBQ with a large sweet tea, pinto beans, coleslaw, and potato salad

Texas Tansan and Jeramine is having a lemon/blood orange icy.

Homemade cacio e pepe

A charcuterie board my aunt and I made

Lemon butter pasta with shrimp 

A lobster roll and french fries 

A Whataburger honey butter chicken biscuit 

夏に行ったイングリッシュデイのポスターが飾ってあった岐阜本部校の外側の壁。

イングリッシュデイ終了後、何を飾ろうかずっと考えていました。

写真のようにしてみました。

他にもインスタグラムに投稿した内容も掲示してあります。

良かったら一度インスタでハローズを検索してみてくださいね。

Hey there everyone, it’s Erica here! Do you like theme parks? How about water parks? What about Disney? Well, if you answered “YES” to any pf those then this blog is for you! Today we’re going to talk about one of the two water parks at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida!

Disney’s Blizzard Beach is a water theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida near Orlando. All water areas are heated exception the melting snow in the ice cave of Cross Country Creek.

The park opened on April 1, 1995 and was the third Walt Disney World water park. In 2016, the park hosted approximately 2,091,000 guests, ranking it the third-most visited water park in the world!  Blizzard Beach is open year-round which is made possible by the mild climate in Florida. 

According to Disney “legend,” a freak snowstorm on January 11, 1977, in the area led to the development of Florida’s first ski resort. Ski lifts were put up, toboggan runs were laid down and an entire resort area blossomed around the mountain of snow. Naturally, because of the normal temperatures in Florida, the snow dissipated very quickly, and the snow rapidly turned into slush. This left behind a collection of waterlogged yet snowless ski jumps and chair lifts. The operators were preparing to cut their losses and walk away. However, they were interrupted by a loud yell coming from the summit of the mountain of melting snow and looked up to see a blue alligator sliding down the mountain at top speed. Ice Gator, the mascot, then landed in a pool of melted snow at the base of the mountain with a thunderous splash. The ski resort operators suddenly saw the park’s potential, and the mountain of snow became Disney’s Blizzard Beach, “the most slushy, slippery, exhilarating water park anywhere!”

Slalom courses, bobsled, and toboggan runs became downhill water slides. The creek of melted snow that formed at the base of the mountain became a relaxing tube ride. The chairlift carried swimmers instead of skiers. The ski jump became the tallest and fastest water slide in the world.

The majority of the major attractions at the park are hosted atop of Mount Gushmore, an artificial hill with an elevation of 90 feet . Mount Gushmore is split into three colored slopes: Green, Red, and Purple.

The park’s whimsical and imaginative concept was conceived by designer-Imagineer Marshall Monroe. Innovative elements of the park include a beach chair-themed chair lift, complete with beach umbrellas, and pretend snow skis. The setting and atmosphere of the park are marked by a unique blending of tropical landscaping with simulated melting snow throughout. The mountain is a unique engineering structure constructed in a challenging setting – a high water table Florida woodland. And the architecture is a playful intersection of alpine lodges with Caribbean colors and accents.