history
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Minamikyushu: One of Japan’s Ancient Samurai Villages
Japan has a depth and breadth of history and culture that has long fascinated travellers from around the globe. From its bustling, neon-lit cities to the quiet, serene countryside, Japan seamlessly weaves the old with the new. At the heart of this rich tapestry is the village of Minamikyushu, located in the stunning Kagoshima Prefecture…
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A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue
Have you ever typed an unknown word into Google to figure out what it means and come across a website called UrbanDictionary? If not, I highly recommend it. Warning: this website includes many vulgar terms and while it is constantly evolving, changing, and growing in size, anyone can edit it, so many of the examples are…
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A Brief Post on the History and Use of Scientific English
So you may have seen my post on The Basic Characteristics of Scientific English, but what is it all for and where did it come from? What is the history of Scientific English? If you have wondered these questions, you have certainly come to the right place! History Elements of Scientific writing have been identified as…
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Maastricht, Netherlands – The Rhine’s centre of religion
Just across the border from Aachen in Germany lies the city of Maastricht in the Netherlands. Like Aachen, Maastricht also has a Roman history. Unlike Aachen, it did not develop into a political capital. Rather Maastricht developed into a religious one due to the legend of the death and burial of Saint Servatius. At the same…
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Ruine Hochburg, Germany – Defending the entrance to the Black Forest
As I promised those who follow this blog on Instagram, this blog post is on the Ruine Hochburg (High Castle Ruins). The Ruine Hochburg is located in Baden-Württemberg, Germany near Freiburg im Breisgau between the villages of Emmendingen (where I used to live) and Sexau. Originally “Hachberg”, the Emmendingen family built the castle in the…
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Oystermouth Castle, Wales – Guarding the Bay
One of the castles overlooking Swansea Bay is Oystermouth Castle in Mumbles, the village of the rich just outside of the city of Swansea. Oystermouth Castle has a thousand-year-old history, although the present castle of stone has only been standing for around 800 years (and underwent refurbishment, meaning they added a few things like a visitors…
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Cardona, Spain – Of Dukes and Salt Mountains
Cardona (Spain) is a well-known town in Catalonia for the Castle and the Muntanya de Sal. Muntanya de Sal (Salt Mountain) It’s most prominent feature (and the reason why it is well-known) is the Muntanya de Sal (Mountain of Salt), a rock salt mine opened under the Romans. The mine is no longer producing; you can…
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Hildesheim, Germany – A tale from history
Continuing on with the Germany theme, I would like to introduce a nice, small city in Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) that I particularly like called Hildesheim. If you like medieval history, this small city 30 km (19 miles) southeast of Hanover is the place to be. It is one of the oldest cities in northern Germany;…
