Original question: Why did the English spell closer with an "s" instead of a "z"? Was it a Friday before a long weekend when they decided to spell it the same way as another word that has a different meaning? Well, I can definitely guarantee that it wasn’t a Friday before a long weekend. This … Continue reading Quora – Why did the English spell closer with an “s” instead of a “z”?
Read James Brooks' answer to Was Jack the Ripper German? on Quora Jack the Ripper was a serial killer in eastern London (the Whitechapel district) between (potentially) 1888 and 1891. As the identity of Jack the Ripper was never identified, it is impossible to know what nationality he/she was. The name ‘Jack the Ripper’ comes … Continue reading Quora – Was Jack the Ripper German?
Read James Brooks' answer to Why does English have so many words that sound exactly the same but mean totally different things? on Quora There are many reasons: languages change and generally become simplified over time, trends emerge in pronunciation changes, etc. Often there is not one clear defined event that someone can point to … Continue reading Quora – Why does English have so many words that sound exactly the same but mean totally different things?
To the north of the province of Granada in Andalucia in Spain lies the province of Jaén. In the southwest of this province lies the city of the same name, the capital of the province. History The city of Jaén has a long history: the Neolithic period saw humans arrive here celebrated by the well-known … Continue reading Jaén, Spain – Spending a little time in olive heaven
Laxenburg is a town in the federal state of Lower Austria /Niederösterreich located to the south of the capital city, Vienna. Laxenburg is well known for its castles. It has three: the Altes Schloss (old castle), the Blauer Hof (Blue Court) and Franzensburg Castle. For a small town of under 3000 people, this is quite … Continue reading Laxenburg, Austria – The play park of emperors
When taking a long road trip (for example, from France to Liechtenstein), it is always a good idea to have a point to stop, stretch one's legs and see something interesting to break up the monotonous hours of motorway/autobahn/highway travel. This specific stop was a nice city on the Swiss-Italian border (on the Italian side): Como. … Continue reading Como, Italy – Italian riches
Francis Grose, Author of 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 … Continue reading A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue
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! XJF380222 Thomas Sprat, 1683 (oil on panel) by Dahl, … Continue reading A Brief Post on the History and Use of Scientific English
Vaduz dates back to the 1100s (at least, it appeared in manuscripts from the time); a castle dates from 1322, but the Swiss completely destroyed both in 1499. Until 1719, the Hohenems family held Liechtenstein. This is when the Liechtenstein family purchased it. The family originally came from Castle Liechtenstein in Lower Austria. They wanted … Continue reading Vaduz, Liechtenstein – A tiny capital for a tiny country
Loarre Castle is quite a special place due to its history; it is not only one of the oldest castles in Spain, but also a fortified abbey. Originally built as the line of last defence in northern Huesca (Aragon) against the Moorish invaders. Then it became a fortified religious site and expanded over the next … Continue reading Loarre Castle, Spain – The final defence
Just south of the capital of Liechtenstein, Vaduz, there exist two towns with similar names. The first is Triesen, which like Vaduz, is located next to the Rhein River. Triesenberg (as the name suggested if you understand German), sits above Triesen on the side of one of the mountains in Liechtenstein. It is hard to … Continue reading Triesenberg, Liechtenstein – Beginning the ascent of the country
Balzers is a small town in Liechtenstein that is located in the south-west portion of the country, across the border (and the Rhein River, which is the border) from the Swiss town of Sargans. Balzers (like all places in Liechtenstein) is a small town a few thousand inhabitants. What sets it apart is the castle, … Continue reading Balzers, Liechtenstein – On the valley floor
Our trip to Arlon in Belgium was quite unexpected but well worth the trip. The train line between Luxembourg City and Arlon (a friend was heading to Namur) was closed; instead we drove her to Arlon. As we arrived an hour before the train departed, we decided to visit the local church and it was … Continue reading Arlon, Belgium – Religious overload
After visiting Luxembourg City, our next stop was Vianden and its famous castle. Vianden lies in a valley along the German-Luxembourg border where the river Our passes through. The town is located on both sides of the river and has grown along it rather than up the steep sides. It is also partially located in … Continue reading Vianden Castle, Luxembourg – The birthplace of the lowlands
Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg, is a truly remarkable city in which you can see wonderful architecture, picturesque views and astonishing places. It holds the world's top spot for personal safety and ranks high for quality of life; Luxembourg the country has the second-highest GDP in the world! If you are looking to move … Continue reading Luxembourg City, Luxembourg – A European capital