Yep. About 30 miles north of Milan. We lived in Lenno, but if you go there, stop in Bellagio, it is the nicest town with the best comforts, greatest B&B's and stunnig views of the lake. Good food and friendly folks. The best times to go are March, April and May, but also September, at least for me. But summer is the perfect time to take a dip in the lake. :-)
I spent a few years in Milan working as a business consultant. I didn't really click with the city. It's a bit chaotic, not the cleanest, and the services could be better. But you can get Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper there (I can't remember exactly where, though) and the amazing gothic Duomo. If I were you, I’d check out Piedmont. Turin is nice, and you can visit the Holy Shroud at the right time of year. An amazing experience. If you love breathtaking seascapes, you can get to Genoa. From Como, you can easily visit Piedmont, Liguria, and Lombardy. You could even fit in parts of Veneto, but you’d need several days. There's a lot to see.
I was born and raised in one of the many islands in the Pacific before I moved to Denmark. Lived in Sweden for a while. We moved to Portugal two years ago
Yeah, plus like if you have to move somewhere, you've at least already experienced a few different locations and cultures. That could come in very handy. I've spent a month and a half total in Brazil, and maybe 10 days in Italy outside of the US. That's just such a tiny amount of time, and I want to see so much of the world! In due time, of course.
It's amazing about how cultures tend to be similar. Marvin comics introduced Thor to me so many years ago. Years later, I learned about Sango, the Yoruba god of thunder. Thor and Sango possessed similar characteristics. The similarities of both gods come across as amazing.
It's so interesting how people conclude the same things, no matter what culture they've come from. We all see those things as important! Folks will do well to remember this.
I could be wrong, but I always thought the seven-day week concept came from Babylonians, and Constantine the Great decreed a seven-day week in the Roman Empire.
You're definitely right about Mesopotamia/Sumer. That's where the idea seems to have originated, and it was adopted by many cultures thereafter (including the Jewish and Arabic people, whom Rabbi Eli mentioned here in the comments). Rome really just made it standard everywhere, which was kind of like their superpower as far as I can tell.
I feel like the Vikings may have visited Český Krumlov (or at least the village that became the city, before the Český Krumlov Castle was built). Looks like an excellent place to spend the afternoon/evening!
And it's perfect. Katka's mom has the kids for a few days, so we've been here since Tuesday. Covered about 50 km on scooters (classic manual ones) in the past two days exploring nearby towns and castles.
That is wonderful. I will live vicariously through you until I get to Brazil. I have not had the pleasure yet. I have always loved Thursdays. Now I know why.
This seems to be the case in other regions as well, and I think you might be right about that Arabic influence! Side note, I'm interested in learning both Arabic and Hebrew at some point (probably just the spoken language for now; written is a bridge too far), just from a sort of functional standpoint. I have this idea that if I learn Arabic, I'll be able to decode some Hebrew... I'm learning Latin now, and it makes Portuguese, Italian, French, and Spanish more attainable... I might be able to figure out about a third or even half of the words at a glance now. Do you think that would work if I learned Arabic along similar lines?
It's amazing about how cultures tend to be similar. Marvin comics introduced Thor to me so many years ago. Years later, I learned about Sango, the Yoruba god of thunder. Thor and Sango possessed similar characteristics. The similarities of both gods come across as amazing.
Nice article, Andrew. And I'm both american and italian, so... double 🍻:-D
Hey, I really loved visiting Rome and Florence a few years back!
Rome and Florence are beautiful. I was near Lake Como a few years ago. It'd be a nice place for your next tour ;-)
Not too far from Milan, right? Tell me the things to know!
Yep. About 30 miles north of Milan. We lived in Lenno, but if you go there, stop in Bellagio, it is the nicest town with the best comforts, greatest B&B's and stunnig views of the lake. Good food and friendly folks. The best times to go are March, April and May, but also September, at least for me. But summer is the perfect time to take a dip in the lake. :-)
Excellent. What sorts of historical stuff should I see in Milan, should I get there?
I spent a few years in Milan working as a business consultant. I didn't really click with the city. It's a bit chaotic, not the cleanest, and the services could be better. But you can get Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper there (I can't remember exactly where, though) and the amazing gothic Duomo. If I were you, I’d check out Piedmont. Turin is nice, and you can visit the Holy Shroud at the right time of year. An amazing experience. If you love breathtaking seascapes, you can get to Genoa. From Como, you can easily visit Piedmont, Liguria, and Lombardy. You could even fit in parts of Veneto, but you’d need several days. There's a lot to see.
Fascinating article. I knew the French for Thursday, but I didn't know the others. Portugal is particularly interesting. Enjoyed that a lot... 😎
Chris, I can't get enough of etymology. There's a story behind every word!
Absolutely! Words are amazing. And it's always fun to find out more about where they came from... 😎
Fun article. In Denmark, they do refer to Thursday as Torsdag pronounced Tors-dae. Friday are Free-dae.
It did surprise me how they name days here in Portugal and now I know better.
When did you move to Portugal, and where did you grow up (if I may ask)?
I was born and raised in one of the many islands in the Pacific before I moved to Denmark. Lived in Sweden for a while. We moved to Portugal two years ago
Neat! You've seen a lot of different ways of live. That sort of diversity of experience is awesome.
Yeah, culture wise its definitely a shocker. Thank you. It probably help broaden my perspectives.
Yeah, plus like if you have to move somewhere, you've at least already experienced a few different locations and cultures. That could come in very handy. I've spent a month and a half total in Brazil, and maybe 10 days in Italy outside of the US. That's just such a tiny amount of time, and I want to see so much of the world! In due time, of course.
Yes, one gets to see and live things as it is.
It's amazing about how cultures tend to be similar. Marvin comics introduced Thor to me so many years ago. Years later, I learned about Sango, the Yoruba god of thunder. Thor and Sango possessed similar characteristics. The similarities of both gods come across as amazing.
It's so interesting how people conclude the same things, no matter what culture they've come from. We all see those things as important! Folks will do well to remember this.
My favorite line:
"The Marvel comics adaptations have fictionalized a great many things".
I'm not judging, I just know more about your religious beliefs. That's cool.
Only Stan Lee can judge me!
I could be wrong, but I always thought the seven-day week concept came from Babylonians, and Constantine the Great decreed a seven-day week in the Roman Empire.
You're definitely right about Mesopotamia/Sumer. That's where the idea seems to have originated, and it was adopted by many cultures thereafter (including the Jewish and Arabic people, whom Rabbi Eli mentioned here in the comments). Rome really just made it standard everywhere, which was kind of like their superpower as far as I can tell.
I'm celebrating Thor's day in the most appropriate manner: By drinking lots of hot mead.
Granted, it's Czech mead rather than Viking mead. And it's in Český Krumlov and not in any of the Nordic countries.
But still.
I feel like the Vikings may have visited Český Krumlov (or at least the village that became the city, before the Český Krumlov Castle was built). Looks like an excellent place to spend the afternoon/evening!
Indeed.
And it's perfect. Katka's mom has the kids for a few days, so we've been here since Tuesday. Covered about 50 km on scooters (classic manual ones) in the past two days exploring nearby towns and castles.
Nice! Think you might write about that stuff for Nest Expressed? It seems like that could be a catchall for stuff like that.
I'd be a natural place for that, yeah, but I'm not sure if I'll be covering the adventures. Just enjoying some time off for now, let's see!
Be sure to take some pics just in case!
Thank you for sharing this fascinating story. Happy “Thor” day to you as well. Thursday will forever be Thor day for me. Yah! 😊
And a merry fifth day to you as well! (I'm channeling my visits to Brazil)
That is wonderful. I will live vicariously through you until I get to Brazil. I have not had the pleasure yet. I have always loved Thursdays. Now I know why.
I wonder if quinta fierra is the result of Arab influence. In Arabic, Thursday is yaum al-hamisa (fifth day), just as it is in Hebrew (Yom Hamishi).
This seems to be the case in other regions as well, and I think you might be right about that Arabic influence! Side note, I'm interested in learning both Arabic and Hebrew at some point (probably just the spoken language for now; written is a bridge too far), just from a sort of functional standpoint. I have this idea that if I learn Arabic, I'll be able to decode some Hebrew... I'm learning Latin now, and it makes Portuguese, Italian, French, and Spanish more attainable... I might be able to figure out about a third or even half of the words at a glance now. Do you think that would work if I learned Arabic along similar lines?
It's amazing about how cultures tend to be similar. Marvin comics introduced Thor to me so many years ago. Years later, I learned about Sango, the Yoruba god of thunder. Thor and Sango possessed similar characteristics. The similarities of both gods come across as amazing.