Archive for maps
day of the maps
Posted in Books, pictures, Travel with tags Book, Charles Larochette, Gerard Mercator, Jean de Mandeville, Louis Bonnefont, maps, Parenthèses, Robert Louis Stevenson on March 4, 2026 by xi'an
Martin Behaim’s globe
Posted in Books, pictures with tags 1492, Brave New World, Centro del Mudéjar, Erdapfel, Fra Mauro's map, maps, Martin Behaim, Nuremberg, Palacio Marqueses de la Algaba, planisphere, Rand McNally & Co, Sevilla on December 12, 2025 by xi'an
murales de Sevilla [jatp]
Posted in pictures, Running, Travel with tags Antonio Alvarez Gordillo, Desperately Seeking Susan, Madonna, maps, murals, Sevilla, Siberia, Spain, Ukraine on November 28, 2025 by xi'an
…no el xe un pèse!!!
Posted in Kids, pictures, Travel with tags Austria, Austro-Hungary, Carlo Goldoni, Der Nord Wal, Friuli-Venezia, Gallo-Italic languages, German, Giacomo Casanova, Indo-European languages, Italy, Latin, maps, Old Norse, Republic of Venice, Romance language, tee-shirt, TNF, Venetan, Veneto, Venezia, whales on May 19, 2025 by xi'an
And here is the Venetan version of the nuova fanèla (tee-shirt), as suggested by my friend, co-author, and former PhD student Roberto Casarin, who hosted a fantastic ISBA last summer (and kindly looked after me while in ospedale!). Meaning this is not a fish! (If possibly a whale?!) For a better design Antoine and I had to give up the accent in pèse, much to my dismay. (End of the TNF series!)
…Der Nord Wal, but…
Posted in Books, Kids, pictures, Travel with tags Austria, Austro-Hungary, Der Nord Wal, French Revolution, German, Italy, maps, Napoléon Bonaparte, Napoleonic wars, narwhal, Old Norse, Republic of Venice, tee-shirt, TNF, Treaty of Campo Formio, Venetian, Venezia, whales, Yosemite on May 18, 2025 by xi'an
This new version in TNF memes came to life during my stay in Venezia last summer, as the fish or whale analogy struck me (after so many visits!). The German wording of the North whale afforded a proximity to the original brand without sharing a single word with said brand (and no connection with either the North Wall in Yosemite or the narwhal species, whose etymology link to the Old Norse for corpse-skinned whale). Antoine Luciano improved my early sketch of a three-part simplified map into the above (cutting out Santa Croce and inflating Giudecca) et voilà !
However, using a German motto for the map of Venezia may sound offensive to Venetian ears, reminding them of the 50 years of Austrian occupation—with both Napoléon Bonaparte and Napoléon III involved in the matter—, I consulted locals for another version and…
