221–230 of 248 posts
I walked across Tokyo last weekend. Took me 20 hours. I suck at writing so all I'll say is that everyone should walk across a city. It's a magical experience. Turn off your your phone, bring a disposable camera and a compass and just walk. You'll discover so many personal insights.
There is a name for that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dérive
how are people able to walk 100kms in 4 days with no rest days. i just can walk 8 kms every day :(
25km isn't too rough unless you're copping a lot of ups and downs, or don't enjoy walking. Helps if you start early to cover ground and give yourself time to rest. Our 4yo daughter did day hikes in the 15-20km range a few times last year, in mountainous terrain. I think attitude and resilience are key. In this case, one advantage was the author having a 7kg pack and using accommodation/food along the way rather than…
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25km isn't too rough unless you're copping a lot of ups and downs, or don't enjoy walking. Helps if you start early to cover ground and give yourself time to rest. Our 4yo daughter did day hikes in the 15-20km range a few times last year, in mountainous terrain. I think attitude and resilience are key. In this case, one advantage was the author having a 7kg pack and using accommodation/food along the way rather than…
4yo hikes 15-20kms? man, sources please.
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/montana/grinnell-glacier-... (from where we started, this was 19km return plus climbing around at the top; I carried her on my shoulders for less than 1km)
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/idaho/sawtooth-lake-via-i... (15+ km and rained for part of it)
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/utah/chesler-park?u=m (16km)
In 2021 when my other two children were 6yo and 9yo, they did 40+ km in 24 hours. Hiked midday until 10pm and then 7am until midday the day after. They are just normal kids; I am not fit but enjoy hiking.
Here's that story: https://sarogaining.com.au/news/almertas-bluff/ https://www.instagram.com/p/CUUTaCcJfN8/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2...
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TIL disposable cameras are still available, and apparently quite popular for weddings.
I’m surprised they are still a thing of weddings now that everyone has smartphones. Maybe they are considered nostalgic for the period before smartphones and digital cameras. Or maybe there is no good way to share photos from guests.
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They come as part of the tent or what? Tell me more I'm intrigued.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32965526071.html If you want a 'cheap' option that uses trekking poles.
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The kings of England also claimed to be Kings of France until 1800.
In 1800 England was closer to becoming a department of France, than France joining a personal union under England :-)) Of course, life turned out differently, but aristocratic claims are quite crazy. Who's the current King of Jerusalem, again? :-D
The thing to remember is that nations and nationalism are the centrepiece concept of politics today, but this is new.
Medieval politics was all about kings, lords and lordships. Not nations. National sentiments may have played roles, but secondary. Like the role race, class, ideology or whatnot today. Important, but nowhere near as central as nations.
The King of England wasn't very English much of the time.
The competing claims on england & france originate with Normans. They were if scandi origin, became powerful in France. They conquered England, Jerusalem, Cyprus, parts of Italy, etc. England became the house's important, long term procession... but they weren't English. They spoke french and claimed Viking ancestry.
Circa 1800 was a transitional period. Republican nationalism was exploding. Being a German house (Hanover) ruling England was becoming an issue. Royals started to adopt (previously derided) English folkishness. They raised their children in English, started speaking in a native accent, eating English foods and publicly participating in English activities.
You can still see this today, with British royals engaged in symbolic national "customs" like Scottish tartanry, Welsh language or whatever.
England wasn't claiming lordship over France. The king of England was. Up to 1800-ish, the king himself wasn't English. Not culturally and not by self-definition.
Eager to read similar about Lichtenstein, Andorra, San Marino.
I live in San Marino, let me chime in! The historic center, which is called San Marino Città, is a gorgeous medieval town and it's also part of UNESCO heritage. I definitely recommend a trip there, if you happen to be somewhere near. When I went to school there, I regularly missed the bus so I had the chance of doing a few walks down to my home. It's a bit steep, since the town is located at the top of mount Titano a…
I'd definitely recommend poles. They enable using the entire body when walking and act as additional points of balance which means you don't have to focus as much on just staying upright, it's like having two extra legs attached at your elbows.
That and memory foam / gel pads in your shoes. I walk a lot since the lock down and I've had knee issues in the past. Good gel pads help and using your knees with light exercise actually improves things. I Mostly wear sneakers. Hiking shoes tend to be a bit more rigid and have less shock absorption. The poles might help as well. Nordic walking, is a thing that a lot of cross country skiers do in Scandinavia to stay i…
Fortunately I never had problems like that but I am sure using barefoot shoes (Fivefinger in my case) improved how I walk. When I am not using those I use zero drop Trailrunners (Altra Lone Peak) which kind of force you to use your front foot more.
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>> Dutch law allowed the throne to pass to a female child, but the Grand Duchy was under different laws and was inherited by a claimant rather than the new Dutch queen. (Monarchy is pretty weird in practice.) Game of Thrones, with its campy portrayal of regal titles and announcements, kind of drives this point home. European aristocracy, especially those derived from germanic and other barbarian cultures, held titles…
They did love collecting titles. The kings of England also claimed the title of King of France until 1802, even though they lost the very last enclave on French soil in 1558: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_claims_to_the_French_t...