In the last few days of December, I'm looking ahead to a new year here at Entering the Enchanted Castle! I'm saying goodbye to my other blog, The Emerald City Book Review, and moving all my book blogging activity over here. I look forward to welcoming many old and new friends to the Castle. To … Continue reading Looking ahead, with a goodbye giveaway
As I near the end of my year of reading the entire Bible, there have been parts that I met as old friends. The Gospels, the Psalms, the book of Genesis and the book of Revelation are all familiar to me, though they continue to unfold new insights when read in this slow and deliberate … Continue reading Between Egypt and Babylon
By definition, language requires more than one party to be involved; it's about communication and interaction between people, not a solo performance. So it might seem impossible to teach yourself a language. Don't you need a class, or at least a teacher? With the resources available to us today, though, you can come quite far … Continue reading Can you teach yourself a language?
Four years ago, on November 9, 2016, my world turned upside down. I woke up to the news that Donald Trump had won the presidency (or at least the electoral college). Hardly anyone in my world had expected this result. I said to my husband in horror, "He won!" -- and he bizarrely thought I … Continue reading 9/11 and 11/9
I just returned from two weeks in Crete - glorious weather, dramatic scenery, the loveliest Mediterranean swimming, and fascinating archaeological sites. I was a bit nervous about traveling during the pandemic but we were outside most of the time and masked whenever not and returned in good health. The tourist volume was way below normal, … Continue reading Land of the labyrinth
As a birthday present to myself this month, I ordered some new post graphics to update the look of Entering the Enchanted Castle. In the new year I plan to close down my other blog The Emerald City Book Review and move my other blogging activity, including book reviews and discussions, over here, so I … Continue reading A new look
Image: Sleeping Hermaphroditus, Louvre; Roman copy of a Hellenistic original. Source I have a feeling that most of the mistakes I make in French and German have to do with not knowing or not remembering the gender of a noun, and thus the associated changes that have to be made in articles and adjectives. I … Continue reading Should language have gender?
As well as multiple languages, there are other things I've had to get used to in Switzerland. Some of these I knew about from previous visits, while others came as a not so pleasant surprise. And some may be general European things, while others are more particularly Swiss; I can't be sure, not having spent … Continue reading Settling into Switzerland
Is it possible to learn two languages at once? I don't know what the research says, but it would seem to me that probably one at a time would be more effective. However, living as I do between the French and German parts of Switzerland, I don't have much choice. I have to speak French … Continue reading Doublespeak
As I've continued with my project of reading the Bible in one year, the program I'm using doesn't necessarily go through the Old Testament in order. Occasionally it breaks the sequence to skip to a later book, before returning to the traditional list. After many, many books about the kings of Israel and their misdeeds … Continue reading A journey with Jonah, with a poem
