Melange ASMR

History of the Vienna Metro: Where is the Missing Line?

There's this little oddity in the Vienna metro system: there are five lines yet the numbering system counts up to six. What gives? The answer is about a century's worth of plans over plans, none of which have been fully realised. So let's take a look at both the history of the Vienna subway and it's future, because a lot of changes are on the way - and the missing line won't be missing for much longer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Mysterious Island of Thule

Today we're following the astronomer Pytheas, who in about 300 BCE went on a journey of discovery to the far north, following the tin route. His book "On the Ocean" unfortunately got lost, but we know from other accounts that he made his way to Britain and from there, Barbarians showed him "where the sun goes to rest": another six day journey across the sea and there was the island he called Thule. It has been assumed for a long time that Thule must be Iceland, though in recent times, other theories have emerged, suggesting Smøla in Norway and Saaremaa in Estonia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Celtic History and Languages

Today's, let's figure out how a tiny Austrian town in the mountains is connected to the "Celtic fringe" on the Western shores of Europe. We'll follow Celtic settlements from the Bronze Age into the Middle Ages and then jump ahead to take a closer look at the 6 Celtic languages still alive - or revived - today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marco Polo’s Route to China

Today we're going back to the Middle Ages to follow Marco Polo on his journey to Kublai Khan's summer residence in China. I'll give you a little background on Marco Polo's family as well as the circumstances under which the book was written, and then we're tracing the exact route through Persia, along the Silk Road. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Age of Napoleon

Small man, much chaos! Let's have a look at the changes Napoleon brought to the European continent and specifically at the developments he triggered in the former Holy Roman Empire. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 8 Biggest Language Families in the World

Let's have a look at some linguistic facts today: What are the 8 biggest language families in the world? This list is based on number of speakers (not number of related languages in a family) and includes Indoeuropean, Turkic, Sino-Tibetan, Japanese, Austronesian, Dravidian, Afro-Asian and Niger-Congo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Museums in Vienna

Just before the museums in Vienna were about to open again in 2021, we had a look through some of promotional leaflets. Here, I'll tell you a little about current and special exhibitions and then mark each location on the map with a little sticker. Triggers include sorting, tracing and pointing on leaflets and map, paper sounds, some quiet reading and generally a soft spoken accent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.