#costoja

[useless-catalanfacts]

Costoja. Photo by levilo - Leandre on Flickr.

Costoja, a village of 100 inhabitants in Northern Catalonia, has been considered the town with the most poetic street names.

Where any normal (at least in Europe) town or city would have ordinary names like "shoe makers' street", "[insert more or less relevant historical person] boulevard", or "[name of building that once was there and which has been forgotten by time] square", the street names in Costoja take an unexpected turn.

The town has 77 bilingual street name signs written in Catalan (the local language) and French (the state's language), where you can find names such as:

Escapatòria dels Tenaços Xiuxiuejadors: Tenacious Whisperers' Way Out

Via Crucis dels Somnis Inconfessables: Unspeakable Dreams' Way of the Cross*

Plaçot dels Emprius de Tothom: Common Easements Square.

Atzucac de les Paraules Callades: Hushed Words Cul-de-sac or Unsaid Words Cul-de-sac.

Maquinacions de Xavals i Pubilles en Joguineig: Boys and Girls' Playful Machinations

Lloc del Pou Inoblidable: Place of the Unforgettable Well

Costat de les Ullades cap al Solà: Side of the Glances towards the South

Vaivé dels Pastorets: Little Shepherds' Ups-and-Downs

Tertúlia Ample del Consell dels Antecessors: Wide Get-Together of the Ancestors' Council

Enfonsament de les Mirades Llunyanes: Far-away Glances Descent

*A Way of the Cross (also called Stations of the Cross, Way of Sorrows, or Via Crucis for its name in Latin) is a kind of street present in many countries with a Christian history. It's often uphill, and throughout the street there are 14 steles with reliefs or paintings depicting the 14 stages of Christ's crucifixion day.

[jackhkeynes]

Man-Made Monsters

excerpt in translation from Monstres per Mans "Man-Made Monsters", a work of fiction published serially from 1888 to 1903 by Carmel fi Domenc, author of parachthon [sci-fi/fantasy] tales and co-owner (with her brother Jered) of the Santrafew [~Boston] periodical Arcans Exumaz "Revealed Mysteries".

Var alandau a Tolon je Maucr, a plaç entarn d'un meis Avril caint freit cos mesteyant. War came to Tolone on Wednesday, some way into a disappointingly chilly April.

Tras l'aubon sceye un foyaç de cry e de soldart par y rout angost demay, tandic meðes haubrjour evolgan y novel ig l'ec intermanen veram y copey Provençal bount ag tarmn Jannesc. The morning was a confusion of shouts and soldiers through the too-narrow streets, even as criers spread the news that these were Provence's own men bound for the Jean frontier.

Flagitaçon a tegmn eð a mansc hellinabr apen dy citað mal gazovað ern colluïð par y çamoc de promeç nobr de stimaç reyal alcant aposc. Demands for shelter and food which the raid-wracked city could barely afford were softened with lofty promises of royal favour to come.

Receut sta lon voç y saivenç ig toð refus volen sforç recevir com offirnç. There was no need to voice the understanding that refusal would be answered with force.

Y centuir costoja l'honour eð y scurtað dy domain reyal, noc de sy souject leyal pu obstroint. The army was concerned with the honour and protection of the king's domain, not of its loyal yet inconvenient subjects.