Interesting insight in French
Mapping thse stages in the Tour de France has given me quite a bit of insight in how various locations and places are named in French. One of the most interesting, and enlightening things I've learned has to do with the mountains.
On roads going over mountains there are in general two terms used: Col and Côte. Col is just literally "Pass", as in a Mountain Pass. Côte, however is a little difficult to explain, because it is literally "Coast".
I'm not entirely sure what the technical differences are between the two, but wrapping my mind around the concept of a "Coast" when going over a mountain is rather difficult. It wasn't until I had a brainwave, on the fact that when looking at a map of the Earth without water on it that it became clear. A "Coast" is really just a raised ridge that has a long discerning line. In that respect a "Coast" doesn't need to have a waterline, since that can change, if it's seen as a lithographic feature, rather than a geographic one. In French, it appears they are really just one and the same, which is kind of an Interesting way of looking at the Earth when I think about it.
On roads going over mountains there are in general two terms used: Col and Côte. Col is just literally "Pass", as in a Mountain Pass. Côte, however is a little difficult to explain, because it is literally "Coast".
I'm not entirely sure what the technical differences are between the two, but wrapping my mind around the concept of a "Coast" when going over a mountain is rather difficult. It wasn't until I had a brainwave, on the fact that when looking at a map of the Earth without water on it that it became clear. A "Coast" is really just a raised ridge that has a long discerning line. In that respect a "Coast" doesn't need to have a waterline, since that can change, if it's seen as a lithographic feature, rather than a geographic one. In French, it appears they are really just one and the same, which is kind of an Interesting way of looking at the Earth when I think about it.