I wonder who began referring to the southern bank of the Seine River in Paris as la Rive Gauche, the Left Bank. It must have been somebody with limited logic, foresight or mobility because it is only the Left Bank if you are facing west, looking downstream. If you turn around and look upstream, it is the Right Bank.
It's sort of like determining if something is concave or convex, which depends on whether you are on the outside looking in or the inside looking out.
For unambiguity, one may turn to Palestine where that most famous side of the Jordan River is called the West Bank. It will always be to the west regardless which way you are facing, avoiding all confusion, except, of course, among any tourists from Iowa who might be looking for a place to cash travelers checks (West Bank, serving Des Moines since 1893).
Those are the thoughts that occupy me this morning. Amazing, isn't it?
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