Like Nightjar, I could place all four correctly.

On a map of China, I’d be struggling after correctly placing Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.

The Black Sea and the Black Country.

cosmictanya wrote:

Butterfield wrote:

Turin and Milan.

Turin fashion week?

My brothers father was from Milan, so I’ve got these two clear.

I think I always think of Milan when I hear of Turin, but not vice versa.

I remember seeing signs to Turin when I was in Chamonix 20 years ago and thinking of Milan.

I think Fiats are made in Turin. Or Milan.

The Alpha-Romeo Mito was designed in Milan and made in Turin.


I was it the other way around?

Butterfield wrote:

I remember seeing signs to Turin when I was in Chamonix 20 years ago and thinking of Milan.

Just to confuse things even further.

Butterfield wrote:

cosmictanya wrote:

Butterfield wrote:

Turin and Milan.

Turin fashion week?

My brothers father was from Milan, so I’ve got these two clear.

I think I always think of Milan when I hear of Turin, but not vice versa.

I remember seeing signs to Turin when I was in Chamonix 20 years ago and thinking of Milan.

I think Fiats are made in Turin. Or Milan.

Oh, you ski?

Butterfield wrote:

I remember seeing signs to Turin when I was in Chamonix 20 years ago and thinking of Milan.

cosmictanya wrote:

Oh, you ski?

Me? Ski? I walk onto the cable car to go up the mountain, look at the nice views and have a snack in the cafe and come back down again.

It’s more fun to ski down.

cosmictanya wrote:

The Black Sea and the Black Country.

On this. The West Midlands (county) should romantically rename itself Middlemarch. That’s a nice literary reference, and a singular identity that doesn’t wound the pride of the Black Country by centring the name round Birmingham. Previously, it was my view they should rename themselves ‘Heartlands’, for the same reason. Or they can continue to fight like ferrets in a sack with a duplicate name, and one half of it putting innocent people in mind of the Romanian coast.

Have I mentioned Slough and Swindon? And to a lesser extent Staines.

Slovakia and Slovenia always requires a moment of confirmation.

Apparently one of them was called Carniola in the past, and they should’ve returned to that. It sounds far more romantic.

Edit - it was Slovenia. While what became Slovakia was historically known as Slavonia, among other things.

Carniola and Slavonia would be so much more beautiful for their names. The Czechs should’ve said ‘shut up’ to the Moravian bits and gone with Bohemia. Then there would be three romantically named countries.

Continuing the theme, it’s a crying shame Estonia didn’t choose Livonia after independence. The Three L’s, all little neighbours - Livonia, Latvia, Lithuania - how lovely.

Controversially, I think Ukraine is a bloody ugly name. Something like Ruthenia would be better. Also, ditch that ugly alphabet and use the Latin - they’ve got reason now.

A scattering of tiny principalities restored across the former Iron Curtain, along the likes of Monaco and Liechtenstein, would also have been such a picturesque addition to things.