Post-Pandemic European Adventure Quiz

Answer: Monaco

Monte Carlo is located in the Principality of Monaco. Monaco is located along the Mediterranean coast and is completely surrounded by France. The country is just over two kilometers (less than 1 mile) in area making it the second smallest country on Earth, with only Vatican City being smaller than it.

If you wanted to get to Monaco by air, you would have to book a flight to the nearest major airport, which would be Côte d'Azur Airport in Nice, France. You would then have to drive or take a helicopter the rest of the way. Monte Carlo is famous for its casinos and attracts many wealthy celebrities. The Casino de Monte Carlo, the building in the forefront of the photograph, was completed in 1865.

Answer: Billund

Billund is located in the Jutland (mainland) portion of Denmark. The city is not as large as one might believe with a population of just over 6,000 people. Billund is home to the headquarters of the toy company Lego, famous for their multicolored interlocking bricks which allow people of all ages to construct whatever their creative minds desire.

Legoland Billund Resort, an amusement park based on Lego, was completed in June, 1968. The park attracted around two million people annually before the coronavirus epidemic had affect on attendance. One of the most popular attractions at Legoland is Miniland, where master builders have constructed miniature towns including airports and other structures using Legos. The Legoland in Billund is a short distance away from the city's airport. Additional Legoland parks have been constructed all across the world.

Answer: Split

The city of Split is located in southern Croatia along the Adriatic coast. It was the second largest city in the nation when this quiz was written, with a population of over 175,000 people. Over a few decades, the city of Split has been built up as a popular tourist destination in Europe. The photograph used for this quiz was taken at Bacvice Beach in Split.

Prior to the coronavirus epidemic, Croatia was in the process of expanding its tourism by attracting more people from the Americas, with American Airlines launching the first ever non-stop flight from the U.S. to the city of Dubrovnik, Croatia in 2019. Perhaps Croatia will once again attract intercontinental tourists once the epidemic has subsided. In bowling, a split is a situation (usually during the player's second shot) where the pins that are left are far apart making it difficult to hit them all.

Answer: Varna

The photograph shows the city of Varna, which is located on the northeastern corner of the nation overlooking the Gulf of Varna, which leads out into the Black Sea. Varna is Bulgaria's third largest city, with a population of over 335,000 people. Burgas is another Bulgarian city located along the Black Sea and is located in the southeastern corner of the nation.

Sofia, the nation's capital, is located in the western area of Bulgaria. The cities of Plovdiv and Haskovo are located in the central southern area of Bulgaria. One of Plovdiv's major attractions is the Roman theatre of Philippopolis, which was the site of a major concert performed by heavy metal artist Devin Townsend in 2018.

Answer: Heraklion

Heraklion is the capital and largest city of Crete, the largest of the Greek Isles. The city has a population of over 210,000 people. Heraklion is located close to the ancient city of Knossos, which houses ruins of the labyrinth that was said to be home to the legendary minotaur.

The structure in the photograph is Koules Fortress (aka Castello a Mare "Fort on the Sea"), which is located in Heraklion. It is not a ruin of Ancient Greece, but a fort that was completed by the Republic of Venice in 1540. It was taken over by the Ottoman Empire in 1669. The cities of Patras, Thessaloniki, as well as the national capital Athens, are all located on mainland Greece.

Answer: Rovaniemi

Rovaniemi is located in northern Finland and sits atop of the Arctic Circle, a line of latitude that separates the northern polar and temperate climate zones. Rovaniemi is the capital and largest city of the region known as Lapland and the city has a population of over 60,000 people which, as of 1985, allegedly includes Santa Claus.

As the "official hometown of Santa Claus", the city of Rovaniemi has become a major tourist attraction. The building in the photograph is Santa Claus Village, which houses Santa Claus' main business office as well as a snowmobile museum. Visitors can also physically stand on a marker indicating the Arctic Circle and there are areas around the park where people can view the Aurora Borealis (Northern lights).

Answer: Transylvania

Cluj-Napoca was once the capital city of the former Principality of Transylvania. It is the fourth largest city in Romania with a population of over 320,000 people. Transylvania is currently entirely encompassed by the modern nation of Romania.

The structure in the photograph is Bran Castle (aka Dracula's Castle), which is located in Transylvania. Following the success of the novel "Dracula" written by Bram Stoker in 1897 and the many television shows and movies about the infamous vampire, Romania decided to capitalize on the potential tourism that the castle would attract and began associating the castle with the fictional character.

Answer: Vaduz, Liechtenstein

The EuroAirport was first opened in 1946 and is officially located in the town of Saint-Louis, France. However, the airport is shared by three cities in three different countries. The airport is marketed as serving the cities of Mulhouse in France, Basel in Switzerland and Freiburg (Freiburg im Breisgau) in Germany. Airport operations are run by both Swiss and French authorities.

The photograph features the Government Building of Liechtenstein, located in Vaduz, the capital city of the small nation. Liechtenstein does not have a major airport within its borders. The closest one is Zurich Airport in Switzerland. Tourists would then have to find alternate transportation methods to get over to Liechtenstein.

Answer: Prague, Czech Republic

The astronomical clock in Prague (aka The Orloj) was first constructed in the year 1410. It is listed as the oldest clock of its type still in operation. It is a local myth that if the clock were to ever stop working that the city would suffer a major catastrophe. The clock was damaged during World War II, but was repaired following the war's end.

The upper face of the clock has multiple moving parts and displays many pieces of information. It displays the time as calculated by four different methods. It shows the observer the current positions of the Sun and the Moon, including the estimated sunrise and sunset times for each day as well as the current phase of the Moon. It also shows which month of the zodiac we are currently in as well as the season. The lower face shows the current calendar day.

Answer: Gibraltar

Gibraltar is considered a British Overseas Territory. It is located at the far south of the Iberian Peninsula, where it is bordered on the north by Spain. The United Kingdom was granted possession of Gibraltar from Spain via the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. If you look closely at the photo, you may see the runway of Gibraltar's airport. The airport is unique in that the main road to/from Spain intersects the runway, meaning that traffic from both sides are halted whenever there are aircraft using it.

The Rock of Gibraltar is a large limestone formation that forms one of the two Pillars of Hercules which guard the Strait of Gibraltar. The Strait of Gibraltar separates the continents of Europe and Africa and connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. Jebul Musa, a rock formation across the strait in Morocco, is considered the other Pillar of Hercules.