Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. F is for Frunze. I'd always fancied visiting this place - such an interesting name and I'm drawn to Central Asia. The travel agent hadn't heard of it. Too late I found out that it had changed its name, about the time the Soviet Republic whose capital it was became independent. I went to the Lake District instead. What is Frunze now called?
2. A is for Angostura. The next year I thought I'd give Venezuela a try, but I couldn't buy a ticket to Angostura. I'm not bitter about it, a weekend in Chester is always enjoyable, I just wish somebody had told me it had a new name commemorating the country's liberator. What is Angostura now called?
3. Z is for Zaire. Africa this year, I thought. Remembering the "Rumble in the Jungle" I set my heart on a visit to the place where Muhammad Ali beat George Foreman. Then I was told Zaire no longer exists! No matter, I enjoyed watching the Test Match at Old Trafford. Which present-day country was formerly Zaire?
4. A is for Avonlea. When I was at junior school there was a very battered book called "Anne of Avonlea" in the class library, obviously a biography. My friend who read it said it was about a teacher in Canada. Years later I thought I'd give Avonlea a visit. How was I to know it was a made-up place? I had to settle for the Isle of Man. Which province was the setting for the fictional Avonlea?
5. K is for Karl-Marx-Stadt. Okay, I thought, places change their names in honour of famous local sons and in the wake of revolutions. Karl Marx had a lot to answer for, so perhaps I should visit his home town, where there'd be a birthplace museum and I'd see his old school and where he wrote "Das Kapital". I thought that would be easy, but how wrong I was! Not only does Karl-Marx-Stadt no longer exist, it turns out he didn't even come from there. I made do with a trip to Rochdale, birthplace of the co-operative movement. Which name has Karl-Marx-Stadt reverted to?
6. E is for Ephesus. At last I'd struck lucky. Ephesus was a long abandoned city, I was told, but I could visit the ruins. My bags checked in, my passport in my hand, I had to run when my flight was called. Too bad I tripped and woke up in hospital with concussion. Ah well, the travel insurance paid for my week's convalescence in Southport. Which country had I been heading for?
7. R is for Reval. I wanted to make a tour of cities that had belonged to the medieval Hanseatic League and decided I'd start with Reval. But I couldn't seem to track it down. Knowing it was located on the Baltic and had belonged to the Teutonic Knights was no help. No matter, I found the Albert Docks in Liverpool well worth the visit. It turns out that Reval was capital of another one-time Soviet Republic. What is it known as now?
8. L is for Leningrad. A trip to Leningrad to see the world-famous Kirov Ballet must be easy to arrange, I thought, but I was wrong. Even saying it used to be called Petrograd didn't help, so I went to Blackpool and danced the night away at the Tower Ballroom. The so-called travel expert kept telling me I should go to a city I knew was in Florida. What was its name again?
9. E is for Edo. I knew what I wanted, bustling Asian capital, cherry blossom, Noh theatre. Noh" such place as Edo I was told when I made enquiries. I may have missed a trip to Disneyland, but Alton Towers was terrific. It seems that Edo's changed its name as well. What is it known as nowadays?
10. Y is for York. I'd been to York in England and heard of New York in the USA, but the York I wanted to visit was in Canada, the capital of Upper Canada in fact. The young man at the Canadian Tourist Board was charming, but totally useless. He tried to tell me that the Canadian capital was a place called Ottawa, but I knew I was right and I had my 1830 "Notes on North America" to back me up. Still, if he was going to be stubborn I'd forget about York and go to Lancaster instead! What was York's name changed to?
Source: Author
dellastreet
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
stedman before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
