How many capital cities have you been to? I've been to ten. And I ask because I first visited two of them five years ago today.
Rome(2015)
I loved Rome, possibly because it's an astonishing historic city, possibly because the weather was good while I was there but I suspect mainly because I went in December while very few tourists were around. Imagine walking straight into the Colosseum, snapping empty views of the Forum and ambling unencumbered along the Tiber. The realisation that so much of what I learned about at school survives was a delight. What's more the cuisine is one I actually enjoy, indeed the oxtail-on-the-bone dumplings were a darn sight nicer than the flabby pizza. My accommodation overlooked a small characterful square, everywhere was easily accessible on foot and even the starlings were a surprise. I look back now and see a euro was worth 70p - it's 90p now - and suspect I got there just in time. And when in Rome...
Vatican City(2015)
Vatican City's a bit of a cheat as capital cities go, more a city state enclave, but if it counts on Pointless I'm having it for my total. No passports are required to step across the line in the piazza, and if you turn up at night there aren't even any Swiss Guard to watch you reel around the fountains. Alas there was no time to explore the glories of the Sistine Chapel, but I did return on Sunday morning to see the tiny Pope address the nation from his upper balcony.
That's my 4th December 2015 tally. Here are the other eight in chronological order of my first visit.
London(1965)
I was born 200 yards from a tube station, although it wasn't until three weeks later that Greater London expanded and swallowed most of the Bakerloo line. As an extremely young resident of borderline Hertfordshire I have no idea precisely when I first visited the British capital but it will have been some time in 1965. Little did I know I'd spend at least twenty years of my life living there.
Amsterdam(1966)
I don't remember this first visit either, not a thing, although all kudos to my parents for taking me on a foreign trip in the 1960s when staying within the UK was very much the norm. I went back to Amsterdam again in 2003 and did almost all the tourist must-sees, including Anne Frank's House, the canals, the tulip fields and the drunken orange riot that was Queen's Day. But I have no photographs of the trip whatsoever. The era of 24 exposure films had passed so nothing got printed, and my hard drive died three years later so nothing digital remains. I wasn't even uploading tiny jpegs to the blog at the time so Amsterdam exists only in my head. Cracking city though.
Paris(1980)
My first trip to Paris was part of my school's French exchange programme. One of the joys of living in Watford was that our twin town was one of the suburbs of Paris, so my host family occasionally kept me occupied with an RER trip to see the sights. That meant Sacre Couer on Good Friday, a ride in one of the bateaux mouches and a chance to see the Mona Lisa before it was obscured by zombies waving phones. I thank my hosts for taking me to the top of the Eiffel Tower 25 years earlier than I would have done otherwise, and wish we'd done a bit more sightseeing instead of being sent round to a cousin's basement to play pool again.
Dublin(2000)
Gosh, I had a 20 year gap there without visiting a new capital city. It's very easy to travel abroad and miss one. But in this case a quick flight from Stansted upped my total, which means whenever anyone says 'Dublin' I now have a mental picture of what the city looks like. But again I have no photos due to digital decay, just a broken fridge magnet from the tour round the Guinness Brewery.
Reyjkavik(2011)
Reyjkavik is unique, and brilliant, and small enough to walk the length of the city centre in not many minutes. Its location on a snow-capped inlet is stunning, the spired skyline is properly Scandinavian and if they ever win Eurovision I've visited the concert hall where it'll be hosted. The best part was visiting at the end of June when the sun barely scrapes below the horizon, so getting to see two sunrises in one day, not to mention partying along a brightly lit Laugavegar in the early hours. But I see I was shocked nine years ago that two beers cost £12 and that's now the going rate here in London.
Brussels(2015)
I'd passed through Brussels in the 1980s on a school trip but my first proper visit wasn't until 2015 courtesy of Eurostar. I sat in the Plenary Chamber of the European Parliament, back when that still seemed like the future. I gobbled french fries in front of the Mannequin Pis. And best of all I explored the insides of the Atomium, the brilliantly bonkers centrepiece of the 1958 Worlds Fair. It's not the finest tourist destination all told, but it made for a perfectly memorable day trip.
Berlin(2015)
Look, it's 2015 again. I would happily go back to Berlin tomorrow, were that not currently impossible (and bloody cold because it's December). June was a very different affair, not least because the European Cup Final was in town and had smothered the Brandenburg Gate in marketing collateral. Exploring East Berlin proved a highlight, because at one time I'd never believed that would be possible, as was enjoying a meal in the revolving restaurant at the top of the iconic TV tower. I also flew into that airport they've just closed because the one they've just opened still wasn't ready. [looks wistfully at passport] [looks wistfully at calendar]
Copenhagen(2019)
And finally, back to Scandinavia to visit Copenhagen, the historic capital of Denmark. I finally ticked off the Little Mermaid, rode the world's oldest wooden rollercoaster in Tivoli Gardens and infiltrated the puffy clouds of Christiania. The weather could have been better and the mermaid a tad bigger to be frank, but expanding your horizons is always to be recommended. Who's to say when I'll next get the opportunity to visit a new capital city, nor which it'll be, but I'm already scanning the list and dreaming I was elsewhere.
