by Kay McMahon © 2009

Sacred Heart sign advertising the Lakshmi Video shop in George Town, Penang.

Kay adds:

“This sign somehow seems to sum up Penang’s ethnic diversity very well. You’ve got a Christian iconic figure, rather bizarrely advertising a shop named after the Hindu goddess of prosperity, in a largely Chinese city in an Islamic state. Confusing, but Penang’s people seem to rub along together well enough most of the time.

“Anyone who’s a Father Ted fan will know where I got the title from!”

1. How many working windmills are there in the Netherlands?
   1,180 as of April 2013, according to the Dutch Windmill Database. That’s proper windmills with sails, not including wind engines (of which there are another 1,639). Nor does it include windmills that are no longer working or that have been demolished – there were another 14,835 of those!
2. When he ascended the throne, King Willem-Alexander became the first King of the Netherlands in how many years?
   122 years and 159 days. His great-grandmother Wilhelmina (1880-1962) succeeded to the throne on 23 November 1890 on the death of her father Willem III; Wilhelmina abdicated in favour of her daughter Juliana (1909-2004) on 4 September 1948; and Juliana in turn abdicated in favour of her daughter Beatrix (1938-) on 30 April 1980.
3. As its name implies, the Netherlands is geographically low-lying. How much of its territory lies below sea level?
   About 20 per cent of the Netherlands is polder – reclaimed land that’s sunk below sea level. The Netherlands accounts for half of Europe’s polders. Hence the (English-language) saying: “God created the world, but the Dutch created Holland”.
4. What are the three main islands of the Caribbean Netherlands?
   Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, which have been special municipalities of the Netherlands since the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved in October 2010. (No prizes for anyone who said Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten – they’re separate autonomous countries within the overall Kingdom of the Netherlands.)
5. Which Dutch artist is famous for his lithographs and woodcuts such as House of Stairs, Waterfall and Belvedere?
   Maurits Cornelis Escher, known more familiarly as M C Escher (1898-1972). He executed the first of the impossible realities for which he would become famous, Still Life and Street, in 1937. Despite mathematics being a rich source of inspiration for him, he had no formal mathematical training.

How did you get on? Why not let us know?

1. How many working windmills are there in the Netherlands?
2. When he ascended the throne, King Willem-Alexander became the first King of the Netherlands in how many years?
3. As its name implies, the Netherlands is geographically low-lying. How much of its territory lies below sea level?
4. What are the three main islands of the Caribbean Netherlands?
5. Which Dutch artist is famous for his lithographs and woodcuts such as House of Stairs, Waterfall and Belvedere?

Check your answers here!

If you’re a coffee aficionado, you can appreciate when a city has an amazing café culture. If you’re looking to discover a range of delightful coffee shops, a wide selection of unique coffee, and a chance to soak up the local culture, here’s my vote for the top seven cities with amazing café cultures.

1. Paris

Parisian cafés are renowned throughout the world for their relaxed atmosphere, friendly culture, and wide selection—after all, the very word café is French! Enjoying a pleasant afternoon in a Parisian café might be one of the finest pleasures of this world-renowned city.

© France74 Licence information

Although the word café means coffee in French, the correct term for the Parisian café is the “café-bar”, since cafés in Paris serve all kinds of beverages ranging from herbal teas, to mineral water, and of course wine and beer – which many Parisians will enjoy in the afternoon. They’re also famous for their selection of breads, pastries and other light meals. The one menu item that you may have more difficulty locating is American-style coffee, which is a little ironic if you happen to be American.

The key to enjoying Parisian café culture is to understand that sitting, sipping, and lounging is the point. Whether you take your time to catch up with some reading, chat with friends, gaze out the window, or work on your screenplay, there’s never a need to feel rushed.

2. Lisbon

Aside from being a beautiful city in one seriously gorgeous country, Lisbon is also home to some of the world’s most celebrated coffee. Lisbon’s coffee houses are lovely and comfortable, and you can enjoy relaxing and unwinding with a cup of bica. This black coffee is similar to an espresso but with a very distinct flavour that comes from slow-roasted coffee beans.

3. Ho Chi Minh City

© Clarin Licence information

When Starbucks recently opened its first location in Vietnam in February 2013 as a part of its Asian expansion strategy, Western business reporters sent to cover the opening were surprised to discover that local café owners weren’t the least bit worried about the arrival of this global behemoth. That’s because Vietnam already has a well-entrenched coffee culture with its own unique traditions. As one café owner said, “Our prices are affordable for average Vietnamese. Expensive coffee is just for the children of government officials, or people who have lots of money.”

Ho Chi Minh City might be the last place you’d expect to find a coffee culture so dominant that it doesn’t fear disruption by Starbucks, but Vietnam inherited its distinct coffee culture from French colonialists in the 1800s. Since then, Vietnam has evolved a coffee heritage of its own, blending colonial traditions with its own local flavour. The drink of choice is a Vietnamese coffee, brewed from robusta beans. These pack a powerful caffeine wallop that’s quite a bit stronger than the typical European espresso. Vietnamese coffee is usually served with sweet condensed milk and is sure to rattle the average tourist’s palate.

4. Seattle

As the home of Starbucks, the biggest chain coffee house in the world, Seattle is one of the most famous cities in the world when it comes to coffee. Seattle experiences a lot of overcast, rainy weather, so there’s nothing more satisfying to a Seattle resident than a warm cup of coffee in a cosy café. Visiting Seattle, you can explore one of the world’s most famous coffee scenes—and Starbucks is only the beginning. There are many wonderful local, independently owned coffee houses throughout the city.

5. São Paulo

Did you know that 40% of the world’s coffee is produced in Brazil? So it should be no surprise that São Paulo is one of the biggest café culture cities on the planet. You’ll love the inviting little coffee shops throughout town and the delicious coffee brewed in Brazil, combining the flavours and styles of Portugal and Italy.

6. Vancouver

Vancouver is considered to be one of the most sophisticated and cosmopolitan cities in North America and the world. It is also home to a fine cup of coffee and—during the summer—one of the best patio scenes in the world. You’ll find numerous exciting little cafés and coffee houses lining the beautiful streets of Canada’s most beloved city. Vancouver isn’t all that far from Seattle geographically and, like Seattle, it has a lot to offer the coffee aficionado.

7. Istanbul

"Coffee-house by the Ortaköy Mosque, Constantinople" by Ivan Aivazovsky (1817-1900)

Turkish coffee has a long history, dating back to the 16th century. In the 1640s, Ibrahim Pecevi documented the opening of Istanbul’s very first coffee house roughly 90 years earlier. The first coffee house opened up in Tahtakale, and before that, according to Pecevi, there were no coffee houses in the region at all. The trend certainly caught on though, and today Istanbul is famous for its coffee. Coffee is a prominent drink throughout the countries of the Middle East, and Turkish coffee is legendary for its strong, rich flavour. While tea is the main beverage in Turkey, coffee doesn’t lag far behind. If you visit Istanbul, you can enjoy the unique experience of strong Turkish coffee brewed specially in a cezve and poured into a special cup without a sieve.

These seven cities span four continents—North and South America, Europe and Asia—and they each offer a completely unique coffee drinking experience. All seven of them have histories which are as richly brewed as their famous beverages, and if you ask around while you’re at the coffee houses, you’ll doubtless learn a lot about recipes, the histories of different coffee houses and businesses, and the influence that coffee has had on the local culture.

Nate is an avid traveller, blogger and co-owner of Cupcoffee.ca. There are few things he enjoys more than an afternoon with a fresh cup of coffee in hand at a bustling local coffee house.

The original George was a Greek officer in the Roman army who was beheaded on 23 April 303 (after numerous torture sessions) for refusing to sacrifice to the Roman gods after the Emperor Diocletian had ordered all Roman soldiers to do so. The legend of George and the dragon appears to have arisen later – partly as an allegorical representation of George defeating the might of Rome (with the maiden in the legend representing Diocletian’s wife Alexandra, who became Christian as a result of George’s martyrdom).

However, George didn’t become England’s patron saint until well into the late Middle Ages. Previously the patron had been Edmund the Martyr, a king of East Anglia who was killed by the Danes in 869 and whose name was adopted by the Suffolk town of Bury St Edmunds. King Edward the Confessor of England was also considered a patron of England following his canonisation in 1161. After Edward III adopted George as patron of the Order of the Garter in 1348, George also became the patron of the English monarchy and by extension of England itself.

The St George’s Cross was adopted as England’s national flag in the 16th century following its use in the Crusades – although originally English crusaders used a white cross on a red background as their emblem.