Curated playlist
Port cities and towns of the North Sea
- Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne began as a Roman bridge named after Emperor Hadrian's family. The settlement was called Pons Aelius.
- HamburgHamburg has more bridges than London, Amsterdam, and Venice put together. Around 2,500 cross its rivers and canals.
- BremenKiss is banned from performing in Bremen after a fireworks stunt. They lit every firework at the end of a 1999 show.
- CalaisFrance retook Calais from England in 1558 in a matter of days. Queen Mary I reportedly said it lay in her heart.
- AntwerpAntwerp took more V-2 missiles than all other targets combined. The port survived because the missiles were inaccurate.
- Deal, KentDeal, Kent, thrived because a westerly wind trapped ships offshore. They waited at anchor in the Downs.
- BrugesBruges most likely opened the first stock exchange on earth in 1309. It later faded into a beautiful ruin.
- EdinburghBuildings of eleven stories or more were common in Edinburgh's Old Town. Town walls left no room to spread.
- CromerThe medieval village of Shipden now lies under the sea off Cromer. Its church tower once wrecked a steamer in 1888.
- OstendOstend was hit by 407 Allied bombs in World War II, more than any other city in Belgium.
- AmsterdamAmsterdam grew rich on salted fish. A local saying says the city is built on herringbones.