Havana's waterfront boulevard – Malecón – is its most poetic stretch, a social hang out hub evocative of a welcoming Cuban living room (hence it being known to some as 'the world's longest sofa'). Waves crashing against Malecón's seawall can make quite the splash, at times virtually flooding parts of the boulevard, which hardly deters daily strollers from taking in its sublime sunset charm.

...the creator of Father Christmas, Jenny Nyström, was born in Kalmar in 1854. ...Erik XIV had a secret escape route via the royal privy at Kalmar Castle. ...potato dumplings and Kalmar flounder are two well-known dishes from here. ...Gustav III had a royal distillery at Kalmar Castle. ...there are about 64,500 bolts in the Öland Bridge. ...Kalmar’s city arms are the Nordic region’s oldest. ...in Kalmar, there are two extremely rare handkerchief trees, that bloom in spring like fluttering white handkerchiefs. ...Kalmar has twice been awarded Europe’s finest architectural prize, Europa Nostra. ...you see only about one-third of the Öland Bridge. The remaining two-thirds was erected under the surface of the water. ...the Old Water Tower has been converted to attractive flats, which are somewhat difficult to furnish with their curved walls. ...'Kalmar' is an old Swedish word that means stony ground or stone embankment.

Suspended above the suburbs of Christchurch, the Gondola whisks you nearly a kilometre to the Crater Rim of the Port Hills. See in the extinct volcano which exploded six million years ago, sheltering Lyttelton’s sparkling harbour and to the west, the Southern Alps seem close in the clear pure air and to the East, the ocean and the sky stretch as far as the eye can see. Experience the Time Tunnel, a dramatic reconstruction of the history of the Port Hills and Christchurch and revive your spirits with a snack at the new Red Rock Cafe.