Algiers never fails to make an impression. The country’s turbulent history is writ large in the city’s richly textured architecture: wide French-built boulevards and elegant apartments and villas, Socialist-era monuments and public buildings, and an enduring Islamic heart secreted in the steep, hillside Casbah. Labyrinthine streets spill down to the yawning big blue of the Bay of Algiers, sea and sky and green ravines glimpsed at every step.
On the shores of gorgeous Lake Victoria, Entebbe is an attractive, verdant town that served as the capital city during the early years of the British protectorate. Today it’s the relaxed pace of life and nearby natural attractions that give the city its charm rather than any notable colonial relics.Unless you have reason to rush into Kampala, Entebbe makes a nice, chilled-out introduction to Uganda, and many visitors prefer to base themselves here for a few days rather than in Kampala’s traffic-choked streets.
In the sun-parched land of Níngxià, Yínchuān has managed to thrive. The Tangut founders wisely chose this spot as their capital, planting the city between a source of water and a natural barrier from the Gobi Desert. Modern-day Yínchuān is predominantly Han, although its many mosques reveal its status as the capital of the Hui peoples’ homeland. Yínchuān is also a handy jumping-off point for longer trips to western Inner Mongolia. The name Yínchuān means ‘Silver River’. Some say it comes from the alkaline land which can appear white, while others say that it’s because the Yellow River is clear in these parts and can appear bright, but the exact origin is obscure.
The capital of Brazil easily dwarfs New York City both in population and sheer size—it covers nearly 3,000 square miles. When you visit São Paulo, you’ll find a huge range of experiences, from cutting-edge art galleries to fabulous shopping and some of the best dining and nightlife in the world. It’s also pretty unusual, when you travel to São Paulo, not to come across some major public event. This is a carnival city through and through, with events ranging from the world’s largest Gay Pride Parade to the Festival of Economic Art and a March for Jesus, by way of a Pancake Cook-off that attracts chefs from all over the city.
Kiev is a place of big statements – a city of glittering golden church spires and gargantuan Soviet-era tower blocks, set along the banks of the Dnipro River. It has a fair few must-sees, mostly related to the glorious Kyivan Rus past, as well as both charming and disturbingly eclectic architecture. But its main asset is its residents – a merry, tongue-in-cheek and perfectly bilingual lot, who act as one when their freedoms are threatened.
