To Your Right, You'll See ... Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bruges

The relic of the Holy Blood was brought to Bruges (according to popular belief) by one of the local nobles, Thierry of the Alsace, on returning from the Second Crusade in 1150. However, there has been some debate between historians on this episode, as the relic is only mentioned for the first time in 1250.

The Belfry is part of the cloth hall, where merchants would come during the Middle Ages to sell their linen cloth. Just opposite the Belfry is the "Markt" (market square), with the aforesaid statue. Two sides of the market square have several restaurants, one next to the other.

The Basilica of the Holy Blood is situated on the "Burg", a square on which you'll also find the city hall and the local court hall.

Bruges has also quite a number of museums and churches one could visit. I'll mention here just the Saint Salvator's Cathedral (with a Pieta by Michelangelo) and the Hans Memling museum.

As is the case with many Belgian cities, chocolate lovers can choose out of more than a dozen shops to buy a nice supply of Belgian chocolates and/or other candies. Other shops offer lace souvenirs, beer, postcards, and other tourist items.

Antwerp, Brussels or Liege have no Belfry. Antwerp's best known statue is the Brabo statue on the Grote Markt (just in front of the city hall). Brussels is known for its statue of Manneken Pis in the Stoofstraat or Rue d'Etuve. Liège has several famous statues, including the Equestrian statue of Charlemagne.

Answer: Gustav Vigeland

Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943) is the sculptor we're looking for. You might know him as the designer of the Nobel Peace Medal. Vigeland studied in Paris (in Rodin's workshop), Copenhagen, Berlin and Florence. He restored the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, and settled down in Oslo in 1906. The city council provided him with a workshop, and Vigeland proposed to donate a fountain to the city. As the two parties couldn't agree on the location, the fountain was postponed. In 1921, the city council decided to erect a library on the place where Vigeland's workshop was, and Vigeland was offered a new workshop in Frogner park. Since then, Vigeland created all his new sculptures only to decorate Frogner park. The fountain proposed in 1906 was finally completed in 1942, with 121 human figures reaching out for the sky.
Claes Oldenburg (born 1929) is an American artist born in Sweden. He's best known for larger than life statues of everyday objects (for instance a clothespin of more than eight meters).
Gutzon Borglum (1867-1941) is another American artist, of Danish ancestry. He created the famous statue on Mount Rushmore.
Jean Arp (1886-1966) was a Franco-German artist from the Alsace region (which changed nationality several times during Arp's life).

Answer: Krakow

You may already have noticed you're in Poland right now. The sound of hissing cats can be quite annoying, for this is how most foreigners try and pronounce the typical Polish s - letter groups (such as in Szczecin). Only a native Pole can make this sound melodiously, I presume.
The name given to the University derives from one of the most prominent alumni of this university, formerly known as the Jagiellonian University. A certain Karol Wojtyla studied philology and various languages at the university in Krakow from 1938 until the Second World War, when the German occupants closed down the university. Karol Wojtyla was ordained a priest in 1946 and rose to Archbishop in Krakow in 1964. Fourteen years later, he was elected as Pope and adopted the papal name John Paul II.
So we are in Krakow, one of the oldest cities in Poland. Contrary to other Polish cities, Krakow was rather spared from war destructions during both World Wars. So you can visit quite a lot of interesting architecture. Some buildings you'd have to visit when in Krakow are Wawel Castle, Saint Mary's Basilica and Saint Florian's Gate. The leading museums are the National Museum and the Stanislaw Wyspianski Museum. Music lovers can visit the Opera Krakowska and attend the Misteria Paschalia (Baroque music) or the Festival of Polish music.
Warsaw, Szczecin and Gdansk have one or more universities, but none of these was named after Pope John Paul II.

Answer: Prague

The Vltava, in English better known as the Moldau river, runs from south to north in the Czech Republic. The Czech capital Prague is situated on the Moldau, and the most famous bridge in Prague is the Charles Bridge (Karlovy Most in Czech).
Prague has several nice locations to visit: the Prague Castle, the Saint Vitus Cathedral (both on the West Bank, in the district Mala Strana), the Astronomical Clock and the Spanish Synagogue (on the right bank, in the Old City), Wenceslas Square and the Dancing House in the New City (Nove Mesto).
Brno is another Czech city, on the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers.
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia. It lies on the banks of the Danube.
Kosice is another Slovakian city. It is situated on the Hornad river.

Answer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

When in Salzburg, you'll have to visit Mozart's birthplace. The house is indeed situated in the Getreidegasse number 9, in a zone with restricted traffic. Other famous buildings in Salzburg are quite near too: the university, Saint Peter's Abbey, the Hohensalzburg Castle, the Salzburg Cathedral, and the residence of the former prince-archbishops are all within a mile from the house where Mozart was born.
Massenet was born in a suburb of Saint-Etienne in the Loire valley. Vivaldi was born in Venice, and Britten was born in a small village in Suffolk.

Answer: As you walk south, the statue is on your left - not on your right

Warning: take your time to visit Florence, and don't try to visit all in one day. You might end up with the Stendhal syndrome (dizziness, fainting, irregular heartbeat, even hallucinations, caused by what I would call an overdose of fine art).
Back to the statement of the unlucky tour guide in this question. The Piazza della Signoria is indeed the place you'll find a replica of Michelangelo's "David", while the original statue is the highlight of the Galleria dell'Academia. But coming from the north, you'll see the "David" on your left, just before the ancient city hall. In front of you (to the right when continuing your stroll southward) you'll see a porch containing several statues by the Renaissance artist Giambologna.
The street connecting the Santa Maria (also known as the Duomo) and the Piazza della Signoria indeed is the Via dei Calzaiuoli - what could be translated as the "Cobblers' Street". The Via delle Belle Donne ("Street of the Pretty Ladies", once known for ladies selling adult entertainment) is a quite desolate street, just large enough for one car to pass.
The "David" by Donatello can also be found in Florence, but in the Museo del Bargello.

Answer: Trier

Trier is a rather small city, but it offers many tourist attractions. The Romans have left the Porta Nigra (intact), the Constantine Basilica (conserved, nowadays used as a Protestant church) and bathing houses (of which only the ruins remain). Furthermore we have the Römerbrucke, a bridge across the Moselle constructed in the second century and still in use. Notable churches are the Trier Cathedral in Romanesque style, the Liebfrauenkirche in Gothic style and the baroque Saint Paulin Church.
Berlin is situated on the river Spree. Cologne lies on the Rhine. Munich lies on the river Isar.

Answer: City Hall

Luxembourg is the capital of the eponymous country, in which three languages dominate all communication. The official languages are Luxembourgisch (a local language, almost incomprehensible to most foreigners), French and German.
The phrase Hôtel de ville is French for City Hall.
The Place d'armes (literally "Weapon Square") is one of the prominent squares in Luxembourg, and several restaurants border this nice Square. The Place Guillaume II was named after the Luxembourg Grand Duke William II, who also was King of the Netherlands.

Answer: Seine

You're cruising on the Seine, upstream. You have taken the boat at the Pont de l'Alma, and soon you'll pass the Ile de la Cité with the Notre Dame cathedral. You'll pass this point again as you sail downstream to the Eiffel tower. The Bateaux Mouche are provided by an eponymous company which takes you out for an original visit to Paris.
The Tuileries were initially a royal palace. The palace has been destroyed, but the gardens (Jardins des Tuileries) are still there. The Musée d'Orsay was a former railway station. Nowadays it is one of the most important museums for Impressionist art.
The Loire is the longest river in France. Main cities on the Loire are Orleans, Nantes and Tours.
The Garonne river is situated near Bordeaux, where it meets the Dordogne river.
The Rhône river rises in Switzerland, but the most important cities on the Rhône are French. Best known cities on the Rhône are Lyon, Avignon and Arles.

Answer: Christopher Columbus

The Prado has a large collection of thousands of paintings, drawings, statues and etches - not only by Spanish artists, but also by Italian, Flemish, Dutch, French and German masters.
The Museo Naval has as special highlight the map of Juan de la Cosa, one of the most ancient maps of the Americas, as well as a piece of moon rock brought home by the crew of Apollo 17.
The naval expedition starting in 1492 with the ships Santa Maria, Nina and Pinta, was the first voyage westward by Christopher Columbus, who hoped to find a shortcut to India. But he ended up in America, and did not continue westward. Instead, he returned to Spain announcing his findings, and later sailed on three more occasions to the Americas.
Vasco da Gama left Portugal in July 1497 with four ships, and reached India in March 1498. His ships were the Sao Gabriel, the Sao Rafael, the Berrio and an unknown ship holding the supplies.
Magellan undertook in 1519 an expedition with five ships: the Trinidad, San Antonio, Santiago, Victoria and Concepcion. Three years later, only the Victoria would reach Spain again, with 18 out of the 237 sailors.
Drake was an English sailor, at a time when England was the principal enemy of Spain. His flagship was the Pelican, later renamed the Golden Hind.