Capital cities you've visited that you can see other countries from...

[srw]

Obviously if the country is small enough (San Marino, Lichtenstein, Monaco, Vatican, Andorra, Hong Kong, Singapore), it's a triviality to see a foreign country from the capital - and since most of those are built up their capitals also border abroad. And in some sense a country's embassy is sovereign territory of the country, so most capital cities border "abroad".

It's possible to see all the channel islands from France, so I'd assume the reverse is true - but not necessarily from their capitals (to the extent that they are independent nations).

 

[MontyVeda]

I wonder if it could have been from one of the peaks on Llyn then? Used to do a bit of walking around there too. It was about 300 years ago though in my student days.

I've seen England, Ireland and the IoM from Mynydd-Y-Garn near Llanfairynghornwy... not sure what the elevation is though, and of course it's the capital of nothing

 

[subaqua]

But the capital of Turkey is Ankara, not Istanbul.

so not constantinople

 

[srw]

so not constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire.

(I really must find a computer which can play those videos - at the moment I'm thoroughly mystified by what's going on here.)

 

[winjim]

Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire.

I thought that was Bysantium (not Constantinople).

 

[Sandra6]

From Silloth you can see Scotland and on a good day you can see the isle of man from Whitehaven.

 

[srw]

I thought that was Bysantium (not Constantinople).

Not according to wikipedia, which accords with my recollection: when Constantine the Great set the city up as his capital he renamed it after himself. On the other I thought I'd remembered that Istanbul was a corruption of Constantinople, and the same article confirms @GrumpyGregry's version that it's a corruption of a Greek phrase (although the Greek pedant in me wants to point out it means to the city, not in the city, which would be 'en thn polin.*

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Istanbul
*Forgive the Roman characters - I don't know how to access the full range of diacritics, and there's no obvious translator online into Classical Greek.

 

[ScotiaLass]

Not exactly related, but made me think of a very drunk weekend in Brighton.
I convinced my even drunker friend, that the lights from the pier were actually the lights from Disneyland Paris

 

[ufkacbln]

Reykjavik

If you look carefully you may see the Kingdom of the Huldufólk

 

[clid61]

Istanbul finish line of the TCR http://www.transcontinental.cc/

 

[Tim Hall]

From the people's republic of Calais, you can see Dover

Wiv a ladder an' some glasses?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Not according to wikipedia, which accords with my recollection: when Constantine the Great set the city up as his capital he renamed it after himself. On the other I thought I'd remembered that Istanbul was a corruption of Constantinople, and the same article confirms @GrumpyGregry's version that it's a corruption of a Greek phrase (although the Greek pedant in me wants to point out it means to the city, not in the city, which would be 'en thn polin.*

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Istanbul
*Forgive the Roman characters - I don't know how to access the full range of diacritics, and there's no obvious translator online into Classical Greek.

My Greek tutor insisted, and, as I recall, showed examples, of where 'to the city' was clearly used to mean 'in the city'. Though I can't remember the citations. I'm sticking with his version as it is a good story. And if it isn't true it ought to be.

 

[robjh]

[QUOTE 3958260, member: 259"]Berlin in what was then the German Democratic Republic. You could see lots of bits of West Germany through bits of wasteland and from trains. It looked very colourful.[/QUOTE]
Not strictly speaking. West Berlin functioned to most intents and purposes as a part of West Germany, but it was never formally part of the Federal Republic - its status in international law was as the British, American and French sectors of the Allied occupation of the city set up in 1945. Using the same logic, the Western Allies officially regarded East Berlin as the Soviet Sector of Berlin, and not part of the GDR - although that did not prevent western governments from recognising the GDR after about 1970, and setting up embassies in East Berlin.

 

[snorri]

at the moment I'm thoroughly mystified by what's going on here.)

You're not alone.

 

[swansonj]

Not strictly speaking. West Berlin functioned to most intents and purposes as a part of West Germany, but it was never formally part of the Federal Republic - its status in international law was as the British, American and French sectors of the Allied occupation of the city set up in 1945. Using the same logic, the Western Allies officially regarded East Berlin as the Soviet Sector of Berlin, and not part of the GDR - although that did not prevent western governments from recognising the GDR after about 1970, and setting up embassies in East Berlin.

I didn't know that and am pleased to add it my fund of trivia. Along with the fact, contrary to widespread opinion and a statement up thread, that Embassies remain the sovereign territory of the host country, not of the country being represented.