Curious Stockholm

Why did the English choose Jamestown, Yorktown and Williamsburg, Virginia as their early American settlements? Why did King William III and Queen Mary II establish a university here? What was life like for the colonists here? What crazy concoctions are to be found in a colonial apothecary?

After nearly 500 years, French is still the official language of this North American city. How has this UNESCO World Heritage Site retained its 'Frenchness' after all this time? Why does the Chateau Frontenac hotel look like a French castle, and what does it have to do with the Canadian railway? What's so curious about Rue Saint-Jean, Place Royal and Petit-Champlain?

How did Dublin get its name? And what do Vikings and a black pool have to do with it? Who was Maewyn Succat, and why is he celebrated with green beer? How did the harp become a symbol of Ireland, and why do the harps on Irish coins and Guinness beer look different? What is the curious history of the Book of Kells, and how did it make its way into Trinity College's Longroom Library?

Who were the Habsburgs, Maria Theresa, Franz Joseph and Sisi? And how did they shape Vienna? What is the Ringstrasse, and why are there so many oversized, ornate public buildings dotting it? Where did Mozart perform as a 6-year-old prodigy? When and why did Austria shrink to a tenth of its size? What do the eagles on the rooftop of St. Stephen's Cathedral symbolize? And why are Vienna's coffee and pastries so legendary?

This beautiful region of England is full of picture-perfect rolling hills, quaint stone cottages, sprawling country estates and that distinct Yorkshire dialect. Why are country estates named Castles and Abbeys? What is The Shambles, and how did it get its name? Why is one of the largest medieval Gothic cathedrals in Europe in the small town of York? How did the Quakers and chocolate shape York's history? Where and what is Herriot's country?