Meet the twins
It's an odd idea, twinning towns; two places in completely different parts of the world with no apparent relation to one another are linked, supposedly with the goal of fostering better international relations and cultural understanding. Ok, but is the process of choosing a twin completely arbitrary, as it seems to be? Edinburgh, for instance, has a whopping nine twins (actually that would make the lot decaplets then, wouldn't it?).
But does Edinburgh have anything in common with its international siblings, or is it the black sheep of the family? Itchy set out to do a little internet-based research on a few of these foreign relatives.
Dunedin, New Zealand: This is a really easy one, because Dunedin was actually founded by Scotland. The name comes from the Scottish name for Edinburgh, Dun Eideann.
Florence, Italy: Florence Nightingale. She was born in Florence, but many of the women she trained became nurses at hospitals throughout the UK, including at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Good ole Flo.
Aalborg, Denmark: The weather. Both cities are freezing cold and tend to be rather grey most of the time.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: The name says it all; British Columbia was once part of Britain, and Scotland still sort of is, at least until Sean Connery wins its total independence.
Munich, Germany: Alkie-hol. Munich has beer, Edinburgh has whisky. Cheers.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, Edinburgh's other twins are Kiev, Ukraine; Nice, France; San Diego, United States; and Xi'an, China, which we were too lazy to look up facts for.
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