Madlist

6 Places to try out your Christmas gifts

EASTERN FINLAND – TO TRY OUT YOUR HIKING BOOTS

LAPPEENRANTA, FINLAND
Want to walk into Russia? It’s a mere 21km from this south-eastern Finnish town, and if the sturdy new footwear you got for Christmas is up to it, why not carry on to St Petersburg (200km) or, what the hell, Moscow (900km)? Onward!

THE CANARY ISLANDS – DO THOSE DESIGNER SUNGLASSES DELIVER?

GRAN CANARIA, SPAIN
This Spanish hot spot is always pretty sunny in winter, and therefore just the place to see if those new €200 designer shades you begged for will keep out the brightness while you sip on your beer at the beachside bar and watch the world go by.

THE SCOTTISH CAPITAL – TO DRINK YOUR BOTTLE OF WHISKY

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND
Every decent Christmas hamper contains a good bottle of Scotch, and – assuming you’ve not finished it all off on a Boxing Day bender – Edinburgh is the ideal place to drink it. Why not enjoy a wee dram while seeing in the New Year?

THE EASTERN MED – TO CHALLENGE A SMARTPHONE

LARNACA, CYPRUS
That new smartphone was at the top of your Christmas list, but how good is it really? Will it still give you a signal in Cyprus, Ryanair’s most easterly destination in the Med? As for roaming charges – remember to download a free-call app before you go!

THE ITALIAN LAKES – FOR THAT SPEEDBOAT YOU NOW OWN

MILAN, ITALY
If you’re fantastically wealthy there’s a good chance you shelled out for/ received a $250,000, hand- crafted, 27-foot Hacker- Craft speedboat. Test it on the Italian lakes and we reckon you’ll soon have George Clooney inviting you round for a spritzer!

THE NORWEGIAN CAPITAL – TO TEST GRAN’S KNITTED JUMPER

OSLO, NORWAY
Oslo in winter is as cold as can be and thus the perfect place where a hand-knitted sweater will be put through its paces. Ignore the lurid colours and crazy pattern: if Nan’s woolly creation keeps you warm during a Norwegian winter, she’s onto something.