2018 Isle calendar answers

January

What am I?

I am La Sagrada Familia, in Barcelona, still incomplete, but promoted to a Basilica (courtesy of Pope Benedict XVI) in 2010. All my 18 towers have individual significance, one being the burial place of my wonderful architect designer, Anton Gaudi

February

Where am I?

I am in the Arabian Sea, I cover 1200 square miles, and I am Socotra Island, less than 200 miles from Somalia. Strategically important, and proud of my sometimes Martian image, tourism is what I now fear most, as a threat to my unique ecosystem

March

Who am I?

I am Daniele Barresi, Chef and World Champion Food Sculptor, from Calabria, Italy, and now based in Sydney, Australia, where people attend my carving classes from all over the world. Food carving satisfies my love of both food and art, and my favourite medium is the watermelon, as it evokes the colours of Italy

April

When did I?

I am Mount Vesuvius and it was c.1500 B.C. when I first erupted, in the Bay of Naples, and I am still the most active volcano in Europe. Far more famously, I destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 A.D., after which I was given the name volcano, after Vulcan, the blacksmith of the Roman Gods whose chimney had just exploded!

May

What am I?

The name’s a bit of a giveaway – I am the mimic octopus, and proud to be regarded as the world’s most intelligent animal and a bit of a superstar, with my unparalleled ability to trick both predators and prey by changing my appearance at will

June

Where am I?

I am the Red Beach in Panjin, China. Tourists flock to me every Autumn when my 51 square miles becomes a stunning crimson colour, and purple in the winter months, reverting to green in spring and summer

July

Who am I?

I still regard myself as the greatest composer of all time. Of the 3 German B’s, my compatriots Bach and Brahms would, but no-one will ever compare to Ludvig van Beethoven, as the reinventor of the symphony, the string quartet and the sonata, I changed music forever

August

When did I?

I am Vostok 1, and on April 12th, 1961, I blasted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome with Yuri Gagarin on board, beating those pesky Americans into space by 23 days, and sparking the space race of the 60s

September

What am I?

I am fairly obviously a pyramid, and I am the Great Pyramid of Giza, a masterpiece, and one so impressive in so many ways that modern technology cannot currently replicate me – a true enigma

October

Where am I?

I am the Catacombs, in Paris. I extend south from the Gate of Hell, and I was created to overcome the problem of the city’s overflowing cemeteries, with the transfer of 6,000,000 bodies to my ossuary (bone repository) becoming a nightly procession throughout 1786

November

Who am I?

I am Lee Jun-fan, but you will know me as Bruce Lee. I fled Hong Kong as a teenager to escape the gangs, and it has been said I must have been an extra terrestrial, so impossible were some of my moves (dance as well as martial arts). I died aged 32, and Steve McQueen, James Coburn and Chuck Norris were amongst my pallbearers

December

When did I?

My connections to Coca Cola are pretty well known (I never drink and drive, despite all the sherry on offer), and I became the Santa we all know today in December 1931 by reminding people to drink Coca Cola all year round