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I reckon that nine real (ie: non-fictional) European capital cities are referred to by name (in written words or in speech) in the UK editions of the colour Tintin books. Can you find and name them?

Some clarifying rules (to pre-empt confusions and arguments, I hope!):
1) We're looking at the colour books in this quiz, so Land of the Soviets isn't included in this question.
2) I'm basing this on the UK editions, so apologies in advance if any of the city names do not feature in a different language edition you might be using, or if a capital you submit doesn't feature in the UK editions and can't be allowed.
3) A capital's name doesn't have to be written in English to count.
4) Some of these capitals are referred to more than once in the course of the books. You can mention these multiple occurrences if you like, but they don't count as extra numbers - I'm looking for nine different European capitals.
5) Helpful info: The Netherlands legally formalized which city its official capital actually is back in 1983 (and it's not the seat of that country's government; it's the more obvious city).
6) If your list of nine capital cities differs from the nine I had in mind (ie: if I missed some, and you spot some extra ones), that's fine. As long as they're real European capitals that occur in writing somewhere in the colour UK editions, they count.

Hope that all helps. (Is this the longest question ever!?)

1. Shooting Star - Paul Cantonneau of Paris (France), Paris is also mentioned by Tintin in Red Rackham's Treasure, and of course Paris-Flash.
2. King Ottokar's Sceptre - Prague (Czech Republic) is mentioned by Hector Alembick, Tintin and the professor also changes planes at Prague.
3. Tintin in Tibet - Vienna (Austria) as headline in newpaper.
4. The Castafiore Emerald - Rome (Italy) as in Tempo di Roma, magazine the diva doesn't like.
5. Cigars of the Pharaoh - Istanbul (Turkey) mentioned by Tintin was the Turkish capital before Ankara.
6. Tintin in Congo - London (England) as in London Daily, don't have this book in english but saw the answer in trivia Q96, it is also written 21 London Road in Broken Ear and on train in Black Island.
7. Black Island - Brussels, or more correctly Bruxelles on the train in 1965 version.

Judging by your statement nr. 5 Amsterdam should be in there somewhere, but I can't find it right now. I can't also find a ninth city.

A very fine start from labrador road 26!

Istanbul isn't one of the capitals I had in mind. Although, as I said, that in itself doesn't matter at all, it may be dubious purely on the grounds that it ceased being the capital in 1923 (according to Wikipedia). As this is way before Tintin even started his adventures, I think this fact disqualifies it from the list - otherwise we'd have to include all former and ancient capitals. Is that fair, or should I have specified the capitals had to be current or contemporary with Tintin? I'm willing to be swayed if it becomes critical, but you certainly don't need Istanbul to make up a list of nine current capitals, so we may not need to debate its inclusion anyway!

I'd keep going if I were you, as I don't know whether the rules prevent someone else swooping in and adding your list of six (or possibly seven) correct capitals to any that they've found. (Though I'm sure we Tintinologists could resolve such an event in a civillized way!)

The remaining three capitals can all be found within two of the books you've already mentioned (though one of these can also be found in another book altogether). I'll give out some better clues before too long, if people are getting stuck.

I found the following in the French edition:

-London in Black Island (zoo for Ranko) and in Castafiore'emerald (Tchang)

-Wien (Vienna), Amsterdam, Prague in the Black Island

- Rome (place where the Sirius should be with Thompson's calculations) and Paris (meridian) in Red Rackam's treasure

- Reykjavik in the Shooting Star (Golden oil)

Balthazar
I think this fact disqualifies it from the list - otherwise we'd have to include all former and ancient capitals. Is that fair, or should I have specified the capitals had to be current or contemporary with Tintin?
I think that the inclusion of Istanbul by labrador road 26 deserves an honourable mention, but that there is certainly logic for limiting the capitals to those in effect during the course of the books.
Reading [url=Caphttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_of_the_Netherlands]the Wikipedia citation[/url] says that "Although the proper legal status of Amsterdam as capital of the Netherlands is of recent date, the city has been recognized as the capital since 1814" - so presumably it was a legal formality which was addressed in 1983, and that should be good enough for a trivia quiz, I think...!

Thanks for your info from the French editions, Chevet. Two of these occurances don't feature in the UK editions (which have the Thompsons' calculations put the the Sirius in Westminster Abbey and Ranko sent to Glasgow zoo). However, these two disallowable occurances are of capitals which have already been found by labrador road 26 in other places anyway, so it makes little odds to our total list.

You've spotted some extra occurences for London (Tchang's letter), Paris, Vienna and Prague which are in the UK editions.

More importantly, you've given us two new allowable ones - Amsterdam and Reykjavik. You're quite right that Amsterdam occurs in The Black Island, in the same place as Wien and Prague. I won't give away exactly where in the book that is yet in case quizters who are aiming for all nine want to find that one for themselves! Amsterdam can also be spotted in another book entirely.

Reykjavik, interestingly, is one I missed, thinking that because they don't actually go to that city, it isn't mentioned. But it is, by Bohlwinkel when telling his underling to contact the Golden Oil agent. So it's completely allowable.

That means there are actually ten to spot in the UK editions. Nine will get anyone the point, of course, but if anyone's feeling ambitious don't let me stop them!

So, to sum up the current position, chevet and labrador have between them spotted the following allowable European capitals:

Paris,
Prague,
London,
Brussels,
Amsterdam,
Vienna,
Reykjavik,
and Rome.

There are thus two more that I know of still to be spotted.

There's a large crossover between their answers but I reckon we can say that labrador has so far put forward six allowable ones that he spotted from scratch (London, Brussels, Prague, Rome, Vienna, Paris). And I agree with jock that the not-quite allowable Istanbul deserves an "honourable mention".

And chevet has so far spotted two brand new ones (Amsterdam and Reykjavik); four that had already been spotted by labrador but for which he gave different occurances (London, Vienna, Paris, Prague); and one for which he gave a disallowable occurances of an already spotted capital (Rome).

Balthazar
not sure about Chang in London being mentioned in the UK Castafoire Emerald - I can't find such a reference. Does he send a congratulations telegram in the original French-language version?

It's mentioned near the beginning that Chang has moved to London in a letter from him, just before Tintin reads out Castafiore's telegram informing them she's on her way to Marlinspike.

Sorry Harrock. I remembered that myself and edited my own posting accordingly just before you posted your helpful response, I guess. Sorry that my edit has made your response look like a bit of a non-sequetor. (Is that how you spell it, or is it spelt non-sequeteur. Or is that what Calculus uses to prune non-roses?)

The two missing European capitals should be:
- Lisboa (Lisbon) in Cigars (on Oliveira's wooden box, around p.12).
- Belgrade in Ottokar's Sceptre (p.60, frame 9, in the notebook of Professor Alembik).

Balthazar
Sorry Harrock
Ha, that's OK Balthazar!
Of course I wouldn't dream of re-editing your edit to make your response to my response look like a cuckoo in the nest... I'll leave the non-secateur where it is!