I've never been to Brussels, just passed it a couple of times by train and at least from the view out of a train window, I can really connect to your comments; it looked rough and in parts downright ugly, but then there suddently were nice parts/sides as well.

Honestly I've never taken the time to visit Belgium more closely, but somehow the desrciption of Brussels fits the whole country (at least what I've seen from train and car rides).

Seems like a country with a hell lot of character and damn many of 'em, so to speak.

__________________
"Homo Homini Lupus"
Thomas Hobbes

Thank you sir. You know this is the kind of thread I really appreciate

Bath is very nice (and is twinned with Aix en Provence BTW )

Just read in the gulfnews that Abu Dhabi has been ranked among the top ten best cities to visit by Lonely Planet.

Honestly I don't know how this ranking was done, but hey let's present a top 10 Lonely Planet city: Abu Dhabi















(future) Louvre Abu Dhabi

__________________
"Homo Homini Lupus"
Thomas Hobbes

[QUOTE=Slartibartfas;1560495]This thread is about great cities of the world. I would like to mention what is said to be a "rough" beauty. The capital of Belgium and (de facto) of Europe: Brussels

I have heard its chaotic , rich, poor, old, new, breathtakingly beautiful and mindbogglingly ugly at the same time. It is an officially bilingual city (French, Flemish/Dutch) and a national capital of a nation many doubt that it exists in first place, Belgium. About 100 thousand people are said to either work directly for the EU or make a living in a job related to the EU. Add to that number those who are working at the NATO headquarters and don't forget the officials working for the Belgium government and you realize that this is a true global capital of bureaucracy.

At the same time, the city features all that Belgium is famous for a great and rich beer culture, for being a chocolate lovers heaven and also for Belgian comics. From what I have heard, after the first shock people find out that you can make a quite good living in this city, which is lying on so many cultural crossroads that it truly deserves being the political centre of Europe.


Sorry bout the mistake, but then again, es lebe der Zentralfriedhof.

I would have mentioned Brussels, but only the city center is beautiful, the Golden Place especially.
But the rest is just another belgian village.
The Atomium still exists, but is now closed when Anderlecht plays. There were too many people in the Restaurant, which offers a view directly into the Heysel Stadium about a hundred meters away.
They all came with binoculars and tilted the weight of the top globe to the west, it became a problem.



They did a lot around the northern train station, the former red light district.
Haven´t been there for quite a while, I will have to check up next time I go to Aarschot to fish in my pond.

The above mentioned RLD was rather amusing. Very much like in Seoul and Amsterdam, the Ladies were sitting in the windows, knitting, while waiting for Customers.

I did some jobs in the neighboring industrial area and the harbour, so we walked through the quarter to get to the city center in the evenings.
They should have renovated the houses and leave the quarter alone,

Then again, most cities in Belgium have nice centers.
Food is good in Belgium as long as you don´t eat too many freis ( they were invented there, so was the fast food business.
Seafood especially is, compared to other Euro countries, very cheap.
Where else can you get a lobster for a fiver or a huge pot full of mussels for about € 7.

The smaller hotels give you a boteram in the morning, it´s included in the price.
A big bag with white bread, and you can pick what else on meat, sausage, marmelade or else you want to have.

I love the flamish part of Belgium.

Btw, if you ever get to Antwerp, go to the Grote Markt.
Absolutely amazing.
There are old town houses of the former nobility there, som even only eight foot wide, just enough room for a door and a window.
No houses to live in but just built just to show, you were still around and important.
Around thr corner is a restaurant, divided into a fish and a meat part.
It has huge windows between dining and kitchen, so you can see, how your food is being prepared.

Some steps further on there is "De Leeuw van Vlaanderen", a pub.
When I went in there I got the shock of my life.
Nazi flags everywhere, showcases with SS daggers, Medals, SS pay books, letters from Hitler and other Nazis.
A huge painting of Hitler on the wall.
The place is the hangout of the former Belgian (vlaamse) SS.


City center


The Groote Markt.


The Zoo is one of the oldest in the world, quite an attraction today.
Behind the Centraal Station you have the jewish quarter, the largest Diamond market in the world.

I regularely accompany my jeweller pal there to buy stones.
Usually, the sellers just pour out some bags with stones of different sizes and colors on the table and leave you to take your pick.

I´ve seen Diamonds worth about 10 Million poured on the table in front of me.
And the guy, an orthodox Jew (Mazikadasch), Tallit, Kippa, Peot and all, just walked out of the room, leaving us alone with all that wealth.
Trust is absolutely important with these people.
These days, they do have cameras as well, but up to the mid-nineties there was no such thing.
And usually, after business is done, we are invited for a snack and a chat.

One of the places where I feel practically at home.

Centraal Station


50 meters to the right of it starts the jewish Quarter.




The kosher restaurants are worth visiting. The best one is probably the Lamalo.
Some 130 jewish shops in the area.

The harbor is one of the largest in Europe, in total freight per day second only to Rotterdam.

__________________
"There is no means of avoiding the final collapse
of a boom brought about by credit (debt) expansion.
The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner
as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit (debt) expansion,
or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved." - Ludwig von Mises

Nottingum, bloddyell.

I lived there for seven years, first in Lenton Sands, then in The Park.
I had a direct view of the castle some 600 meters away.

Since when has Robin his arrow back ?
It was stolen several times by tourists and not replaced in 1972.

I worked for Rediffusion then, the corner building under the Castle Rock.
At Lunchtime we went to the "old trip" to play a game tryeing to throw a copper ring on a string onto a bulls horn.
Does that still exist ?
The old Post Office in Market Street ?
Players at Redford Blvd ?
When they roasted tobacco there was no need to buy fags in Lenton.
Do they still sell Number Ten, the matchsticks with tobacco flavour ?

I was at the City Ground when the stand burned down in the game against Leeds in 68.

And I kicked for Clifton and the Magpies.

In the summer, we used to climb over the wall into the Universities pool at night and party til the cops kicked us out, usually around four in the morning.

Just tried to check up on Google maps and it seems, they pulled half Nottingham down.Whatever happened to London Road, Arkwright Street, Meadow Lane ?

Guess I´ll have to go and find out one of these days.

__________________
"There is no means of avoiding the final collapse
of a boom brought about by credit (debt) expansion.
The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner
as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit (debt) expansion,
or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved." - Ludwig von Mises

Lincoln has quite a lot of old buildings, anarch of roman times with traffic still passing under, many buildings from the 15th and 16th century, a magnificent Cathedral and a norman Castle an whose hill we planted the first vine in Lincolnshire. (there are some vineyards in the surrounding country side by now, but ours was the first, planted in 1972.

Lincoln is partner town of my Hometown.


Visit Lincoln : Christmas Market photos and tourist guide


Last sentence from this link

But why not mention my hometown, Neustadt on the Wine Street.

It lies in the center of Germanys largest continuous wine growing region, is the entrance to Germanys largest continuous forest area, the Pfaelzer Wald, Holds the worlds lsrgest Vinners parade annually at the second sunday in october, and the main church of the City, the Stiftskirche, half protestant, half catholic, holds the worlds largest Iron bell, the Kaiserglocke.
The Social Democratic Party was founded in Neustadt, the Hambach Castle was target of the first Mass demonstration for a political unification of Germany as a Democracy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neustadt_an_der_Weinstra
%C3%9Fe

Check the webcam on the Rathaus here
Neustadt a. d. Weinstraße Live! Webcam und Hotels Neustadt a. d. Weinstraße, Deutschland für Ihren Urlaub Neustadt a. d. Weinstraße - Wetter Neustadt a. d. Weinstraße



Here´s a pdf
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Former University

__________________
"There is no means of avoiding the final collapse
of a boom brought about by credit (debt) expansion.
The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner
as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit (debt) expansion,
or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved." - Ludwig von Mises

Oh, I know the little rascals all too well.
But I haven´t had too many problems with them lately, been drinking About 3 liters of liquid a day for 14 years now.

Ya gotta go back to Kyoto though, takes you about three months to see just a part of it.

__________________
"There is no means of avoiding the final collapse
of a boom brought about by credit (debt) expansion.
The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner
as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit (debt) expansion,
or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved." - Ludwig von Mises

@stillalive

Thanks for the insight into Belgium, I have never stayed there, just passed through by rail once.

The central station of Antwerp must be breath taking. It has been completely transformed over many years from a terminal station to a brand new drive through station with 3 rail levels (!). One of the coolest railway stations in the world now.







PS: To keep that thread a bit less chaotic and better readable, it would help if you don't quote pictures that have been posted already above.

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""Even though our unity is our strength, our diversity remains our wealth,""
Herman Van Rompuy

Ah, so you where one of the posh buggers in the Park then. Nice area, I'm in Lenton myself, just off the Boully...
Its stuck on now... Not sure when he got it back, certainly he's had it since I was born (1990)
The game still exists, but Rediffusion dosn't exist, as far as I'm aware.
Yep, still there.
Nope thats gone, most of the old places have gone like that.
Not a bad standrad, I'm a rugby man myself and play for the casuals in beeston but to play for the 'pies you must have been decent.
A lots been pulled down, but its still a nice city. Very modern now...

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Teversal Ave first with the in-laws, Newcastle drive after that, just above the tennis courts. Google shows the house still standing and just as ugly as it was then.
Not the posh area. But a banker as landlord. And a restored 1934 Armstrong-Siddely in the garage.
Salary with county was a royal 225 quid a month, but you could get a pair of shoes for 15 bob then and a made to measure three piece for 80 quid.
T´was nice while it lasted. A shattered knee cap ended it all.

Rediffusion went down in 85.

__________________
"There is no means of avoiding the final collapse
of a boom brought about by credit (debt) expansion.
The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner
as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit (debt) expansion,
or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved." - Ludwig von Mises

Well, it is evident that Belgium has several very beautiful and interesting cities.

I did not know there were so many.

It is now high on the list of destinations for the future.

Tim this is a great idea for a thread!

One city I really love is St Petersburg. Often called “the Venice of the North” Peter the Great modelled it on Amsterdam.

The tourist information office is one of the best I have been to as an independent traveller – they give you the EXACT information you need to get to sights out of town (and Catherine’s Palace and the Summer Palace are well worth a visit).

Its worth it to learn the Cyrillic alphabet before you go if you are going to rely on the metro – which is fast, safe and clean, although the underground stations are not nearly as impressive as the ones in Moscow.

The Hermitage is well worth a visit – Catherine was a great art collector and has some early and lesser known examples of work by some of the great masters.

I prefer St Pete’s to Moscow – but both are worth a visit despite the visa registration requirements.

Stapo mentioned Odessa – I love Odessa as well – it is to Ukraine what St Pete’s is to Russia – its a great city for walking around to see the major sights, and Privoz market is one of the biggest in Europe (or so I am told).

I love markets, because thats where you see the real life of a city – that and art galleries and the architecture! In Ukraina especially I also found the parks are great places for people watching . There are some beautiful places in Kyiv that are well worth a visit – but often I found some of the lesser known towns had their own charm.

I always felt safe in both Ukraina and Russia, and while I would recommend anyone going there learn some basic Russian – and especially learn to read, in the big cities you will always find people who speak English, and in some cases German as many people who don’t speak English do know some German. I generally found people helpful and kind.

Someone mentioned Madrid in passing – the highlight for me is the Prado – and there is one painting there that I love more than any other, but it is not my favourite Spanish city. For me its a tossup between Barcelona and Sevilla. I can’t believe this thread is up to the sixth page and nobody Has mentioned Barca!

The art galleries are great, then there are the Gaudi Buildings, Sagrada Familia and Gruell Park. If you go to Barca you can get a pass which gives you unlimited entry to about five galleries for a couple of weeks – and so you have time to really have a good look at all there is to see in them. (I love to take my time in Art Galleries). It is also worth going into the Gaudi buildings – you realize what a genius the man was – even if you aren’t taken with the style (although I am quite partial to his flowing organic work).

Sevilla I love – home to the Macarena and to Carmen – both extremes of femininity, but also an ancient city visited by the Phoenicians, and while it still has its ancient streets, the Calatrava bridge is a sample of ultra modernism.

Other cities I really love in Spain include Cordoba – the Mesquita is far more interesting that Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, and Granada – where the Alhambra is far more impressive than Topkapi in Istanbul. Also worth visiting is Valencia – but I also love a lot of the smaller cities in the Murcia region – especially Cartagena where there are still remains of the Punic rampart, a Roman theatre (though nowhere near as impressive as those in Turkey) and the maritime museum houses a Phoenician vessel.

If going to Southern Spain – try to be there during Carnivale (at the beginning of Lent) – Aguilas is the best place. Alternatively, Lorca puts on some pretty grand spectacles for Holy Week .

Sunshine mentioned Istanbul – or Turkey – definitely worth a visit. If doing a tour, try to make sure you fit in Pamukkale, Capadoccia and Ephesus. If going to Istanbul – April (Nisan) is a good time to be there – the tulips are amazing and really there aren’t so many tourists then as later. If you plan on going shopping – the Grand Bazaar is good for a look but you will often get better prices in the side streets around Sultanahmet - or on the Asian side (You can catch a ferry across). Alternatively some of the smaller centres have fairly good items at better prices. Also in Istanbul I like the cistern – its peaceful in there –although maybe not if there’s too many tourists. The Hagia Sophia, although its not the most impressive of restored churches (restoration was begun in the late 1800’s under ottoman rule) it is very interesting.

In Turkey you get the impression that Roman amphitheatres must have been the Macdonald’s of the Ancient world – so be choosy about the ones you see. The Ephesus one isn’t so impressive as some others, but Ephesus itself is worth a visit – remember Cleopatra and Mark Anthony have been there before you, St John the Evangelist lived there and the “Mary House” is also close by. The Bergama amphitheatre is very steep, but for me the real attraction was the Roman mosaic floor tiles. The best amphitheatre according to my reckoning is one near Antalya – which is also one of the most beautiful cities in Turkey, especially in early spring, and is worth stopping in at for a few days. A trip around the coast is also worth it.

These are most of the places tour groups will take you in western Turkey – but I have also been East – to Van (very close to Iran). Its not so easy for tourists, although if travelling independently I feel its worth doing. Some of the scenery is breathtaking, and for me, seeing Mt Ararat, crossing the Euphrates and the Great Mesopotamian plain had special significance.