Where do you recommend

[voiceoftheshires]

Originally Posted by Dominick

That would depend entirely upon what you're interested in; nature, culture, old cities vs. modern cities, etc. etc.
Having said that, I live in Belgium so you can pretty much visit the whole thing in a fortnight

What makes Belgium worth visiting?

[Tom Palven]

Originally Posted by voiceoftheshires

What makes Belgium worth visiting?

Imho Bruges is the prettiest city in the world.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationP..._Province.html

[voiceoftheshires]

Originally Posted by Tom Palven

Imho Bruges is the prettiest city in the world.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationP..._Province.html

Thank you, does indeed look nice

[Donkey]

Originally Posted by Michael

Next time I'm driving down through the US, I do plan to make a point of visiting Cleveland - based on your recommendation.

I don't mind a bit of urban blight - I've been to Detroit and Buffalo, as well as good old Hamilton and east end Montreal. I've also been to Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and east-end London just to keep perspective on the issue. Britain has some really nasty 'council estates'. Seems like every big city that's at least a hundred plus years old has some old industrial districts (and neighboring housing) that is ugly as shit. So far the worst place in the USA I've seen was North Philadelphia (Germantown) back in the late-1980's when the crack epidemic was rolling through. That was bad - looked like a war-zone. Detroit by comparison is creepy because it is so empty. The slums in Germantown 'war-zone' were filled with people.

Here in Toronto, we've bulldozed most of the old factories and gentrified our old working class neighborhoods, but that stuff used to be here too.

I vaguely remember going down to a waterfront with some very cool old brick buildings and some overpriced martinis.

Originally Posted by voiceoftheshires

Doesn't appeal to me, I am afraid

What kind of stuff are you interested in?

[voiceoftheshires]

Originally Posted by Donkey

I vaguely remember going down to a waterfront with some very cool old brick buildings and some overpriced martinis.

What kind of stuff are you interested in?

Nature, people going about their daily lives, ruins

[Donkey]

Originally Posted by voiceoftheshires

Nature, people going about their daily lives, ruins

Well you're not going to have a whole lot of ruins luck in the United States, at least not ancient. We have some mounds in Southern Ohio, some ancient native civilization sites in the Southwest of the country. We have plenty of 19th century ruination though.

People going about their daily lives is everywhere.

Nature is also everywhere, but again it depends on your preference. We have thousands of acres of national park, which approximate the nature of their biosphere.

[Dominick]

Originally Posted by voiceoftheshires

What makes Belgium worth visiting?

Originally Posted by voiceoftheshires

Nature, people going about their daily lives, ruins

In that case, everything south and east of the river Maas/Meuse, i.e. the Ardennes. All green, heaps of quaint little villages and little cities and ruins to boot. Here's one example : The Abbaye de Villers-la-Ville :

[Dominick]

Originally Posted by Tom Palven

Imho Bruges is the prettiest city in the world.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationP..._Province.html

Originally Posted by voiceoftheshires

Thank you, does indeed look nice

Bruges to me is a dead boring provincial town of no interest. It's a tourist trap though. The 'medieval' city center is fabricated, little of it is genuine.
If you're into such cities, Ghent is a much better option.

[voiceoftheshires]

Originally Posted by Dominick

In that case, everything south and east of the river Maas/Meuse, i.e. the Ardennes. All green, heaps of quaint little villages and little cities and ruins to boot. Here's one example : The Abbaye de Villers-la-Ville :

Seems a shame I have overlooked Belgium when it is so near to me. thank you

[Michael]

Originally Posted by Dominick

Bruges to me is a dead boring provincial town of no interest. It's a tourist trap though. The 'medieval' city center is fabricated, little of it is genuine.
If you're into such cities, Ghent is a much better option.

Yes, Ghent has been high on my list for quite some time.