Thursday, November 30, 2006

Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp

The center of all European organizations and a multicultural city. The capital city of Belgium. Although in other cities of Belgium you can hear English, Flemish, German and French in daily conversations, in this city the dominant language is French.

The city includes a historic part and a new part. Here are the highly recommended attractions;

Atom/ Atomium
Grote Markt (Grand Market Square) / Royal Art and History Museum & Town Hall
Manneken Pis, situated in Rue de l’Etuve (Little Julian’, the statue is, a typically Belgian symbol of cultural self-mockery),
Comic Museum,
Parliament of Europe,
Belgian Royal Museum of Fine Arts.

Other possible attractions:

· Autoworld

· Art in the Metro

· Bruegel's Tomb

· Chateau Royal-Royal Hothouses

· Musee communal des Beaux-Arts

· Musee van Buuren

· Natural Science Museum-Dinosaur Skeletons

· Palais Royal / Koninklijk Paleis

· Palais de Justice / Justeipaleis

· Parc du Cinquantenaire / Jubelpark

· Place Royale / Koningsplein

· Kasteel van Gaasbeek

· National Botanic Garden (Nationaal Plantentuin van Bouchout)

Tips:

- Be ready for heavy rain.

- Try different versions of waffles, chocolates, and of course the famous Belgium beers that you can select from 280 different types.

- If you like potatoes and mussels then you will enjoy the lunch :) They prepare the mussels in hundreds of different ways.

- French is the dominant language, however, people know other languages, as well, they just prefer not to speak.

Brugge

A cute Belgium city with several beautiful churches, almshouses, windmills, and many other attractive places. The city quarter where most foreign merchant houses and consulates were established in the 14th-15th centuries. By boat you have the opportunity to see the city from the city canals; you will discover Bruges from quite a different and surprising point of view. The city is pretty small so you can easily walk across it in half an hour.

Museums & places of interest

Bruges offers a great number of museums and other places of interest, worthwhile visiting during your visit. Note that Monday is the closing day for the municipal museums.

Here are my pics:

1 Groeninge Museum

2 Church of Our Lady

3 Historical Museum Belfry (climb the 366 steps up the bell tower)

4 Gruuthuse Museum

5 City Hall (Gothic Hall on the 1st floor is open to the public)

6 Memling Museum

7 Basilica of the Holy Blood

8 Beguinage

9 Lace Centre

Antwerp /Antwerpen/ Anvers

Although Antwerp is not a tourist city, still it is worth visiting. Mainly famous for the diamond commercial and its international port.

Oude Stad (Old City) In Grote Markt square; the Town Hall. A little further, you will find the beautiful Cathedral, Onze-Lieve Vrouwekathedraal, and besides many more beauties...

Groenplaats (Green Place)

The square offers a great view from the city's Cathedral. It is also the starting place of a tourist tram. It is one of the largest squares in the city, also it is a recommended starting point for visitors of the historic center. It gets quite crowded during the season. You can enjoy numerous cafe terraces and restaurants together with the music and beer.

The Cathedral (from the 14th- 15th century)

It is the largest Gothic church in the Netherlands. It is just at the north of the Groenplaats. It was furnished with renaissance, baroque, rococo and classical works of art.

Grote Markt (Grand Market Square)

This market is a marvelous sight right in the middle of the city. Dominated by the renaissance style Stadhuis (city hall), the square includes several more beauties. The famous tavern Den Engel, the Brabo Fountain, the statue of the legendary Roman Silvius Brabo, who saved Antwerp from Druon the giant, are also here. Enjoy a Belgian beer, a Brussels waffle, or coffee at one of the cafes.

The Town Hall

This amazing structure, designed by Cornelis Floris, signifies the new status of the city. The design reflects a fusion of Flemish and Italian Renaissance architecture.

Plantentuin

It is a small and historical botanical garden in the heart of the city. This Hortus Botanicus still has an interesting variety of plants and trees. The entrance is for free.

Antwerp Zoo (Dierentuin)

It's an excellent and well-kept zoo, with a wide variety of wild animals and a special focus on penguins and reptiles. Don't forget to visit the elephant hall.

Other alternatives to visit in Antwerp:

Begijnhof
Stadpark
The Bourla Theater
Onze Lieve Vrouwkathedraal Ruben's Painting
Plantin-Moretus Museum Museum Mayer van den Bergh
Museum of Fine Arts (Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten)
Nightingale Park (Nachtegalenpark)
Open-air Sculpture Museum. (Openluchtmuseum voor Beeldhouwkunst)
Rubens' House (Rubenshuis)
Sint-Jacobskerk Rubens' Chapel
St James' Church (Sint-Jacobskerk)
Berendrechtsluis
Kalmthoutser Heide Nature Reserve
Butcher's Hall (Vleeshuis Museum)
The International Port

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Paris

The capital and the largest city of France. It is tough to describe this dream city with daily words. An artful, romantic, unique, historic city. The best description can be by poems... Here are some of the best alternatives to visit, I am sure that everyone can find new attraction points in this magical city depending on their interests.

Sacré-Coeur is an amazing place, at the highest point on Montmartre hill. The view, the artists, the narrow streets, will be remembered for a long time. Eating delicious crepes and having a famous French wine with that view is inevitable. To reach Sacre Core from the city, the metro is the easiest way of transportation. You can take the stairs or the elevators to climb the top of the hill but taking stairs and resting at the sides of the stairs is also brings unique moments. As usual of the touristic areas be careful to the pickpockets.

Cathedral de Notre Dame, from the 12th century, and the Eiffel Tower are two very famous places. They have a different effect especially at sunrise, at sunset, and at night. Visiting inside of the Cathedral and being top of the Eiffel are nice experiences, but my recommendation is to visit the top of Montparnasse which is cheaper than the Eiffel, and higher than the Eiffel so that you can have a great city view including the Eiffel.

Montparnasse is a skyscraper with a great Paris view. The top-level is a tourist area. There is an internal lift that takes you up to the 56th floor in about30 seconds and you will find yourself in a large room surrounded by huge glass windows from which you can see all of Paris. In this room, there are toilets, a cafeteria, and a small gift shop. The open-air terrace has the city's best view.

The Louvre Museum

The Louvre is considered the world's greatest art museum, including the famous Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. You can spend the whole day here, if your aim is giving a quick glance then you might spend 3 hours but it is worth visiting if you have a slight interest in art.

Musee d'Orsay is another museum that can be accepted as the continuation of Louvre French art from the mid-1800s to the 1st World War

Arc de Triomphe

This world-famous structure has served since the days of Napoleon as a symbol of victory for triumphant French troops returning home.

Rue Cler

Just south & east of the Eiffel Tower, stroll Rue Cler, between Rue de la Motte Picquet & Rue de Grenelle, and on the left bank of Seine. This cobblestoned street is a real Parisian market street with chocolate, cheese, wine & meat shops, flower stands & cafes.

Champs Elysee

This long street is the most famous street in Paris. The street has pretty expensive stores and cafes. If your time is limited this street might be a waste of time since there are lots of things to do in this dream city. Still nice to see and nice to be in. There is a big branch of the famous perfume shop Sephora located on this street.

For a walk, the best places will be Latin Quarter, Notre Dame, the Louvre, Tuileries Gardens, Rue Cler, and the Eiffel Tower. Touristic Bus and Riverboat tours are good options if you want to have the city view from a different perspective.