FredTraveler's Travel Blog

About Antwerp - Antwerp, Belgium

 This place was Amazing visited Sep 1988

Antwerp is the capital of Antwerp province (1.65 million inhabitants) and Belgium's second city with 450,000 inhabitants. Here is the second largest port in Europe, after Rotterdam, along River Schelde. Antwerp has many monuments that show the past splendour of the 16th and 17th centuries, represented at most in the paintings of Rubens who lived here. Presently Antwerp is a modern European city, considered the world centre of diamonds. The landmark of Antwerp is definitely the Grote Markt, with the Guildhalls in renaissance style and the Stadhuis (town hall). The Groenplaats is the most popular square with its cafes. Here stands the Cathedral of Our Lady and a statue of Rubens. Meir is the main shopping street in Antwerp.

posted Jan 6, 2005 | Comments (0)

About Brussels - Brussels, Belgium

 This place was Amazing visited Sep 1988

Brussels is the capital of the Kingdom of Belgium and its largest city with about 1 million inhabitants. The foundation of Brussels goes back to the 10th century when German Emperor Otto II conceded the territory to the Duke of Lorraine who built a fortress. In the 13th century the Dukes of Brabant were the sovereigns of Brussels and later their heirs, the Dukes of Burgundy. In the 15th century the Austrian Habsburgs took power by the marriage King Maximilian. In 1695 the French king Louis XIV attacked Brussels but in the 18th century the Austrian Emperors took over again by the Treaty of Utrecht. In 1831 the first Belgian king Leopold I makes Brussels the capital of Belgium which is then rebuilt with majestic buildings worthy of a capital. Since then times of progress arrived with many international congresses. In the 20th century Brussels lived two World Wars. Since 1980, Belgium was divided in 3 federal states, being one of them the capital. In the last decades Brussels has achieved the status of centre of modern Europe with installation of the European Union and NATO headquarters. Thus if there was a capital of Europe it is certainly Brussels. As a tourist destination, Brussels has many interests, starting with the major attraction, the Grand Place (Grote Markt in Flemish), an astonishingly sumptuous square from the early 18th century with buildings of fine architecture like the Guildhalls, the Maison du Roi or the splendorous Hôtel de Ville (town hall), built from the 15th century in a gothic flamboyant style. Near the Grand Place, in Stoofstraat, stands the Manneken Pis, the famous statue of a boy urinating. The Cathedral of St. Michael is worth a visit. The Rue Royale is an important street with several interests. Starting in the inner ring of Brussels near the Botanic Garden, is the Congress Column and a little ahead the Brussels Park that holds the majestic Royal Palace where the king works (the Royal Residence is in the Royal Park in Laken, in the Palace built by the governor of Austrian Netherlands in 1772). Going down Rue Royale, we walk by Place Royale, and ahead the elegant neighbourhood of Sablon and finally the Courthouse. The Cinquentenaire Park was built to celebrate the 50 years of independence and to bring some monumentality to Brussels as a European capital. Here is the Triumph Arch. Well distant from town centre, near the Royal Park, stands the famous Atomium, Brussels landmark that was built for the first World Expo after World War II in 1958. It represents an iron crystal with 9 atoms with 18 m of diameter, for a total 102 m of height. From the top there is a great view of the city. Another attraction near the Atomium is Bruparck where Mini-Europa is the highlight. Getting There: Brussels is in the centre of Europe, near other European capitals like Paris, London and Amsterdam. Thus, there are many ways to get there by the great motorway and railway network, including the high speed train TGV to Paris and London. Brussels is 315 kms away from Paris, 207 kms from Amsterdam, 400 kms from Frankfurt and 2240 kms from Lisboa. Brussels has an important international airport, the Zaventem, with direct flights to countless cities in Europe and several other to other continents.

posted Jan 6, 2005 | Comments (0)

Visiting Mons - Bergen, Belgium

 This place was Amazing visited Nov 1999

---------------- The first time I visited my good friend Arkadi and stayed at his place in his hometown of Mons, a Walloon town near the French border. Beyond all entertaining activities with the Sanzarowski family, we explored widely the town and its surroundings where other members of the family live. In Mons we visited the Grand Place where is located the Hôtel de Ville (town hall) and the "singe" (a monkey statue that is a town symbol), the Collégiale Sainte-Waudru church and the Belfroi (belfry) that offers a panoramic view of the town. For the rest we wandered the pedestrian streets of la Chaussée and de la Coupe. At night, the club Quartier Latin was a mandatory meeting point. In Mons surroundings we stopped by the carbon mines and there was still time for a fun time ice-skating in the French town of Valenciennes. -------------- My second visit to Mons was to be his godfather in his marriage to Barbara. Thus, this 10 days stay was centered in the wedding preparations like a visit to the farm where would be held the party, "La ferme du coq", the Collégiale Church, the family and to follow tradition the bachelor's party called "le brûlage des pantalons" (burning the trousers). Still the night before the wedding was a chance to say goodbye to Quartier Latin club as single and to try several beers in a bar that offered 180 of them. In the beginning of my stay in Mons, my friend Arkadi was still working in Brussels so for a couple of days I went with him in the morning and for the second time visited this charming city, including the overwhelming Grande Place, the Manneken Pis (pissing boy statue), Place Royale, Court House, Basilique du Sacré-Coeur and many other attractions like the famous Atomium in Heysel Park. Despite all this activity, Arkadi went sober to his marriage which started early in the morning in the noble hall of La Comune (town hall) where I was one of two witnesses for the marriage registration. From there we followed to the religious ceremony in Collégiale Church. Later on, the marriage party started in La ferme du coq and lasted the whole day and night with much fun and animation. After the departure of the newly married couple to their small honeymoon in the Belgian coast, chief Sanzarowski, Arkadi's father, took me and my mother to see the Grand Large (a lake) and the nearby canals. We also visited the French town of Valenciennes.

posted Jan 6, 2005 | Comments (0)

About Bregenz - Bregenz, Austria

 This place was Amazing visited 1994

Bregenz is the capital of Vorarlberg, but only second largest town with 27,700 inhabitants. It stays in the far west of the country on the bank of Lake Constance. It is a centre of water sports in summer and of winter sports in the mountains nearby. The highest part of town is the oldest and some 13th to 16th century buildings stand still and also some parts of the town walls. The Martin Tower is the most relevant monument. In summer there is a music Festival with concerts and operas performed on a suspended stage over Lake Constance. Near the town are the Bregenz Woods - Bregenzwald.

posted Jan 6, 2005 | Comments (0)

About Innsbruck - Innsbruck, Austria

 This place was Amazing visited 1994

Innsbruck is the capital of Tyrol and Austria's fifth city with 113,000 inhabitants. In the 15th century, Emperor Maximilian I made Innsbruck the centre of his administration and then he built the Goldene Dachl (Golden Roof), a renaissance jewel which is today the city's landmark. Empress Maria Theresia built the Triumph Arch and expanded the Hofburg Palace, the Habsburgs official residence in Innsbruck. Other interesting monuments are the baroque Cathedral and the town hall Tower which is a great viewpoint for the town and mountains. Walking away from the centre, one gets to Inn River from where a funicular can be used to go up the mountains to visit Alpenzoo, a zoo dedicated to alpine species. Presently Innsbruck has privileged position in the Alps and is an international centre of winter sports with structures of excellence which in 164 and 1976 hosted the Winter Olympic Games.

posted Jan 6, 2005 | Comments (0)