what do you know about brussels, flanders!?

[varunkapahi]

i was at an education fair where i found out about this BA Music (composition) degree offered in one of the colleges in Brussels, it all looked pretty interesting but i realized i dont know anything about the place! so i am searching on the internetz but i thought i'd ask ya folks too. how is the quality of life there, is it a nice to place to live in or it is plagued by constant political/terror/violence, etc!?
do you have any experience or thoughts about the place!? and do people there mostly know and speak English!? any clue if welcome or hate foreigners ?

[Mortiis]

There's some great history round there, of the World War kind. Went on a battlefield trip back in school and we went around the old trenches and saw the big memorials etc.

Belgium has great chocolate but other than that I hear Brussels is the dullest place on earth

[drteeth]

You could live in Leuven and commute to Brussels (20 minute train ride)

Brussels is not bad to live in to pretty bad, depending on where you live. French is the dominant language, but most will speak at least a bit of english.

[username n/a]

Their sprouts are pretty good.

[geeza]

[Mortiis]

Originally Posted by username n/a

Their sprouts are pretty good.

Blergh.

[drteeth]

Their beer is also pretty good.

[Mortiis]

Ah yeah, I forgot about the beer. I've had some nice Belgian cherry beer in my time.

[kydnav]

Hmmmm, Vlaamse frieten

[Mortiis]

Ah, yeah they invented chips (fries) as well.

[5StringBlues]

Don't get Pis'd on.

[link wray]

Education is good in Belgium. So is the beer, and food is decent as well. Brussels is a bit dull compared to other belgian cities, but those are only a short train trip away.

[Syeknom]

Belgium's absolutely lovely - I've been to Brussels a few times since moving here and enjoyed walking around having a look. Some lovely architecture there. Belgium is a pretty tiny country and you can commute to Brussels from plenty of other locations if you don't fancy living in the city.

As an Englishman living in Belgium with no ability to speak Dutch or French (i'm *slowly* learning Dutch) I have had absolutely no problem communicating with people - they almost always speak absolutely fantastic English. Brussels is predominantly French-speaking whilst the rest of Flanders is Dutch-speaking.

A few of my Belgian friends all seem to consider Brussels either a bit rubbish, dull or a bit crime-ridden for their liking, but it is important to compare that to the standard of living everywhere else in Belgium which is outstanding - I could not imagine being even a little afraid of robbery or assault in Leuven, for example. I imagine that Brussels is vaguely similar to London (probably nicer, depending on the part) - it is the city most tourists love and visit, but a lot of English people detest the place.

As a foreigner myself, the Belgian people have been accepting and lovely to me - people are thrilled and fascinated upon learning that I am English, although I imagine this reaction will be different depending on the country you come from. Belgium has a lot of problems with immigration, especially from Morocco and Turkey, and I get the impression of a general resentment of people from these countries (similar to the resentment of the Polish in England). Imagine an Indian would be welcomed though =)

Belgium has amazing chocolate, beer, fries and very attractive girls. It is also a very short journey to plenty of other countries (France, Germany and the Netherlands are all only a couple of hours away by train - England is accessible through a quick Eurostar/tunnel trip).

[XtreO]

Biggest cinema complex in the world is there. Also the European Union capital.

[rr5025]

I loved Brussels. It was a beautiful city and very welcoming. Everyone I met spoke English and was very friendly. Food was awesome and the beer was orgasmic. Chocolate was pretty damn good too. Architecture was great as well.

If you can't tell I can't wait to go back one day.

PS. If you want to check out some pics feel free to PM me for my facebook. I've got lots of pics up on there.

[flipper_gv]

the weirdest beer style ever:

Flanders Oud Bruyn.

[varunkapahi]

Originally Posted by Syeknom

Belgium's absolutely lovely - I've been to Brussels a few times since moving here and enjoyed walking around having a look. Some lovely architecture there. Belgium is a pretty tiny country and you can commute to Brussels from plenty of other locations if you don't fancy living in the city.

As an Englishman living in Belgium with no ability to speak Dutch or French (i'm *slowly* learning Dutch) I have had absolutely no problem communicating with people - they almost always speak absolutely fantastic English. Brussels is predominantly French-speaking whilst the rest of Flanders is Dutch-speaking.

A few of my Belgian friends all seem to consider Brussels either a bit rubbish, dull or a bit crime-ridden for their liking, but it is important to compare that to the standard of living everywhere else in Belgium which is outstanding - I could not imagine being even a little afraid of robbery or assault in Leuven, for example. I imagine that Brussels is vaguely similar to London (probably nicer, depending on the part) - it is the city most tourists love and visit, but a lot of English people detest the place.

As a foreigner myself, the Belgian people have been accepting and lovely to me - people are thrilled and fascinated upon learning that I am English, although I imagine this reaction will be different depending on the country you come from. Belgium has a lot of problems with immigration, especially from Morocco and Turkey, and I get the impression of a general resentment of people from these countries (similar to the resentment of the Polish in England). Imagine an Indian would be welcomed though =)

Belgium has amazing chocolate, beer, fries and very attractive girls. It is also a very short journey to plenty of other countries (France, Germany and the Netherlands are all only a couple of hours away by train - England is accessible through a quick Eurostar/tunnel trip).

how expensive is living in Brussels? nearly the same as London or cheaper!?

[varunkapahi]

Originally Posted by drteeth

Their beer is also pretty good.

Originally Posted by Mortiis

Ah yeah, I forgot about the beer. I've had some nice Belgian cherry beer in my time.

starts packing......!

[varunkapahi]

Originally Posted by rr5025

I loved Brussels. It was a beautiful city and very welcoming. Everyone I met spoke English and was very friendly. Food was awesome and the beer was orgasmic. Chocolate was pretty damn good too. Architecture was great as well.

If you can't tell I can't wait to go back one day.

PS. If you want to check out some pics feel free to PM me for my facebook. I've got lots of pics up on there.

pm'd!

[KarateKid25]

I went on exchange to Brussels for 3 months as a kid. It was good fun there. I was a bit young to care much about the History side of things etc, but I remember it being a nice place