I’ve lived in and traveled throughout Europe and Florence has been my favorite. You can’t throw a rock without hitting an amazing piece of art or history.
My company has several sites across the UK and I’ve been lucky to have had many business trips to visit them. My first visit was to Shrewsbury, England, established roughly 1083. Also home of Charles Darwin. I arrived early on a Sunday morning and went out to explore the town in a light rain. When I got to the central stone market place, a large ukulele flash mob broke out. At least 40 folk ages 8 to 80. That was my welcome to England
Then after long 10 hour days in a conference room we’d head out to the Nag’s Head pub (est. 1780) where they LOVED Americans. We became good friends with the owner and I got to bartend for a bit. He got free labor and I learned how to pull a proper pint of cask ale.
It might not be the biggest, flashiest city in Europe, but it’s certainly the most welcoming.
I’ve lived in a handful of countries and each one has some interesting cities that are really nice in their own way. What is so interesting about European and SE Asian cities I have lived in is the sense of history - centuries and centuries of history that we just don’t have in the same way in the USA.
@macromeh Nope. Humans started out a zillion years ago in only a couple of spots in the world (presuming you are counting several early groups). The Native American ruins, burial mounds, etc. aren’t as “in your face” as 14th century castles sitting on a hill over the city that has its own 400 and 500+ year old houses. You don’t stumble across 2000+ year old Norse ruins or walk on an old Roman road from BC (both examples NW England Lake District where I worked or near by) in the USA.
@Kidsandliz@macromeh Oddly enough, on a train ride from Edinburgh to York, an English professor of history scoffed at the assertion that Europe has a lot more of it than North America, with the addendum that we’d be a lot more aware of North American history if the colonizers hadn’t resolutely stolen and/or destroyed all of the evidence of it as fast as they found it. And he made no excuses for the role the English played in that.
@Catburd I only got to travel because I worked in those countries. Had the same problems though as any other working stiff though. Not much time to travel outside of the area I was working in.
@Catburd@Kidsandliz
But that way I think you get a chance to learn the city well. Flying through Europe and spending a day or two in half a dozen cities really doesn’t tell you much…
All great in their own ways.
Nice.
@yakkoTDI
Yes… They are!
@yakkoTDI Yep, it’s right there in the name.
Bayonne!
London
London or Rome
I liked Ghent in Belgium.
@PooltoyWolf Nice carillon there too.
Hmmm… 93 votes so far, most for “something else (comments please)”. Yet only six comments posted. Something doesn’t add up…
Kotor
Stockholm. I got a syndrome last time I was there and didn’t want to leave.
@hchavers Sometimes you just vibe and take up a city’s cause as your own and develop a bond.
Bruges
@zhicks1987 Despite the movie.
I don’t get out much…
@phendrick … but I have been to
…All in Texas!
And, I’ve been to Oklahoma.
@phendrick But I kinda like the music.
Yes it is. It’s in the Netherlands.
@xobzoo HAHAHA. I lived in The Netherlands way back when. Lots of nice cities there, although I’d suspect Best isn’t the allerbeste city there.
Well, I haven’t been to all of them so I can’t judge fairly. And different cities are best for different things. But for a place that is relaxed, really easy to get around, and has great food and drink: Vienna.
https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/the-most-livable-cities-in-the-world
I’ve lived in and traveled throughout Europe and Florence has been my favorite. You can’t throw a rock without hitting an amazing piece of art or history.
@earl_danger Doesn’t the rock throwing bother the locals?
@blaineg It does if you actually hit one of the pieces of art.
My company has several sites across the UK and I’ve been lucky to have had many business trips to visit them. My first visit was to Shrewsbury, England, established roughly 1083. Also home of Charles Darwin. I arrived early on a Sunday morning and went out to explore the town in a light rain. When I got to the central stone market place, a large ukulele flash mob broke out. At least 40 folk ages 8 to 80. That was my welcome to England
Then after long 10 hour days in a conference room we’d head out to the Nag’s Head pub (est. 1780) where they LOVED Americans. We became good friends with the owner and I got to bartend for a bit. He got free labor and I learned how to pull a proper pint of cask ale.
It might not be the biggest, flashiest city in Europe, but it’s certainly the most welcoming.
@capnjb
That’s awesome
MEALS! DEALS! EELS! AWESOME!
I’ve lived in a handful of countries and each one has some interesting cities that are really nice in their own way. What is so interesting about European and SE Asian cities I have lived in is the sense of history - centuries and centuries of history that we just don’t have in the same way in the USA.
@Kidsandliz Huh, and I would have thought that pretty much every place in the world had the same amount of history. TIL
@macromeh Nope. Humans started out a zillion years ago in only a couple of spots in the world (presuming you are counting several early groups). The Native American ruins, burial mounds, etc. aren’t as “in your face” as 14th century castles sitting on a hill over the city that has its own 400 and 500+ year old houses. You don’t stumble across 2000+ year old Norse ruins or walk on an old Roman road from BC (both examples NW England Lake District where I worked or near by) in the USA.
@Kidsandliz @macromeh Oddly enough, on a train ride from Edinburgh to York, an English professor of history scoffed at the assertion that Europe has a lot more of it than North America, with the addendum that we’d be a lot more aware of North American history if the colonizers hadn’t resolutely stolen and/or destroyed all of the evidence of it as fast as they found it. And he made no excuses for the role the English played in that.
I have been to zero cities in Europe because I am poor.
@Catburd I only got to travel because I worked in those countries. Had the same problems though as any other working stiff though. Not much time to travel outside of the area I was working in.
@Catburd @Kidsandliz
But that way I think you get a chance to learn the city well. Flying through Europe and spending a day or two in half a dozen cities really doesn’t tell you much…
It’s Chester! All other cities can kiss it. The people from Chester are the best people too btw!
@OnionSoup So, did you do your part to keep it great - by leaving?
@rockblossom I did. It’s a much better place by my absence.