h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

No doubt you are all overinlfuenced by an extreme anglosaxonism and see to much TV!! Sydndey is extremely overrated.
I firmly believe that the best city in the world to live in is Barcelona.
The weather here is wonderfull, food is outstanding, nightlife is a must (anyting goes from extreme rave parties that last all weekend to clubs with a very laid back policy on the use and abuse of cannabis derivatives and live music), people are friendly and open to all cultures, and generally speaking the mood is Great.
From Barcelona you can go skiing to some grat resorts by car ( a mere 1 1/2 hours by car) to some of the nicests beaches in europe (45 min. by car) to the best islands in ALL europe (Mallorca, menorca and Ibiza are only 30-45 min, away by plane or a night away by ferry).
Histirically, artitically and culturaly Barcelona has nothing to envy to other major Euopean destinations which have more fame.

If I must find a minor set back it would have to be:
a) Trafic (whats new??)
b) Noise (barcelona tends to get noisy)

I will start posting reviews on Barcelona (where to go, what to eat, whats gouing on, etc.) from now on. Please feel free to read and enjoy.

If you have any specific question please e-mail me directly at [email protected]

have a good day..

Prague has got to win for being the most beautiful city I've ever had the fortune to visit (so I'm not well travelled, but still...)

I got here in misty rainy dampness- clouds down to 250ft, truly nasty weather. And it still managed to stand out as being beautiful. Specially with the Castle and Cathedral, when seen from the river...

How will Manchester or even Durham compete when I have to leave here tomorrow??

Gooday Lazy Boy,

I've not been to Barcelona so am in no position to say whether it is good, bad or indifferent. But I lived in Sydney for twenty-plus years, so I know a bit about that city. You may not have intended to to so but if you hadn't mentioned Barcelona in your post everyone could have been forgiven for assuming that you were talking about SYDNEY. Tell me, how is Sydney over-rated?

Walter

Prague is wonderful. I went there once, about a year after the end of communism, and was amazed at how unspoilt it was. Unlike western cities, it never had its centre knocked down and concreted over. At the time, I thought rapid westernisation would mean it would lose all its charm very quickly - nice to hear that I was wrong

If you want a beautiful, central-european looking city, I'd recommend Tallinn in Estonia, which is easily the prettiest place I've ever been. Just don't go in the depths of winter, as there's not much to do and it's **** cold. Trust me on this one...

Ofcourse, if you've not been to Jerusalem, but fancy something that is of a similar historic nature (but without the riots!), Exeter can be a wonderful place to visit - or live in the vicinity thereof!
Good street food is somewhat hard to come by, unless you perceive the 'Golden Arches' to be such, but the vibe is excellent; mellow without being too laid-back; vibrant, without rattling yer fillings and if you want a good time, whether it be nightclubs, theatre, pubs or a comedy warehouse, Exeter's got it my lovers!*
*'my lovers' is a Devonian term of endearment, apparently!
TheOkapi

If I told you the magic there would be no magic.

(post 36)

Okay, fine. I'll have to say York. York is a tiny town with a good history and great things to do. Shopping and touristy stuff. Whip-ma-whop-ma-gate, etc.

I'm an American and I love York. Not New York. York.

Hi,

When I was in York, I took a murder tour where they showed where people had been murdered, or some had been walled up during the plague. It was fascinating walking around the cobble stoned streets with a candle.

Moondancer

I feel compeled to mention that it's "umpteenth' Scottish castles..."

Umpteenth

London has recently gained a recent new attraction for me but I'm still going with Prague as my fave

Gooday Demon Drawer,

Pray, do tell!

Walter.

A long time later and Dublin's still my favourite. (I'm just bookmarking really to bring this to the attention of researchers who've joined in the interim)

I don't really have a favourite city, as I'm not a city person. I like London for its wealth of museums (The Natural History Museum is probably my favourite). I also like going to the theatre in London, although it can be pricey.

I also have a soft spot for St. David's in Wales and Kirkwall in Orkney. St. Davids is a city purely because it has a (small) cathedral. In England it would count as a village. (Studley, where Richard was born, is the largest village in England and probably has the nearly same population as St. Davids. It definitely has more pubs!) Kirkwall would normally class as a small town, but it's the capital of the Orkney Islands and it, too, has a small cathedral. If you go to a city for 'night life' or beautiful architecture, don't bother with either of these cities. The cathedrals in St. Davids and Kirkwall are amongst the smallest (if not *the* smallest) in Britain. I don't know of any that are smaller. I love them both because of their human proportions and, in the case of St. Magnus in Kirkwall, their simplicity. The main problem with Kirkwall is that it is the 'home' of my two favourite jewellers (Ola Gorie and Sheila Fleet), both of whom do such nice silver jewellery that I can't visit Kirkwall without buying some!

I love London ..... at 3 in the morning when all the "city boys" have either gone home or passed out in a gutter somewhere and all the newspapers are being delivered and the streets are being washed. Otherwise it is a nasty, dirty, smelly place full of people that think they are better than anyone else in the country cos they live/work in London.

I must put in a vote for Rome having just returned from working there for 2 weeks. I was overwhelmed by the history, the cafe society was just so cool and the people really know what style means. Crossing the road was just mad! Just start walking and the cars will swerve to avoid you! Lovely place to visit. Don't know if I could live there.

I live in a small town and occasionally like to visit a city (e.g., London or Birmingham (our closest city)), just for a day or two, because the pace of life is different. I'm not well travelled, as far as world travel is concerned, so I haven't visited many cities outside the UK. Having said that, I can't think of one in the UK that I would want to *live in * rather than just visit. I guess I'm just not a 'townie' - I like being close to the countryside and some decent open spaces. (Yes, I know London has some big parks, but they're surrounded by city and traffic, so they don't count as far as I'm concerned.)

Reading through this thread, I noticed that no one mentioned a favorite city of mine. Brussels!

It's lively, has lots to do and see, not too crowded, historical and yet with a modern flare. A good place to spend a long weekend, and with the best chocolate in the world!

-Eagle 1

SPot on - I agree totally. Cities are for visiting and "dipping into the culture" NOT TO BE LIVED IN..

If I want a city with culature and good shops and bars in the UK, Birmingham would be it.,

MMI

Brussells gets my vote too. Breathtaking Grand Platz. Outstanding openair eating in narrow cobbled streets (with overhead heaters if it's a bit nippy)So much atmosphere. Best beers and chocolate plus wonderful mussels. Good markets to browse too.

The attraction that London once held for me has now moved to Berlin, but I still have Prague at the tope of my list, though I have since visited Paris which is running a close second, not that Berlin is a slouch either.

Paris is my favourite city in the whole world, I love all the wonderful buildings and bridges around the Seine.I just love soaking up all the beauty and culture, and as France is conveniently close to the UK going back there is always a distinct possibility.