Thank you all once again. We look up those writers and other touring suggestions.

My taste in architecture ranges from the classical Moorish style, simple on the outside, complex and ornate on the inside, to emulate what a person should strive for. But I am also fascinated by Gaudi and Puig and how an artistic form can create a sensibility for the place where it exists. I usually like clean lines and simplicity rather than baubles and bubbles, but I am always open to something well done.

Probably the period I like the least is 1950's- 2000's but there too are grand exceptions.

We are looking forward to medieval buildings and surprises.

There are vestiges of medieval buildings in Brussels like the Porte de Hal. Here is a tour that might interest you:

http://visitbrussels.be/bitc/BE_en/o...of-brussels.do

If you do end up following the Art Nouveau line (turn of the last century), the Museum of Musical Instruments (at Coudenberg) is an amazing example, by Paul Saintenoy. Even more amazing: two or three buildings to the left is another building by the same architect, completely different style, because it was commissioned by a Protestant, rather than Catholic client, and different communities within Brussels had different architectural tastes. There is quite a bit of interesting architecture in Brussels, but you have to be patient and ferret it out!

Lavandula

Hard to leave out Alesund in Central Norway for its art nouveau structures throughout the city. At first look one is stunned by such gems.

@tower - thank you, Alesund looks wonderful! I had no idea... I will put it on my list of places to see.

Thank you all again for your suggestions.

Hey, Tower, do I make a left or right when I leave Brussels to get to Alesund?

Actually, go straight north through Denmark, take ferry to Oslo and then drive to Alesund in scenic fjord country. When you see a sign saying "Welcome to Tiajuana" you're lost!

Danlev...here are some familiarization photos of beautiful Norway..go to #80, and there begins Alesund. Actually look at all the pix, they're quite indicative of the beauties of Norway, including the remote Lofotens. The entire country offers varying degrees of incurable eye candy

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...uHk6iIgbSEgAE#

stu tower

Yes, beautiful scenes of Norway. Bergen is one of my favorite places. Enjoyed the tram-train-ship trip from Oslo.

OK sports I have a few questions.

We are renting a car from Brussels and going to Ypres. The map indicates we first head to Gent and then southwest to Ypres. I always like to a rent a car away from the city center so I do not have to negotiate the city itself.
The two locations, besides the airport, for the rental car facility include:
Rue Americane 145
Gare Du Midi

Which would be better situated?

We also made a reservation for the Hotel Bloom in Brussels. Is anyone familiar with the joint?

And we are renting an apartment for a week in Amsterdam, north of the Jordaan on Van Noordtkade and close the main train station. The posters say that Amsterdam is easy to transverse by foot and tram. As I noted above bikes are not an option for locomotion. How convenient or inconvenient is that for the usual suspects of museums and sights?

Thanks as always.

Gare du Midi is one of the major rail stations in Brussels and is the main station for the Eurostar and for trains to Paris. It is very easy to get to, as there are trains, metro and trams accessing the station. (The other train stations are Bruxelles-Central / Brussel-Centraal and Bruxelles Nord / Brussel-Noord). It is sort of a seedy area but not downright unsafe. However, it would be my pick if I had to get a rental car, if I didn't know my accommodation.

Rue Américaine is on the border of Ixelles and St.-Gilles, which is mostly suburban. However, it is just off the Avenue Louise, an area which has a lot of hotels (a posh shopping district), so if you stayed near Louise or Place Stéphanie, possibly it would be simpler to get to that location. You could walk it from Av. Louise pretty easily, or there are trams down the length of Av. Louise.
Rue Américaine also has the Horta Museum.

I don't know Hotel Bloom apart from the website, but St. Josse-ten-Noode is also not my favourite district - the area around Bruxelles-Nord is also a little seedy. You are also not far from the built-up part of the city. But having said that, I have heard good recommendations of that particular hotel here on Fodors. Plus you are reasonably close to the major shopping street in central Brussels, Rue Neuve, where there is a supermarket (in City2 shopping centre). There are quite a few hotels close to Rogier / Botanique so you are hardly alone in that area. If you stay there you can take a metro to Bruxelles-Midi (metro: Botanique) quite readily.

Lavandula

Looks like you are inundated with answers. You might look at my trip report -

http://www.rimerson.com/Netherlands0...erlands09.html

We like to see art so it's pretty heavy on that. Loved the Grand Square in Brussels.

Roblm, loved your trip report. Alas, I couldn't get your slideshows to load - got an error page. But your other photos came out fine.

Thanks for the information and the trip report. We understand we will take a cab or public transportation to the car rental facility.

Please note:
Rick Steve's knows about art, what Mother Teresa knew about sex.

OK, well, your objective is to get onto the ring road around Brussels - Midi is just a bit closer to that. I assume you are looking at Avis, which is in Rue de France, just behind the station. From there, there are main roads all the way to the ring (starting in Rue des Veterinaires, ending in Av. d'Itterbeek). Check the route on Via Michelin website.
On the ring road, drive north until you get to the road to Oostende (to the east), and follow it as far as Gent (Gand/ Ghent), then on to Kortrijk and Ieper.

I don't think the Rue Américaine site has as simple access to the ring. It's a bit further west. However, in terms of traffic, it is much quieter. If you are not experienced in driving on the right (as I don't know where you are based), this would offer a little bit of an opportunity to get the hang of the car and right-hand driving before launching into main roads.

Lavandula

Sorry, that should read 'Oostende (to the west)' and 'further east' - apologies!

Lavandula

Thank you Lavandula. Yes it is Avis, and I assume Avis is Avis and unlike other countries where it could be AutoEurope or some such company. They seem to have best price. We are dropping the car off in Antwerp a week later.

I am an American, so I usually drive on the right. I am sad to say, I have never mastered driving on the left and have missed the English, Scottish, and Irish countryside due to that failing. And I live in NYC and have driven in Sicily so I am road tested.

<i>The posters say that Amsterdam is easy to transverse by foot and tram. As I noted above bikes are not an option for locomotion. How convenient or inconvenient is that for the usual suspects of museums and sights?</i>

Amsterdam is very easy to traverse by foot and tram. The center/centrum, where most attractions are located, is very compact, but it is laid out in rings with spokes, like a bicycle tire, so you can get turned around easily. You can pick up a good map of the city, with tram stops, from the VVV, across from the entrance to Centraal Station.

You can also purchase a 1-7 day tram card from the GVB, which also works on the GVB buses (not Conexxion). The GVB is in the same building complex as the VVV. Here's a link to their website.

http://en.gvb.nl/ovinmamsterdam/Pages/bestdeal.aspx

Robyn :)>-

"Rick Steve's knows about art, what Mother Teresa knew about sex."

You do realize that that comment came across as being incredibly patronizing - not just to Mr. Steves (who as a public figure must surely be used to it) or to Mother Teresa (who is presumably past caring) but to Roblm.

Look, by all means criticize Rick Steves' opinions - but that's not the purpose of your thread. Your thread is about travel logistics, or if your prefer, travel engineering. If you know as much about engineering as you apparently do about art and sex (I would be particularly interested in learning about board certification in the latter) you will understand the concept of 'step-wise refinement' - starting with a rough simple plan, and then refining to one's own specific needs. It is often the start, i.e. the rough draft that can prove the most challenging, and it is as an aide to this step that certain travel guide authors appeal - or do not - to their readers.

Please also remember that in the absence of knowing a traveler's specific objectives for the places they visit, it is impossible to evaluate whether they did a 'poor' job by visiting as 'many' or as few places as they did. Don't make the mistake so many here do, and assume that travel one-upmanship equates to sophistication. It does not.

I guess the sense of humor of police are out in force. Oh, my god a joke was made and, and, it mentioned Mother Teresa. I suggest you turn off the TV, do not listen to the radio, and not buy a newspaper, because who knows what people will say.

I did not realize that Rick Steve's was above reproach. This is after all, as you point out, a travel board. And he is a professional travel writer. And he just the worst guide book writer. He knows little about art but continues to give people advice. That and many other shortcomings.

OK, it was harsh to Roblm and for that I apologize, but I am not going to apologize for a joke.

Sorry, Artstuff, thanks for the info.

Rick Steves' Mona Winks: Self-Guided Tours of Europe's Top Museums [Rick Steves] on Amazon.com.>

well to put his name on a book that he presumably had some hand in writing would lead me to think he knows more about art than Ma Theresa knows about sex - not sure but I would give him the benefit of the doubt.

That said I think it was a jolly god joke. rick is a polarizing figure in the travel world - jealousy plays a part I think and some of his early books suggestions were over the line - like his advice to on a crowded train back when there were only 8-person compartments on many trains was to keep your socks stinky and then simply take off your shoes and the compartment would soon be all to yourself.

Rick Steve's writing, about art is uneducated and lazy. You cannot fault someone on a trip report for making those type of errors but Little Ricky is a well-paid professional travel writer.

We wrote in his Spain book that Velázquez was the photojournalist of the Court. Velázquez was a seminal painter who influenced western art. This is no way demeans photojournalists and portrait painters, but his skill and vision were greater than that. If you do not know the basics of art, you are unqualified to advise others, even if those others just have just a passing interest in art. He also encourages what I call the Mona Lisa Effect.

A few years ago, I revisited the Louvre during the Da Vinci Code craze. The gallery with the Mona Lisa was crowded while the surrounding galleries were virtually empty. People came to see what they knew and that was it. Little Ricky does the same. But he also does it with sights and towns.

As far as jealousy is concerned, I applaud people who have talent and have put in the time and are successful, especially those in the arts. I do resent people the success of those whose primary talent is marketing, not the skill or product they are marketing.

The real problem with Rick Steve's is that appears on PBS so he has their imprimatur.

Well, I do think some are too harsh with Rick Steves. Did he claim to be an art expert? What he is indeed is a travel guide. And I suppose he does quite well with his books.

Oddly I had a recent Fodors entry entitled "Thanks Rick" which no longer appears! Erased! It was why I do enjoy seeing the travel videos on TV because they remind me of places I have enjoyed seeing but would not see again. And I mentioned appreciating his explanations of art in museums and churches.

<i>IMDonehere on Jan 10, 14 at 11:47am
The real problem with Rick Steve's is that appears on PBS so he has their imprimatur.</i>

Rick's PBS shows are simply infomercials, broadcast for free by publicly supported TV across the nation.

Well, I do think some are too harsh with Rick Steves. Did he claim to be an art expert? What he is indeed is a travel guide. And I suppose he does quite well with his books.
___________
If you had a bad teacher, who imbued his students with incorrect information would you defend him?

He is not an art expert but you pay for his book or services. Is he an amateur accepting money under false pretenses? How often in your life are you willing pay for services from someone who is not expert in his/her field.

I will do your taxes because I live near an H & R Block.

And there is one argument that never works, since he successful, it must be OK. McDonald's sells the most burgers but they are clearly not the best burger or the best value.

Rick Steves took many Art classes in college after his first trip to Europe with his parents so he would appreciate the art more. He wanted to know why the art was considered a masterpiece and what is represented. So, yes he is technically an art expert.

He needs remedial courses.

You might pencil in a visit to The Emigration Exhibit at the Red Star Line Museum...many notables, including Einstein and Berlin went through the port at Antwerp. I mentione before that the Diamond Museum off Pelikanstraat and the Rubenshuis, are both good take-ins. You'll se that Rubens was the Henry Ford of the art world..used an assemply line techinque with dozens of helpers to help him finish a painting.
stu

Thanks Tower, I hope to get over there. Not only did Rubens have an active studio, he was also the first person to put sauerkraut on a corned beef sandwich.

Antwerp also has a mini Amsterdam red-light district a short walk from the town center - gals behind red neon-lit windows - if you want to experience that type of thing, also found in Brussels and Gent.

In the late 1970's and early 1980's I worked in an area filled with hookers. And the last time I was propositioned was a few years ago in the Montmartre. The charm of a red light district is limited.

<i>IMDonehere on Jan 14, 14 at 10:16pm
Thanks Tower, I hope to get over there. Not only did Rubens have an active studio, he was also the first person to put sauerkraut on a corned beef sandwich.</i>

LOL. One of my favorites, when done right.

Thanks Spaarne. I was afraid someone was going to take that literally and start to argue about sandwiches.