No wonder they make the beers there so strong. This is stop #5 on the trip across Eurasia to the Pacific. Still haven't left the Atlantic but we're about to pick up the pace..
If you're in Europe, you should visit Wales. Not many travel RU-vidrs do so you'll have a unique perspective. It's a bit of a shithole, but it's our shithole
Government has given up cleaning it up. They keep spraying it while they paint even. There are plenty of jobs. But the migrants don't want to learn the language. And those that do speak it so poorly that there are less (still quit a few) jobs that would hire them because they need to be understandable. In the mean time the litter and drop of garbage in the streets to save on the money for garbage bags. The teens destroy public property and spray graffiti everywhere. And prices and tourism go's time, lowering jobs. They harass ppl, are violent and keep blaming a lack of jobs and other nationalities. Not necessarily white, any that's just not there nationality. Result, the cities is a dump and no one wants to live there but the non working migrants. Anyone that lived there has moved. Over 70% of the population is migrant, so i am not just dissing on migrants. They really are the majority. And they are also the problem it's a dumb.
I live in Belgium, 42 yrs old. 1 1/2hr drive from my place to central Brussels. Used to love it in my teens to go skateboarding and shopping ... seen the city become more and more dirty/sketchy/dangerous theoughout the years. You could pay me now to go there, i would tell you to keep your money. Really sad, used to be a thriving, vibrant city.
You made it like this yourself with your immigration policies bringing in Moroccans, turks and the rest of the uncivilised barbarians from the middle east, what did you expect would happen? You only got yourselves to blame. Trulym your sins will find you out, this is only the beginning good sir, it will get much much worse and darker for Brussels and Belgium as a whole.
as an arab from the gulf idk why europe accept so many refugees without even thinking twice .. i get that the average age is quit old in europe and u need workers but we in GCC countries needed workers even more .. we just give them job contracts and thats about it no citizenship or anything and i don't understand why would that even be on the table.
WE the people didn't accept all these refugees, it's our corrupt, self indulgent, power hungry, narcissistic politicians that are deciding things over our heads. we can't do anything about it!
@@halko7122 but Woke ideology shall be applied to the ethnic minorities within the country and who are native to the land .. not to some foreigners from other continents.
Because when people ask for proper border controls and controls of immigration they are called "nazis" by mainstream media, so no wonder right-wing parties are getting more votes in elections across those Western countries.
The no citizenship is partially why, I know people(asians) who work in the UAE crazy high salary (I'm in the EU myself and what they earn is insane compared to our wages), but it's not enough for them and want to move to the US instead. I believe they won't get pension so that could be the major issue.
im from belgium we have so many nice towns and places but brussels is just turned into a shithole with crime and garbage everywhere they realy need to do something drastic specialy with the crime
I went to Brussels in 2016, and i got mugged on my first day there. I lost my keys, wallet, credit cards, ID, passport. I also broke my nose and chipped a tooth and had to go to the hospital, so i'm not too fond of Brussels either, lol.
Went to brussels to see "groundation" in like '09. Almost got robbed twice wandering the streets after the concert. Three diverse individuals cornered my mate and me, shoving their hands in my pockets. I squared up and started yelling only to look back at my friend who was already 50 meters in the opposite direction, running. The city is a sad sight bordering on revolting.
Brussels was a great up until about 20 years ago........but now an Islamic rat hole, London, Paris, Berlin & Amsterdam going the same way..........terrifying & so so sad.........BLAME THE POLITICIANS.
My daughter travelled Europe on her own. She said Brussels was the most terrifying place for a lone woman to walk. Migrants were the problem. Not many seen on this video. Wonder why?
The city center is fine but when you find yourself in the wrong part of town after dark, it gets scary really fast. I arrived at a bus station in the North of Brussels and it was full of drug addicts and aggressive drunks. Got a taxi and out of there as fast as I could.
@@johannavanklaveren66the Belgiums clearly did that for a reason. They knew what kind of trash they were dealing with. See the RECENT Congo wars for some even uglier history.
Tell your elected officials to stop destabilizing their countries then. The elites in Western countries practice predatory capitalism which wrecks 3rd world countries. The Intel agencies' constant meddling in said nations doesnt help anything
I went to that train station with my wife at 4am, biggest mistake ever . Drug addicts everywhere and many will follow you. We got followed but luckily nothing happened ,this Spanish couple wasn't so lucky , 2 guys went up to them & one guy started touching his girl , the guy was too scared to say anything. I told my wife if they touch you and they have weapons i might be dying tonight because I'm not letting it slide. Luckily they didn't try me & I think it's because they thought I was Moroccan like them ( I'm Puerto Rican ) . They eventually let the Spanish couple go. I've been to over 37 countries & I'm from Brooklyn, i would never recommend that city if you're with your wife or girlfriend.
As a belgian that is born in brussel, I just can confirm that I left the city, my dad moved to another country. Its like Brussel is rotting from the inside and lot of cities in Belgium are following that track, no joke
@@MR-mw4njye Belgium is rich. But Brussels has nothing to do with Belgium anymore. It's infested with economic migrants, petty criminals, drug addicts.. I think more than 50 pct of the city is immigrant. So there you have it.. Go to Gent, Brugge, Kortrijk, Leuven, Hasselt, Tongeren there you'll find true Flemish/Belgian culture(Antwerpen also I would say but this place, together with Rotterdam, is the drug capital of Europe, and lots and lots of islamists).
I was in Charleroi once, at the train station, and I needed to pee. I decided to just take a piss in the station elevator. Normally I would never dare to do just a thing, but the environment sucked so much that it just seemed fitting and perfectly okay.
Sabbatical is right there were a lot of wars across Europe, that killed millions, but that is dwarfed by wars that happened in India and China. Indian scholars estimate 80 million died in Indian wars from the Mughal invasion, over a couple of centuries, and theres still fighting today between the 2 biggest religious groups., Most people are totally unaware of Chinese civil wars that killed over 75% of the whole Chinese population. Then you had Stalin killing 20 million in the name of communism in Russia, around 40 million died under Chinese communists, The period from 1945 until today is still the most peaceful in recorded history. Even with trouble in the Middle East, several Sunni vs Shia wars, Israel/Palestine, Ukraine, and a worldwide unofficial jihad going on, many wars across Africa, and parts of Asia, the world is still more peaceful today than ever but there are bad signs the world is headed for major wars again. Lets hope not.
I'm Belgian. Brussels is like that place we all have in our house, the place you try to keep shiny and sterile, where you want to be left alone, where you pass time on your smartphone or reading the newspaper, and you leave as soon as you dropped your package. 😉😁
When I was shopping in Liege 20 years ago, a police officer was having an argument on the street with some man. A group of people gathered around. There were other officers nearby. The police officer put his walkie-talkie down on the ground and he and the man went down a side street to have a fist fight. The crowd followed to watch. A young man then walked past me and grabbed the walkie-talkie and strolled off. I went over to the other officers and informed them. They chased after the young man to retrieve the walkie-talkie and arrested him. The fist fight was more verbal than physical and the crowd started to leave. I just remember thinking what a strange city Liege was and what a strange country altogether. So I went into a department store nearby and continued shopping.
PS I love Luik/Liege/Luttich though it has cleaned up its act too much since the old days. It was a good laugh to visit there near the Cathedral and the Quai 20 or 30 years back.
yep, Liege and Charleroi are way worse than Brussels. At least in Brussels you can find some nice places if you stay in the city center. Liège and Charleroi are like molenbeek extended to an entire city. The crackhead concentration in Liège is crazy.
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Brussels is known as a crime-infested city all over europe though it is the bureaucratic centre of the continent.
@@leesmusic1 and they cope by saying they invented fries when historical records do show they were invented as street food in Paris in the early 19th century
@@josefpoukine I’m sorry but it’s just lame isn’t it? It’s like having mashed potatoes with butter as your national dish, it’s so lacking in invention that its kind of embarrassing
Not worse than London, Paris or Marseille for all that. Sure insecurity and population replacement have become problematic there, benefits of multiculturalism being mostly utopian imo, in the way they’re sold to us. However Brussels has a lot of nice and peaceful neighbourhoods, in my experience it’s especially some downtown areas around the city centre which are to avoid at some hours, as well as some municipalities of Brussels region which can be dangerous from time to time but some other municipalities are very chill and safe, whatever the hour of the day from what I’ve seen. I think Paris and neighbouring districts of Parisian region such as 93 and 94 for instance are overall way more unsafe than Brussels btw
Two years ago, I stayed in Belgium for a month on business. Lived in the village and really met great people. The Belgians are the best. But as soon as we went to the town of Verviers, it was scary. More like a ghetto than a city. Two acquaintances ended up with a stolen car, and one friend had his bag stolen. Sad..
I’m so happy this channel popped up on my algorithm. No nonsense: without fancy drones and music like everyone else, bravery, history lessons and jokes! My new favorite channel!!
Brussel midi is not central station, it's the Southern station, although a big transportation hub, it is located in not the prettiest of neighborhoods, Brussel central is the central station, with a much more pleasant surrounding. Not that I'm a big fan of Brussel, but didnt't feel like you gave it a fair shake :) I understand first impressions are hard to overcome.
Right? When I first arrived in Belgium from Norway, I landed at Gare du midi at 23h00 and was shocked at what I was seeing. I have now lived in the city for quite some time and this video is very misleading. I have lived in London, Paris, Marseille, travelled more times than I can count to Southern Italy, Slovakia, Romania, Madrid and I find it to be a joke calling Brussels the most dangerous city. Not by a stretch. Every city has its shady areas and ours is south station but it's being renovated and the city has gone is going great transformation. We have some of the most beautiful green spaces from Duden to Josephat to cinquantenaire to name but a few. I have come to love Brussels very much although I'm looking to move on soon. I have had the most wonderful time here and the Brussels crowd is one of the most wonderful, loving and welcoming crowd I have met. Bruxelles je t'aime. Brussel ik hou van jou❤❤❤❤❤ We love eachother in Brussels.
There are very pretty parts in Marseille, the city gets a bad reputation for a few neighbourhoods quite far from the city centre. Exactly like in Paris or other large cities, you should not go in neighbourhoods that are far from everything, especially social housing estates, in the far north or north east
I’m from Brooklyn,NY born and raised and just visited Brussels earlier this year for about 8 hours or so then jumped back on the EuroStar high speed train to Paris where I was vacationing at. Honestly I had a great time there during my short visit. I got to see the pissing mannequin and the Atomium. I like their subway system because they offer a day pass unlike Paris and you just tap and go. I didn’t find it dangerous at all of course being I was raised in the Bedford Stuyvesant and Bushwick sections of Brooklyn during the rough 90s decade. Also felt more safe there than in some housing projects I hung out with my family where they lived in Puerto Rico. It’s a nice country and I would definitely visit again if I had the time and money 💰 I really would like to visit Ghent and Bruges and Antwerp.
I was in Brussels in 2010, chilling and drinking beer in a park. There were two muslim guys with British accents, huge beards and those long pakistani pyjama shirt looking things, talking in English about weapons and hand-to-hand combat and self defense. I went to drink elsewhere as it was a little weird. When I left the park, this squad of cops with body arnour and dogs swarmed in to the park ...seemed like something was going down. Always wondered if those two were implicated or not.
Could never happen over here in Trumpistan. Drinking in a park will get you arrested. Because Jesus. Better to piss on a park bench like our homeless do.
Belgium is known in Europe for being the place to get unregistered weapons. That guys meeting the description you gave were talking about that in Brussels is concerning. You have to question why they were there in the first place. And admittedly that was 14 years ago, but how many guys like that have been there since then, and how many are going there today.
Important note ! Belgium was founded because we fought a war of independence against the dutch king (1830). What is now the netherlands, was the protestant north and what is now Belgium, was the catholic south, there's a whole history to it but, it partly the reason to it. Because britain sided us against the dutch, we won and Belgium was founded.
You're wrong: it weren't UK but France. On 2 August 1831 the Dutch army invaded Belgium and defeated Belgian forces in several battles. On 4 August the Dutch took control of Antwerp and moved deeper into Belgium. The Belgian army was defeated in the battle of Hasselt. On 8 August Leopold called for support from the French. As a result French Marshal Étienne Maurice Gérard crossed the border with 70,000 French troops under his command on 9 August. The battle of Leuven began on 12 August. In order to avoid war with the approaching French the Dutch agreed an armistice with Belgium and withdrew. The Dutch continued to hold the Antwerp Citadel and occasionally bombarded the city from it. French Marshal Gérard returned to Belgium in November 1832 with the Armée du Nord and besieged the citadel taking it on 23 December 1832. Without the French, Belgians would be Dutch today.
@@verttijineu2776We always learned that the dutch fled out of what became Belgium out of fear. The Belgians (having no army at that time) were just too strong for the dutch army. It al started with a theatric play ‘The mute from Portici’ wich triggered the people to have some fun by chasing the scary dutch soldiers.🧐
Nope. There were the Austrian Netherlands, simply speaking, from 1556 till 1794. Then it became French, then Dutch in 1815, then independent in 1831. No Austria around to blame for anything, sorry.
I live in Belgium, the Flamish part, and Brussels is a city by itself. Imigrants around the world keep coming here and they only can check if they legal or not if they arrive in Brussels, but the justice system makes hard to send illegals out of Belgium, so that´s why you have so much homeless on the streets, you couldn´t imagine how many immigrants do get help, but if you are legal, you get more help money wise by the system then people who worked 50 years in Belgium, the system is broken, young people can´t affort buying a house without big help of parents, but legal immigrants get cheap housing, and so on. Looks like it´s in all west europe countries, but it also looks everything is now changing because they are starting to shut borders in Germany, so probably the other west europe countries will follow
I visited Belgium for summer vacation from Abu Dhabi back in 2014. As an American, I’ve seen much worse in some of our inner cities (I grew up 15 minutes outside Baltimore). I’ve travelled throughout Europe and Asia, and lived in Abu Dhabi for nearly 20 years. Ironically, my wife and I enjoyed Belgium, including Brussels, so much we considered moving there.
That's weird I'm belgian, not from Brussels, but I always loved the city, it has lots of green spaces and you obviously don't know the place, there's lots of good things too
13:00 the first Belgian king (1831) , was actually of German descent and did not speak any Dutch at all. The Belgian Royal family are all native french speakers. It is also not true that he forced the city to become french speaking. The reality is that Belgian nobility/clergy and bourgeoisie were all french-speakers, due to French being the language of higher education, as well as all official positions troughout the 18th century. So the native Dutch-speaking bourgeoisie, who had recently risen up to become richer and of higher social status, all had learnt French at this point to integrate themselves into high society. What followed, was the passing down of French as second language, or even as the first language which led to the French assimilation of Brussels.
Accurate rectification. Also, Dutch is a modern import. It even was the only official language of Belgium in the short period when the territory was under Dutch rule (1815-1830) after the Napoleon wars and before Independence. But it never made it to the population up until it was adopted as the second official language decades later.
@@Toto8opus I can't entirely agree, as the majority of the population in Brabant spoke their local (dutch) dialects well before the 18th century. They were followed by a slightly smaller group in the south, who spoke various Walloon (French) dialects. Which is mostly portrayed in the current division of the provinces. The Dutch king's attempt to make Dutch the only official language, was never really that successful, as the language of politics in the southern Netherlands had been French for over a century at that point. What really happened, is that during this period of 1815-1830, the high officials and politicians kept using French as their sole language in their administration, even at the States General of the Netherlands. The rising tensions caused by the policies of King William I ultimately led to the Belgian revolution.
half right, brussels remained a majority dutch speaking city until it was forced to change, bureaucrats were forced to speak fluent french even postmen had to be fluent in french, dutch was disregarded and in fact the civil code was only officially translated to dutch in 1960. poor flemings were forced out and francophones moved in alongside the french educated elite. eventually the city was left devoid of a soul, you can't kill the domminant language and then think you'l retain social cohesion and harmony, francification destroyed brussels as much as dutchification would destroy any succesfull french city
Leopold I, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, took the constitutional oath on 21 July 1831 to become the first King of the Belgians. That is the family Saxe (as in saxon) Coburg and Gotha/ Windsor
Brussels is certainly one of the scetchier areas in Belgium. There are definitely others to avoid even more like the old wallonian industrial cities like Charleroi where the situation is arguably worse. But there are defenitively beautiful cities in Belgium too like Leuven, Ghent, Tournai, Bruges, Dinant, ... The thing to wrap your head around as a tourist is that when you want to go visit Belgium, the capital isn't really your number one priority, except maybe for some monuments like the main square, royal palace or the musea around. Oh and when you visited Ypres, what you saw in the main square isn't a tourist trap but actually part of an tradition called "kermis" which is an annual social event which finds its roots in the 'year-fares' where towns would organize a feast every year where traders would come in, people would gather and buy items that would otherwise not be available, celebrate and play games. The games you saw, like shooting galleries, kids rides, lotteries, duck fishing, etc, are the present day continuation of this tradition that you can find anually in a lot of towns and villages, even small ones. They only run for a short period of time then move to another town.
i lived in Brussels from 1984-1999 - i loved Brussels. Gare du Midi was beginning to be a dangerous area during that time. The immigration issue has eroded Brussels and the nation. The Gran Place is still an amazing experience. The Palace of Justice has been under construction since, at the least, the 1980s
The city center is cra.ppy, dirty, not safe these days. Drug Trafficking is on the rise, loads of homeless migrants. And if you read the news, you know that Hungary is bringing in some more by bus. Restaurants and commerces are shutting down and leaving due to the blatant lack of security. Women get harassed by frustrated young men with values alien to liberal sexuality. And the overall impression is just one of very ugly filthy mess. The 18 other municipalities surrounding the center are not that bad though and are even thriving in comparison.
It's a beautiful city. My favourite. My wife was in a procession 33 years ago (a long time) as Margaret of York. Procession of the golden tree. I think. We have been back many times.
A lot of European city councils leave public lawn areas grow wild in the summer to help bees and insects, plus it saves money on weed killers and having to pay people to mow them.
This is true! My american friend complained the lawns were not mowed in the parks (in Canada). It's for insects and flowers, not because of lack of money
I think that's also related to late COP on biodiversity. Our governments try to release green area to local life! In Brussels, you can walk close to foxes in some of the garden parks he visited (e.g. just behind the EU parlement)!
I visited Brussels a few years ago, I saw 3 young Arab looking men kill a bird and throw it in one of the waterways. They found it hilarious. I've also never been accosted to buy cocaine more anywhere else in the world, and I live in Philly.
no belgians in brussels. it used to be a flemish city, now it's 90% french and the majority of those third world foreigners. Most people i know actively avoid brussels.
Parisian here, grew up on the outskirts so I 've had my share of fucked up situations and places. Never been to Bruxelles but only Antwerp, which was pretty cool, except the main station area, as in the vide here. Some things are the same everywhere I guess. The French today hav an extra info always on the corner of their minds: most of the fuckers who slaughtered people at the Bataclan and at the Petit Cambodge, mong others, came from Molenbek, whatever the proper speling is. A Brussels hood.
@@Mikamichae Thats what happens when you go to parts of the world and colonise them,strip them of resources and extract what you want and treat them like slaves !!! Did you not listen to him talk about King Leopold who ruled Congo as his own fiefdom and slaughtered millions of Congolese and chopped off peoples hands and tied them to trees.They were there for the rubber plantations and probably a sizable chick of Belgiums wealth was built on the backs of Africans...the chocolate as well as if I am right hcocolate doesn't grow in Belgium !!!! Also maybe check your iphone and other tec see how your consumer goods are still fuelled by exploiting coltan mines and fuelling wars still today in Congo before you talk 3rd world and exploitation !!! Look at the shit going on in your name and by the companies you buy from and how your governments allow it !!!! before you talk about "excessive amounts"
I was born and raised in Brussels and I can tell you that this city has nothing to envy of London, Paris or any other major European city. To fully enjoy Brussels you need a local to guide you and take you to the right places. There are so many nice spots but they’re not in plain sight as they are in London or Paris. Till I die I will love Brussels
100% agree. I have been to Brussels many times every year since the early 90s and it has got so many charming spots - also 'not-so-charming' locations! Our hotels usually were up near Rogier so easy access to Place de Brouckère and some nice things, turn the other way and you got the steeetwalkers and grimy strip/hostess bars. Then we moved to Ave Louise. Once at Hotel President Nord I saw the concierge pull out a 9mm pistol following a street disturbance. (It was then the Mercure, now is an NH). Halpoort near Brussel-Z was such a hole in the old days, in one of the cafes there was a 'no syringe' sign in the toilet. It's a good town for Night Shops and boozing, also the weird upmarket antiques around Rue des Minimes and Sablons, and a great town to stride through on a bright day. I now write stories about adventures there, generally omitting forays up Rue d-Aarschot 😂 (wearing steel-toed safety boots just in case). Walking through Noord at night to catch a Eurolines coach was pretty weird, with groups of migrants sleeping all around, eyeing you up, but it's one of these situations where they are as afraid of you as you are of them, maybe they think one is some kind of agent or enforcer. When you go somewhere regularly you work out the favourite spots so we always ate and drank well. The double-language is fun to learn too with the Metro station Kunst-Wet always our favourite. Brussels has some of the ugliest buildings in the world eg Basilique and Palais de Justice, now under scaffolding for 40 years. Sorry I didn't mean to write an essay!
First day I arrived in Brussels, my wife and I were walking to the city center next to a large park. Some guy was throwing fire crackers into the traffic, scaring the Hell out of all of the tourists walking down the street and confusing the drivers who couldn't figure out where the bangs were coming from. The city center was so packed with people that it was hard to move around. Bruges, Dinant, Bastogne, all nice, but Brussels is a shithole.
@@WCC-ps8jtBecause EU floods their countries with people who don’t assimilate, want handouts. Also these “migrants” whatever TF you want to call them are the worst of the worst from these other countries that come in to the EU. They aren’t getting schooling educated or skilled craftsman that’s for sure lmao
I worked in literally every city in Belgium but Brussels was definitely the worst. Go to Molenbeek or Schaarbeek those areas are something else xD. The Flaams City´s were a lot cleaner and better.
You did not listen to the lady, she said mostly good, but you forced a "EH" on her, when she did not say that at all. Man you travel to all these places and you just have a weird hate on and don't acutally experience what is in front of your eyes.
@@LaraCroft36 If your belgian I can forgive your poor english but what you've said does not contradict what OP said in anyway. Plenty of people live in bad areas without hating themselves.
Flemish speaking Belgian here 🖐 living near Ghent, working in Brussels. Although there's also very beautiful spots in our capital, you've nailed some painful truths about our present and history. I always say to people who want to visit my country: don't just go to Brussels and pretend you've seen Belgium, but don't skip it either. If you'd gone to Charleroi, you'd have seen apocalyptic scenes of abandoned industrial facilities from the above-ground rollercoaster-like metro train, being part of a "failed" project of building a full metro network in the neighborhood. Does that mean that I dislike Charleroi? No, I actually kind of appreciate its steampunk vibes, and it's beautiful for photography purposes, the same goes for Liege. Do I want to live there? No, but I still visit it from time to time, and I'd advise travelers to choose a few cities on the other end of the spectrum, in contrast to Bruges, Antwerp and Ghent. It shows a more complete picture. I love traveling to the outskirts and extreme locations across the world as well. When people ask me if I'm not afraid walking in dodgy areas at night, I say that I'm from Belgium and that I work in Brussels. Now I can refer them to your video. Still, I'm a proud Belgian and I believe Brussels is diverse, has lots to offer, and will get better over time.
@@tchek1980 Actually, if they'd use the profit to help the people living there, and offer them a job in the theme park, I'd be happy to visit. They do offer some kind of tours though, but I've got no idea what they offer and if they're legit. Buy hey, steampunk all the way!
'Proud Belgian' 😂. Stop pretending bro. We can absolutely be proud of some parts of our country, but definitely not of our state as a whole. Hell, nobody even really feels themselves to be Belgian.
WW! was a horrific torturous war. My Great Grandmother fled from Lithuania with 2 young children to Ellis Island. She was part of a Lthuanian-Swedish resettlement in NY. She remarried a wealthy Forest Park Ill. lumber Co. She becamse a affluent Chicago Womens Right to Vote suffrage movement Coordinator. Thank you for teaching, sharing all your history, and knowlege. it helps me understand our world.
Brussels is the kind of city where people cling to that 10% that’s halfway decent, pretending the rest doesn’t exist. It’s almost admirable how some can overlook the obvious and convince themselves it’s charming, but hey, everyone has their coping mechanisms.
Brussels is very pretty , but they don't take good care of it. I think it's because it does'nt "belong" to anyone, noone actualy cares about it unlike Paris where if you try to touch one stone the inhabitant throw a law suit at you. My sister lives in Brussels first day in her appartment I look through the window and see a guy holding a gun in the street... I go to hide and keep the kids in the back of the appartment, my sister looks at me with blank eyes "why are you doing such a fuss?"
More than 10% is halfway decent, some parts are gorgeous. It's got it's ugly sides to it like pretty much every other capital city in Europe or the US. You just gotta know your way around it. A few months ago I visited Paris again after probably 12 years and there are definitely a lot of desolate, poor and ugly sides to it as well. You'll simply find that everywhere.
@@backintimealwyn5736hasn't majority of the medieval and ancient architecture in Paris been destroyed there isn't much left to touch 😂. Bastion gone le temple keep gone la Louvre castle gone and few others etc. shame because they were stunning from what I could see from old sketches
This is kinda true but the 10% is nonsense. It is more like 50%. Brussels is pretty rich and there are many good neighbourhoods.The city for people living there is more than decent, it is really good. Besides, real estate prices are still pretty low compared to the average income so you dont need to have a top job to live in a good neighbourhood. I now live in France, income is at least 20% lower, rent is higher and insecurity is a lot worse
It's possible that the grass was left over grown on purpose to encourage wild flowers, bees and other vital pollinators. This is done in the UK. It also reduces the costs to the local council not having to continualy maintain it.
You can't be serious.....they blew the budget for maintenance on asylum seekers (virtue signaling with public money) and giving themselves an above inflation pay rise. They also wrecked the private economy (source of taxation) with their idiotic lockdown policies.
There is a lot to say about Brussels. The city center and some areas/neighbourhoods around it are actually very cozy and you can definitely have a great time there. I know many people who absolutely loved Brussels, and as someone who comes there still monthly, I must say Brussels definitely has a certain charm. You started off in Brussels Midi (the south station), which has had a terrible reputation for decades. Belgians also try to avoid that station. It's in a district where there ain't too much to do, and with a lot of criminality. If you go to Brussels as a tourist, it's actually an area where you won't spend any time as there ain't anything to see, except for some poverty and homeless people. I think every city has those places. I wouldn't call it boring either. There are several squares and streets, with plenty of bars all around the center where you find lots of people partying. There are also a few very good nightclubs. However, immigration destroyed this city, just like it is happening in many other European countries. You must know where you can go in Brussels and where not at night, or you'll get mugged, stabbed or robbed for sure.
Brussels has a lot of nice parts where you can live really well and safely. Where I live people ring your door to tell you you forgot to lock your bike. I know quite a lot of people that hate Brussels, but I know a lot of people that love it as well. I have a friend born and bred in Amsterdam and he loved here for 2 months for work and he loved it. Canadians and Americans like it too. French and Indians like it. Germans, British and Nordics hate it. Eastern Europeans don't care but like the opportunities, and don't like the immigration part (they see it and think: that's what we don't want at home).
@@Pietervandebuurt Ahhhh the "has always" shit argument, no, it hasn't. The Netherlands literally look the same if not worse, and it's because of the same problem, 3rd world immigrants
I was here last week! It was scary as hell at the north station, but I have survived :) Thank you for the indepth history lesson! Although you have missed very important things about Belgium. It is definitely worth to visit for a week or more. The uncut grass is not left because of the laziness but because of the bees and view when it flowers. They leave the grass the same way in Switzerland, and they are very tidy nation! They are also very easy going, but still like to preserve things. There are whole buildings converted to museums with Art noveau style and are being constantly preserved and tourists are actually allowed to walk inside! They are also very unamericanized nation, which I really love about. Also, would you walk in New York at outskirt at night, probably not, so in a way these cities are not that much different. But there is a huge contradiction that I have felt, in a way they are very conservative nation (at least dutch part), but there are rainbow and multi gender flags everywhere. Maybe the government is artificially pushing this to people. Also I have heard government is trying to discourage people from drinking BEER! In Belgium where there are so many microbreweries. Imagine that. That is why a lot of youngsters are not drinking it. But instead they use much worse things to get high.
Did Brussels last year. First thing I saw when I got off the train was a fight breaking out. After that I tried to get a Taxi into town and the taxi drivers started fighting, was not confident in the place at all. But after all that, I loved the place. Had a great time.
@@fran1514 Funny thing is, most of the main railway stations in the UK are nowhere near this dangerous. I bet people will tell me I'm wrong though, which shows the level of cope among both Americans and continental Europeans.
My Great Uncle is named on the Menin Gate YPRES A.R.Richardson English 🏴 Blessings dear Uncle xx Fought & survived the Battle of Loos ❤ died fighting at Lebrique.
"In Flanders fields, the poppies blow; Between the crosses, row on row; That mark our place, and the sky; The larks, still bravely singing, fly; Scarce heard amid the guns below." The first half of the video, I did not care for. The second part was pure gold. Thank you.
I always get the same feeling in Brussels as you, but when I go to Antwerp I fall in love every time. If I go to a city other than mine (The Hague, Holland) for a nice day, it is Antwerp. What nice people there. .I love them
Anvers est magnifique ma ville de naissance. Et la ville des mafia et Bruxelles la ville où je vis , la ville des gangs. A Bruxelles il n'y a pas de loi pour ainsi dire et à Anvers il faut respecter la loi .
@@axeldegives3817 Oui,je pense que tu as raison . Mais tu me parles la plus belle langue du monde. C'est aussi quelquechose,et on trouve des gens sympas partout dans le monde ,y compris à Bruxeless.
I mean you're not wrong but some EU cities (like Marseille)have very specific areas that have shootings all the time between teenage gang members and unfortunately, innocents also get hurt in the process.
@@w花bIt's only certain parts of American cities. Chicago is a good example. It's a massive city and most of it is safe and clean, but there are definitely neighborhoods you wouldn't want to go in.
We Americans have a superior civilization. European thugs only have knives and fists, and are dangerous only within half a meter of you. Ours can randomly kill you from much farther away because in most U.S. states anybody can buy a gun small enough to conceal. We have two words for this: MAGA (Trump's motto "Make America Great Again") and .. of course, Jesus.
Really? In Norway? I didn't know that. I was surprised when I saw the 'youths' of Norway in a clip of an annoying American streamer a couple of months ago though..
you're tripping man, Norway is literally the richest European country and you can see it in the capital too. Its very clean and I don't recall seeing a single beggar or drug dealer when I visited Oslo.
@@colakarim I honestly dont believe you went to Oslo. Not only is there a ton of graffiti in the central parts, its not like the touristy areas have people run up and stab you. There are poor neighborhoods nobody goes to, because the money Norway has isnt distributed evenly amongst the entire population (and this is the case for every country except the ones that has like 10k people living in it).
belgium has same problem as the other EU states , mass obligated immigration by European commission, they are fed and sheltered by our tax payers money,while our own belgian people who are in trouble and live on the streets get nothing. the illegal ones live of crime and theft. price of everything(rent/groceries/energy ext) went op x3 in 10 years because of that. Our police force is outnumbered under trained and underfunded to deal with all the criminality, and all our prisons are overflowing(we rent prison space in the Netherlands rofl). Belgium need a new revolution and cleanup for sure, as the rest of Europe.
went there for football in the late 80`s and one of the friends got his throat cut, seemingly it was an illegal migrant. we were in the wrong part of the city the police said
The 80's are nothing compared to now. over 70% of the city is from the middle east or africa. We (the flemish) keep pumping money into the city to keep it alive. I wish we didn't and just let it rot. All the leftists and greens.
Last year two swedish football supporters going there for a game between Belgium and Sweden were brutally excecuted by islamic terrorists while on their way to the stadium. It's the european capital of islamic terrorism. Absolutely horrific. This video represent the shithole very well.
@@LeanBeanLou it’s a long time ago. There was something happed in a shop and a guy ran out and slashed the friends throat as he was passing him. I am sure the police blamed Moroccans but so much goes on these days I might be getting mixed up. Friend survived but was over there in hospital for weeks after the incident. Scar on his throat is all the way and about an inch wide. He was lucky
My favourite part was the Palace of Graffiti, Rubble, and Urine Puddles at the start of the video. The Palace of Obedience ensures it thrives and spreads.
The reason that they are now called French Fries is because during the second World War, those highly educated and Geographically astute American GIs liked them. Because they thought they were in France when they were obviously in Belgium, they chose to refer to them as French fries. They could just as easily have called them Kenyan fries or Australian fries. Not the brightest, bless them.
@markmeenaghan934 You'd probably do good to watch what you call "dump" countries! Western Europe and Belgium in particular is NO "dump"; higher and better living standards, education levels, efficient economy, social security, more evolved cultured living, etc. than the whole of the US, Canada, Oceania and even the UK, and probably Ireland for instance too! Now, (mass-)immigration and conflicts that spring from it and eg. growing homelessness are a huge problem ANYwhere in the present Western world (and btw those issues weren't even around when after WW2 the (North-)Americans amongst others 'liberated' (and in part also impregnated) Western Europe)! Please, think for just a second before you (easily and bluntly) judge... from a Belgian American living on Long Island, NY
@@georgelebreton3177 Merci d'avoir remis les points sur les I! Les anglo-saxons ne se rendent même pas compte de l'état dans lequel vivent leurs pauvres ils oublient que chez eux les sans abris se comptent par millions et que seuls les riches peuvent se soigner ou aller dans un logement décent ! Ils font une fixette sur nos problèmes pour mieux oublier les leurs !
@@georgelebreton3177 If you have to compare it to other dump countries, that means its a dump country. I thought about it for a second and have concluded you are bad at picking places to live.
Brother your French is on point! 👌🏼 great video about my city I USED to be so proud of! You truly gave a great explanation about so many aspects of Belgium too! Wish you’d contact me before hand as I could have come along with you and show you the few hidden gems we still have around luckily.
If you think Gare du Midi is awful . . . wait until you see Gare du Nord! I lived in Brussels several decades ago when it was still a lovely city. But you can see from the grafitti all over the place that Belgium is no longer the land of the Belgians, or even the land of the Waloons and Vlaamse, but is now over half North African and Middle Eastern and the City has succumbed to their preferences. Incidentally, to answer your question about food, it is not that Belgium influenced France, and even less that France influenced Belgium. In actual fact what is now Belgium was part of the Duchy of Burgundy.which stretched from Dijon to the North Sea, well before there was a unified France. It is this Burgundian food tradition that forms the framework of the cuisine of places like Brussels and Lyon, and not in any way shared by Paris, which is a food backwater in comparison. Lastly, while Leopold was no angel, he was certainly no Hitler, and it does the Nazis a great service to suggest so - there were no Auschwitzs in Congo. It should be considered that most of the worst views of Leopold come exclusively from British interlocutors who were Belgium's rival in Africa, who spread anecdotes and rumors that are now repeated as historical fact but aren't.
You sound like a holocaust denier, but only with the dark colonial past under Leopold II. in Kongo. This part of history is also well documented. Many atrocities were commited. Cutting off hands was established as popular way of punishment.
@@Stuntmandouble08 It is well documented that people had their hands cut off, and villages burned down, and all manner of atrocities committed. Whether or not you believe any amount of this was political grandstanding by the English - who committed their own atrocities - it is not the planned and coordinated extermination of 6 million people in industrialized death camps. To consider these things the same is in fact fact Holocaust minimization at best, and denial at worst, and to conflate Leopold with Hitler is risible but would go along with the modern fashion of calling all bad things "genocide." Of course, Congo has thrived and become a liberal wonderland since the Belgians were kicked out . . . right? Right!?!?
@Stuntmantdouble08 that is incorrect. The cutting of hands as a punishment did not happen. During fights when people were shot, a hand was cut to prove how the bullet was used. But some of those people turned out not to be dead, just severely wounded
Finally another Belgian like me that know Congo history! By the way people don't understand context of the time. At this time Leopold risks all his fortune for this colony, he almost lost it all until it was slightly profitable. About the exactions, as you said many things were exaggerated by the British and the traitor called Morel that was shitting on Belgium colony's for British interest. Moreover at this time there was no phone not telegraph between Congo and Belgium, Leopold never saw Congo. He was taking decisions only from letters he receive from people there. And as every human in Congo there was bad and good manager, some were abusive and some were good towards local people. Also people that didn't read about Congo doesn't know that this place is the most hostile on earth (sickness, bacteria, cannibals, toxic plants, crocodile, ...) Congo is hardcore and so it is also violent by nature. So if you want to know more about this absolutely fascinating history about Congo and Africa explorateurs read some books about it. French, British, Belgians were absolute genius that build wonderful countries that will be destroyed by local people when independence will came. Good authors about Africa: Bernard Lugan Jean Stengers Vive le roi vive la Belgique Et j'enc*l3 la RTBF cette bande d'ord*res, ce sont des sales traitres
@@Stuntmandouble08lol you don't know what your talking about The cutting hands was not a punishment. It was a rule for soldier, there were issued ammunition. Very few ammunition and they have to manage it. So when they shot someone, 1 bullet should equal to two hands. So they cut hands to report a dead not as a punishment that is written like a law.
Brussels is a fine place, had a lot of fun there on multiple occasions. My grandma has lived there no problems for about 40 years. I will actually watch this vlog later but the title triggered me bigtime, not gonna lie 😅
I was there a few times. In general the city not near the station is really good. But had a terrible experience with the police. I was waiting near the police station for my coach back to London because the rain was pouring down the sky. I have mobility issues so I use walking stick. But after like 1 hour of waiting there (I had some 2 more hours left) there were 3 vans and 12 cops around me, very aggressive. And they demanded that I have to leave. They knew I am a tourist but they didn't care. They were very aggressive and were just laughing while I was trying to tell them that's raining and I am disabled. When I showed them my walking stick they nearly beat me up with their batons. i had to go with my lugggage and wait in the rain at the coach stop. When I was leaving those bas...rds were just laughing at me .Terrible experience.
Ah come on man. I live here. Relax. It's not that bad. This is pure alarmism. Right where you are at Midi station at the beginning of the video is a glorious market on Sundays, with loads of food and you can get fresh baked snacks and tea. It's not for everyone, but Brussels has its charm.
Great video!! I've not been to Brussels but ive heard its worth avoiding on the other hand I've been to Bruges and Ypres very nice i would like to go back. My dear old grandfather was at the battle of Ypres he spent 3 years on the western front his experiences there made quite an impression on him, and me, God bless him and all those soldiers.
@@fa5234 the city sucks lol. Even the central area are a disaster. Never felt so unsafe in Europe, and I am italian. Much worse than any southern italian large city. But like much much worse.
He did show Brussels one of the worst cities in Belgium xD There are so many other cities that are nicer and better. Even me as a Belgium citizen would not even set foot in that shit hole unless needed.
True. I went out alone at nights at 16 in Brussels back in 2000-2004 with no issues. One year living in London I had murder scenes outside my window (Haggerston/Dalston), bike was stolen 3 times and found 3 times on Bricklane market where I had to confront drugged drug dealers and coke addicts, almost died countless times during daily bike commute.
@@tomlevitt4133 sarcasm or not, I wouldn't want to confront 7 feet black dudes with knifes in this shady "market" and say "yo bro, that's my bike, give it back", even when I'm 6.2". I had to call the police and it took 3 officers to hold him down while they screamed at me to pick up my bike and leave. Then I was tailed by another one of the black dude's colleagues, so instead of going home, I went to a touristy area in a cafe, waited for nearly 2 hours and waited for friends so I could go back home. I would love to see you experience this and see the trail of pee you leave behind. Sound good to you? Tom Takeit or Levitt.
Ou as tu vécu à Bruxelles ? Schaerbeek , Molembeek , Anderlecht , St josse . Il y a beaucoup de coin très dangereux mais où les touristes ne vont pas . Maintenant Londres aussi est dangereux.
Brussels was somewhat grubby in 1990. It got grubbier in 2001. Those are the times when I was there. I didn't notice Muslim slums in 1990 but there were plenty by 2001. I'm sure it's worse now. Other than that, there are some very nice places to visit in Brussels. What I really appreciated was they don't have stop signs at smaller street intersections. It is up to the drivers and pedestrians to be aware of what's going on. Traffic flows much better. I don't know why this is not applied elsewhere.
To be fair, Gare Midi will be renovated soon-ish. I sure hope it's faster than the renovation of the Palais de Justice 😂 Edit: But Brussels has a lot more to offer - recently, we also had some gang related shootings all over the city. And you guessed it, those guys were imported 😉
If you find yourself in some of the larger cities in Europe, avoid taking a hotel in the vicinity of train stations, which are typically the most sketchy areas of the city… Brussels is a collection of villages, that each have their own vibes and positives and negatives, but they’re clearly better than the station neighborhoods. Brussels, like for instance San Francisco, is also dealing with the usual challenges of well meaning but poorly designed policies for homelessness and immigration - it takes time and effort and adjustments to sort those out. In short, use your brain and some preliminary research and planning before you visit, unless your focus is to find the most screwed up areas. 🤷🏻♂️
Belgium has an unfair image. Belgium has quite a big global cultural impact with products which are known around the globe (for example: Belgian fries, Belgian chocolate, Belgian beer or Belgian waffles). The country also has a history of being a major imperial power which is also quite remarkable for its size. Belgium punches way above its weight and also has a way bigger right to exist than "countries“ which are former British settler colonies and literally don’t have their own language, culture or history like Australia, Canada or New Zealand for example… (I am from 🇩🇪)