06-24-2021, 05:24 AM
Karlsruhe being the city housing the provincial government is quite stately, similar to Bonn and The Hague.
I would recommend visiting cities which have been left intact. In other words, haven't been destroyed and rebuilt using modern architechture. Rastatt is one of them. Then, there's the Roman settlement Civitas Taunesium, if you're into archeology.
As far as friendliness is concerned, I'd recommend visiting Gent in the Flemish part of Belgium. Unlike Germany, the Flemish have an open-minded tavern culture, much as the Brits, Dutch and Danes do.
The last time I had visited Macedonia was before the breakup of Yugoslavia. My intention wasn't to visit the relatives of which I've never met. But rather as a transit visit on the way to Greece. That was my favorite former country in Yugoslavia, not only because it was friendly. It was also even less developed than Croatia and Serbia with their Soviet type block house urban construction. As far as I know, the Macedonians were never involved in the two horrible secular conflicts of which the Croats, Serbs and later Bosnian converts to Islam were. Whether or not that's the reason for an easy going society or not, I did indeed meet Serbs and Croats, later on, who were, to varying degrees, post-traumatic stress sufferers.
My grandmother met my grandfather, during one of the last Balkan wars, as she was a nurse in the lazarett of which my wounded grandfather was delivered to. After which she moved in with him in Bulgaria. I'm assuming, her close relatives have remained in Macedonia proper and that all of the ones surviving and their desendants are certain to speaking at least two languages. Now I'm talking myself into paying them a visit
I would recommend visiting cities which have been left intact. In other words, haven't been destroyed and rebuilt using modern architechture. Rastatt is one of them. Then, there's the Roman settlement Civitas Taunesium, if you're into archeology.
As far as friendliness is concerned, I'd recommend visiting Gent in the Flemish part of Belgium. Unlike Germany, the Flemish have an open-minded tavern culture, much as the Brits, Dutch and Danes do.
The last time I had visited Macedonia was before the breakup of Yugoslavia. My intention wasn't to visit the relatives of which I've never met. But rather as a transit visit on the way to Greece. That was my favorite former country in Yugoslavia, not only because it was friendly. It was also even less developed than Croatia and Serbia with their Soviet type block house urban construction. As far as I know, the Macedonians were never involved in the two horrible secular conflicts of which the Croats, Serbs and later Bosnian converts to Islam were. Whether or not that's the reason for an easy going society or not, I did indeed meet Serbs and Croats, later on, who were, to varying degrees, post-traumatic stress sufferers.
My grandmother met my grandfather, during one of the last Balkan wars, as she was a nurse in the lazarett of which my wounded grandfather was delivered to. After which she moved in with him in Bulgaria. I'm assuming, her close relatives have remained in Macedonia proper and that all of the ones surviving and their desendants are certain to speaking at least two languages. Now I'm talking myself into paying them a visit