Sao Paulo is ugly but sexy

Klaus Wowereit, the former Major of Berlin said that "Berlin ist arm, aber sexy" (Berlin is poor but sexy). Paraphrasing Wowereit, I would said that Sao Paulo is an ugly sexy city. Ugly because it is a concrete jungle with a incoherent layout with many hideous rundown buildings and a crazy transportation system that could test the nerves of experienced travelers. Sexy because it is one of the most interesting and fascinating cities that you could visit as long as you have an open mind to observe the beauty behind this human made chaos. 

I traveled to Sao Paulo in 2013 for a conference and I stayed there for eight days which I enjoyed to the fullest. This a destination for the very experienced travelers. The first thing you will notice it is that the Guarulhos Airport seems to be stuck in the 80's. It feels like time traveling. Finding your luggage is an odyssey. Once you are out,  you might experience a traffic jam of epic proportions depending of the hour of your arrival. Don't leave the airport without eating a delicious pao de queijo and a Guarana Antartica; these would give you the strength you need to reach to the city center 

The main street in Sao Paulo is "Avenida Paulista"; it reminds me New York. You will see many interesting buildings and helicopters. The rich people of Sao Paulo do not drive fancy cars they fly to avoid traffic; it is quite an spectacle. The area is very walkable and has many places to visit. The main attraction is the Museum of Modern Art of Sao Paulo (MASP). In my opinion, the best museum of European Art in Latin America. It has wonderful collection of Modigliani paintings and the building itself is a work of art. I recommend to eat your lunch there, the museum's restaurant has a delicious buffet. You can also go to the near Jardins, an upper class neighborhood, where you can have lunch or buy at exclusive stores if you can afford it. 

Sao Paulo is the cultural capital of Brazil. There are many museums in addition to the MASP. One of my favorites is the Pinacoteca do Estado when you could discover great Brazilian painters.When I visited this museum I was delighted with Antonio Henrique Amaral, an excellent painter with a thought-provoking work. Near the Ibrapuera park you will find the Bienal  Pavilion (with temporal exhibitions) and the MAM (modern Art, for those with special tastes) . Apparently there is also the Museum of Contemporary Art (I did not visit this one) also close to Ibrapuera. The Ibrapuera is one of the most interesting city parks of Brazil with some buildings designed by Oscar Niemeyer. There are also private and public art foundations : Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, FIESP, Sao Paulo Cultural Center, Institute Tomie Ohtake among many others. You will need more than a week to see everything. However, if you want to enjoy Art for free you need to go to Boca do Batman. Sao Paulo has one of the coolest graffitti scenes in Latin America, and probably in the world.  

Bienal Pavilon

Graffiti Boca do Batman

It is not a secret that Sampa is a foodies'paradise. It has a large proportion of the best restaurants of Brazil. However, these are for the rich. I found that the local eateries, where the employees go for lunch break, serve delicious food at very affordable prices. You need to try the salgadinhos, these little appetizers made from pork, cheese or chicken are quite tasty. Italian food is another good option in Sao Paulo. Apparently, there were many migrants from Italy at the end of the 19th  century leaving a large culinary legacy (Sao Paulo's pizza is quite good).  For breakfast, try tapioca, a kind of crepe made from yucca, and of course, you need to eat fruit while in Brazil. Fogo de Chao is a restaurant chain that I recommend; it is one of these experiences that you will never forget. One final advice: go to the market and ask for a mortadela sandwich, but make sure that you are very hungry before ordering.

There are many additional interesting things to see and do in Sao Paulo, like Libertade (Japanese town), la livraria cultura, la Sala Sao Paulo, the nightlife, the huge shopping centers among others that deserve their own review but I will leave these for you to discover. Regarding the issue of security, I never felt unsafe in Sao Paulo but you need to be aware of your surroundings and use common sense. Be careful, specially at night, there are some areas that you should never visit after the sunset and always use a radio taxi. Sao Paulo is an underrated destination soon to be discovered. The city just needs to fix some issues regarding transportation and safety.

Liege, the Bilbao of Belgium

Liège is where I live since 2012. I have a lot of affection to this city. Before I moved here, I lived five years in Barcelona. This was a drastic change and I have a rough period to adjust. I recognize that it was not love at first sight. This is an industrial city, with a lot of gray, some eye-sore buildings and plenty of bad weather. Nevertheless, I am a witness of the transformation of Liège in a modern and attractive city without losing its essence.

When tourist visit Belgium they tend to go to two places: Brussels and Brugges. Surprisingly, when I spoke with my Belgian friends, most of them agreed that Ghent (Gent or Gand) is the most attractive and beautiful town in Belgium (I agree). It used to be "underrated" but the secret is out (specially during summer). Antwerp  (Anvers)  is also another beautiful city, that has been neglected. Nonetheless, Flemish cities are much popular than Wallon towns. Fewer people visit Liège, Namur, Mons or Tournai which is a pity because of the charm and historic value of these cities.

The historical background of Liège is immense and it goes back to the Romans. It would be very difficult to summarize the history of Liège in one paragraph or two. I am just going to give  you some highlights:  Liège was the capital of a country, the prince-bishopric of Liège, one of the most democratic states of Europe during the Medieval times. It was an strategic town during the Napoleonic war and one of the most industrialized cities due to the mining activity. Liège suffered tremendously during the First World War. The city was under siege by the German troops during several days. The heroic resistance has been recognize in many ways. Liège has one of the few monuments financed by all the allies during the World War I. It is called : Monument Interallié. Unfortunately, it is open to the public only two times during the year.

Liège also suffered during the Second World War. The city was occupied by the German troops, it was liberated and afterwards bombarded. After the war, Liège underwent a painful process of de-industralization. The negative effects of this process  has been the inspiration of the filmmaker duo, the Dardenne Brothers, for movies like "The Promise" or more recently "Two days, one night".

Nowadays, the city is trying to recover its vitality. It has benefited from several investments in infrastructure. Liège is an international city, it is less than one hour from Germany or Netherlands. The Thalys that goes to Cologne stops in Liège (you have a direct connection with Paris). It has one of the most awe-inspiring train stations that I have ever seen. It was designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava (one of the few Calatrava buildings that I like). However, in my opinion, what really saved Liège is the University. Every year many students come to the city, providing the dynamism and energy that lacks other cities in Wallonia like Charleroi. 

Liège has many "incontournables" that will be the delight of the tourists. I will start with the churches. Liège was governed for many years by archbishops so you can imagine that there are plenty of churches to visit. My favorites are the Cathedral, l'eglise de Saint-Jacques and Saint-Martin (difficult to visit, it is not open regularly). There is a very good museum called "Musée Curtius" which used to be the house of an important industrialist. It has a mixed collection of artifacts, furniture, paintings and archaeological objects. I call it the "mini Victoria & Albert" museum of Liège. It is huge for Liège standards. There are two museums of Arts but one of them is currently being restored. 

One of the best parts of visiting Liège is the food. I do not think you could eat better in any other city in Belgium. Since there is not too much tourism, restaurants need to cater local clientele. Furthermore, Liège received an enormous amount of immigrants from Italy during the mining boom. After the de-industrialization, many of those immigrants opened Italian restaurants throughout the city. My favorite restaurants are Vin-sur-vin, le Dix-huitième, (French, Belgian) l'European and la Bambola (for Pizza), Huggies and Les Fous d'en Face (for Burgers), Les Frites ("belgium fries"); Pollux (Gauffres), André and Poivre et Sel (Sandwiches), La Chaisse au Plafond (Croissant aux noissetes)  le Vaudree (a huge menu of beers) Punto e Pasta (lassagne della nona) and Glacier Franchie (for the chocolate milkshake). 

I could have written the article with another title; Liège is also "the Bologna of Belgium". Many of the Belgium specialties have their origin here. There is the famous gauffre de Liège, le sirop de Liège (a fruit sirop), les boulets liégeoises (meatballs covered in a sauce made from sirop de Liège), la salade liégeoise (green beans, potatoes,lard), le cafe liégeois (a dessert made with coffee ice cream) and of course "le liégeoise" (orange Fanta with grenadine sirop) . Other popular regional dishes, that are not exclusive from Liège are chicon au gratin, le jamboneau, le vol-au-vent avec poulet, le spaghetti bolo (bolognese sause, influence from Italy), le fondue parmesan (it is actually croquettes made of cheese), la carbonade flamande (Stoofvlees) among others. Try to spend a Sunday in Liège, then you will see  one of the  largest outdoor market in Europe, the well known "la Batte" People from all over Belgium, Netherlands and Germany come to this market every Sunday. You will see the tremendous influence of Italy in Liège.

Liège is known as well as "la cité ardent" although the name comes from a horrible historical episode (the city was burned by "Charles le Téméraire, Duke of Burgundy) the name now symbolizes the strong spirit liégeois and the wild and sometimes rough festivities.. If you are here during Thursdays you will see how wild it could be. Le carré is the main area for going out in Liège. I personally don't like it so much because it is mainly oriented toward young students but if you are younger than 25, you will love it. There are many musical activities during the year: Les Ardents et les Transardents, la fête de la musique, la fête de Wallonie, Jazz à Liège,  les epicuriales, and for me the best cultural activity : la journée du Patrimoine. Liège also has one of the best Christmas markets in Belgium where you can taste Tartiflettes, Toast aux Champignon and many other delicacies.There is also "La Foire d'Octobre" which is basically an attraction park in the middle of the city. This is the time of the year when people buy the famous "lacquemants" a kind of thin gauffre covered in sirop (Be careful with the sugar!). Liège has an Opera and Concert hall for the Philharmonic Orchestra and three movie theaters for independent films (Grignoux)

The best time to come to Liège is during the music festivals (early summer), early autumn and during Christmas markets. I would try to come during la Journée du Patrimoine because you can visit many attractions that are closed to the public during the year (le Palais du Prince-Eveques, le Monument Interallié, le Collegiale de Saint-Croix). Liège could be your base to explore Aachen (wonderful underrated city) and Maastricht (über-posh dutch town). You can also visit the neglected Leuven, explore the exuberant Ardennes (nature) that has so many hidden jewels like castles (Château de Jehay, Château de Modave), Abbeys (Stavelot, Val-Dieu) and walking circuits in "Le Pays de Herve" (you need a car for this).  Liège is a great city and I certainly will miss it when I leave.

Metz will teach you a lesson in Architecture

Metz, (it is pronounced "mess" with an open e) is one of the most beautiful and charming cities of France. It is located in Lorraine, a highly disputed territory between France and Germany. It feels "Germanic" like a town of Bavaria. Very small and compact; I recommend maximum two nights unless you want to do daytrips to Nancy and Luxembourg, then it is possible to stay longer. 

If you are an architect or like architecture, then you will adore this city. Metz is an open-air museum for architecture styles. You can see Romanic, Neoclassical, Renaissance, Gothic,  Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Modern. Despite being so eclectic, everything works harmoniously, There are several monuments and buildings that have been declared cultural patrimony of France.

Metz has two main attractions. The first is the magnificent Cathedral of Saint-Etienne de Metz. It has one of the largest amount of stained-glass windows in the world. It is a Gothic masterpiece that you must visit while in Metz.  The interior reminds me the Cathedral of Cologne, since the main nave is so high that makes you feel very tiny. The second attraction is the Centre Pompidou, Metz. It was designed by Shigeru Ban, a Japanese architect, recipient of the Pritzker prize of Architecture, kind of the "Nobel of Architecture." There were very few people when I visited the Museum, so you can enjoy it at your pace. The Centre Pompidou Metz does not have a permanent collection. During my visit, they have a very interesting exhibition about the forms & shapes in Arts. The exhibition analyzes how different artists have incorporated forms from nature, mathematics and the human body into their works of art.

When in Metz, you should try the Quiche Lorraine, le flammkuchen (It is similar to a pizza without the sauce tomato) , the Riesling wine, and the tarte aux mirabelles (a kind of plum, that is yellowish and very sweet). Prices are high (French standards) so, eating out will cost you at least 15 euros per person (being very austere). You need to visit Metz market, they have delicious produits du terroir (local products) as well as a soup stand that it is well known in the region. If you decide to visit Metz, you should include Nancy as well. Nancy has one of the most beautiful squares in Europe.  

Graz, the best kept secret of Austria

There is much more to see in Austria besides Vienna and Salzburg. Despite that Vienna can be considered as an "underrated city" since it has all the opulence of Paris without the massive influx of tourism, Graz in my point of view is even more neglected. Graz is the second city of Austria. It has a Eastern Europe vibe.  You can go there by train (OEBB) or by bus (Westbus, Eurolines) Although, I fully recommend the trip by train since it is very scenic and comfortable; you will not stop taking pictures while in the train.

Graz is a very walkable and compact city and it has an excellent public transportation system. I got the feel that I was in Bohemian city (It reminds me Prague, I do not why). Graz is close to Slovenia so you could do a day trip to Maribor. There are many local specialities that you should try while in Graz (e.g. Go to Hofbackerei Edegger-Tax and try the Sissi-Busserl biscuit, it is a must)  and plenty of attractions to visit. The Cathedral of Graz is much more awe-inspiring than the Karlskirche in Vienna.  Graz holds the second largest collection of Art in Austria after the Belveder collection.  This collection is spread in several locations, in the province of Styria (Universalmuseum Joanneum). The main attraction is the Schloss Eggenberg, a magnificent Baroque Palace in the outskirts of the city. The palace symbolizes a calendar with 365 windows, 24 state rooms and 52 rooms in total. 

In summary, the city is pleasant, beautiful, with many cultural attractions, young (it is a college-town), with several musical venues. And the best part is that you can explore the country side of Styria that is wonderful. 

Hate against tourists

Paris, London, Barcelona, Berlin,  Prague,... VENICE. All of them magnificent cities with wonderful monuments, excellent restaurants and...hordes of tourists. It has become the hot topic of the season. People are complaining about tourists, which seems paradoxical since most of the complainers also travel as well and probably "behave like tourists". The issue has triggered protests in Barcelona, tons of hate through the web, new laws and regulations in several cities specifically targeting services like AirBnb or trying to impose bans to shops and restaurants oriented toward tourists.

The protesters have some reasons to complain. Some people are very rude, specially those who travel to do what is forbidden in their home countries. I have seen tourists vomiting in the streets, making noise, waking up the whole neighborhood and even having sex in public. There is also other side effects of tourism that are not so evident. In particular, prices increase in touristic cities and the quality of the food diminishes. The reason is simple, restaurant owners do not have to worry about attracting clients since most of their clients are one-timers who probably will never eat again in their restaurants . There is plenty of supply so it is cheap to deceive. That is why you need to use the internet to find a decent restaurant in Paris or Barcelona.

Furthermore, this massification of tourism intensifies xenophobia. Anglosaxon tourists (specially British) are known as "guiris" in Spain. They are considered the worst kind of tourist because of their wild behavior in places like Majorca or Canary Islands. There is much hate against Italians and Americans for being loud, Chinese for having bad manners (that is what I heard) and to the French and Germans for being ... French and German.

I decided to create this blog for those of you who want  an alternative from these "beautiful hells", feel welcomed, pay reasonable prices for food and lodgement, avoid long cues, and be able to see "something" inside the museums. These underrated cities might not have the opulence, the charm or the diversity of the mainstream destinations but their offer is quite good and you will be able to enjoy them at your own pace.