MOST WEIRD CITY IN THE WORLD 2008 CONTEST
Candidates (Still Open): Varsovia, Brasilia, Praga, El Cairo, Toledo, Soria, París (Texas), Béjar (Salamanca), Madrid, México D.F, Amberes, París (Francia).
MANOLITO LUNAR (Moonlight Manolito if you want) thinks there is nothing so bizarre as Antwerp, and believe, he knows what he is talking about. And since he ain´t superstitious (despite being a galician) he gives us 13 reasons 13. Magical Number:1. For having the third biggest port in Europe, which in fact, is far bigger than the city itself. In fact (2) it would be bigger where it not for the Ducth, who have control of the mouth of the river, over which Amberes´port is built. They forbid the belgian government to widen this mouth, to prevent oil boats arriving to Amberes, and therefore being able to compete with Rotterdam´s port.
2. For having the port atmosphere as few places in the world are lucky to have. Some bars, late at night, hide people who look as taken out of movie by Fellini
(women in their sixties with loads of make up and impossible neckkines, tough sailors with a vicious air).
3. For having a REAL Red District, (not a turistical one, like in Amsterdam) where it is REALLY SCARY to go in.
4. For having a Chinese Disctrict, where even Chinese fear to enter.
5. For having a cathedral with a really high endless tower, and another smaller one, because on the way to build it, they could not understand how on hell the first one stood up withour falling (the second tower fell a series of times before they gave up).
6. For having a streer with ONLY jewelry shops, all of them clossed for Sabbath, sorry, Saturday, while the rest of the shops close on Sundays.
7. For having, in one its museums, the oldest printing machine in the world (¿?).8. For demolishing a lot of villages (to make the port bigger) but leaving behind standing, some streets and squares "so that people can see how they were like".
9. For giving many of its streets and squares a new name after World War II, to pay tribute to the American saviours. Therefore, we are invited to beaties sucha as Franklin Rooselvetplaats, Michiganstraat o Henry Fordlaan.
10. For having, next to the station, a cybercafé opened 24 hours, closed down by the police, tired of knife-riots in its inside late at night AM.
11. For having locals who speak lots of languages, just to understand the people who live in or just spend some time in the city, well aware that "nobody is gonna learn this shit language of ours". As a result, no foreigner ever learns it.
12. For being, by far, the biggest city in Flemish Region (Dutch-speaking Belgium), and not being the capital, due to the express veto of Wallonia (French-speaking Belgium) due to the symbolic value to Flemish. They, in turn, gave back the favour, giving their veto to Liège as the Wallonian capital
13. And for the beer. And, My God, what a BEER...
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