Funny that you mention Belgium - I am in Blankenberge right now (on business) - it's a nice little town, but it's nothing special. No offense to the locals, bu

Funny that you mention Belgium - I am in Blankenberge right now (on business) - it's a nice little town, but it's nothing special. No offense to the locals, but I can't wait to get out of here - the weather is pretty bad, most residents are old, everyone is slooow (even in the rain :-), shops close at 6pm, banks close at 3pm and Everything's closed all day on Sunday, HSPA 3G here means 1 Mbit on a good day (usually ~500-700 kbit - oh, and you pay $20 for 1 GB), 4 Mbit DSL actually means 1.5 Mbit, and you pay $700 for a teeny-tiny 1 bedroom apartment (then again, it is a resort city). I nicknamed it Lazy Town :-). The only saving grace is the port nearby (~6km in Zeebrugge) - there's a bustling shipping and logistics industry here, and there's plenty of work and opportunities. Overall, for a first-timer in Belgium, I'd recommend going to Brussels or Antwerp - bigger cities, more active, although still very laid back compared to even Paris...