Auckland , General info:
9/10

Often callled the city of sails due to the many boats in its harbor. Auckland has over 50 volcanos and Range Toto - a volcanic Island in the center of the harbour is only 600 years old. Fott prints preserved in ash show that the native population actually watched this volcanic Island form. The rocks on the Island are still warm to the touch.

Auckland , Cheap stuff:
7/10

Visit One Tree Hill (although the tree was chopped down by a Mauri activist recently) for a beautiful view of the city. Also visit the Albert museum, which also has a spectacular view.

Brussels , General info:
8/10

Brussels is the capital of the European Union. Some parts of it are not so interesting, but a lot of it is very interesting. It is well worth visiting. It has nice musea, a few thousand restaurants, a lot of nice pubs and brasseries in the French style and it is one of the greenest cities of Europe.

Brussels , Cheap stuff:
8/10

There are a lot of cheap secondhand shops where they sell books (FR, ENG, NL...), cd's and dvd's on the Bouelvard Lemonnier/Lemonnierlaan, between the Bourse/Beurs and the Place Fontainas/Fontainasplein and in the Rue du Midi/Zuidstraat, not far from the Place Fontainas/Fontainasplein. Especially the Pêle Mêle (Bouelvard Lemonnier/Lemonnierlaan 55) is well worth a visit. Thousands of books are waiting for you!

Brussels , Safety:
9/10

In my opinion, Brussels is a very safe city. I have been working iin Brussels over 20 years, and never anything happened to me. But you should look after your stuff in big train stations, like everywhere else.