VB.NET compiles to the same IL as C#. C# just exposes the framework a bit more plainly to the developer. Check out how SharpDevelop can translate source from one language to another. And I find Python ugly, so it's all in what you're used to, I suppose.

Of course I also find Perl ugly, but that didn't stop me from using it, and even enjoying it!

P.S. again... I find the thanks around here to be a bit more ego-boosting than anything else. Opinions get thanked more often than actual posts that would be good reference later on. Pity, they could have been a useful search tool. Oh well, too late to change that now.