You're No Square, Vienna

I emerge from the U-Bahn, easily the busiest place in Austria, and into the Stephansplatz.

While Vienna is the heart of Austria (and perhaps a romantic's notion of Europe), in Vienna's heart itself lies the Stephansplatz square. Named after the  looming Stephansdom cathedral right out of Tim Burton's Gotham, the Stephansplatz is surrounded by Kärntner Straße and Graben- the twin shopping streets.

Facing the Stephansdom is it's architectural opposite, the Haas-Haus. All shiny glass and cold steel, this building was initially criticised by the puritans for it's modernism, but now it's been embraced as the gospel on how to mix Gothic with the modern.

The Stephansdom at the heart of Vienna is one of the tallest churches in the world.

The Stephansplatz Square with the buzzing U-Bahn station. That's the Haas-Haus on the right.

Every Man is An Island

Riding through the scenic upstate New York on the way to the Niagara, I come across a neat little wonder tucked upon the Lake Ontario- The 1000 Islands. (In truth, there are 1,864 islands, but in the name of poetic license, who's counting?)

Some of these islands as tiny as your living room, they are Thoreau's solitary fantasy come to life. Most of these have one or two houses complete with boats to get to the mainland. As you would have guessed, and rightly so, these are owned by old money. Oh, the things, money can buy.

Glittering Tower on a Rainy Night

Almost 11 pm and I decide to walk the streets of Tokyo. In my experience, the streets are particularly prone to divulging their city's secrets at this hour. And isn't Tokyo one of the safest cities in the world, especially for tourists? Soon it starts to drizzle. To my surprise, I find that my hotel isn't too far from the famous Tokyo Tower- that glitters a dream-like fluorescent orange in the night.