Just across the border from the Rhine river lies a small college town of Karlsruhe. Sandwitched between Heidelberg in Germany and Strasbourg in France, Karlsruhe is unglamourous yet very attractive town. It is clean, residents are well dressed and there are plenty of young people, thanks to the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Surprisingly, everyone in the town is comfortable in speaking English, contrary to the general reputation of a German city. It seems to have everything one desires for peaceful and happy life. Plenty of nature, walkable city, lively city center, libraries, and friendly people. It is boutique town with elegance and quality of life of a large city.

While visiting for a conference in the city, a colleague suggested me to visit the European parliament. Little did he told the city itself is a world heritage site. Strasbourg embodies the life and times of the medieval age, barring all the violence and barbarism! The roads are narrow, canal encircles the city, shops closes early, ice creams are the tastiest, and every corner of the city is picturesque. All the roads lead to the famous (and huge) cathedral, which I believe is the envy of the other christian cities. Residents bike, walk, use Tram, and speak French. But many names in the city can sound German, as it is just a stone throw away from Germany, a former occupier of it.

The future has been seen, it is Abu Dhabi. The UAE capital is epitomizes modernity in its fullest sense: beauty, architecture, infrastructure, culture, transportation and housing. It looks that the rulers of Abu Dhabi are determined to bring the world there. No cuisine unfound, no world-wide brands absent, and no nationality missing. Boasting of several tourist spots such as Lourve museum, it is the Zayed Mosque, the Aquarium and the Presidential Palace stands out beyond measure. The rulers not just have the wealth but also the taste for luxury and delicacies. While it is desert, it feels like none. It is easy find water everywhere, but almost impossible to spot a camel.

Bordeaux is not the city that comes to mind when someone says France; the honor usually goes to Paris or Nice. But this mini-Paris located next to the Atlantic ocean, is full of surprises and history. I was travelling to the city to visit a collaborator and never expected much, only to be proven wrong with the medieval architecture, night-lit city, wine region (including a museum dedicated to wine history), authentic food, and eye-catching scenery of river Garonne passing through the city. Not commonly known, even to French, that Bordeaux was part of British empire for some period, who converted it into wine region to avoid purchasing French wines! What an irony!