At The Belvedere, a historic building complex consisting of two Baroque palaces, in the city of Vienna, Austria

 “You need some reason why Beethoven, Mozart, and Haydn in the 18th century all flocked to Vienna. What was it about Vienna? They must have known on some level that it is where they would flourish. It’s what biologists call 'selective migration'.” — Eric Weiner

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(in northeastern Austria, at the easternmost extension of the Alps) Vienna ("Wien"), the capital, largest city, and one of nine states of Austria, is the 6th largest city (by population) in the European Union and the largest city on the Danube River.

+ Until the beginning of the 20th century, Vienna was the largest German-speaking city in the world, and before the splitting of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in World War I, the city had two million inhabitants. Today, it is the second-largest German-speaking city after Berlin. Vienna is host to major international organizations, including the United Nations, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

+ The city is located in the eastern part of Austria and is close to the borders of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. These regions work together in a European Centrope border region. In 2001, the city center was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Vienna is known as the "City of Music" due to its musical legacy, as many famous classical musicians such as Beethoven and Mozart called Vienna home. Vienna is also said to be the "City of Dreams" because it was home to the world's first psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud.

+ Baroque streetscapes and imperial palaces set the stage for Vienna's artistic and musical masterpieces alongside its coffee-house culture and vibrant epicurean and design scenes. In Vienna, the coffee house is not just a hangout; it is an institution. Lingering over a newspaper with a pastry and a strong espresso drink is officially a cornerstone of Viennese culture. Walk off your slice of Sachertorte with a self-guided tour of the city’s stunning traditional, Secessionist, and modern architecture, such as the Imperial Palace, the State Opera House, the Kirche am Steinhof, or the Kunsthistorisches Museum, an exercise in ornate geometry.

+ Vienna's imperial grandeur is the legacy of the powerful Habsburg monarchy. Their home for more than six centuries, the Hofburg palace complex incorporates the Burgkapelle (Imperial Chapel), where the Vienna Boys' Choir sings Sunday Mass, and the famed Spanish Riding School, where Lipizzaner stallions perform elegant equine ballet, along with a trove of museums, including those in the chandeliered Kaiserappartements (Imperial Apartments). Other immense palaces include the baroque Schloss Belvedere and the Habsburgs' 1441-room summer residence, Schloss Schönbrunn, while 19th-century splendors such as the neo-Gothic Rathaus (City Hall) line the magnificent Ringstrasse encircling the Innere Stadt (inner city).

+ Depicted here is The Belvedere, a historic building complex consisting of two Baroque palaces:

In Costa Brava, in the coastal region of Catalonia, in northeastern Spain

 “I would sooner be a foreigner in Spain than in most countries. How easy it is to make friends in Spain!” ― George Orwell

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(in the coastal region of Catalonia, in northeastern Spain) Costa Brava can be regarded as stretching from the town of Blanes, 60 km (~37 mi.).northeast of Barcelona, to the French border, and thus includes the coastal parts of the province of Girona. In the 1950s, the Costa Brava was identified as being suitable for development as a holiday destination. The combination of a good summer climate, nature, and excellent beaches made Costa Brava an attractive tourist destination, which was exploited by the construction of many hotels and apartments in such seaside resorts as Blanes, Tossa de Mar, and Lloret de Mar. (Tourism rapidly took over from fishing as the main business of the area.)

+ The Costa Brava ("Wild Coast" or "Rough Coast") region of the autonomous community of Catalonia, coinciding with the coast of Girona province, was almost unknown to tourists until the 1920s, when the rugged grandeur of its rocky shores, deeply indented by small sandy bays bathed in warm seas, and its temperate climate began to win recognition. Attractive villages, now busy resorts, also include San Felíu de Guixols, Palamós, and Port-Bou. (Agriculturally, it is the most important cork-growing region, supplying the wine producers of the world.)
+ Stretching north from Barcelona to the Spanish–French border, the Costa Brava is considered to be the most beautiful of Spain's three main holiday coasts. Though there is plenty of tourism development, this wonderfully scenic region of Catalonia also unveils unspoiled coves, spectacular seascapes, wind-battered headlands, coast-hugging hiking paths, charming seaside towns with outstanding restaurants, and some of Spain's finest diving around the protected Illes Medes.

+ Delightful stone villages and the majestic Romanesque monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes nestle in the hilly backcountry, cloaked (in the south) in brilliant-green umbrella pine. Inland, wander northern Catalonia's biggest city, Girona, home to a moodily atmospheric, strikingly well-preserved medieval center and one of the world's top restaurants. Neighboring Figueres is famed for its bizarre Teatre-Museu Dalí, foremost of a series of sites associated with eccentric surrealist artist Salvador Dalí, who fell, like many others, for the wild natural beauty of seaside Cadaqués.

+ Costa Brava is home to some of the best beaches in Spain and is filled with historic cities and museums. From the winding streets of Girona and the Jewish Quarter to the amazing Dali Museum in Figueres and the pristine beaches along its endless coastline, Costa Brava is the perfect combination of culture and leisure and an ideal destination for families and active travelers.

+ Pictured here is Girona, with houses overlooking the Onyar River. These were built over many years and give the flavor of a small Mediterranean city.

In the Hvar town, in the island of Hvar in the Adriatic Sea, Croatia

 "What inspires me most to write is the act of traveling.”

-- Tea Obreht
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(in the Southern Adriatic Sea, off the Dalmatian coast of southern Croatia) Hvar is an island that lies between the islands of Brač, Vis, and Korčula. Approximately 68 km (~45 mi.) long, with a high east–west ridge of Mesozoic limestone and dolomite, the island of Hvar is unusual in the area for having a large fertile coastal plain, and fresh water springs. Its hillsides are covered in pine forests, with vineyards, olive groves, fruit orchards, and lavender fields in the agricultural areas. The climate is characterized by mild winters, and warm summers with many hours of sunshine.

+ The longest island in the Adriatic, Hvar reaches 626 meters in elevation at Mount Sveti Nikola and is separated from the island of Brač by a narrow channel. The Mediterranean climate is favorable to the production of various fruits, honey, lavender, rosemary, and wine, as well as to a prosperous tourist industry. Boatbuilding, fishing, and marble quarrying are other means of livelihood. The eastern end of Hvar is just six km (~4 mi) from the mainland. Along the southern coast of the island there are several smaller islands, notably the Paklinski islands at the western end and Šćedro island, while Zečevo island lies off the north coast. Hvar's interior hides abandoned ancient hamlets, craggy peaks, vineyards, and the lavender fields that the island is famous for; this region is worth exploring on a day trip, as is the island's southern coast, which has some of Hvar’s most beautiful and isolated coves.

+ As the island retreat of choice for European jetsetters and celebrities alike, it’s easy to see why Hvar grabs headlines. Sun-soaked beaches, lavender-scented hinterlands, and cobbled medieval towns provide a welcome change of pace from the seemingly endless choice of restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. One industry, tourism, has continued to grow and is now a significant contributor to the island's economy. The main towns are Hvar and Stari Grad. Stari Grad Plain, a natural area containing the ruins of stone structures and evidence of the agricultural style of the ancient Greeks, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008.

+ Today, Hvar combines a unique fusion of absolutely luxurious Mediterranean nature, culture, and rich historical heritage. The city rose to power during the Middle Ages and was an important port within the Venetian Empire. Now most people visit for its infectious atmosphere -- and it is a favorite destination for tourists heading to the Dalmatian Riviera.

+ Featured here is Hvar Town, which offers swanky hotels, elegant restaurants, and a general sense that, if you care about seeing and being seen, this is the place to be. Rubbing shoulders with the posh yachties are hundreds of young partygoers, dancing on tables at the town's legendary beach bars. (The northern coastal towns of Stari Grad and Jelsa are rather more subdued.)

In the ancient port city of Catania, on the fascinating island of Sicily, Italy

 “To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything.” -- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe 

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(on the fascinating island of Sicily) Catania, located on Sicily's east coast at the base of the active volcano, Mount Etna, faces the Ionian Sea. It is the capital of the 58-municipality region known as the Metropolitan City of Catania. The largest Sicilian conurbation, as evidenced by the presence of important road and rail transport infrastructures as well as by the main airport in Sicily, Catania was founded in the 8th century BCE by Chalcidian Greeks. The city has weathered multiple geologic catastrophes: it was almost completely destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake in 1169. A major eruption and lava flow from nearby Mount Etna nearly swamped the city in 1669 and it suffered severe devastation from the 1693 Sicily earthquake.

+ During the 14th century, and into the Renaissance period, Catania was one of Italy's most important cultural, artistic, and political centers. It was the site of Sicily's first university, founded in 1434. It has been the native or adopted home of some of Italy's most famous artists and writers, including the composers Vincenzo Bellini and Giovanni Pacini, and the writers Giovanni Verga, Luigi Capuana, Federico De Roberto, and Nino Martoglio. The central Old Town of Catania features exuberant late-baroque architecture, prompted after the 1693 earthquake; the city is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

+ With one of the busiest ports in Italy, modern Catania is an industrial and transportation center, connected by rail with Palermo, Messina, and Syracuse. Industries include a variety of mechanical and chemical manufactures, food processing, and fishing. (About half of Sicily’s refined sulfur comes from the factories of Catania.)

+ The center of modern civic life is the Duomo Piazza, surrounded by 18th-century palaces and opening onto wide streets. From the original structure of the cathedral founded by the Norman count Roger I in 1091, three apses of dark lava and part of the transept remain. After the 1693 earthquake it was rebuilt by the architects Fra Fiolamo Palazotto and Giovanni Battista Vaccarini. The cathedral contains relics of St. Agatha and the tomb of the composer Vincenzo Bellini (a native of Catania). The Church of San Nicolo, the largest in Sicily, is connected with the former Benedictine monastery of the same name; it was begun in the 14th century and completed in the 17th century. The university (the first in Sicily) was founded in 1434 by Alfonso of Aragon, and its library still possesses a number of important medieval manuscripts.

+ Other notable landmarks include the Baroque Church of Santa Agata, the Town Hall by Vaccarini, the 18th-century the elephant fountain in the Duomo Piazza, the Collegiata (or royal chapel), the astronomical observatory, and the birthplace of Vincenzo Bellini (which is now a museum.)

In the city of Turin, the capital city of Piedmont in northern Italy

 “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”

-- Michelangelo
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(in the northwest of Italy) Bordering Switzerland and France, Turin (also known as Torino) is the capital of the Piedmont region. It also served as the first capital of a newly united Italy back in the 1860s. Though it suffered severe damages during World War II, it still retains a great amount of its original ecclesiastical architecture. In addition to being an important business city, it is known for its galleries, museums, theaters, opera houses, and libraries.

+ The city is mainly located on the west bank of the Po River, near its junction with the Sangone, Dora Riparia, and Stura di Lanzo rivers -- and is surrounded by the western Alpine arch and Superga Hill. From 1563, it was the capital of the Duchy of Savoy, then of the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the first capital of the Kingdom of Italy. It is sometimes called "the cradle of Italian liberty" for having been the political and intellectual center of the Risorgimento. Although much of its political influence had been lost by World War II, Turin became a major European crossroad for industry, commerce and trade -- and is part of the "industrial triangle" along with Milan and Genoa.

+ Turin is rich in ecclesiastical architecture. Churches include La Consolata, the Waldensian Church (the first Protestant church in Turin), and the nearby basilica of Superga (long the royal burial church). The Renaissance-style cathedral of San Giovanni houses the Shroud of Turin, a piece of linen long thought to be the burial garment of Jesus. The cathedral and chapel were badly damaged by fire in April 1997 and underwent major restoration work.

+ Turin also has many fine palaces. The Madama Palace, begun in the 13th century, owes its name to the resident widows of the 17th-century dukes of Savoy. Used by the Sardinian Senate from 1848–60 and by the Italian Senate from 1861–64, it now houses the Museum of Ancient Arts. The Carignano Palace, the birthplace of King Victor Emmanuel II, now houses the National Museum of the Italian Risorgimento. The Royal Palace houses the Royal Armoury, with one of the finest collections of arms in Europe. The Academy of Science, formerly a Jesuit college, now houses the Museum of Antiquities, the Egyptian Museum, and the Sabauda Gallery.

+ There is a whiff of Paris in Turin's tree-lined boulevards and echoes of Vienna in its stately art-nouveau cafes, but this elegant, Alp-fringed city is quite self-possessed. The industrious Torinese gave the world its first saleable hard chocolate and Italy's most iconic car, the Fiat. Its booming contemporary art, architecture, and live-music scene and innovative food and wine culture are aspects you will want to discover. A stroll around Piazza Castello and along the Via Roma encompasses many of the must-see sights. Valentino Park houses an 18th-century castle, botanic garden, and medieval village.

In the city of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland

 “Half a capital and half a country town, the whole city leads a double existence; it has long trances of the one and flashes of the other; like the king of the Black Isles, it is half alive and half a monumental marble.” -- Robert Louis Stevenson

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(in the capital of Scotland) The city of Edinburgh and most of the council area, including the busy port of Leith on the Firth of Forth, lie within the historic county of Midlothian. The original burgh, now known as the Old Town, arose in the 11th century around Edinburgh Castle. In 1329 Robert the Bruce granted Edinburgh a town charter; it became the capital of the Scottish kingdom in 1437. The city was destroyed in 1544 in the border wars with England; its characteristic use of stone architecture began with this rebuilding. During the 18th century Scotland experienced a cultural and intellectual renaissance, and Edinburgh was home to luminaries David Hume, Adam Smith, Robert Burns, and Walter Scott. The city expanded in the late 18th century with the development of the Georgian-style New Town, separated from the Old Town by a valley. Edinburgh is the center of Scottish culture and education, and is home to the University of Edinburgh, the National Library, the National Gallery, and the Royal Scottish Museum.

+ Edinburgh is a town intimately entwined with its landscape, with buildings and monuments perched atop crags and overshadowed by cliffs. From the Old Town’s jumble of medieval tenements piled high along the Royal Mile, its turreted skyline strung between the black, bull-nosed Castle Rock and the russet palisade of Salisbury Crags, to the New Town’s neat grid of neoclassical respectability, the city offers a constantly changing perspective.

+ Edinburgh is a city of high culture and lofty ideals, of art and literature, philosophy and science. It is here that the world's biggest arts festival is held each summer..

+ Edinburgh is also known as Auld Reekie, a down-to-earth place that flicks an impudent finger at the pretensions of the literati. It is the city that tempted Robert Louis Stevenson from his law lectures to explore the drinking dens and dazzling street life of the 19th-century Old Town. It is also the city of Beltane, the resurrected pagan May Day festival, where revellers dance in the flickering firelight of bonfires beneath the stony indifference of Calton Hill's pillared monuments.

+ Like a favorite book, Edinburgh is a city you will want to visit again and again, savouring a different experience each time -- the castle silhouetted against a blue spring sky with a yellow haze of daffodils misting the slopes below the esplanade; stumbling out of a late-night club into a summer dawn, with only the yawp of seagulls to break the unexpected silence; heading for a cafe on a chilly December morning with the fog snagging the spires of the Old Town; and festival fireworks crackling in the night sky as you stand, transfixed, amid the crowds in Princes Street Gardens.

In the city of Barclona, northeastern Spain

 "Barcelona is a very old city in which you can feel the weight of history; it is haunted by history. You cannot walk around it without perceiving it.”

-- Carlos Ruiz Zafon
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(on the coast of northeastern Spain) Backed by a semicircle of mountains, Spain’s greatest seaport, Barcelona, capital of Barcelona province and the autonomous community of Catalonia, faces southeast across the Mediterranean Sea toward the islands of Majorca and Sardinia. The city occupies a coastal plain between the Llobregat and Besós rivers, about 100 miles (160 km) south of the French border. For hundreds of years its harbor on the Costa Dorada made Barcelona the largest city in Spain. Although Madrid has surpassed it in population, Barcelona remains one of Spain’s main industrial centers and a focus of the country’s trade and culture.

+ Today, Bacelona is quite an enchanting seaside city with boundless culture, fabled architecture, and a world-class drinking and dining scene. Its architectural treasures span more than 2,000 years. Towering temple columns, ancient city walls, and subterranean stone corridors provide a window into Roman-era Barcino. Fast forward a thousand years or so to the Middle Ages by taking a stroll through the shadowy lanes of the Gothic quarter, past tranquil plazas and soaring 14th-century cathedrals. In other parts of town bloom the sculptural masterpieces of Modernisme, a mix of ingenious and whimsical creations by Gaudí and his Catalan architectural contemporaries. Barcelona has also long inspired artists, including Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró, both of whom have major Barcelona museums devoted to their works.

+ Overlooking the city is the hill called Montjuïc, which is topped by a fortress converted into a military museum. On the slopes, are fountains and gardens, an amusement park, and several museums. From Montjuïc, one can view the entire city: the twisted streets and medieval palaces of the Gothic quarter, the nightspots of the neighborhood called the Raval, the straight lines of stately 19th-century houses in L’Eixample (“the Extension”) west of the old city, and the new apartment buildings on the outskirts. Separating the Gothic quarter and the Raval, broad pedestrian malls on a series of connected boulevards called the Ramblas lead toward the harbor, at the foot of Montjuïc.

+ The deep blue Mediterranean beckons tourists. Its sun-drenched beaches make a fine backdrop to a jog, bike ride, or long leisurely stroll along the seaside -- followed by a refreshing dip. You can also enjoy the view from out on the water while kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding or taking a sunset cruise. Looming behind the city, the rolling forest-covered Collserola hills provide a scenic setting for hiking, mountain biking, or admiring the view. As darkness falls live music transforms the city: the rapid-fire rhythms of flamenco, brassy jazz spilling out of basements, and hands-in-the-air indie-rock at vintage concert halls.

In the city of London, capital of the UK

 "The parks be the lungs of London.” – Charles Dickens

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(in southeastern England) The city of London, capital of the UK, is among the oldest of the world’s great cities (its history spanning nearly two millennia) and one of the most cosmopolitan. Britain’s largest metropolis, it is also the country’s economic, transportation, and cultural center. London lies astride the River Thames some 50 miles (80 km) upstream from its estuary on the North Sea. In satellite photographs the metropolis can be seen to sit compactly in a Green Belt of open land, with its principal ring highway (the M25 motorway) threaded around it at a radius of about 20 miles (32 km) from the city center.

+ The City of London, its ancient core and financial center, was founded by the Romans as Londinium and retains its medieval boundaries. The City of Westminster, to the west of the City of London, has for centuries hosted the national government and parliament. Since the 19th century, the name "London" has also referred to the metropolis around this core, historically split between the counties of Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent, and Hertfordshire, which largely comprises Greater London, governed by the Greater London Authority.

+ Immersed in history, London's rich seams of eye-opening antiquity are everywhere. The city's buildings are striking milestones in a unique and beguiling biography, and a great many of them (the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben) are recognizable landmarks. A tireless innovator of art and culture, London is known worldwide for its art and distinctive culture. A city of big ideas and great imagination, Londoners have always been fiercely independent thinkers (and critics), but until not so long ago people were suspicious of anything they considered avant-garde.

+ Now a tireless innovator of art and culture, the city’s creative milieu is filled with left-field attitude, whether it is theatrical innovation, contemporary art, pioneering music, writing, poetry, architecture, or design. The city is deeply multicultural, with one in three Londoners foreign-born, representing 270 nationalities and 300 languages. One of the world's most cosmopolitan cities, its diversity infuses daily life. It even penetrates intrinsically British institutions; the British Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum have collections as varied as they are magnificent, while the flavors at centuries-old Borough Market run the full global gourmet spectrum.

+ To summarize, this is a regal city surrounded by a rush of modern life. London is layered with history, where medieval and Victorian complement a rich and vibrant modern world. The Tower of London and Westminster Abbey stand amid local pubs and markets, and time-worn rituals like the changing of the guards take place as commuters rush to catch the Tube. (This is a place where travelers can time-hop through the city, and when they are feeling a bit weary, do as Londoners do and grab a cup of tea.)

In th city of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic

 "Prague is a threshold between the life on Earth and Heaven." ― Gustav Meyrink

====================================================================(on the Vltava river in the capital of the Czech Republic) The city of 100 spires, Prague has enchanted its visitors for centuries. The bohemian allure and fairytale features of Prague make it a great destination for those who want to immerse themselves in history, art, music, and architecture. You could devote an entire day to exploring Prazsky hrad (Prague Castle), then refuel over dinner at a classic Czech tavern. Spend some time wandering the Old Town Square before heading over to the Astronomical Clock as it performs a mechinical promenade on the hour. Prague’s best bars are often historic pubs where you can spend the better part of a night tipping back central Europe's best known beers.

+ The largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia, Prague is a political, cultural, and economic hub of central Europe, with a rich history and Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architectures It was the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia and residence of several Holy Roman Emperors, most notably Charles IV.
+ The 1989 Velvet Revolution that freed Czechs from communism bequeathed to Europe a gem of a city to stand beside stalwarts such as Rome, Paris, and London. Since then, visitors from around the world have come in droves. Yet, even the crowds cannot take away from the spectacle of a 14th-century stone bridge, a hilltop castle, and a lovely, lazy river (the Vltava), which inspired one of the most hauntingly beautiful pieces of 19th-century classical music, Smetana’s Moldau symphony.

+ Bohemian art offers much to admire here, from the glowing Gothic altarpieces in the Convent of St Agnes, to the luscious art nouveau of Alfons Mucha, and the magnificent collection of 20th-century surrealists, cubists, and constructivists in the Veletržní Palác. The weird and witty sculpture of David Černý punctuates Prague's public spaces, and the city itself offers a smorgasbord of great architecture, from the soaring verticals of Gothic and the exuberance of baroque to the sensual elegance of art nouveau and the chiselled cheekbones of cubist facades.

+ Prague's maze of cobbled lanes and hidden courtyards is a paradise for the aimless wanderer, always beckoning you to explore a little further. Just a few blocks away from the Old Town Square you can find ancient chapels, unexpected gardens, cute cafes, and old-fashioned bars with hardly a tourist in sight. One of the great joys of the city is its potential for exploration -- neighborhoods such as Vinohrady and Bubeneč can reward the urban adventurer with countless memorable cameos, from the setting sun glinting off church domes, to the strains of Dvořák wafting from an open window.

+ Since 1992, the historic center of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. The city has more than ten major museums, along with theaters, galleries, and other historical exhibits.