Dublin

Dublin, Ireland, is the small, charming, eminently walkable city that visitors expect, and the
corner pub offers a warm welcome. Wry perceptions are uttered with a winsome Irish lilt in
Dublin. And, as visitors stroll along the city's handsome Georgian squares, they'll realize the
necessity of an umbrella.

But today's Dublin also includes high-tech companies, many of them located in the lovely
Georgian houses that line the city's streets. High-rises and cosmopolitan restaurants and
hotels continue to spring up next door to traditional taverns and friendly guesthouses, and a
beehive of construction work aimed at improving the city's infrastructure buzzes around them.
Dublin is a city in transition, from medieval capital to exciting commercial center—a hip,
electric city, astonishing even visitors who make it their business to stay on Europe's cutting
edge. Dublin's unpretentious charm is still there, but chic urbanity has moved in beside it.
Now known for its vibrant nightlife, Dublin has become a favorite city-break destination for
young European visitors. Visitors could spend a week in Dublin and still not cover all the
attractions.

Budapest

Budapest, Hungary, may be the capital of the landlocked country, but it's far from dry. In fact, Budapest's most seductive element is water. It springs from underground wells, filling Ottoman, neoclassical and art-nouveau pools.

It flows through the city in the broad and meandering Danube River, dividing Buda and Pest in yin-yang fashion. It even provides welcome relief after a bowl of hot paprika-spiced goulash.

Few visitors can resist the Budapest baths, but the city's allure goes beyond its spa status. As a large urban center, Budapest manages to strike a nice balance between nature and development. Hills, islands and parks coexist with hotels, theaters, cafes, monuments and other buildings in an eclectic array of architectural styles.

Abu Dhabi

Prior to the discovery of oil in 1958, the emirate of Abu Dhabi was basically a poor, rural wasteland. Today, it has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. The emirate is characterized by three political or geographic divisions: the city of Abu Dhabi, Al-Ain and the offshore islands.

The city of Abu Dhabi, the seat of government of the U.A.E. and the nation's second largest city, is quite modern and clean. Date palms nestled between the glass and steel high-rises give the city a bit of soul, but it is still primarily an administrative and business center. However, it is emerging as a highly desirable destination. There's a vibrant downtown with interesting streets and abundant sidewalk cafes, and a growing number of prestigious museums.

Abu Dhabi's coastal area consists primarily of swamps and salt flats, but as you go inland, the view becomes classic desert: Nomads tend their sheep (often by truck or four-wheel-drive vehicle) among the oases, date palms, sand dunes and gravel pits.