MIRABELL GARDEN AND PALACE

The Mirabell Gardens is a good example of a typical baroque park. It was built in the 18th century following the plans of the famous architect Fischer von Erlach. Countless statues inspired by Greek myths can be seen throughout the park and they symbolize the four elements of nature: fire, water, air and earth. This is also where, right by the Pegasus fountain, Maria and the Von Trapp children started that famous "Do-re-mi" ditty in The Sound Of Music.

Location: Salzburg, Austria

SALZBURG - MOZART'S CITY

The Baroque style Salzburg Cathedral is one of the main draws of the city aside from the Hohensalzburg fortress which sits on a hill where I shot this view. Mozart was baptized in this church.

Location: Salzburg, Austria

PRICELESS WINDOW VIEW

We stayed in a small, cheap, but clean hostel with very basic amenities. However, the view from the room was priceless. This is St. James Cathedral's spire early in the morning as I stood by the window with my coffee, listening to the bells toll and watching the first rays of the sun slowly illuminating the craggy mountain peaks in the backdrop.

Location: Innsbruck, Austria

BEAUTIFUL AUSTRIAN COUNTRYSIDE

The highway to Vienna leads into the mountains in the far distance. It's a 3-hour drive via beautiful alpine countryside from Salzburg where we stopped along the route to picnic and savor the great scenery all around.

Location: Salzburg, Austria

DOGES PALACE

The Doges’ Palace was a municipal center and residence for the doges or elected leaders of the former Venetian Republic. The splendid perforations of the marble Gothic loggias that look like stone lace, give it an appearance of lightness despite its massive size. Best viewed from the sea, I was so much in awe staring at it that I forgot to take a photo from the boat before we docked!

Location: Venice Italy

BASILICA DI SAN MARCO

The Byzantine-style St. Mark's Basilica is the most famous church in Venice. Standing right next to the Doges Palace, it faces a huge square where people and pigeons congregate together. Built in the 11th century, its basic structure has changed little though the interiors have been redecorated many times over. Gold mosaic tiles adorn much of the ceiling, walls and front facade attesting to the power and wealth of the Venetians during those times.

Location: Venice, Italy

ETERNAL LOVE AT THE BRIDGE OF SIGHS

This white limestone bridge over Rio di Palazzo that connects the old prisons to the interrogation rooms in the Doges Palace was christened the Bridge of Sighs by Lord Byron. It comes from the notion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice through the window before being taken down to their cells. A local legend says that lovers will be assured eternal love if they kiss on a gondola at sunset under the bridge. Well, I heaved a deep sigh of regret when I was told by the gondolier the prohibitive cost ($80) of hiring the boat for the minimum half-hour ride down the canals.

Location: Venice, Italy

HIGH UP IN THE TYROLEAN ALPS

High up in the Tyrolean mountains, you can see the whole spread of Innsbruck including the River Inn (from where the city gets its name) that cuts through it. We were sitting on some rocks at the top of the 2,330-meter Hafelekar mountain accessed by the Nordkette cable car when I shot this view, after waiting for almost half an hour for the clouds to part below.

Location: Innsbruck, Austria

HOTEL DES INVALIDES

With the trees bare during winter, you get photo ops like this showing the detail of Hotel des Invalides. I've tried to take close-up pictures of this building during other visits to this city but always ended up with a clump of trees blocking the view with only the golden dome showing above the treeline. The Invalides was built by Louis XIV in 1676 as a home for wounded soldiers. Napoleon's tomb lies under this dome.

Location: Paris, France

THE LOUVRE AT NIGHT

Strolling around the grounds of the Louvre at midnight is a good time to view and admire the surroundings minus the crowds that overwhelm the place from morning till evening closing time. The sound of falling water is also quite pleasant as you sit by the infinity pool that vividly reflects the contrasting architectural styles of the steel and glass pyramid against that of the classical forms of the old structure.

Location: Paris, France