Switzerland’s largest city may not have the glamour of Paris, nor the streetwise credibility of London, but Zurich has many other qualities to make anyone love it there. Unlike what many people think, it is not just about finance and fondue. Being in the city makes me feel the famous Swiss quality of life in a metropolis that has everything to not let anyone get bored. Though it has no super famous spot like Big Ben or the Eiffel Tower, the city itself is already a sideshow. Switzerland has those beautiful and bucolic landscapes with lots of parks and lakes living side by side with shopping streets, trendy restaurants, art galleries and other lively places.

Although it varies from person to person, Fall is absolutely a great time to visit Switzerland. Typically the colors in Switzerland are the best the middle of October. Zurich is covered in fall foliage and strolling the streets of Zurich is even more fun with all the natural colours. If only there was a way to take a piece of this beauty back to Singapore.

Nan Lian Garden quickly whisks you away from the hustle and bustle of busy Kowloon in Hong Kong. A short walk from Diamond Hill MTR stop, this tiny space of beauty, harmony and seclusion boasts of the perfectly laid out Chinese garden. This garden is located among high-rise apartment blocks and skyscrapers and visitors can grasp an understanding why Hong Kong is so often referred to as the city of tradition and modernity or where East meets West. There is also another best reason to visit is the photography opportunities.

Nan Lian Garden is a Tang Dynasty-style garden adorned with antique timber structures and beautifully landscaped with trees, rocks and water features that offers a rich variety of photographic topics to photo lovers. The architectures inside Nan Lian Garden are uniquely styled and full of details. In particular, Nan Lian Garden offers a rich variety of landscape to use as foreground and background elements to enrich the composition. Changing scenery can be enjoyed if you take a stroll along the paths in the garden, with meticulously planned layout that will give you an illusion that you are within a landscape painting.

在高楼林立、繁华喧闹的香港都市中，却有一方古意盎然的庭园：志莲净苑及寺院园林南莲园池。这片仿唐建筑群坐落于九龙钻石山南麓，以古式园林风设计，环境清幽怡人，因此有“港版小京都”之称。我在这里享受一个清静的下午，感受着不一样的香港，古色古香，非常写意。由钻石山港铁站出口前往，步行约五分钟即到达南莲园池及志莲净苑，非常方便。

南莲园池环境恬静，游客听不到寺外的喧哗，却多了一份禅悦，周边古筝乐曲环绕，更增添了园林的古香古色。在这里休憩，心情格外舒畅。南莲园池以唐代园林为建筑蓝本，以小品建筑、树木、山石和池水等营造的借景，将山水融入其中，古意盎然。从入口处的乌头门沿着一条单向的回游式路径漫步，一路上的树木怪石宛如闹市区中绿州一样的存有，仿如到了世外桃源一样。每个转弯都是景，一花一草、一石一瓦都是画，也像是进入了电影的场景，穿梭时空回到很久以前的中国宫廷，似乎忘了自己身在香港都市。

Bern has been Switzerland’s capital city since 1848. However, what I pictured everything as a federal capital turned out to be the complete opposite. Many assume modern Zürich to be the Capital of Switzerland, so the slower-paced and older Capital of Bern is quite a surprise. Travel to Bern certainly changes perceptions on what a capital city should be, or what it is typically deemed to be. Absent are high-rises and a financial centre; bustling crowds and dense populations that fill miles of distinct districts that hug an old central, historical pocket. Bern retains its heritage features and packs Swiss traditions and a long history into a tiny, compact space.

What I love about Bern is that nearly all the top things to do are within walking distance from one another and you do not need to rely on public transportation to get from one place to the next. Everything listed above is located in or right nearby Altstadt or the Old Town of Bern. Besides for checking these attractions out, you will certainly enjoy just walking the streets of the Old Town surrounded by the architecture and history along the way.