Home to a mind-boggling 13 million people, the metropolitan area of Tokyo is a sensory overload every step of the way. Everything in this mega-city looks, smells, sounds, and feels extraordinary.. like one is in a blockbuster movie, or 15 years in the future. And my first piece of advice for any first-time traveler to Tokyo, is to just let the city swallow you ! Don't even try to make sense of anything, open yourself up to everything.. and don't forget to look up! * Shibuya is known as Japan's fashion center and is where all the cool kids go to drink and party.

Completely exploring all of Macau's 5-star hotel casinos is an almost herculean (borderline insane) task. I consider myself lucky to have been able to appreciate two of them: City of Dreams and The Venetian . * Developers in Macau weren't kidding when they said they would outdo Las Vegas in terms of extravagance and craziness! This futuristic looking walkway is JUST the entrance of City of Dreams!

64km away from the gambling paradise that is Macau, lies its equally world-famous cousin, Hong Kong. Apart from being shining beacons of Eastern-Western coexistence, both cities share a special bond being the final two European colonies (British Hong Kong and Portuguese Macau) in Asia. * Our adventure begins at the Macau Maritime Ferry Terminal ; with this lemon yellow ship and steampunk looking spheres.

...Venice becomes eerily beautiful! * People like to joke that Venice is one giant tourist trap!

Short answer: Don't!  To anyone but local Venetians themselves, Venice might as well be a labyrinth. Built over an archipelago of 118 islands linked by bridges, the city is a real challenge to accurately navigate that one might as well purposely wander around and trust in the gods to find the way back home.  * A few random turns and we find the infamous Bridge of Sighs (in the far background). Local legend has it that it was called so as this was the bridge leading to the prison from the Doge's Palace, and convicts were known to "sigh" as they got one more glimpse of the beauty of Venice before being incarcerated.

While incredibly awe-inspiring during the day, Prague is hauntingly stunning at night! * Prague Castle in all its majesty.

While Prague is nowadays full of tourists, there was a time when the city was full of visitors of a more esoteric nature.  * How can one NOT get intrigued by this shrouded figure by the Museum's entrance!

Charles Bridge is one of Prague's most incredible and iconic landmarks. Crossing the Vltava River , the bridge serves to connect the Old Town Square with the Lesser Quarter , also known as Mala Strana. * The bridge was constructed in 1357 under orders from King Charles IV, the first King of Bohemia to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

Looking like every Disney fairy tale village that ever existed,  Rothenburg  is one of the highlights of Germany's  Romantic Road , and is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations. * I mean just look at that! I was half-expecting  Pinocchio  to walk-by. This is the  Plonlein , the town's most iconic (and photographed) view; shockingly and, luckily for us, empty this day.

Munich , apart from being historical capital of the Kingdom of Bavaria , is also infamous for being the birthplace of the Nazi Party . It was in these streets, after the humiliating defeat at the hands of the Allies during World War I, that disenfranchised and unemployed young men started meeting regularly to debate and argue about the problems of the German people. Munich at this time was very politically charged, with communists, anarchists, liberals, and fascists arguing incessantly.  For most of the old photos found on this entry, a HUGE thanks to our friends over at  http://www.thirdreichruins.com/munich.htm * Munich's Town Hall , a beautiful landmark defaced by the disgraceful Nazi Swastika banner.

In the planning stages of the honeymoon, Monicca and I were faced with a dilemma. Since we could only go on leave for three weeks, we had to decide between Berlin and Munich . While Berlin is one of Europe's most vibrant, trendy, and hip countries, full of nationalities and almost New York-like in terms of vibe, we ultimately decided to go with Munich, seeing as how the city was perfectly in line with our theme to visit medieval European kingdoms. * Size-wise Munich is only a third of Berlin . So while it is a city of over 1.5 million people , locals (who are very warm and friendly) like to brag that it has maintained a charming, medieval-town feel. And we agree!

Because of the sheer efficiency of the Viennese Subway, the U-Bahn , getting around and exploring Vienna was a very pleasurable experience. And while we may have only spent 3 days in the former imperial capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, I felt that we really got to cover a whole lot of ground! * St. Stephen's Cathedral , known in Austria as the Stephansdom , is Vienna's most important religious building and seat of the Roman Catholic Archiocese.

Vienna was the crown jewel and capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire . Much more than that though, Vienna was the home of the House of Habsburg , one of Europe's most important royal houses. How important were they? Well the Holy Roman Emperor (ruler of all the Germanic States) from 1438 to 1740 was a member of the Habsburg Dynasty , and the Family ruled pretty much the whole of Continental Europe at one point, save for the territory of the Kingdom of France. Because of this, Vienna is a city of great cultural, architectural, and historical significance as evidenced by how beautifully well planned everything is. * Most of Vienna's imperial sights can be found along the Ringstrasse , a circular road which was built to replace the city walls, using money paid by the English for the safe release of King Richard the Lionheart (from the Crusades), who was held hostage by the Austrians.

The legendary Danube River is Europe's second longest river, and runs across Central and Eastern Europe. Flowing through Bulgaria, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia and Ukraine, the Danube has been a major historical setting throughout European history, as well as a main source of trade and travel between the ancient Kingdoms. * The dramatic-looking Hungarian Parliament Building is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary, but could easily blend in any Lord of the Rings movie.

The third stop on our honeymoon itinerary was the breathtaking city of Budapest . Often touted as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, Budapest is a feast for all the senses with an overabundance in culture, a great nightlife scene, and warm people. * Founded in 895AD by the Seven Chieftains of the Magyars , Budapest is linguistically and culturally different from the rest of Europe, who can trace their lineage to either the Romance-speaking (Latin), Germanic, or Slavic people.  * It seems that almost every corner of Budapest has a statue or work of art erected in it. Here's a statue of Andras Hadik , a Hungarian nobleman and Field Marshall of the Habsburg Army, who captured the Prussian capital of Berlin during the Seven Years War. * Our tour service that day was conducted by Discover Budapest , an awesome service run by a group of young Hungarians full of enthusiasm and zeal for their beautiful city. * Apart from walking tours, they also

Leaving wonderful Warsaw, with its immense World War II and Communist-era legacy, we headed down to the second Polish city in our itinerary, medieval Krakow. Arriving in Krakow, we had no expectations as to how we would find the place. Imagine our surprise as it turned out to be in the Top 3 of our favorite stops in this trip! * Flying via Polish LOT Airlines was a pleasure. Winning several awards including "Best Airline in Eastern Europe" for three straight years, and being hailed as one of the safest airlines in the world, our experience with LOT was very positive and highly recommended.

* After checking-in our room and freshening up for a bit, we excitedly agreed to right away explore our first stop in the Honeymoon tour. For history buffs, like yours truly, Warsaw is significant in that it was a major World War II site (setting of many a movie involving Nazi atrocities and the Warsaw Ghetto) and later a major Cold War site (where the USSR's Warsaw Pact was founded). However, what I found was a city rapidly commercializing and growing thanks to its embrace of capitalism and a people sincerely enjoying their relatively newly-found freedom; very much polite, helpful and much friendlier than all other European countries that I had previously been in. * Stepping outside our hotel we immediately see Poland's tallest building, the imposing Palace of Culture and Science . A gift from the USSR to the people of Poland, the building is in the traditional "Stalinist" communist-style architecture, which means it is HUGE and completely dominates the

Here are some snapshots of  other places of interest in London . It was a pleasure to explore her streets; marveling at the fabulous mix of history, modernity and pop culture located at almost every corner. In fact more so than New York or Paris but equal to Chicago (still my favorite city outside of Manila and Cebu), I could actually see myself living here, maybe as a student, possibly as an expatriate. Time will tell. * It seems that almost every corner in the city has a story to tell, a tale of heroism, tragedy, travesty or oddity, what with the thousands of random things you can find; such as this  Memorial to the Royal Artillery  located randomly in the middle of a park.

* Originally built to commemorate the  British naval victory  at the  Battle of Trafalgar  over the forces of Napoleon during the  Napoleonic Wars ,  Trafalgar Square  is today a bustling public space full of tourists, relaxed Londoners and the occasional protesters. It is also London's  main venue for rallies and public celebrations  such as the countdown to New Year's Eve. * At the head of the Square stands the neo-classical  National Gallery , the  fifth most visited art museum in the world,  showcasing a collection of paintings dating back to the  13th Century . Among the  two thousand paintings  featured here, are among those done by the masters:  Leonardo da Vinci, Monet, and Van Gogh .

For first timers to both London and Paris, I would highly recommend getting this nifty travelling tool known as the  London Pass (or conversely the Paris Pass) . For the price of  £77 , one gets  access to all the major tourist spots  with special  cut-the-queue lines , discounts on various restaurants and services and more importantly,  FREE access to the London Tube  for three full days! A VERY good deal indeed for those planning on maximizing their visits on limited tour dates. Upon looking at the London Pass booklet, my cousins and I were stoked to find a special offer for the  Blood and Tears Haunted London Walk . For the price of  £7.00 , we got to go on this highly-rated and recommended walking tour, focusing on the bizarre, creepy and occult-ish elements of this medieval city. * Having met our guide,  Declan McHugh , on the  Barbican tube station , we started our  one hour and 45 minute walking tour  of London's gruesome and freaky history, including areas w