Strasbourg, France

You have to love a city that sends out teddy bears to greet visitors. All right, actually, the bears are placed in the building near the center of town. It was hard to tell why they were there; maybe they looked so good during the Christmas season that someone left them outside. In any event, they set a nice tone.

Strasbourg has close to a million people, and it is one of the four capitals of the European Union. The culture is rather unique. Since France and Germany seemingly have been fighting over the region forever, Strasbourg blends the two cultures together in a sense. Now, of course, you don't even have to cross customs to visit the other country. My guess is that this is a lot better for almost everyone.