Waterfront Cities of the World

Helsinki is a city unlike any other: a leader in social policy, an innovator in telecommunications, nearly obsessive in its pursuit of civil organization... and the sauna capital of the world. 150 islands constitute this northern port city, whose air and water are among the purest in Europe. The city center is rife with green space.

Feet in the water, head in the clouds. A little paradise on earth is blossoming here, slowly eclipsing the pain of recent history. With over 50% of its population under the age of 24, change is being ushered in by Cape Town's youth. Optimism, hope and resilience pit themselves against the lingering wounds of Apartheid. The lessons of the past and the spirit of the pre-sent promise a bright future.

Frozen in time, this city of mystery reveals some of its secrets. Our host meets the photographers of the Cuban revolution and learns about the reality and role of socialism, baseball and salsa dancing. She discovers that uniquely Cuban way of life, innovation in the face of scarcity, and visits the rooftop gardens that feed 90% of the local population.

Having completely transformed itself over the last 20 years, Lisbon has become Europe's most cosmopolitan city. A recent arrival into the European Union, this vibrant metropolis continues to welcome waves of im- migrants. Our host delves into the city's unique night life, and investigates the remnants of its recovery from history's largest earthquake.

How does this city continue to side step the tensions that divide this unstable region? The white city, inter- national capital of Bauhaus architecture, is one of our world's best examples of tolerant co-existence. This is urgency of living life to its full potential.

A city in motion rising from a landscape riddled with klongs. These tiny canals teem with local boats. It's ironic then that Bangkok is a street oriented city. Traffic is impossibly dense: cars, boats, overcrowded streets. Here, life seems like an endless race, but beneath the culture of chaos, this Buddhist city possesess a deep and permanent respect for well-being.

The Portenos have seen it all. The glamour of wealth and opulence, the chokehold of dictatorship, the uneasiness of economic instability. Perhaps that ex- plains their wit and their wisdom. In the Paris of the Americas, the people are masters at living life to the fullest.

More than 80 languages can be heard in the streets of Melbourne. In this young melting pot, the Vietnamese, Greeks and Italians are the most populous outside of their own countries. It is the cultural and sports capital of Australia, and it was voted best place on Earth to live for three years in a row by the Economist.

Oil and spaceships! Houston has been defined by NASA and petroleum, and has a reputation for its cowboy ways. But this is a surprisingly liberal city; a cultural hub with 60% of its population originating from Mexico, Asia and Africa. And what better than a day with Astronaut Chris Hadfield to fully grasp the riches of Houston.

Reykjavik, the bay of smoke, got its name from the countless hot water geysers that dominate its landscape. The only large city of Iceland, its 200,000 inhabitants make up two thirds of the country's population. Far from the prickliness of their Viking ancestors, locals are so friendly that they're on a first name basis with everyone... even their president!

Originator of the trend and the counter-trend, home of the beat generation and gay rights, San Francisco's current fascination is with living a greener, simpler life. It was here, in the city of sloped streets, that Twitter, Wikipedia and Craigslist were founded. Today, this one-of-a-kind city is still changing the world, but this time through the magic of social media.

Lively, dirty, bright, vibrant. A city of contradictions, laid back but demanding, warm but rude, it provokes those who visit and protects those who live it. In the oldest city in France everything and its opposite co-exist.

Mysterious and romantic, brutal and beautiful, Moscow is definitely the global capital of the outrageous. Located between fiver rivers and and seven seas, this water city in a class of its own was the home of our host for ten years. Through her eyes, we deliver a unique perspective on this continental hub.