Beauty By Mistake

The view changed with each step, as if they were following a winding mountain path surrounded by breathtaking scenery:

a young man kneeling in the middle of the pavement praying; a few steps away, a beautiful woman leaning against a tree; a man in a black suit directing an invisible orchestra while crossing the street; a fountain spurting water and a group of construction workers sitting on the rim eating lunch; strange iron ladders running up and down buildings with ugly red facades, so ugly that they were beautiful; and next door, a huge glass skyscraper backed by another, itself topped by a small Arabian pleasure-dome with turrets, galleries, and gilded columns.