The best of Europe

By EWAN McDONALD

Euro vision, you could call it. While we're developing our own identity in the South Pacific, we've taken much from Europe and the Europeans.

We eat their food, drink their wine, wear their clothes, use their phrases. We lounge outside wine bars in the sunshine - or our version of them - and sip cappuccino while Alfas and Peugeots and Volvos drive past. So much for beach cricket, we've even taken up petanque.

And we like to visit the continent. For readers of the Travel section, it's the second favourite destination after Australia.

Worried about the money? Some travel industry sources are suggesting that 2001 could be the year when fares and packages drop through the bottom of the suitcase.

One is now offering "Europe from $1699 return."

Why do we go? For many, to find our roots. For others it's the first time out of the country, six months with a backpack or two weeks of a "If it's Tuesday this must be Belgium" coach tour. A visit to Europe evokes more icons and sights than any other continent.

Think about it: start with the Eiffel Tower and don't stop until you reach the Blue Mosque at Istanbul.

So many cultures are packed into such a small space. Within hours there's a new country with a new language, new money and a new way of life and superfast trains, luxury coaches and airline packages make Europe easy to travel around.

For some, Europe will be museums and galleries - the Louvre in Paris, the Prado in Madrid - or the cathedrals of Vienna, Prague or every second village. For others it's the light of Provence, the islands of Greece, the food and wine of Burgundy or Tuscany.

From our young civilisation, it's medieval towns and castles. Then it's pubs, bars, cafes and clubs, from Ibiza to Glasgow.

And it's the people you'll meet who shop in the markets, who take the Metro and the tram to work, who live in what sometimes seems the biggest theme park in the world.

The Festival of Europe in Auckland this month focuses attention on the continent. In Travel this week, we celebrate the best of what is on offer in such a diverse continent.

* Check the Travel section of the Herald every Tuesday. This week: The Best City (Barcelona), The Best Plan (money-saving tips), The Best Down Under (Tuscany in New Zealand), The Best Lunch (an Italian cooking school), The Best Kept Secret (Brussels), The Best Party (Ayia Napa), The Best Cruise (the Rhine) and The Best of Times (Paris).