I admit, I am slightly obsessed with Europe… Ok, that’s an understatement. My heart was set on Paris since I was a child, and since then I’ve dedicated many a paycheck to visiting my favourite part of the world. But my love of old-world Europe doesn’t come from a place of inexperience. I have been lucky enough to also have traveled through Japan, Thailand, India, Indonesia, and beyond… But given the choice, I will always pick the romance of the continent over the hullabaloo of Asia.

Is it because my Indian heritage makes anything European seem exotic in my eyes? Perhaps. But something happened to me the other day to make me wonder…

Paris or Bangkok – what’s your favourite?

See, just the other day, and much to my surprise, I received a postcard from Germany. A good friend of mine was writing to thank me for some advice I had given her for a European trip. It was her first time to the continent (and not one that she had really planned – she was helping her sister settle into an Austrian student exchange program), although she had traveled through Asia extensively.

Her usual type of holiday involved shopping, food, and perhaps some sightseeing – in that order. Now there’s nothing wrong with that sort of holiday, but I do recall many conversations we had had around why I loved Europe so much. She would show me the beautiful designer handbag she bought on a recent shopping trip to Singapore, or would describe in detail the mouth-watering food she ate in China. I, in return, would tell her how much I loved walking the cobblestone streets of Prague on one absinthe-muddled summer afternoon, or riding a motorbike through a dark, wet, Paris midnight. She’d look at me quizzically, and ask why I kept going back to Europe, despite having been there so many times.

Reading her postcard, I couldn’t help but smile (and not only because I had received a postcard!);

A postcard from Germany.

“Thanks for your tips about Neuschwanstein and Linderhof castles. It started snowing when I made it to the entrance of Neuschwanstein. You can’t imagine how excited I was! It was my first snowball and the castle made it seem really magical. The past few weeks have been heavenly and completely out of this world! No wonder you love Europe so much…”

She had discovered for herself the seduction of Europe. After just a whirlwind tour of some of the great cities – Vienna, Rome, Paris, Munich – she was Beret-over-Versace-heels in love.

That all it takes – one little taste to whet ones travel buds. 🙂

On the other hand, I know a couple who LOVE to travel – they frequent Tokyo so often they may as well get their citizenship. But when asking them why they don’t expand their horizons, they simply answer,

“While we’re young, we’ll rough it in South-East Asia and backpack through Japan. When we’re old and our bones won’t carry us, we’ll book cruises and bus tours around Europe to shuttle us around in comfort.”

I wonder if they’ll regret not visiting Europe when they were younger. I can’t imagine not being able to take my time at the Louvre, being herded like cattle after pausing only a moment to take a token snap of Venus de Milo, instead of examining every exquisite curve on that marble masterpiece.

But I digress. The question still remains – is Europe actually better than Asia? Or is it merely better for a different type of holiday, or a different time in one’s life? My friend still shopped and ate her way through France, Germany, Italy, and Austria, but I wonder if the added magic of the continent tipped the scales.

What do you think? What’s your favourite holiday destination?