Europe is home to dozens of cultures and languages, and most European nations take great pains to ensure that the ensuing mixture is closer to a salad than a stew - meaning that national language academies, regional traditions and festivals, and of course the local football squad, are all celebrated and well-funded institutions. Many Americans on their first visit to their nation's arguably most influential ancestral continent are startled by the differences in attitudes and ways of life. Seasoned European travelers however, find that what at first seemed like brusqueness to be a refreshing sincerity-and that cultural differences aside, the vast majority of Europeans are eager to make visitors feel at home.

Europe's famous capitals have been prominent characters in films from around the world, while its villages lucky enough to escape the destruction and trauma of the past centuries' heavily damaging wars - as well as its great expanses of unspoiled countryside and farms - offer a glimpse of something like what the continent may have looked like generations ago.

Luckily, the continent's treasures remain largely intact, and in fact Europe's infrastructure is perhaps without peer. The formation of the European Union has greatly increased the ease with which travelers both from the Union and abroad can move from country to country. Imagine taking a train trip from Paris to Stockholm, with stops in Amsterdam and Germany along the way, with none of the fuss of changing money and standing in customs line. For all the ease with which visitors can now travel within the EU, everyone can use a leg up in terms of organizing their trip. Booking a trip with CareFree Travel and Cruises takes a lot of the guesswork out of your European vacation, so you can focus on getting to know the locals without worrying about where you're staying in the next city.

Europe's Attractions and Activities

Paris, London, Rome, Prague - while many would think of these as final destinations, in reality they are mere starting points, springboards for adventure and discovery on journeys that can feel too short. Many young people who visit Europe work hard to return for college study or work, anxious to see more of this historic continent in depth.

Much of the world's best art is stored in museums in the capitals, but the inspiration for these paintings and sculptures is often found elsewhere: Picasso, legend has it, gained his impeccable sense of light from his very early years spent in Malaga, a Spanish town on the slow-moving coast of the Mediterranean, while the Haarlem school of painters were fed creatively by the pastoral life found throughout The Netherlands.

The Oktoberfest in Munich is a good example of Europe with its hair down. This festival - essentially an homage to beer, food, and everything else German - draws visitors from around the world. Germany claims, amidst vocal disputes from several other countries, to have brought beer to the world. The QingDao brewery in China, for example, was founded by Germans, and is thought to be China's premier brew, while most of the famous Mexican beers - Corona and Pacifico to name two - were founded by German many years ago.

Europe is famous for its public spaces - which incorporate parks, beautiful architecture, and a notable absence of violent crime. Perhaps as a result, romance is alive and well throughout the continent. From the bold flirtations of Italy and Spain to the subtle dance of French "amour", many people traveling to Europe make connections that last a lifetime.

Take the time to explore this rich and colorful continent. Savor the wine, enjoy the cheese, but don't spend an arm and a leg on travel (look where that got the Venus de Milo!). Traveling Europe from the top down is an opportunity that cannot be missed, and Carefree Travel and Cruises offer you exactly that.

From a slow sail through the Mediterranean, stopping in Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and all the amazing port towns and beaches in between, to a big city tour where you can sense the sounds smell and even the colors of the best culture and night life that Europe is so famous for, Carefree Travel and Cruises gets you where you want to be - where the action is.

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