How better to come under the spell of(被……迷住) Mitteleuropa(中欧（德语）) than to stroll across the Charles Bridge, admiring Prague’s baroque(巴洛克风格的) skyline before reaching the glistening(闪闪发光的) cobblestones of its old town? If Gallic charm is your thing, surely nothing can be so Parisian as whiling away an afternoon at the Café de Flore(巴黎花神咖啡馆) in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, where Jean-Paul Sartre once puffed on Gitanes(高卢烟（法国香烟品牌）) as he pondered being and nothingness. Or one might seek to discover the ancestral essence of Europe by basking in the old-money haunt(老钱常去的地方) of Capri, the whitewashed Aegean island of Santorini, or the honey-coloured streets of Dubrovnik. Pick among these destinations wisely and Europe offers the discern(辨别，识别)ing traveller an unrivalled chance to commune with(与……交流/融为一体) the continent’s timeless soul.
还有什么比漫步查理大桥、欣赏布拉格的巴洛克天际线、再抵达老城区闪闪发光的鹅卵石街道，更能让人沉醉于中欧的魅力呢？如果你钟情于高卢风情，那么没有什么比在圣日耳曼德佩区的花神咖啡馆消磨一个下午更巴黎的了——让-保罗·萨特曾在那里一边抽着高卢烟，一边思考存在与虚无。或者，你也可以在卡普里岛这个老钱聚集地、圣托里尼岛那粉刷过的爱琴海岛屿，或是杜布罗夫尼克那蜜色的街道上沐浴阳光，去探寻欧洲的祖先精髓。明智地选择这些目的地，欧洲为有眼光的旅行者提供了与大陆永恒灵魂交流的绝佳机会。
Kidding! It has been decades since any local has even given thought to lingering in what were once the most charming parts of the continent.(几十年来，没有本地人想过要在欧洲大陆曾经最迷人的地方逗留。) The Charles Bridge is merely a thoroughfare(通道，大道) between tourist trap(旅游陷阱)s, the Flore is a relic(遗迹，遗物) best left to Instagrammer(Instagram用户)s these days, Dubrovnik merely an entry on a visiting American’s bucket list(愿望清单). From Barcelona to Bruges by way of Florence, vast swathe(大片（区域）)s of Europe’s once-idyllic(田园诗般的) cities are a procession of foreigners shopping for souvenirs. Some hilltop villages in Provence or Tuscany now seem to exist chiefly as backdrops for linen-clad types sipping spritzes. This counts as an economic success of sorts(某种程度上的): a continent that struggles to export cars or chemicals now gets its dollars and yuan by enticing foreigners to come over and spend on its shores instead. Alas, that comes at a steep price(以高昂的代价). In summer Europeans are not so much residents of their home cities as extra(临时演员)s in someone else’s social-media feed.
开玩笑的！几十年来，已经没有本地人想过要在欧洲大陆曾经最迷人的地方逗留了。查理大桥不过是通往旅游陷阱之间的通道，花神咖啡馆如今最好留给Instagram用户，杜布罗夫尼克只是美国游客愿望清单上的一项。从巴塞罗那到布鲁日，再到佛罗伦萨，欧洲大片曾经田园诗般的城市如今成了外国人购买纪念品的游行队伍。普罗旺斯或托斯卡纳的一些山顶村庄现在似乎主要作为穿着亚麻布衣服、啜饮着气泡酒的游客的背景板而存在。这算是一种经济上的成功：一个在出口汽车或化学品方面举步维艰的大陆，如今通过吸引外国人前来消费来赚取美元和人民币。唉，但这代价高昂。夏天，欧洲人与其说是自己城市的居民，不如说是别人社交媒体推送中的临时演员。
Forget the gibe(嘲讽，挖苦)s about the old continent being a museum in which Europeans can live out(实践，度过) their unambitious dolce vita(甜蜜生活（意大利语）). These days it is better to think of it as a theme park where locals can be gawp(呆呆地看)ed at by holidaying voyeur(窥视者)s. Museums preserve history; theme parks offer any visiting punter(顾客，游客（非正式）) willing to suspend disbelief(暂停怀疑) that feeling of being part of it. This is closer to the European tourist experience. For the point of a family holiday to France or Spain is not just to admire the scenery. It is also to imagine oneself a true European, a temporary denizen(居民，常客) of the world’s lifestyle superpower. Indulging in long lunches, strolling through cities and dealing with surly(粗鲁的，脾气坏的) waiters are just as much part of the travel experience as visiting the Uffizi(乌菲兹美术馆). The continent’s greatest attraction is the suspicion that its inhabitants have somehow arranged life better.(欧洲最大的吸引力在于人们怀疑其居民 somehow 把生活安排得更好。)
忘掉那些关于欧洲大陆是一个博物馆、欧洲人可以在其中过着不思进取的甜蜜生活的嘲讽吧。如今，最好把它看作一个主题公园，当地人在那里被度假的窥视者盯着看。博物馆保存历史；主题公园则让任何愿意暂停怀疑的游客感受到自己是其中的一部分。这更接近欧洲的旅游体验。因为去法国或西班牙的家庭度假，不仅仅是为了欣赏风景。也是为了想象自己是一个真正的欧洲人，是世界生活方式超级大国的临时居民。享受漫长的午餐、漫步城市、与粗鲁的服务员打交道，这些与参观乌菲兹美术馆一样，都是旅行体验的一部分。欧洲最大的吸引力在于，人们怀疑它的居民 somehow 把生活安排得更好。
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