Centers of the Great European Cities

      The centers of the great cities of Europe are meeting places by tradition. People gather there to drink coffee and chat late into the night. A mixture of locals and tourists make for an exciting. metropolitan atmosphere.

     Squares, plazas (广场 ) and  arcades (拱廊 ) form  the  heart  of Europe's cities.

     Venice in Italy has the Piazza San Marco-a beautiful square surrounded by shops, churches. restaurants and cafes. In Barcelona. Spain, La Bosqueria is a lively market with hundreds of stalls selling all kinds of goods. London's Covent Garden is filled with fruit and vegetable stalls by day and musicians, acrobats(杂演员 )and artists by night. The government buildings at the center of many cities often are architecturally impressive. In London, they serve as a beautiful backdrop(背景 ） to the coffee tables that line the streets and the banks of the Thames.

      These vibrant(有活力的 ) hearts are  the  product of centuries of evolution, social historian Joel Garreau told US News and World Re-port recently. "The reason people think Venice is so great today is you don't see all the mistakes. " said Garreau. " Those have all been removed. " Most European cities were laid out before the invention of the car. So bars, restaurants and cafes were near to people's homes.Today,the focus of many Europeans' life has moved away from the centers. They live in the suburbs and outskirts, driving to supermarkets to get their supplies. But on a continent where people treasure convention, there are still those who hold onto traditional ways, living and shopping locally.  These people, together with tourists, provide the city centers with their reason for existence.

      Coffee culture plays a part in keeping these city centers flourishing. This is particularly true of Paris whose citizens are famous enthusiastic conversationalists. This skill is developed over many hours spent  chatting over  espressos(浓咖啡) and  cigarettes.

     Religion also plays a role in developing sociable atmosphere. People in Roman Catholic countries used to visit the Church on an almost daily basis. Entire communities would gather in the same building and then move out to the markets. Cafes and bars in the surrounding streets. An enormous example of this relationship between church and society is the Duomo. The huge marble cathedral in Florence,Italy is surrounded by bakeries and coffee shops, and caters not only to the tourist crowds, but also the local community.