One of the main reasons I love living in London is because it's so close to Europe. 

Growing up in Australia, the rest of the world felt so far away. But now I can jump on the Eurostar and be in Paris in 2.5 hours. 

Since moving to the Northern Hemisphere in 2004, I've travelled extensively around this incredible continent, and my European city guides were the reason I originally started Minka Guides.

I find it pretty impossible to believe that anyone could not enjoy travelling around Europe. It is packed with such a rich variety of cultures, languages, cuisines and cities. It is literally dripping in history, and I find so much about this continent endlessly fascinating. If I'm completely honest, I would be content to spend the rest of my life only exploring Europe if I had to. That's how much I adore it.

Of course, as you will see with these European city guides, I have my favourites. I have a deep and enduring passion for Barcelona, and I am keen to see Athens again. Alt queer me obviously finds it hard to resist any chance to visit Berlin, while the eternal romantic in me will always have time for Paris. Both Lisbon and Dublin have charmed me in recent years, but surprisingly Rome didn't (but I think I'm finally ready to give it another try).

The best thing about Europe is that there is always so much more to see and do, no matter how much I travel around it. I long to explore the Balkans and immerse myself in all the Nordic countries. Also, I'm a massive Eurovision fan (obviously). Every year when I watch this fantastic testament to the campy diversity of the continent, I am reminded that the list of countries I'm yet to visit is impressively long.

One day, I want to see them all.