VISITING EUROPE

It feels good to live your dreams.

After my trip to Holland and Germany in 1979, I always dreamed and hoped I would be able to return to Europe. And I did, from June 26 to July 14. Plus, a visit to Paris, France that sweetened the trip.

Why dream of going to Europe?

Seeing beautiful places you only hear about, see on TV, movies and read in newspapers is a very satisfying experience. You feel like you are in another world. Interpreting what I see from an economist's point of view is a benefit that I most certainly gain.

Being there in the midst of large buildings which are very different in architecture and size from the buildings we have in the Philippines is an experience that keeps you hoping it would never end. Such an experience included: looking up the enormous Eiffel Tower, touring the Canals of Amsterdam (and its famous Red Light District), riding in fast trains that go 350 kph from Holland to France, and going around the castles of Germany.

The rich history and civilizations of European countries are obvious from their buildings and museums. These are the main reasons why tourism is a major source of their economic growth.

In the "rural" areas of these countries, the farms are what I'd call "postcard perfect", evenly trimmed green meadows like the one shown in the movie "The Sound of Music" is a common sight in southern Germany particularly in the State of Bavaria.

The cable car trip to the German side of the Alps was literally an exhilarating experience. The visit to Niewswanstein castle in Bavaria (it was "copied" by Walt Disney and a replica was built in Disneyland) was a "childhood dream".

The vibrant economies and the attractive tourist destinations of these countries left me wide-eyed and admiring. It leaves you with the question: How and when can the Philippines be like them?

Maybe, there is no point in comparing. We are rich in other ways.

From the way the residential houses looked and their maintenance of cleanliness in their surroundings, it was apparent that Germany has a better economic situation than France and Holland.

The Euro (the common currency in these countries) is stronger than the US dollar, an indication of the strength of the economies of Europe.

What brought me there? I was part of a 9-member Philippine delegation that observed how the federal type of government in Germany is structured at the national, state, district and city/municipal levels especially in finance, planning, and general administration. The trip was sponsored (paid for) by the Federal Republic of Germany under NEDA's Decentralized Planning Structures Project.