Travel becomes much more interesting to me when a city is not treated simply as a collection of landmarks. A cathedral is also evidence of religious institutions, accumulated capital, technology, and political authority. A medieval city gate tells us something about security and collective organization. A stock exchange reveals another stage in the development of commerce. Even the location of a city may help explain why it became wealthy, politically important, or repeatedly contested. Seen this way, traveling through Europe can become a form of reading history in physical space.