In the last few weeks, Irish people in every EU country have told us what they love about their chosen homes and consider what lessons Ireland could take from them. In dozens of conversations and submissions, the central theme is high quality of life. We gathered a snapshot for an article as Ireland began the presidency of the Council of the European Union. Perhaps this issue strongly resonates when read from Dublin, one of the EU’s most expensive capitals, where many of us juggle demanding jobs and long commutes on creaking infrastructure to pay for rising costs. In this version of reality, the in-between spaces where life really happens too easily get pushed out. Cheryl Devine, who runs a restaurant in a Croatian village, speaks of “fjaka”, the Dalmatian concept of a moment of calm, the art of doing nothing. People in her village gather almost ritually to sit over daily coffee, catching up with neighbours and friends. Clare Dempsey, who moved to central Portugal in her 50s, loves the laid-back lifestyle. If things don’t get done immediately, it’s no big deal. The cashiers at her local supermarket make time to stop to chat to all their customers. Orfhlaith Ní Chorcora in Italy admires the mindset of the locals: “Enjoy life and savour what it has to offer.”It’s hard not to connect this savouring of life with another key theme: affordability. Selena Murphy in Malta enjoys the benefits of Malta’s (almost free) childcare scheme, while many of her friends back home pay the equivalent of a mortgage every month. Mark Keogh, who is three years away from owning his own apartment, loves the cheapness of life in Poland but feels priced out of moving home. Brian McCabe reflects on how in Estonia young people feel like they can realistically build a life and buy property. But it’s not just in historically cheaper parts of Europe where Irish people are noticing this difference. For James Reidy, living in Rotterdam has allowed him to buy his own apartment: “It’s something I could never imagine in Ireland.” In Denmark, bar manager Seán Walsh says he lives cheaply by Irish standards, with his own apartment for about €600 a month. In Sweden, Mark Whale bought a house aged 34, but also gets the benefit of a rich outdoor life. “I love the cleanliness, the quiet, the people, the nature and freedom – we have a strong right to roam rule in Sweden."The centrality of outdoor life is a noticeable ingredient in so many Irish people’s love of their EU homes. Kerry O’Hare in Latvia was struck by the amount of trees and green areas in Riga city centre. Deirdre Kevin in Slovenia enjoys the variety of scenery, from mountains to lakes, and notes how common it is for people to grow their own vegetables. The feeling of nature and wildlife in and around cities was clear from Brendan Humphreys in Vilnius to Brendan Harding in Helsinki. Like tens of thousands of others living on this island, I’ll visit one of our European neighbours on holidays in the coming months. While I’m hoping to avoid the worst of the extreme heat, I also hope to escape the chaos of busy life and squeeze magic memories into a mere fortnight.Instead of just bringing a bottle or two of French red home from my holidays, perhaps I’ll return with ideas on how to become a bit more European in savouring life’s daily pleasures.