In the heart of Regensburg lies the elegant palace of the Thurn und Taxis family, and unlike many others in Germany, St. Emmeram Palace is still inhabited. Not only does this former monastery-turned-palace showcase a beautiful array of state rooms, ballrooms and more, it also comes with a small history lesson.
Within an hour’s drive of Spangdahlem Air Base are two awe-inspiring hiking trails, each boasting the added attraction of being near a charming city begging to be explored. Belgium’s Promenade de La Hoegne is an hour away, and a 40-minute drive south leads to the stony splendor of Luxembourg’s Gorge du Loup.
Three times a year, hundreds of Naples citizens gather outside the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in the city’s historic district to see if the martyr will liquefy his dried blood, a relic kept since his beheading in 305. Visiting the site’s chapel and museum offers not only a better understanding of Naples’ love for San Gennaro but also preparation for taking in the fervor and spectacle of upcoming miracles.
Saarbruecken Castle is home to the Saar Historical Museum. The building itself occupies only a small part of the museum. The real treasures lie beneath, with more than 90% of the exhibition rooms located underground.
Giffords Hall Vineyard gives a different and tasty look at an aspect of England many may not think much about -- viniculture.
The Frankfurt borough of Hoechst has charming surprises in store for those who give it a chance.
In Germany’s Rhine Valley, several centuries-old castles sit just minutes from one another, and visiting them can be particularly enjoyable as the foliage changes color in the fall.
For more than 230 years, bronze bells were forged in Germany in a family factory that’s now the Museum of Bell Foundry Mabilon. Visitors can see the fascinating, proprietary craftsmanship and get a bit of the history of bell-making.
The Dackelmuseum, or dachshund museum, in the southeastern German city of Regensburg, is truly one of a kind.
The exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the ways in which the nearby Ramstein Air Base and other bases have been depicted in highbrow art and pop culture over the decades.
Come enjoy plenty of seaside sun in Grado, a small Italian coastal town that sees plenty of foreign and/or sun-starved bodies.
In 2016, a local mining heritage preservation group built The Saar Polygon, a metal structure perched atop the Duhamel spoil tip of the former coal mine in Ensdorf, Germany. This colossal mound, which sprawls across roughly 125 acres and soars about 500 feet above the surrounding Saar valley, tells the story of the region’s history of coal mining.
Visitors to a replica village in Steinbach am Donnersberg can learn about what life was like for the ancient Celts who lived in the area long ago.
A riverboat cruise makes for a lovely afternoon outing in England.
One trip to Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte won’t be enough to take in all that it offers. A palace that houses an extensive art collection, as well as more than 331,000 acres of woodland, open space, picnic areas and paved walkways and trails, awaits practically in the heart of Naples.
Above the bustle of Stuttgart sits the Chinese Garden, a corner of calm on the north side of the city where visitors can mellow out for a while.
Tucked away in the green forests of western Germany’s Eifel region is Buerresheim Castle, an imposing fortress high on a rocky promontory that was built late in the 12th century.
Mark Twain famously followed the Neckar River through a stretch of Germany, writing about it in his 1880 travel book “A Tramp Abroad.” While some things have changed, much familiar and ancient beauty remains.
