The last significant trip my family and I took before the coronavirus was a Christmastime weekend jaunt to Bristol, England, with five of our closest friends

Playtime for the average middle-class kid once meant preparation for work as an adult.

Where do you go when there’s nowhere to go? People living in northern Italy, normally spoiled for great destinations, have been dealing with that question for two months.

In the absence of many other leisure activities, one reliable pastime in this period of quarantine is to look wistfully at old photos of when you actually left your home and did stuff.

While many of the attractions near Wiesbaden remain closed due to the coronavirus, it remains a great jumping-off point for spring hiking.

With movie theaters, outdoor cafes, parks, shops and swimming pools closed in Germany during the coronavirus pandemic, the great outdoors beckons.

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Cheese markets, fields of tulips, windmills and wooden shoes are what the Netherlands is known for, but right now, you probably can’t go there to enjoy them in person.

Europe Quick Trips

The medieval city walls couldn’t keep the Black Death out of Frankfurt in the 14th century, nor could they stop the next plague about 250 years later. If they still stood, they wouldn’t protect the city’s inhabitants from today’s coronavirus, either.

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If you’re looking to get out of the house and into nature, and if that hasn’t been forbidden by the authorities where you live as part of the fight against the coronavirus, the Robert Weil Winery near Wiesbaden could be the place for you.

In times of coronavirus self-isolation when government officials are advising against nonessential travel and military leaders have restricted what service members can do off-base, a trip to London may seem out of the question.

The title of the latest exhibition emblazoned across the glass cube art museum building caught my eye: “Vertigo.” It must be about Hitchcock, I figured.

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The house hosts events and exhibitions throughout the year to highlight a sustainable lifestyle and the work of local artisans and vintners.

With Venice, the Alps and a multitude of beach towns all roughly the same distance from Aviano, the most challenging thing about living in northern Italy is sometimes picking where to go when you have some spare time.

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The town of Bitche’s main claim to fame is its 800-year-old Citadel, a massive hilltop fortress that dominates the town once regarded as one of Europe’s most powerful military strongholds.

You may know Pilsen in the Czech Republic as the birthplace of light, golden pils beer and the home of the Pilsner Urquell brewery, but there are other things to do in this town than just drink a good brew.

The next time you’re in Kaiserslautern, look down at the sidewalks. Embedded in them are scores of small brass plaques that memorialize the millions of victims of the Nazi regime.

What’s the difference between a zoo and a wildpark?

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Just a 20-minute drive from Clay Kaserne in Germany, in the heart of Mainz’s old town sits the Gutenberg Museum, dedicated to Johannes Gutenberg and the movable type printing press that he invented around 1440.

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Like something out of “Game of Thrones,” the faces carved in the trees at Steckeschlaafer gorge bring the forest to life — although I didn’t see any of them crying blood.

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The Austrian town of Innsbruck is about a four-hour drive from Aviano and is surrounded by the majestic Alps and all they have to offer.

Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years but they still fascinate people, young and old. Even dinosaur bones fascinate — or at least that’s the impression you get when you visit the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt, Germany.

Rothenburg may be a quiet town today, but enclosed in its medieval walls is a wealth of sometimes tumultuous history.

Ice is slippery; skates are thin blades. That people fall down is to be expected.

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The Schnullerbaum is a rite of passage for kids who are ready to stop sucking a pacifier. Kids in Germany can hang their pacifiers on a tree and come back years later to reminisce about their childhood.

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There are more endearing German cities to see than Worms, but few are older.

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If you’re in England and looking to get someone a present that’s memorable, unique and includes a little bit of you, head to Langham Glass in Fakenham.

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Germany’s hip, modern capital is as well known for its all-night parties as it is for its history. But unbeknownst to many, the city is also home to one of the greatest natural history museums in the world, the Museum fuer Naturkunde.

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Capri is a mecca for boaters and beachgoers, but it also is made for pedestrians, with walking paths winding throughout the island.

Making a gingerbread house, much like roasting chestnuts over an open fire, is a holiday activity that sounds like way more fun than it turns out to be.

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In the hills of Saarland about 40 miles west of Kaiserslautern is an ancient wall that has ringed the forest for more than 2,000 years.