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Quick Trips

Visitors to Belgium’s Bouillion can cruise Semois River in a paddleboat and tour a medieval castle
Chateau de Bouillon, a massive medieval castle dating back to at least the 10th century, hovers over the southern Belgian town of Bouillon.<br>Jacqueline Broome
Chateau de Bouillon, a massive medieval castle dating back to at least the 10th century, hovers over the southern Belgian town of Bouillon.<br>Jacqueline Broome

One of the first things you’re likely to notice about Bouillon is the boats. They bob bucolically on the edge of the Semois River, the lazy waterway that embraces the small village in southern Belgium, and offer a decisive answer to an obvious question: Now that we’ve arrived, what do we do?

Heidesee, a lake in the town of Forst, is a nice, cool place to swim on hot summer days.<br>John Vandiver/Stars and Stripes
Heidesee, a lake in the town of Forst, is a nice, cool place to swim on hot summer days.<br>John Vandiver/Stars and Stripes

europe quick trips

Heidesee lake offers swimming, waterslides in a bucolic setting northwest of Stuttgart

Germany’s hottest summer on record has meant more family trips to the local swimming pool than years past, but repeated dips in familiar water can get old.

The Documentation Center in Nuremberg, which houses a museum of the Nazi Party Rally Grounds nearby. It is located inside the unfinished remains of the Congress Hall of Nazi Party rallies.<br>Martin Egnash/Stars and Stripes
The Documentation Center in Nuremberg, which houses a museum of the Nazi Party Rally Grounds nearby. It is located inside the unfinished remains of the Congress Hall of Nazi Party rallies.<br>Martin Egnash/Stars and Stripes

europe quick trips

Learn about Germany’s dark history at Nazi rally grounds in Nuremberg

Just outside of the city center in Nuremberg, massive stone structures loom ominously over an idyllic park. This is where hundreds of thousands of Nazi Party supporters gathered between 1933 and 1938 in what were known as the Nuremberg Rallies.

The Fontana dell'Acqua Paola, also known as "the big fountain," was built by Pope Paul V as an end point for a restored Roman aqueduct. Its towering, decorative facade and five water flows became the basic model for the Trevi Fountain.<br>Scott Wyland/Stars and Stripes
The Fontana dell'Acqua Paola, also known as "the big fountain," was built by Pope Paul V as an end point for a restored Roman aqueduct. Its towering, decorative facade and five water flows became the basic model for the Trevi Fountain.<br>Scott Wyland/Stars and Stripes

europe quick trips

Rome’s beautifully sculpted fountains offer refreshing visits

Fountains in Rome are almost as plentiful as cathedrals. You don’t have to walk far to bump into one, whether it’s at the Vatican, Spanish Steps or Pantheon.

An upper lake surrounded by waterfalls is seen in Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia. The mountainous park, which is about 200 miles north of Aviano Air Base in Italy, offers visitors eight different routes to tour the lake system. <br>Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes
An upper lake surrounded by waterfalls is seen in Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia. The mountainous park, which is about 200 miles north of Aviano Air Base in Italy, offers visitors eight different routes to tour the lake system. <br>Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes

europe quick trips

Nature lovers will enjoy stunning lakes, waterfalls of Plitvice Lakes National Park

Plitvice Lakes National Park is the oldest and largest national park in Croatia. The park offers lake tour programs, mountain climbing, skiing, sledding and biking, but the majority of visitors go to Plitvice to tour the lakes and waterfalls.

Summer mornings in Sirmione are usually clear, sunlit and supportive of everything wellness guru Gwyneth Paltrow - or any alive human - holds dear.<br>Nancy Montgomery/Stars and Stripes
Summer mornings in Sirmione are usually clear, sunlit and supportive of everything wellness guru Gwyneth Paltrow - or any alive human - holds dear.<br>Nancy Montgomery/Stars and Stripes

europe quick trips

Visit ancient ruins, enjoy Italian cuisine, smell blooms in Sirmione, on the southern tip of Lake Garda

Roman gifts to western civilization are many: arches, roads, plumbing, numerals, the republic, to name a few. I would also add Sirmione.

Trier's world-famous Porta Nigra was a principal gate into the walled city during its Roman heyday. Next door is the museum dedicated to the city's Roman past.<br>Slobodan Lekic/Stars and Stripes
Trier's world-famous Porta Nigra was a principal gate into the walled city during its Roman heyday. Next door is the museum dedicated to the city's Roman past.<br>Slobodan Lekic/Stars and Stripes

EUROPE QUICK TRIPS

Trier, Germany’s oldest major city, is a must-see

History buffs will find plenty of Roman ruins — and also medieval treasures — strewn across modern-day Trier, Germany.

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