Quick Trips

Passion Art Cafe in Budaiya, Bahrain, encourages patrons' creativity by offering instruction in such activities as pottery in an art studio upstairs from the cafe.

Bahrain cafe and art studio inspires creativity, community

The whimsically decorated, comfortable Passion Art Cafe and Studio is a unique, creative oasis in Bahrain where customers can enjoy a snack, make or paint pottery and even find words of affirmation.

The Cabinet room at the Churchill War Rooms in London provided seating for the heads of the British army, navy and air force as well as others reporting to Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Churchill War Rooms in London offer powerful immersion in British resistance to Nazis

Few historic sites are as well-preserved as London’s Churchill War Rooms, concealed in a fortified basement that housed a British government command center throughout World War II. From there Winston Churchill and his military leadership directed the defiant defense against Nazi invasion.

The 3D glasses combined with paint and lighting effects at Schwartzlichthelden Minigolf in Mainz, Germany, create illusions of false boundaries and obstacles on many holes of the course.

Mainz 3D mini golf course sheds blacklight on a classic pastime

Head toward Wiesbaden for a unique indoor miniature golf experience. Schwartzlichthelden Minigolf uses a blacklight, graffiti-style art and innovative obstacles to challenge and entertain its customers.

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The sun rises behind the Ara Pacis Mundi in Medea, Italy, on Nov. 5, 2024. Its name translates to Altar of World Peace. Marble pillars surround an altar containing an urn with soil from various war cemeteries and water samples from four seas.

Impressive peace altar in Italy honors all war dead amid history-rich park path

The Ara Pacis Mundi in the Italian city of Medea commemorates soldiers who have died in all wars. Its name translates to Altar of World Peace.

This tiny house by Sezi Homes in Vilseck, Germany, seen here on Sept. 7, 2024, is available for rent. It is fully furnished and has 645 square feet of space.

Thoreau-going experience: Vilseck ‘tiny house’ rental lets guests try out minimalist lifestyle

My 8-year-old son and I recently decided to go on a tiny house trial run, spending a day in one of the two downsized dwellings in Vilseck’s bustling Sonnenleite neighborhood.

Visitors walk through one of the outer gatehouses of Ronneburg castle in Germany on Oct. 20, 2024. About an hour drive from Wiesbaden, Ronneburg is one of only a few castles in Germany that retain their original 16th-century design.

Castle in Ronneburg provides immersion into olden times and Christmas market venue

The castle in Ronneburg, about an hour northeast of Wiesbaden, may not be one of the best-known in Germany, but this combination of castle and museum does an admirable job of bringing history to life with an array of demonstrations and activities.

The Wedding Tower, the newly renovated Exhibition Hall and the Russian Chapel on the Mathildenhoehe in Darmstadt, Germany, glow in an autumn sunset. The Wedding Tower and Exhibition Hall were built in 1908, the Russian Chapel in 1899.

After 12 years, art is back at Darmstadt’s world-class Mathildenhoehe

The first exhibit being held on the Mathildenhoehe since 2012 is appropriately named “4-3-2-1 Darmstadt,” a show that traces the past 200 years of art in the city. The Exhibition Hall is part of a series of buildings that the Darmstadt Artists’ Colony, or Kuenstlerkolonie, designed and constructed in the early 20th century.

Cannons were used under Portuguese control of the Bahrain Fort in the 16th century. The Portuguese occupied Bahrain in 1521 and used it as part of their strategic defense.

Bahrain Fort’s museum delights with wonders both culinary and cultural

Even when the UNESCO-recognized fort is closed, the Qalat al-Bahrain Site Museum and its cafe are ample reason to visit.

This agate rock in the shape of an almond shows its brightly colored, striped deposits. The formation, found in the abandoned settlement of Mambaechel, north of Baumholder, Germany, is one of many local gemstones and rock formations on display at the German Minerals Museum in Idar-Oberstein.

Idar-Oberstein museum showcases town’s wondrous world of gemstones

Some of Idar-Oberstein’s glittering history is on display at the German Museum of Minerals, along with colorful rocks and gems from the region and across the globe.

Visitors stand outside the entrance of the Lava Dome Volcano Museum, waiting for the start of their tour Sept. 21, 2024, in Mendig, Germany. The museum serves as an introduction to the geological wonders of the area, offering insight into the volcanic forces that shaped the region.

Eifel tour: Exploring Germany’s volcanic history and the world’s largest basalt mine

In Germany’s Eifel region, viewing the power of volcanic forces is as simple as making a visit to the placid city of Mendig. Beneath the surface lies a network of basalt caves carved by human hand from ancient lava flows. The Mendig Lava Caverns make up the largest basalt mine of its kind in the world.

Models hanging from the ceiling of the Zeppelin Museum in Neu-Isenburg, Germany, show several variations of the famous airships. The LZ 10 Schwaben, which debuted in 1911, was used as a commercial airship by DELAG, the world's first airline. Behind it is the L59, a military airship used in World War I.

Tread zeppelin: Museum near Frankfurt Airport pays tribute to iconic dirigibles

Explore the pre-Hindenburg era that saw German airships help usher in the age of global aviation with a visit to the Zeppelin Museum in Neu-Isenberg.

Adrian Paige-Mitchell, a worker at the Center for Computing History in Cambridge, England, shows as part of a tour on Aug. 31, 2024, what an office in the 1990s looked like. The museum seeks to present different periods of computer technology history using innovative means such as virtual reality.

Cambridge computing museum provides a digital feast in every byte

The Center for Computing History, a 30-minute drive from RAF Mildenhall, contains more than 40,000 items, according to its website. It offers an assortment of hands-on exhibits, vintage computers and nearly 15,000 video games. And that’s just scratching the surface.