Page 2 - Quick Trips News Today

Salvi Gardens packs a lot into a small space in the heart of Vicenza’s old town. A mansion with a moat is a UNESCO Heritage Site, but some of Salvi Gardens’ less-heralded pleasures, including statuary, fountains, rose gardens and giant conifers, make it a place to return to often. It’s usually occupied in temperate weather by lovers, dog walkers, people having lunch and others. They sit on benches in the sun, lie on the grass or amble alongside the moat. A few read the signs with the n...

By THERON GODBOLD | Stars and Stripes | Published: April 1, 2021 About an hour’s drive from most U.S. bases near Tokyo is one of Japan’s most scenic locations, the Chureito Pagoda. The hilltop memorial provides an unprecedented view of Mount Fuji in the background with cherry blossoms, Fujiyoshida City and the iconic Asian pagoda in the foreground. A 10-minute hike up nearly 400 steps brings you to these amazing views. Or you may wind your way along a paved road or take one of the many ...

By KYLE ALVAREZ | Stars and Stripes | Published: March 11, 2021 A 15-minute drive from Lakenheath and slightly longer from Mildenhall lies a 30-acre oasis from the daily grind. Brandon Country Park offers visitors miles of heathland and forests, fresh air, hiking and biking trails, glimpses of unique wildlife, trees you don’t expect to see in England, a walled garden, historic buildings — even a rumored ghost. It has strong ties to the military, not just through its proximity to the tw...

By ERICA EARL | Stars and Stripes | Published: March 11, 2021 After a trip to Portland in 2017, a businessman and artist in Japan felt inspired by the food carts and tiny home trends there and decided to bring a touch of the American Pacific Northwest back to bustling Tokyo. “I want it to be a place where people from the United States or who have visited will experience that culture as much as possible,” said Ryuma Sato, creator and owner of the Tiny Inn. Sato opened The Tiny Inn, a tw...

By IMMANUEL JOHNSON | Stars and Stripes | Published: March 4, 2021 For car enthusiasts, or for those seeking a unique experience, the BMW Welt complex near the Olympic Park in Munich is an absolute must, once it reopens. The Welt is the one-stop shop for all brands produced by the world-famous Bayerische Motoren Werke, including the Mini Cooper and Rolls Royce Marques. The Welt, essentially a giant showroom that opened in 2007 next to the company’s museum, is located together with the fac...

By DAVID EDGE | Stars and Stripes | Published: February 25, 2021 With coronavirus infections still high in Germany, and U.S. and German authorities continuing to advise against unnecessary travel, I needed somewhere local to visit to get me out of the house. Having grown up in a small town in the U.S. Bible belt, I have always loved visiting churches, marveling at their architecture and taking in their history. So I chose as my close-to-home coronavirus escape the Marktkirche in downtown Wie...

By NANCY MONTGOMERY | Stars and Stripes | Published: February 18, 2021 Millions of pilgrims have made their way over the centuries up the hill from Vicenza to the Sanctuary of Saint Mary of Mount Berico, sometimes on their hands and knees. The church, built originally in the 15th century to persuade Mary to use her influence with God to stop a plague resurgence, is a Marian shrine that overlooks the city. Every first Sunday of the month, thousands have made the climb “to ask for a grace or...

By SLOBODAN LEKIC | Stars and Stripes | Published: February 11, 2021 The middle of this year’s German winter may be a good time to visit the horseshoe-shaped meander on the Saar River called the Saarschleife. Normally, the area in Saarland near the bend in the river draws throngs of visitors. But until coronavirus restrictions are lifted, they’re staying home, so there’s no battling through crowds to take in the stunning vistas of the Saar, neighboring France and, on a clear day, Luxem...

By AYA ICHIHASHI | Stars and Stripes | Published: February 11, 2021 Akajima is one island of Okinawa’s Kerama archipelago and only 25 miles from the Tomari Port of Naha. Zamami, its sister island, is a more popular destination, and nine of out 10 ferry passengers disembark there before reaching Akajima. I’m secretly happy with that, and happy, too, with Akajima remaining under the social media radar and never becoming as crowded and popular as its sister island. One of the reasons I fa...