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Historical Attractions in Europe:

Below is a list of historical attractions that I have been to in Europe. If you don't believe it, I have photographs to prove it! These are not places that I just passed by in a car, or bus. I spent some time there and often took a guided tour, or at least read appropriate guide material, or books. Why have I made this list? Well, because I believe that travel is a tremendously educational experience, and I wish that academia would do more to promote/reward the educational aspects of travel. I think the best time to travel is when you are in your late teens and early twenties, when you are at the most curious, and most adaptable period of your life. Everything will seem interesting, and you will not be hindered by ordinary inconveniences. At least that is what I experienced, and found many other young people to experience. I'm talking mainly about young people from middle-class families, who grew up in middle America, who were independent but impressionable, and had not been overly exposed to large cities. For them, Europe is a complete contrast, and a cultural adventure. That is not to say that older adults will not feel EXACTLY the same; it depends on the individual's character, sense of motivation and appreciation for other cultures. Whatever the circumstances, travel to LEARN. Unfortunately, not many of us can take time off for travel because of the paltry little amount of vacation time most of us get. For all our high-minded ideals about capitalism and individualism, we Americans work more than anyone else on the planet, and have too little time to enjoy ourselves. We don't have enough time to do necessities, let alone travel to see what the rest of the world has to offer. I wish more Americans could see that the quality of life is as good, or better in many other countries. I do not mean to be un-American, but that is what I believe. American culture may be successfully spreading to all parts of the globe, but this is nothing to brag about. America has deep traditional ties to Europe and it is we, not they, who suffer from rootlessness, and lament the constant change of modern society. About 99% of all the Americans I met while living and traveling in Europe were overwhelmed completely, and positively, by the magnitude of art, beauty, diversity and history that they found in Europe. Many Americans admit that they would like to live abroad once they have sampled the nuances of Europe. We think that America is diverse? Try dealing with over a dozen languages and various different national characteristics! I'm not saying that we should all move to Europe. Not at all, but we can learn a lot from Europe, and if you can make a trip across to Europe, you will be in for an exhilarating experience if you allow yourself to assimilate, at least a little, to their culture. Chances are they already know a lot more about you than you know about them. Be a tourist, but be a sensitive and respectful tourist. This is just my little way of saying that, "this is where I've been, and I'm proud of it." It has changed me, and I have learned something. Traveling to learn is an education in itself, for no time is ever wasted on travel! "Globetrotting destroys ethnocentricity. It helps you understand and appreciate different cultures. Travel changes people. It broadens perspectives and teaches new ways to measure quality of life. Many travelers toss aside their hometown blinders. Their prized souvenirs are the strands of different cultures they decide to knit into their own character. The world is a cultural yarn shop, and travelers are weaving the ultimate tapestry." --Rick Steves Castles: To see a list of castles I have been to click here. Cathedrals: These are some I have visited. Some of them I've been to once, and some several times... Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Church - Yalta, Crimea Berliner Dom Cathedral - Berlin, Germany Canterbury Cathedral - Canterbury, England Castlechurch Cathedral - Wittenberg, Germany (Martin Luther is buried there) Chartres Cathedral - Chartres, France Church of Our Lady Before Tyn - Prague, Czech Republic Duomo - Florence, Italy Durham Cathedral - Durham, England Ely Cathedral - Ely, England Exeter Cathedral - Exeter, England French Cathedral, Gendarmenmarkt - Berlin, Germany Glastonbury Cathedral - Glastonbury, England (supposed burial place of King Arthur, in ruins) Karlskirche Cathedral - Vienna, Austria Kloster Lorch - Lorch, Germany Lincoln Cathedral - Lincoln, England Mdina Cathedral - Mdina, Malta Mosta Dome Cathedral - Mosta, Malta Notre Dame Cathedral - Paris, France Petchursk Lavra Monestary - Kiev, Ukraine Peterborough Cathedral - Peterborough, England Salisbury Cathedral - Salisbury, England Socre Coeur Basilica - Paris, France Southwark Cathedral - London, England St. Andrews Cathedral - St. Andrews, Scotland (in a ruined state, but impressive) St. Chappelle - Paris, France St. Croce Cathedral - Florence, Italy St. Eustache Cathedral - Paris, France St. Giles Cathedral - Edinburgh, Scotland St. John Co-Cathedral - Valletta, Malta St. Mark's Basilica - Venice, Italy St. Michael's Cathedral - Brussels, Belgium St. Nicholas Baroque Church - Prague, Czech Republic St. Paul's Cathedral - London, England St. Peter's Basilica - Vatican, Rome, Italy St. Sophia - Kiev, Ukraine St. Stephen's Cathedral - Passau, Germany St. Stephen's Cathedral - Vienna, Austria St. Vitus Cathedral - Prague, Czech Republic Stockholm Cathedral (Storkyrkan) - Stockholm, Sweden Strasbourg Cathedral - Strasbourg, France Wells Cathedral - Wells, England Westerkerk Church - Amsterdam, Netherlands Westminster Abbey - London, England Westminster Cathedral - London, England Winchester Cathedral - Winchester, England York Cathedral - York, England Palaces: I have taken a tour of these palaces, except the ones indicated. Blenhiem Palace - Woodstock, England Buckingham Palace - London, England (I have not been inside) Charlottenburg Schloss Palace and Gardens - Berlin, Germany (I walked around, but not inside) Doge Palace - Venice, Italy Hofburg Imperial Palace - Vienna, Austria Hollyrood Palace - Edinburgh, Scotland Kensington Palace - London, England (been there a few times, but not inside) Livadia Palace - Yalta, Crimea (site of the 1945 Yalta Conference) Marinsky Palace - Kiev, Ukraine (I walked around, but did not go inside) Sansouci Palace - Potsdam, Germany (I walked around, but did not go inside) Schonbrunn Palace - Vienna, Austria St. James Palace - London, England (been there several times, but did not go inside) Stockholm Royal Palace - Stockholm, Sweden (just the outside, but saw the changing of the guard) Versailles Palace - Versailles, France Vorontsov Palace - Alupka, Crimea (I walked all around, but did not go inside) Windsor Castle - Windsor, England (I've toured it at least three times) Famous Monuments, Roman Ruins, Ancient Megaliths, Misc. Sights: Abbey Road Crosswalk & Beatles Recording Studio - London Arch DeTriomphe - Paris Arch of Unity - Kiev Avebury - Avebury, England (the largest ancient stone circle in the world) BBC Headquarters - London Berlin Wall - Berlin (what was left of it) Brandenburg Gate - Berlin (one of Berlin's most visited sights) Bury St. Edmunds Abbey Gardens - Bury St. Edmunds, England Caerleon Roman Ruins - Caerleon, Wales (ruined Roman settlement) Castlerigg Stone Circle - Cumbria, England (an ancient stone circle) Charles Bridge - Prague, Czech Republic (one of the oldest in Europe) Chesters Fort - Northumbria, England (ruined Roman fort at Hadrian's Wall) Chinese Pagoda, Kew Gardens - London (climbed it in 2014) Colosseum - Rome Dying Lion Monument - Lucern, Switzerland East Gallery, Berlin Wall - Berlin, Germany Eiffel Tower - Paris Ernst Thalmann Monument - Berlin Forum - Rome Funkturm - Berlin, Germany Ggantija Temple - Gozo, Malta (an ancient stone megalith) Hadrian's Wall - Northumbria, England (ruined Roman wall, about 80 miles long) Hadrian's Villa and Fountains - a little outside of Rome Hohenstaufen Castle Ruins - Hohenstaufen, Germany Holocaust Memorial - Berlin (near Brandenburg Gate) Iron Cross, Victoria Park - Berlin, Germany Juliar Pass - Switzerland Kew Gardens - London Little Mermaid statue - Copenhagen, Denmark London Eye - London Marble Arch - London Marx-Engels Forum - Berlin, Germany Millennium Dome - Greenwich, London (now called the O2 Dome) Monument to the Great Fire of London, 1666 - London Monument to the Great Patriotic War - Kiev Mount Etna - Sicily (the tallest active volcano in Europe, 11,000 feet) Nelson Column, Trafalgar Square - London New Synagogue - Berlin, Germany (to the front of it twice, but not inside) Oberbaumbrucke - Berlin, Germany Olympic Stadium - Berlin, Germany Pere Lachaise Cemetery - Paris (many famous people buried there) Place de la Concorde - Paris Reichstag Dome - Berlin (completed in 1999) Rock of Ages - Somerset, England (the rock that inspired the song) Roman Amphitheatre - Taormina, Sicily (a Greek/Roman ruin) Roman Bath - Bath, England (a well preserved Roman spa) Roman Fort, Hardknott Pass - Cumbria, England Roman Lighthouse - Dover Savile Row, former Beatles Recording Studio & Site of Last Performance on the Rooftop - London St. Andrews Golf Course - St. Andrews, Scotland St. Gottard Pass - Switzerland (an eleven mile tunnel) Stonehenge - Wiltshire, England Tower Bridge - London, England Trevi Fountain - Rome Trafalgar Square - London TV Tower & Telecafe - Berlin (I went to the top twice in 2004) Victory Column (Siegessaule) - Berlin Walter Scott Monument - Edinburgh Museums: Other than Art Galleries. To see a list of Art Galleries I've been to click here. ABBA Museum - Stockholm, Sweden All England Lawn & Tennis Club Museum, and tour of grounds, Wimbledon, London Amsterdam History Museum - Amsterdam, Netherlands Austria, National Library of - Vienna (just browsed) Berlin Zoo - Berlin British Museum - London Cabinet War Rooms - London (underground headquarters of WWII British Gov.) Charles Dickens Museum - Rochester, England Charles Dickens House - London Charles Wesley House - London Chartwell House - Kent, England (home of Winston Churchill, 1922-1962) Checkpoint Charlie Museum - Berlin Dali Exhibit - Berlin DDR Museum - Berlin Design Museum - Berlin Design Museum - London Anne Frank House - Amsterdam Geology Museum - London German History Museum - Berlin Folklore Museum - Outside Kiev Folklore Museum, St. Fagan's - near Cardiff, Wales Friedrichswerdersche Kirche Schinkel Museum - Berlin Ann Hathaway House - Stratford-on-Avon, England Horniman Museum - London Hundertwasser Kunst Haus - Vienna, Austria Igtham Mote - Kent, England Imperial War Museum - London Iron Bridge Museum - Ironbridge, England (the first bridge made of iron, 1779) Jewish History Museum - Berlin Samuel Johnson's House - London (where the first English Dictionary was compiled, published in 1755) Karlshorst Museum - Berlin (where Germany surrendered after WWII) King Arthur's Round Table Museum - Winchester, England Max Liebermann Haus - Berlin (I saw the Marc Chagall Exhibit there in 2004) London Dungeon - London London Museum - London London Zoo, London Madam Tussaud's Museum - Berlin Madam Tussaud's Museum - London Malta War Museum - Valletta Martin Luther House - Wittenberg, Germany Museum of Natural History - London Museum of Science - London Museum of Transport & Technology - Berlin Museum of Working Class Life in 1900 - Berlin Museum to the Resistance of National Socialism - Berlin National Museum - Prague National Museum - Kiev Paper Mill & Museum - Wookey, England Pergamon Museum - Berlin Pompidou Center - Paris Reichstag Museum - Berlin (no longer open, since Reichstag was remodeled for German Parliament) Royal Jewels Museum - Tower of London Royal Observatory - London (Greenwhich Park) Royal Opra House, ballet, London Shakespeare's Birthplace - Stratford-on-Avon Shakespeare & Company Bookstore - Paris (famous among American ex-patriotes) Shipwreck Museum - Hastings, England Sir John Soane's Museum - London Stasi Museum - Berlin The Wells - Tunbridge Wells, England Topography of Terror Museum - Berlin Tower Bridge Museum - London Vasa Museum - Stockholm, Sweden Vatican Museum - Vatican City Victor Hugo House - Paris Victoria and Albert Museum - London "Mankind was never so happily inspired as when it made a cathedral." --Robert Louis Stevenson "I believe the future is simply the past, entered through another gate." --Pinero "Traveling abroad is a progressive exercise in the discovery of our own ignorance." --William Blake "We're the most vacation-starved country in the world." --Joe Robinson, Escape editor (speaking about the USA) "One of the small marvels of my first trip to Europe was the discovery that the world could be so full of variety, that there were so many different ways of doing essentially identical things, like eating and drinking and buying movie tickets. It fascinated me that Europeans could at once be so alike--that they could be so universally bookish and cerebral, and drive small cars, and live in little houses in ancient towns, and love soccer, and be relatively unmaterialistic and law-abiding, and have chilly hotel rooms and cozy and inviting places to eat and drink--and yet be so endlessly, unpredictably different from each other as well. I love the idea that you can never be sure of anything in Europe." --Bill Bryson, in Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe My U.S.A. Travels Travel Books I've Read Where Have I Been? Home