ModernChivalry.org
Miscellaneous => The Sallyport => Topic started by: Mike W. on 2014-04-01, 15:38:38
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I'm planning on taking a vacation to Belgium in November for 3 weeks with some side trips to France, London, and Germany. Have any of you been to Europe and could you recommend any particular medieval sites or other sites worth seeing / things worth doing?
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Warwick Castle is by far my wife's favorite Castle in the UK. She lived in England for 7-8 years and traveled all over Europe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warwick_Castle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warwick_Castle)
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Hmm, in terms of medieval sites, I've been to Roskilde in Denmark, (very old churches as well as viking-related things) though there's also the Middelaldercentret (which I did not get a chance to go to) if you can fit Denmark into your travel plans. Also, I doubt you'd be able to visit Estonia during your trip, but Tallinn preserves more than 80 percent of its original 12th/13th century architecture - it's truly magnificent to see the city's walls in person.
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lots of cool places to see.
in england all of the national armour is in Leeds.
france of course has normandie beaches
roskilde fford is AWESOME in denmark. so is the museum in copenhagen
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Royal Armouries - Leeds, UK
Wallace Collection - London, UK
Musee de l'Armee - Paris, France
The Louvre - Paris, France
Agincourt - Agincourt, France (600th Anniversary next year, celebration is in July even though the anniversary is October)
Gazillions of various castle sites - UK / France / Germany
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In Germany, visit the walled city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. We only had a few days to spend there; I wish I could have stayed much longer. :'(
Check out the Rathaus (town hall), the Criminal Museum (including executioners swords), and St. James' Church (Holy Blood altarpiece). Stay away from the Christmas Museum (tourist trap).
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It's been thirty years since I was in Europe so my information is a little 'dated'! ;)
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I'd check with Sir Gerard de Rodes as he's in the U.K. - he could point you to some sites in the U.K. at least.
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Saw Warwick as well, I think 2 days worth? It was amazing.
We also stopped at a tiny little smith's shop. "David the Smith". His building was over 200 years old, and was there before the town (or something similar). Very nice guy, very heavy accent, very long line of smiths. Had a claymore he made out of a railroad rail... I wanted it. A lot.
Haven't been for almost 20 years, though. :(
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Wow! So much for you to see and do and such a short time. I've been to the UK four times and still have not scratched the surface. Too much to list here. I hope to the go to the 600th anniversery of Agincourt next year. That will be my first trip to France.
In London, do the Tower and the Wallace Collection. Use a good travel guide to prioritize after those two. If you get up to the Welsh Marches see Ludlow Castle and my favorite little castle which you learn more about here:
http://erasgone.blogspot.com/2013/12/stokesay-castle-to-protect-against.html (http://erasgone.blogspot.com/2013/12/stokesay-castle-to-protect-against.html)
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I hear stone henge isn't as impressive as it looks. But i'm always told beside that people get a strange feeling there.
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The only problem with England is that I'll only be able to spend one day, which is limited to London, and which I intend to spend at the British Museum and possibly the Tower.