Update

Yes, I know -- nearly 5 months since the last post.  But here are some updates:

I'm still enjoying my stay in Wiesbaden.  Work can sometimes get in the way, but hey, it's the reason why I am here.  I am still exploring and travelling as much as I can while I am here in Germany.  I will usually find ways to do an extended weekend to a nearby site, or a 5-7 day jaunt outside Germany.

In early January 2014, I spent 5 days in London.  Aside from the touristy sites of London, I was able to do a day trip to Stonehenge -- another item crossed off of my list of things to see.  I was also able to see a couple of London theater shows:  "Jersey Boys" and "One Man, Two Guvnors".  Jersey Boys, a musical about the group Four Seasons, was a great show.

In March 2014, I spent two extended weekends to visit Strasbourg, France and Maastricht, Netherlands.  I have been to Strasbourg a couple of times before, but it is only a short train ride from Wiesbaden.  Strasbourg offers culinary delights and interesting walking tour stops in its old town area.  I wanted to do the trip to Maastricht using local trains and buses.  The train ride started in Wiesbaden, to Koblenz, and then to Aachen.  From Aachen, I took a bus to Maastricht.  Maastricht is a small town in southeastern part of Netherlands, near the Belgium and Germany borders.  The old town area was a delight to walk around in.

Also in March 2014, I finally did a walking tour of Mainz.  Mainz is the city across the Rhine River from Wiesbaden.  Although only a short train ride from Wiesbaden, I really never took the time to explore the city.  I have been there for its beer festival and Christmas market, I but did not venture out to explore the city until this visit.  Mainz has two nice cathedrals -- St. Martin's Cathedral used to be a regional seat of the Holy Roman Empire; St. Stephen's Church has the impressive "blue" stained glass windows by Marc Chagall.

In April 2014, I drove to Belgian coast for an extended weekend.  I visited the city of Ypres and the many WWI memorial sites around the area.  I hope to re-visit the area soon to explore other small towns around the area.

In late May 2014, I spent 8 days in London.  I purchased a rail pass to be able to do several day trips outside London.  I managed to visit Oxford, Canterbury, Cambridge, Salisbury, Winchester, and St. Albans.  As it turned out, these day trips became a "cathedral" tour.  These towns that I visited all had impressive cathedrals, most dating back 800-1200 years.  As far as the London theater scene, I managed to see "Twelve Angry Men".  I stopped by a few London tourist sites -- Big Ben, Westmisnter Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Chinatown, National Gallery, British Museum, and Victoria & Albert Museum.  I also ventured just outside of London to Greenwich -- prime meridian site and basis for the Greenwich Mean Time.

In early June 2014, I visited New York city for 5 days.  I met up with three friends who I worked with in Germany -- two have moved back to the States and one who I still work with in Wiesbaden.  We were blessed with great weather during the visit.  All in all, it was a great trip of the Big Apple.

In between these trips, I found time to visit nearby Frankfurt and Cologne a few times since they are both short drive or train ride from Wiesbaden.  Pictures from all these trips can be viewed in my flickr account (eantonio82) and instagram account (eantonio64).  As summer season nears, I am planning a few trips.  This is busy time for work, but I will find some time to do a bit more travelling.