Hey everyone! I got episode 3 up of Ben Tries New Things!! Check it out! ENJOY! and THANK YOU for watching!!

I’m getting this out  a little late.  I’ve started a new job and internet has been sporadic so it has taken a while to put it up here.  But basically,  I have started what I think will become a fun little project of mine.  I have started a youtube show called “Ben Tries New Things”.  It is a show that features me on every episode trying something new.  Its as simple as that.  I think its good in a way that I’ve waited until I released the second episode to put this up because I think what is nice is that they are two contrasting episodes, which I think will dictate the vibe and the direction the show will go.  Some things I try will be useful and life changing but some things will be just for fun and will make me do things that I might not do again but were worth trying nonetheless.   Here are the two episodes! Thank you so much for visiting and watching, I sincerely appreciate it.

Ben

On my first stop in the UK I went to visit my cousins near Edinburgh, Scotland.  I was only there for a day so I only managed to make one day trip.  But it was a great day trip.  I went to Tantallon Castle and the surrounding towns!

First Stop was Dunbar!

Dunbar is a seaside town which is the birthplace of John Muir, the conservationist who created Yellowstone National Park.

This is the entrance to the John Muir Museum which right behind it was the house he grew up in.  It was run by some charming ladies and the museum told the complete story of his life.  So inspiring.  The man was ahead of his time and way ahead of our time today in some ways.

For lunch I got a stovie.  I believe it is a very traditional Scottish meal.  It is a potato meal with meat and onions.  Very Tasty.

This is the “Mercat Cross” or the Market Cross.  The “Mercat Cross” in market towns this is where merchants would gather but it also became the place where executions took place.  I think this one was moved from its original location.

Dunbar is a fishing town as well.  Although I could imagine it being very cold and windy especially during the winter, I was there during a lovely warm day so I left thinking it was divine.

THEN WE TRAVELED TO……

Tantallon Castle! Tantallon Castle is a castle that dates back to the 1300’s.  It has been besieged several times with the last one in 1651 by Cromwell’s army that left it in ruins and hasn’t been inhabited or repaired since.  But still, it is a marvelous piece of medieval history that I was lucky enough to see.  Click on the link to read more about it!

This was the outer gate which lead to a plot of land where there probably werestables and other people working back when this castle was inhabited.

This is the Curtain Wall and the Gatehouse.

This is the interior of the gatehouse which you can see had several floors of accommodation.

Here is a picture I took probably from the top of the gatehouse looking towards where the Douglas Tower would have been.

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Here is a quick video for you to enjoy of all the clips I took while at the castle! Enjoy!

Our last stop took us to….

Berwick!  Another quaint seaside town.   It had all the happenings of a self sustaining town.  The thing I liked most about it was the fact that although it was a place that vacationers back in the day from Edinburgh went to, to get out of the city, it did not have the touristy trap atmosphere that I am so used to when traveling.  For example there were not Tantallon gift shops as the castle was just a few miles away.

And here is the church!

Well that concludes my time in Scotland and part 2 of my trip and my story! Hope you enjoyed it!

My first stop in my trip was to Reutlingen, Germany.  I went to visit my girlfriend,  meet her family, and learn about their lives.

Her brothers and I one day hiked up one of the local hills which overlooked the city.

And here is all of us on top of the hill

In the next few days Annika (my girlfriend) and her family took me to Hohenzollern Castle! It is a castle that dates back to the 11th century.  The castle that exists there now is the 3rd one to sit upon the hill where it lies.  It is said to have been the “most solid fortress in the German realm” and the “crown of all castles in Swabia”.  It was destroyed in a siege in 1423 and was rebuilt again in 1454.  It was sieged again in 1634 and left to ruins by the 19th century.  A third reconstruction began under Crown Prince Frederick William IV of Prussia.  The reconstruction finished in 1867 and is what I saw on my visit!

Interior Courtyard

Exterior Towers

More Exterior Towers

On one of the final days of my one week stay, they took me to Tubingen, one of the neighboring towns near Reutlingen.  It is a university town with tons of little shops, historic buildings, a pretty river.  It even has a castle too but we didn’t get to see that.  Maybe next time!

Some of the Pretty Houses on the River

The Historic Town Hall Building

This sign says “Goethe (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe) Puked here”  haha

The buildings have beautiful architecture

Well that is part 1 of my trip!

This spring, I made a 3 week euro trip to Germany and the UK.  I went to visit my girlfriend in Germany and spent a lot of time visiting my extended family in the UK as well as exploring while over there too.

Initially, the idea of this trip came about to see my Granny but it turned out to be that and so much more.

I saw so many things: castles, huge stretches of land, new towns and cities, revisited some towns and cities too, climbed mountains and hiked through fields and forests, made friends and learned their way of life.

In this trip I hoped to learn, and I believe I did that.  What I hope is to take what I learn and to do something with it in my life.

So in the next few days, I invite you to join me and I will tell you the story of my EURO TRIP 2010!!

Check out the map below to see the path that I took! Click on it to see it in higher detail!

I traveled to Germany and the UK.  In Germany I visited Reutlingen and Tubingen.  In the UK I visited Scotland, Wales, and England.