It may not be as well known as Munich’s Oktoberfest, but Belgium’s Beer Weekend is gaining attention as a top-notch showcase of the country’s extensive brewski offerings. Held in Brussels’ Grand-Place, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the festival includes a solemn consecration of the beer as well as processions, blind tastings and the expected forays into the pride-free zone. The action starts this Friday.Â

Yesterday I took my first ride on ICE, Germany’s high-speed train line, which routinely travels at speeds of over 300 kilometers (or 186 miles) per hour. The trip between Munich and Nuremberg took one hour, which is roughly half the time it takes to drive. As I was watching the scenery whip by, I couldn’t sense that we were actually going very fast. Sure, my eyes couldn’t rest long on a single object, but the horizon line unfolded at what felt like a normal pace. Then the track ran alongside the Autobahn and man, did we leave those cars in the dust. Best of all, it was as quiet as a whisper inside the car. Really, truly a pleasure.  You can get a sense of how fast that baby goes–and the videographer’s reaction–with this video.

This Sunday is the second running of Il Palio, the horse race that takes place every July and August in Siena, Italy. The tradition dates back to the Medieval times and involves jockeys riding bareback around a track that winds through the city’s main piazza. A few riders usually lose their mounts, which clearly is part of the attraction for the crowds who throng to this gorgeous city. See for yourself in this video.

July 14 is France’s independence day. In Paris, it is celebrated with an elaborate military parade. The festivities end with  fireworks at the Eiffel Tower, complete with an orchestra.Â

June 13 was the Feast of St. Anthony in Lisbon (who knew that the guy most commonly associated with Padua was actually Portuguese?). It’s a holiday of rituals both solemn and not and involves eating lots of sardines. The parties and sardine consumption continues throughout the month. Last night the skies over the Tagus River were lit up with fireworks.Â

The Northern Hemisphere summer solstice is just around the corner. From the Pagan hippie crowd at England’s Stonehenge to the rowdy party scene in Norway to the folksy celebrations in Austria–where people build bonfires on mountaintop ridges–see how people celebrate the longest day of the year.Â