wilbil https://wilbil.com Treasures from Europe Mon, 23 Jul 2018 13:20:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://wilbil.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/cropped-wb_ico7-32x32.png wilbil https://wilbil.com 32 32 Money https://wilbil.com/2018/02/25/money/ Sun, 25 Feb 2018 03:14:49 +0000 http://wilbil.com/?p=9471 There is something I haven’t mentioned about my trip.

So just imagine this. I have been planning to take this trip for almost 20 years. I finally said yes and asked my dad to come with me. I then spent months planning and preparing for it. When we got to the airport in the Netherlands, I took out 60€. Cool.

That was the only time my ATM card worked for the entire trip!

I was beside myself. Freaking out, I tried almost every ATM I found along the way with the same results. No soup for you (money that is). I spent an hour on the phone with my bank to see if they could do something. They said they couldn’t help me. Don’t worry, when I returned home, I got a new bank. Anyway, we had determined that the chip in my card, that had been working fine at home, was now damaged. I took my dreaded credit card with me as a backup, and it got some use while out shopping. I say dreaded because I hate credit cards. My debit card is my good buddy, but I despise credit cards.

Thankfully, my dad was kind enough to loan me money throughout the trip. My hero. Thanks again, Dad.

 

]]> 9471 WOW moments https://wilbil.com/2018/02/25/wow-moments/ Sun, 25 Feb 2018 03:05:13 +0000 http://wilbil.com/?p=9439 There were many amazing moments on the trip. I have a hard time picking the best, so here are a few that stand out:

St. Peter’s Basilica

Gazing down the nave at the baldachin and upward at the rays of light streaming down overwhelmed me with emotion. I had dreamed of coming here for some time. My dream was now a reality.


Hiking in the Swiss Alps

I’ve seen mountains in the highlands of Scotland and the Appalachians back home. But the Swiss Alps bring home the gold medal (yes, the Winter Olympics are on now). We were there on a clear, bright day, and the colors were so vivid. As the trail would turn, I would see something new and just be blown away at the beauty. I kept stopping just to let these moments soak in.


Wandering in rothenburg

I’m so enamored with Germany, and this town was so much fun. Taking blue hour photos in the evening felt like a magical time warp.


]]> 9439 Total Mileage https://wilbil.com/2018/02/25/total-mileage/ Sun, 25 Feb 2018 02:46:14 +0000 http://wilbil.com/?p=9423

In the description of the tour, it says this is one of their most active tours. Yes indeed. Here are the miles walked from my telephone app. I realize of course this might not be as accurate as a Fitbit, but it works for me. I have a wanderlust issue. What’s around the corner?

Here are the miles I Walked on the tour:

1.9
Day 1

Travel day

8.8
Day 2

Haarlem

11
Day 3

Amsterdam

4.9
Day 4

Keukenhof Gardens

5.3
Day 5

Bacharach

6
Day 6

Rothenburg

4
Day 7

Bavaria

7.5
Day 8

Neuschwanstein

5.2
Day 9

Venice

10.6
Day 10

Venice

6.6
Day 11

Florence

10.5
Day 12

Florence

7.2
Day 13

Rome

11.3
Day 14

Rome

7.7
Day 15

Cinque Terre

11.3
Day 16

Cinque Terre

2
Day 17

Travel to Switzerland

8.7
Day 18

Lauterbrunnen Valley

5.8
Day 19

Beaune

11.2
Day 20

Paris

9.3
Day 21

Paris

9.1
Day 22

Versailles

3.1
Day 23

Travel home

]]> 9423 Ferrara Fresco https://wilbil.com/2018/02/25/ferrara-fresco/ Sun, 25 Feb 2018 02:24:11 +0000 http://wilbil.com/?p=9463 On our way to Florence, we stopped in Ferrara to see the castle and get some lunch. The castle had Frescos on the ceilings but it looked as if there was structural damage. The Frescos appeared to be taped along the cracks in the ceiling. I was curious why.

]]> 9463 I Amsterdam https://wilbil.com/2018/02/25/i-amsterdam/ Sun, 25 Feb 2018 02:19:28 +0000 http://wilbil.com/?p=9460 Outside of the Rijksmuseum is the famous “I Amsterdam” sign. I wanted to take dad’s photo in front of it, but there were a lot of people. I asked dad to go up there, and he stood next to this pretty girl inside the d letter. Okay. Sadly, I didn’t take more photos as we were meeting soon for the next part of the trip, and I had no money and had to call the bank to see why my card wasn’t working.

]]> 9460 Kneelers https://wilbil.com/2018/02/25/kneelers/ Sun, 25 Feb 2018 01:16:38 +0000 http://wilbil.com/?p=9457 Here is something new I had not seen before. Shortly after we got off the plane and into Haarlem, we went to mass. The kneelers at St. Joseph’s were always in the down position. Hanging up in front of the kneelers were these dense mats that acted as a cushion. It was kinda cool.

Here I thought the mass I picked was an English-speaking mass. Uh, no. I got my times turned around. Sadly, I am used to web sites with the local church times posted. We came into mass part way through, and it was entirely in Dutch. Okay, here we go Dad. I felt like a peasant in olden days who could not understand Latin — left to study the artwork and architecture. I noticed the smell first. It was old and wet… quite musty. I was curious if this was a first of many to come.

]]> 9457 Camera bag thoughts https://wilbil.com/2018/02/25/camera-bag-thoughts/ Sun, 25 Feb 2018 01:10:03 +0000 http://wilbil.com/?p=9493 I own and maintain a pretty mean and lean camera kit. I have a 50mm lens, and it covers “most” things since I am attached to the zoom portion of this lens (my feet). However, I wanted a wide-angle lens for this trip, and something longer than a 50mm would be nice. So I opted for renting a lens. I have worked with Lens Rentals for years, and they are an outstanding place to try new equipment. I rented the grand-daddy zoom lens, the Canon 24-70mm 2.8 II, and was so happy to use this lens again. There were a few times I wish I could have had a wider or a longer lens, but for 90% of the time, this lens did the job. Very well. It was the only lens I brought. I took a small speedlite with me too. If you are going to the trouble to bring an SLR, renting a lens is worth considering.

]]> 9493 De Papegaai https://wilbil.com/2018/02/25/de-papegaai/ Sun, 25 Feb 2018 00:57:54 +0000 http://wilbil.com/?p=9450 Here are some of the photos from St. Peter and St. Paul’s church that had the bird motif. I learned the locals refer to it as “De Papegaai” (The Parrot). The Catholic Church was originally hidden behind a house that belonged to a bird trader when Catholicism wasn’t legal.

]]> 9450 Roman Mirrors https://wilbil.com/2018/02/24/roman-mirrors/ Sat, 24 Feb 2018 20:17:47 +0000 http://wilbil.com/?p=9447 This was our mirror in Rome. Even though it was in the bathroom, I think it was for checking your clothing.

]]> 9447 Tuscan lights https://wilbil.com/2018/02/24/tuscan-lights/ Sat, 24 Feb 2018 19:00:17 +0000 http://wilbil.com/?p=9444 I know I don’t get out much, but who stole the rest of the lamp shade? I had not seen shades like this before. I like these more than the full shades as the shades often diffuse too much of the light. Being able to bounce and diffuse the light is a nice change. It also gives a nice cast on a colored wall. These were in our room in Florence.

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