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Will Hess
Will Hess

Will Hess

traveled in 15 countries Read more🇺🇸Wisconsin
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  • Will HessSpring break in SpainTraveler

    La Sagrada Familia

    March 28, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    Went on a self guided tour of Antoni Gaudí's finest work, La Sagrada Familia. Visually stunning outside and in, and absolutely massive. Construction is still in progress, scheduled to be completed in 2026, it'll be even taller once the main tower is completed.

    We ended up going to the top towers, followed by a stressful walk back down the 400 winding steps, all while stuck behind the world's slowest people. Still, probably the most impressive architecture I've seen. The view from the inside was definitely better than from the top, owing lots to the different colors streaming from the stained glass windows.    Read more

  • Will HessSpring break in SpainTraveler
    So goodThe view of La Rambla from our hotel room balcony

    Tapas!

    March 27, 2018 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 57 °F

    Took a nap for a few hours, and then set out for drinks and dinner.

    Our first stop was at Barcelona's main craft brewing bar, Abirradero. Their on-tap selection was not shabby, but I saw a gem on their bottled menu. They almost refused to sell it to us, because the "best by" date had passed ~2 months ago, but I convinced them to take my money and let us have it. Well worth the effort.

    We figured out the metro and made our way to dinner at Llamber, and every single thing we had was fantastic. We were pleasently surprised to see that the restaurant made good cocktails. Laura liked hers so much she got the same thing the second time around.

    Bellies full, headed back to the hotel to get out first full night's sleep in a few days.    Read more

  • Will HessSpring break in SpainTraveler

    Arrival in Barcelona, Casa Battló

    March 27, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    Slept like the dead for several blissful hours before it was time to get up again and catch an early flight to Barcelona. The travel was uneventful, and we made it into Barcelona around 11am.

    Our hotel room want ready, so we dropped our bags and went for a walk along La Rambla. We stopped in Mercado De La Boquiera and sampled fruit juice, a spicy burrito, and some mixed seafood.

    Continuing our walk down La Rambla, we ended up at Casa Battló, an extremely cool house rearchitected by Antoni Gaudí in the early 1900's, and refurbished over the years. "It is a universe of symbolism, a canvas of marine inspiration, a dream world, which evokes nature with its organic elements and is suggestive of fantasy." Extremely unique, the house has few straight lines and was not just visually appealing, but had inventive and effective methods of heat and ventilation. The VR-augmented tour was very well done, even if we did feel a bit silly with the provided blue headset and pointing the given iPhone at everything.

    We went looking for a beer, but the bar we wanted to go to was closed, so we decided to check in and take a much needed siesta.    Read more

  • Will HessSpring break in SpainTraveler

    Flying out

    March 26, 2018 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    It was a mad dash to get everything wrapped up before heading off to ORD to begin our long flight to Istanbul. Mira was less than enthused as we packed up, but perked up when we dropped her off with Bogey and Chris. She'll spend The first half of the week with them, then with Laura's parents until we come home.

    I scrambled to do some final work-things right up to when we boarded the plane, and then we settled in for a 10+ hour flight. We had a short layover, complicated when we got stuck in a holding pattern, so it was a mad dash to the other side of the airport to catch our flight to Rome. We made it in the nick of time, and were pleasently surprised to find our checked bag also made it on the plane in time.

    Caty is off to spend spring break in Italy, and Laura and I are going to catch some much needed sleep before our early morning flight to Barcelona tomorrow.

    Bonus: Tickled to see what the local news station thinks of our fearless leader.    Read more

  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalTraveler

    Last day

    August 19, 2017 in Germany ⋅ 🌧 61 °F

    Spent the last day in Munich.

    Started by visiting the marktplatz, and then heading over to walk through Sendlinger Tor (the city gate).

    Then spent a solid 90 minutes waiting in line to get into the Deutsches Museum, which was well worth the wait. The museum is massive, with seven floors all housing multiple exhibits of science. I particularly enjoyed learning about how paper was made and how production grew in Europe over the centuries, as well as the technology exhibit. Weird to see some of your childhood in a museum...

    From there I actually went back to the market to buy lunch from a stall and meander through the various souvinere tents, before heading off to Hofbräuhaus to experience perhaps the world's most famous beer hall. It was quite an experience.

    Time to pack up and get ready to go back to the US. I've had a blast, but am excited to go home!    Read more

  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalTraveler
    Stairs are more treacherous than you'd expectLooks like I'm not driving back down

    Pilgrimage to Andechs

    August 17, 2017 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    Since 1455, Benedictine monks have been managing an Abbey on the holy mountain of Bavaria. The first documented pilgrimages date back to the 12th century, making it through oldest place of pilgrimage in Bavaria.

    It just so happens that they also operate a brewery, and a pretty fantastic one at that, which may or may not have encouraged me to make said pilgrimage.

    Took the train down to Herrsching to begin a march through the woods and up the mountain. There is a very clear path with minimal places to accidentally turn off the trail. I did not take that path.

    I ended up starting (accidentally) from a different point, which ended up being a good thing, as the trail was much more challenging and woodsy, which I really appreciated. I took the normal path down, so I got some variety​ in for good measure.

    I popped out right in front of the monastery, which was delightfully cool, in both senses of the word. Didn't see any of the monks around, so I figured I'd check to see if they were at the bräustüberl and have a beer while I was at it. Still no sight of them, so settled in to wait and had lunch (delicious pork), and another beer or three.    Read more

  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalTraveler

    Train to Munich

    August 16, 2017 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    Packed up and headed to the train station way earlier than necessary out of an abundance of caution. Was a little paranoid about making sure I got on the right time this time. It was one of the longer train rides I've taken, and I was starving by the time I got in.

    Luckily there was a beer hall practically immediately outside the station. I had the obligatory pretzel, and enjoyed a dunkel, which was a great choice after all the kölsch in Köln.

    I walked around Munich a bit, seeing Feldherrnhalle, the site of Hitler's beer haul putsch, as well as Marienplatz. I poked my head into Hofbräuhaus, but just to see it -- I'll spend some time there later.

    One thing I wanted to try was real German schnapps, so I made a point of getting some at dinner. So many flavors to pick from! I ended up asking for blackberry, but the language barrier was too much, and he brought a menu with drawings of the fruits to point at. Blackberry was not one of the options, so I ended up with Cherry. It was very subtle, not like the syrup schnapps I've had in the US, so I enjoyed it

    Oddly enough, my hotel is cow themed. Maybe that will make the transition from sabbatical back to wisconsin life a little less jarring?    Read more

  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalTraveler

    Roman-Germanic Museum

    August 15, 2017 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    Another rainy day here in Germany. Finally one of the places I've stayed in had an umbrella, which made the 10 minute walk over to the museum much more tolerable.

    The museum is packed to the gills with Roman artifacts excavated here in Köln or along the Rhine. I particularly enjoyed the various weapons and tools from pre-civilization eras, but the coins and jewelry from the Roman empire were fascinating as well.

    Went back to the brewery for lunch to earn more tickmarks on a coaster, but no cases of mistaken identity this time.    Read more

  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalTraveler
    Das zoo
    Mid-jump!Das penguinsDas tigerDas camel floppenhumpenDas kitteh

    Day at the Zoo

    August 14, 2017 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    All the Museums are closed on Mondays, and it was a beautiful day, so I definitely wanted to spend it outside. Went for a huge walk exploring the city. Cologne has one of those padlock for love Bridges, and I gotta say, they're not messing around. I'd seen them in Paris, Italy, and Brussels, but this bridge was nuts. Every square inch along the pathway for a full km had two or three locks crammed on it.

    Across the bridge I headed for a park, but couldn't find a way to get behind the convention center, and eventually reached the opposite bridge that would take me to the zoo.

    The tiger was sleepy, the bears we're fighting each other, and I got an action shot of a sea puppy (seal) jumping out of the water, so I'll consider it €20 well spent.    Read more

  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalTraveler
    Super cool
    The potatoes were phenomenalRight outside the Köln train station. Its huge!Never made it over to AtomiumThis isnt the train that goes to Köln...One more from Flowertime that I saw before heading to the trainstation

    Trains

    August 13, 2017 in Germany ⋅ 🌙 61 °F

    Had the privilege of taking more trains than I had planned for, when a helpful attendant advised me to get on the wrong train. Realized the error when we started to pull in to the airport train station, rather than continuing to head East. Luckily, she hadn't advised me to get on a train headed to France or Amsterdam, and it just meant I had to head back to the Nord station, wait for the same route train two hours later.

    Once I was on the right train, I got to do some verbal sparring with a conductor, as no one had given me an it's-not-my-fault sticker and wanted me to pay a new fare. I played up the language barrier, and he eventually gave up in frustration. I was much relieved when we finally pulled into Cologne/Köln and I could get off the train.

    I'm carrying two very heavy suitcases filled with souvinere beers from Belgian breweries, so I was eager to stop dragging/carrying them around. Made my way to the Airbnb I'm staying in, which, naturally is located on the 5th floor, so I got to carry the suitcases up as a final slap in the face.

    That worked up a mighty hunger (and thirst), so I took a short walk to a local brewery the Airbnb host recommend: Päffgen. They have a few beers available, but everyone is drinking their kölsch, which they dispense from large kegs and repeatedly swap out empty glasses, making a tick mark on each guest's coaster to keep track for the bill. Gotta say it was a cool experience, and the beer was refreshing and clean after a full week of sours and heavy beers.

    The menu was entirely in German, and while I was tempted to get the 3/4th meter bratwurst, I opted for something that seemed like it came with veggies, and chose the roast beef over the pig feet.

    Bit of an awkward moment when a girl mistook me for her blind date (language barrier strikes again), before she saw her girlfriend and realized her mistake. Then I became drinking buddies with an old German couple. Prost!    Read more

  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalTraveler

    Last day in Bruxelles

    August 12, 2017 in Belgium ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    My time in Bruxelles is coming to an end. I'll have more than just fond memories to take with me though, I spent the day buying various potables and libations to bring with on the next leg of the journey. Will be an interesting challenge trying to get them there (and back to the States) intact.

    Also got to enjoy flowertime, and the various arrangements put together by Artisan florists.

    Chris had recommended a place right by Mannekan Pis called Poechenellekelder. Super cool place, with many puppets and other knickknacks decorating the walls and ceiling. Great beer selection too!

    Bonus pictures: Laura picked up Mira from my mom today. She's so big!! Miss my pup!    Read more

  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalTraveler
    2

    Brussels Museum of the Gueuze, Cantillon

    August 11, 2017 in Belgium ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Went to one of my absolute favorite breweries today, one of the last remaining breweries that makes beer, specially lambic beer, in the traditional spontaneous fermentation method used for centuries.

    For a paltry €7, I was given the run of the place for a self guided tour (complete with a helpful guide that identified each room's equipment, propose, and history), along with a tasting at the end of the tour.

    The place itself was impressive, the building and equipment well used, and the smells delightful. They only brew from October-April when the temperature is cool enough to support it, but they were still busy testing barrels, cleaning bottles, and selling merch to Fanboys like myself.

    For the tasting I got to try a Gueuze straight from one of their barrels (they normally blend different ages of barrels for their final product), as well as their Kriek -- my favorite. I then had another two bottles of stuff I'll probably never see in the states along with some Gueuze cheese from Dupont (also delicious), and then loaded up my backpack and another box with essentially as much as I could carry of bottles to bring home.    Read more

  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalTraveler

    The Royal Palace and Manneken Pis

    August 10, 2017 in Belgium ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    Spent the first part of the day touring the Royal palace in Brussels. The thai jewel beetle shell ceiling was unique and beautiful. The palace itself is interesting with its many chandeliers and paintings, but it was the artifacts from prince Charles' life that I enjoyed the most. One of his report cards suggested that he'd do much better it he paid more attention in class.

    After the walking through the palace, I walked all the way over to the Parc du Cinquantenaire. By the time I got there, the rain was coming down pretty hard, so I took shelter under a tent set up in the park to have lunch. When it became clear the rain was here to stay, I went inside (for WiFi and to dry out) to do something much neglected -- figuring out lodging and transportation for the last week of the trip, which was getting alarmingly close.

    That accomplished, I needed to see one of the iconic landmarks of Brussels - Mannekin Pis. The cheeky devil is gearing up for the flowertime, which starts tomorrow. The famous flower carpet is only done in even numbered years, but I'm happy to settle to seeing the Grand-Place decked out.

    Dinner once again failed to disappoint - tempura veggies, and some sort of Belgian-poultry-but-not-chicken dish served at Pré de Chez Nous.    Read more

  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalTraveler

    Happy Meyboom!

    August 9, 2017 in Belgium ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Today is the day of the Mayboom planting, a delightfully odd tradition born from a dispute over the taxation of beer in the 13th century. Each year, a parade of giants, marching bands, ceremonial soldiers, and a large birch tree make their way into the Grand Place with much pomp and ceremony. Afterwards, the tree is carried through the city until it is planted.

    I spent a good while figuring out when and where it actually started, and then decided to just get a good spot in the Grand place to watch the finale.

    The branches and leaves are distributed to the crowd and along the route, primarily to women and girls. Happy Meyboom :)    Read more

  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalTraveler
    1

    Don't let the rain hold you back

    August 8, 2017 in Belgium ⋅ 🌧 59 °F

    Forecast called for a rainy day, so I figured it was a perfect day to spend inside some of Brussels' many museums. Went to the Musée Old Masters Museum, the Musée Modern Museum, tge Musée Magritte Museum, and the new Musée Fin-de-Siècle Museum.

    It was a bit of a struggle, given that most things of interest were written in French or Dutch, but there were some helpful kiosks that gave history and context to some of the more major pieces.

    I had skipped breakfast, and by the time I got out of the museums, I was half starved. Lunch was at Moeder Lambic, offering up a selection of fantastic sour beers straight from the cask. I went home and read on the balcony while the rain came down, and once it abated, headed out to dinner at Nüetnigenough. They were completely packed, except for the tables outside. The waiter was reluctant to let me have one of them for fear of rain, but I insisted. The weather held, and the food was sublime.    Read more

  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalTraveler
    1

    Bruxelles 2

    August 7, 2017 in Belgium ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    When I woke from my hibernation, I was immediately ready for breakfast, so I set out to get an authentic Belgian waffle. It was hot, and accidentally placed in a little bit of chocolate, which was the perfect amount of chocolate for me.

    I then started the attempt to get myself good and lost exploring the city. It didn't take long, and I saw tons of cool stuff when wandering the streets. The flowers come out in a few days at the Grand place, but other places in the city are already gearing up for it.

    I plopped myself in À la Bécasse for lunch and a flight of beers, and passed the afternoon sipping and reading.

    I'd hit all the major Belgian flavors this point, save moules + frites, do dinner was my chance to change that. When you don't understand any of the three languages on the menus, sometimes what you think is a tomato bisque really is a tomato with mayonnaise, pretty much my two least favorite foods. At least I got the mussels right!    Read more

  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalTraveler

    Arrival in Bruxelles

    August 6, 2017 in Belgium ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    Laura made her way to the airport, and I made my way to the train station. The theme of the morning for both of us was "Security Lines". Laura spent an eternity trying to get on her first flight due to the line, but mine was merely annoying. (She made it back to Madison just fine.)

    Once I got in to Brussels/Bruxelles, I had beer on the brain, so I stopped for lunch and a tall pour. Checking in to my place was challenging due to a language barrier and some cell phone issues, but it worked out in the end. The place I'm staying at is modern, and a sweet bachelor pad. It came with a fully stocked bar -- too bad I'll be focused on beers. I did a little bit of walking around, and had street food for dinner (with frites).

    Also found a pretty cool place called "taste this beer", which let you have about 20 small self serve pulls of various Belgian beers. It was an interesting concept, but their selection wasn't too exploratory. Still, talking with the owner was fruitful about where to go to buy/try, so it was worth the €15.

    We had gotten up earlier than normal, and I was feeling fairly exhausted -- it's been an active trip, so I went to bed early and slept for 14 hours. Feeling refreshed, it's time to go exploring.    Read more

  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalTraveler
    1

    Paris

    August 5, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    Headed to Paris as the finale for Laura's leg of the trip. We got in too early to check in, so we dropped our bags at the hotel and started walking. We were only a few blocks from the iron lady, so we headed straight there to take it in. It was fun to watch all the other tourists jump around and do other silly things while posing for pictures. We kept ours pretty simple.

    We had a quick lunch, and headed on over to the arc de triumphe. Took us a while to figure out that you need to go underground to actually get to it. We watched the chaos of the heavy traffic of cars and busses going around roundabout, and then hopped on a hop on / hop off bus to see the other landmarks.

    We rode for a good ~90 minutes, before hopping off at the Louvre. Our sunscreen was still in the bags at the hotel, and we were starting to turn a little pink sitting in the sun, and the music selection on the bus was more than a little repetitive.

    Once we finished admiring the glass pyramids, we walked to Notre Dame, and then back to the hotel along the river, stopping for another crepe (cinnamon).

    We had champagne and dinner at a French restaurant near the hotel, which seemed like the perfect way to end the trip.    Read more

  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalTraveler
    I feel a connection to this shop

    Bordeaux wine tour

    August 4, 2017 in France ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F

    We had time to kill before we needed to board the van that would take us out to the vineyards, so we hopped back on the bikes and rode up to a lake on the north end of Bordeaux and had lunch.

    Once it was time, we hopped on the bus and started the 45 minute drive out to Château de La Dauphine. Our driver and guide was impressively knowledgeable, so the drive itself was enjoyable and we learned a fair bit about the land, local winemakers, and business.

    At the Château/vineyard, we got to see the Château itself, which was a very old building that had been abandoned/looted and then restored by the previous owner. We walked over to a plot of the actual vines, and learned about the upkeep, growth, and harvest. This year many vineyards lost a sufficient portion of their yield due two days of frost, but the place we were touring only lost about 10%. Since then, the weather has been great, hot and dry (the vines should struggle for water), so it's looking like it'll be a good year if things continue for the next two months until it is time for harvest. They only have 10 people working the several hundred acre land year round, with another 50 seasonal workers for a three week harvest. They run an organic operation, so they're constantly on the lookout for disease or bug infestations to contain and prevent further spread.

    From there we moved on to where they press and ferment. They have a state of the art gravity fed system, which is very atypical for the region. They explained how the seeds and skins rise to the top, and they run the juice through it twice a day for ~three weeks, giving the wine it's color and tannins.

    Then we saw the barrel storage area, and learned about the different barrel vendors and toasting levels that are used.

    At the end of the process, they end up with 100,000 of their 'first wine' - the one they get to name after their Château, and another 50,000 of their 'second wine'.

    We finished off the tour with a game of trying to guess several vials of different extracts by smell. The correct answers were Strawberry, Smoke, Vanilla, and Cherry. We got two of four right (way off on Cherry, but super close on smoke -- we thought it was either smoke or tobacco). They served us a glass of their second and first wine, imparting the methods of viewing, nosing, and tasting them.

    We hopped back in the van and role to another, more modest Château. We tasted the grapes there, had another few glasses as well as some bread/cheese/meat/chocolate.

    Finally, we took a short trip to the nearby town of St. Emillion, named after a hermit monk and walked through the cathedral and town. The cobblestones were a bit treacherous after the wine, but we both made it without any new cuts or bruises.    Read more

  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalTraveler

    Second dinner in Bordeaux

    August 3, 2017 in France ⋅ 🌙 72 °F

    After having eating roughly half the baguettes in France over the past few days, I was dying for a lower-carb, higher-protein meal, so we booked a reservation at 'La Tupina'.

    When we walked in and were greeted by the sight and smell of meats roasting over a wood fire, I knew we had picked the right place. We had ham, scallops, duck breast, and duck confit paired with a bottle of Bordeaux wine.

    For dessert, Laura had red berry sorbet, while I had a pour of 30 yr old Armagnac.

    Delicious.    Read more

  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalTraveler
    1

    Biking around Bordeaux

    August 3, 2017 in France ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Spent our first day in Bordeaux leveraging the City bikes to get around and see the various points of interest, stopping here and there for lunch or a glass of wine.

    We managed to find that little trinket that we had been looking for as a souvenir for Laura, a pretty little handmade bracelet from a small shop we happened upon.

    We've seen lots of very cool cathedrals in Italy and France, and Bordeaux is no exception. The place we rented on Airbnb is a legit mansion, and definitely the nicest of the trip.    Read more

  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalTraveler

    Palais de Papes

    August 2, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 93 °F

    Before leaving Avignon, we hit the Palace of the Popes, which was one of the coolest places we've gone in on the trip. The history of its construction, it's inhabitants, and the sieges laid against it through the years were fascinating for both of us.

    They were also using the space for an exhibit for African art, which seemed fairly mismatched. We largely ignored it and focused our attention on the architecture, history, and artifacts.

    We probably spent a solid two hours there, and needed to hustle back to the hotel to grab our belongings and hit the road to head west for Bordeaux. Laura always wanted to run out of gas on the highway of a country where we don't speak the language, so I pushed our luck a bit to make her happy. We made it, but returning the car to the rental place tested our patience. Time for a glass of wine...    Read more

  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalTraveler

    Night in Avignon

    August 1, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F

    Avignon is definitely one of our favorite places we've been to on the trip, and was worth enduring the traffic jam. The place we stayed at was impressive, and you never would have known looking from the outside. A small square building contained a long hallway that opened up into a beautiful courtyard, with stairs leading up to a few sets of rooms. Our room was very nice as well, and we admired the stonework and general sense of history it exuded.

    I really wanted to try some more French beers, so we stopped at an outside bar to sample one.

    We walked around the city, and to the end of the Point d'Avignon. Somehow the official mistook my "can we go in" gesture for "I'm doing a bad job of it, but I'm showing you my tickets", so we saved a couple Euros and got in for free.

    We found another great little restaurant outside for our dinner and wine, and just hung out there sipping on a rosé until we called it a night.    Read more

  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalTraveler
    Mine was strawberry, Laura's honey
    How I feel after 2 hrs of traffic jam with no end in sight

    Heading to Avignon

    August 1, 2017 in France ⋅ ☀️ 93 °F

    Our time in Nice was over all too soon, and we started to pack up to hit the road. Before hopping in the car, we realized we hadn't yet had a single crepe in France, and headed back into old town to correct that.

    We saw the flower market (which is really more a farmer's market), and bought some fruit to snack on during our drive.

    Getting out of the city was a bit rough, as our GPS failed to perform, and the maze of one way streets compounded our confusion. It was slated to be a pretty quick drive, but we hit a terrible traffic jam -- they had closed the other side of a major highway due to a logging truck going over the railing and spilling it's cargo all over the road. It probably doubled our drive time, and we were both very much ready to get out of the car by the time we pulled in to Avignon -- it was beer o'clock.    Read more

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