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Will Hess
Will Hess

Will Hess

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

    Heading to Avignon

    1 августа 2017 г., Франция ⋅ ☀️ 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.    Читать далее

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  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalПутешественник
    1

    2nd night in Nice

    31 июля 2017 г., Франция ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    Since we failed in our quest to find a place to swim up in the mountains, we desperately wanted to hit one of the beaches Nice has to offer. The water was fantastic, and the surf made for a great swim.

    Feeling like we had gotten some much needed exercise after a day in the car, we headed back into old town to find a good place to eat. Once again, dinner was first rate. Nice is a great place to walk around at night, with a lively stretch along the beach and promenade.

    Also pictured was the tiny elevator in our hotel, which had a nasa-style rocket launch countdown as you ascend. Laura was not amused.    Читать далее

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  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalПутешественник

    Driving in the French Alpes-Maritimes

    31 июля 2017 г., Франция ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    We had booked a canyoning trip that required us to get up at 6am to get a rental car to drive three hours to the rendezvous point, but when 6am rolled around we both decided to consider the reservation fee a sunk cost and roll over for some additional sleep.

    When we finally did get out of bed, we decided to take a leisurely drive through the mountains, and see if we could find a mountain stream to take a dip in. We failed to find much in terms of rivers, streams, or lakes (at least nothing that seemed like it didn't carry terrible bacteria), but the drive was nice and the views staggeringly impressive.

    On the way up we stopped in a tiny town that had a outdoor restaurant, and had pizza and a half pitcher of the house wine. Feeling energized, we started zigzagging our way up and down the mountain roads.

    Our highest elevation point was probably at a tiny town called St-Aubun, which had a mountain trail tucked away in the very back of the town. I'm 60% sure that climbing it was at least discouraged if not illegal, but there was a cool ruined archway at the top I really wanted to check out.

    On the way back down we stopped at another time town to have a beer. We speak minimal French, and they spoke minimal English, so it was mostly gestures and pantomimes when it came time to order. No idea what kind we had, but it was fun to watch the town dogs while we sipped.    Читать далее

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  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalПутешественник
    2

    First Night/Dinner in Nice

    30 июля 2017 г., Франция ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    After checking in, we headed over to old town to stretch our legs after sitting still most of the day. Before we made it down there, we climbed up to the city's observation point to get a good view of Nice and see the very pretty man-made waterfall.

    After taking in the layout of the town, we headed down to see the cathedral at the center of town, have a drink, and do some people watching.

    The concierge had recommended a restaurant featuring live jazz, which caused Laura's face to light up, so we headed there for dinner and had another fantastic meal, wine, and dessert (apple tart flambe). It's a good thing we're doing so much walking to burn it all off.    Читать далее

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  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalПутешественник
    1

    Train ride to Nice

    30 июля 2017 г., Франция ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    Woke up early for one last swim (I let Laura keep sleeping) before we packed up and checked out. A series of delayed trains made our ride into France take a little longer than planned, but we made it with plenty of time left in the afternoon to walk around and have dinner.

    We went past kilometers and kilometers of beach, which made for an interesting view on the way over. Monaco and Monte Carlo were impressive as well, but I'm glad we're staying in Nice instead.    Читать далее

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  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalПутешественник
    1

    Last night in Riomaggiore

    29 июля 2017 г., Италия ⋅ 🌙 73 °F

    Could definitely spend another week in Cinque Terre. Tomorrow we travel to Nice, but I thought about switching our train schedule so we could get another hike in in the morning.

    We putzed around a bit in the morning (after more cafe and cornettos), and ended up at the beach as the ferry was closed due to rough seas. Swam a bit, tanned, and rescued a little girl from the riptide, sustaining some minor injuries in the process. Italy has inflicted its fair share of minor injuries on both of us. Each time we went to the beach, we were highly amused watching people attempt to get in and out of the water on the rocky beach, including a fairly comical failure by a girl in a Badgers hat.

    We took the train over to Monterosso and rented a double kayak, and miraculously avoided sunburn during the sun's peak overv the sea. After burning off the wine from last night via heavy paddling, we made it over to Manarola to have a feast of seafood. I like to think I rocked the bib with style, but you be the judge.

    From there, headed back to Riomaggiore, and had a good laugh at some of the other people's waiting for the train panicking that they wouldn't get up in time for the train that blew through the station going 110km/hr. Laura is still in tears thinking about it.    Читать далее

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  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalПутешественник

    Dinner in Riomaggiore

    28 июля 2017 г., Италия ⋅ 🌙 73 °F

    Ate dinner at a little restaurant right by the water. The food was fresh, clean, and yummy. A couple men played live music on a nearby balcony, and we enjoyed people-watching as we dined.

    After dinner we walked down to sit on the rocks and do some star gazing. After watching some kids jump in and swim, I felt the need to do the same, and stripped down and dove in for a midnight swim. The water is great!Читать далее

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  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalПутешественник

    Hiking trails in Cinque Terre

    28 июля 2017 г., Италия ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    Slept in until 9:30 this morning, which was wonderful. Once we dragged ourselves out of bed, we walked down to town and had an espresso and cornettos, and bought some focaccia/meat/cheese to pack for lunch.

    Some of the trails are still closed from natural disasters, so we took the train over to Cornelia (it was late, no real surprise) and began the trail over to Vernazza. The coastal trail we hiked was one of the more difficultly rated ones, and while it wasn't too difficult for us, it definitely gave us a good workout. The views were spectacular, and we had to make sure we stopped to admire the view, as the risk of admiring it while walking carried the risk of a twisted ankle.

    Going down was probably harder than going up, but once we made it to Vernazza, we had a fantastically delicious and refreshing lemon granita. We found a roped off cave (which we ignored) that lead to a beautiful beach.    Читать далее

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  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalПутешественник

    Journey to Cinque Terre

    27 июля 2017 г., Италия ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Left Florence this morning via train, which ended up running a little late, causing us to miss our connection in Pisa. Wasn't too long a wait, and we ended up making it to Riomaggiore relatively early in the day.

    After hauling our luggage up the stairs to our room (not an easy task, but manageable), we walked around the town. Laura had been looking forward to fried calamari since we landed in Rome, so we made sure to check that one of the list right away.

    We needed to burn that off, and we were both dying for a swim, so we suited up and headed down to the water. It's only rocky beaches in Riomaggiore, so entering and exiting the water is tricky, but once you're in it's fantastic. We swam for a good half hour, and then climbed up some rocks to rest, bask in the sun, and watch the waves break on the rocks. As we got back in the water, my foot started to cramp, I sustained a (minor) cut on my hand, and promptly got stung by a jellyfish, so it was time to get out.

    We headed back to the room, and enjoyed a bottle of wine on the patio before dinner. We hiked up to the top of town to eat dinner at a place with a beautiful view and watched the sun set. Being that we're on the coast, seafood was a must. As we headed back, we stumbled upon a classical music performance, which felt like the perfect end to the night.    Читать далее

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  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalПутешественник

    Florence pt 2

    26 июля 2017 г., Италия ⋅ 🌙 73 °F

    Went to the market in the early afternoon, and had my first beer of the trip -- Chris seemed to be getting antsy that I wasn't recording anything in my beer tracker. We had lunch there at the End, but we could have made a meal sampling all the vendor's items (everything topped with truffles).

    Laura found a great wine tasting for us to do, and we had a blast learning about their vineyard and organic philosophy. Couldn't resist buying a few bottles to bring back (let's see how long they make it...)

    We moderated our food intake, because we had reservations at a Michelin star restaurant. The food was fantastic, but that's been true pretty much everything we've eaten.    Читать далее

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  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalПутешественник
    2

    Florence

    26 июля 2017 г., Италия ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Florence is beautiful. The place we're staying in is a building erected in the 12th century, and has a lot of character. While the hostess explained how to run the A/C and operate the locks (in Italian), I read the poorly translated sign and failed to make any sense of it, other than getting a sense of alarm. Laura and I had a good laugh after reading the Italian version, basically saying don't use the a/c and water heater at the same time or it would blow the fuse.

    We went out for dinner and drinks at one of the places Laura's friend Monia recommended, where Laura got along famously with the wait staff. I, on the otherhand, had my glass of wine taken from me (it was meant for another table). We had the bistecca alla fiorentina (T bone the size of my head) and a truffle pasta that was phenomenal. After dinner, we had a quick apéritif and some grappa at a nearby bar.

    Next morning, hit Florence and saw the major landmarks. The piazzale Michaelangelo offered the best view of the city.    Читать далее

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  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalПутешественник

    Walking around Rome

    25 июля 2017 г., Италия ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    Woke up feeling 100x better after some much needed rest. We had breakfast at a little cafe, then set a brisk pace to see some of the relatively close landmarks to us. The Pantheon was impressive, and we also saw the Spanish steps, trevi fountain, campo de' fiori, and the Vatican.

    Had lunch and another small restaurant, and then booked it to the train station to take the 250km/hr train to Florence. Made it with 10 minutes to spare, and enjoyed listening to some interesting conversations the other passengers were having...    Читать далее

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  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalПутешественник

    Night in Rome

    24 июля 2017 г., Италия ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    Made it to Rome. Got absolutely zero sleep on the plane to Copenhagen, and Laura and Caty were pretty tired during the three hour layover. Got into Rome on time, and once we checked in to the room we rented, we both feel awake to head out to dinner. Rome was alive, and we sat down at a cute little restaurant where we could enjoy the great weather.

    The food was great, and the wine fantastic. Plan is to sleep in, get breakfast, and walk around to see a few of the landmarks before catching the train to Florence in the afternoon.    Читать далее

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  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalПутешественник

    Flight to Rome

    23 июля 2017 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    All packed up, and ready to fly. Got to ORD with plenty of time to spare. Never been able to sleep on a plane. Laura drugged me up, so here's hoping I zonk out on the way over. A quick stop in Copenhagen, and then off to Rome!Читать далее

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  • Will HessEurope SabbaticalПутешественник
    1

    Dropping Mira off with my parents

    22 июля 2017 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    Drove up to Marinette with Mira to hand her off to my parents while I'm travelling. Will miss her tons. Bet she'll be huge when I get back.

    When I was a kid, I made a game out of finding vans with the rear ladders on them. Getting harder each year, but I saw one on the drive up!

    Been trying to wrap up work this weekend... Think I'll make it. Need to start packing -- flying out tonight!!! Will land in Rome on Monday at 4pm local time.    Читать далее

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