Small Things

Scroll down to see those special small things we discovered

30 years of marriage taught us that every moment counts.

And not to miss the small things. On this trip we learned even more to treasure our time together and that little things were the most memorable.

Fantastic Friends

We met so many new friends on our trip because only truly great people travel with Rick Steves. We still think of them often because they added so much fun to the trip and made it more meaningful. It was a delight to get to know them all. Here are just a few of them.

Mark and Julie

Dan the “crazy Canadian” and Libby who were celebrating their 4oth Anniversary!

We adopted her so she is “Aunt” Peggy

Anthony and Mark, always trying to problem solve

Carly and I were buddies always making sure we were on the bus and ready to roll

Sue, Carly and Lindsay, aka the Utah Three

In front of Mercurio Hotel in Venice

Tom and Gerry, always ready for fun

Wouldn’t you know they would pick Dan to model the Venetian masks. He did such a great job he might have a second career!

Gerry and Sandy, half of what we called the Auburn Four

Laura, Wendy, Akiko and Bob

Me and “Aunt” Peggy – I love you Auntie Peggy!

Al and Jean enjoying the romantic gondola ride

Anthony and Dan railing on about something!

Charles on the vaporetto heading for Venice

Laura and Gordon

Anthony hiking the Cinque Terra

Andrea

Andrea

Mark and his buddy, Al, making a fashion statement in the rain

How Cool Is That?

In Haarlem many of the old buildings have these interesting plaques on the wall and patterns in brick on the sidewalks in front of a store. Our local guide let us know they show (in the olden days) what the store was used for.

Mark

Ummm…a trash collector? A politician?

A tailor, we presume. Or maybe a zipper repairman.

OK…Maybe this whole “symbol in front of the storefront thing” really doesn’t work that well.

Mark

Let’s see…scales. That would be…a…lawyer. Or maybe a pharmacist. Or maybe that’s the assay office.

This would mean this is…the “house of Falcon.” Or a falcon lives here. Or it’s a pet store. Or perhaps a falconer? Ah, yes, that’s it.

“Mind the Bikes!”

Holland is the home of tulips…to be sure. But is REALLY is the home of bikes. And I’m not taking about American bikes…you know, cruisers, ten-speeds, mountain bikes and such. No, in Holland bikes are baby carriers, food trucks, Formula One racecars and small buses. The Dutch use their bikes like we use cars. Many are covered with flowers and other decorations. Be sure to “mind the bikes” since they FLY through the city…pedestrians beware.

Here’s a collection of the interesting designs Julie spotted around Haarlem and Amsterdam. Her favorite thing were the “bike caps,” decorative seat covers for your bike seat. Now, why didn’t we think of that?

Mark

That’s a bike cap!

This is the SUV model. Perfect for fetching the groceries.

This is the all-wood model. It’s not like “The Woodies” we see here in California.

Individualism shines in Holland in the riot of colors you see in bike decorations. This is one of the happiest designs we saw.

It’s hard to tell where this bike stops.

The all-season bike model. Steering has to be kinda tricky.

This bike is a bit like a stretch limo for kids.

We Got The Point

The sign says “Don’t Sit On The Chain.” Just in case you missed the point of the sign this cleverly designed chain ensures compliance. And really, how many people actually sit on chains?

Julie

The inscription above this door in Germany lets the community know that they’ve made a Christmas donation. The “C.M.B.” inscription are the initials of the traditional first names of the The Wise Men.

Yes…the red home in the middle is exactly one window wide, and is known as Amsterdam’s narrowest house.

Personalities of Doors and Windows

Around every corner we saw a great variety in the way people in different countries decorate and design their homes…especially their doors and windows.

Mark

These small doors were common in Bacharach, Germany.

These flamboyantly decorated sign standards are all the rage in Dinklesbuhl

Just Follow The Signs

We came across this signpost on our hike in Murren, Switzerland. It looks confusing, but actually the trails were easy to follow. It was snowing and raining. The clouds would temptingly open to let us see the snow-covered Alps. But mostly we just enjoyed holding hands and singing Sound of Music songs with our travelling buddies. You can see photos from this hike on our Switzerland page.

Mark

Ausfahrt

Okay, I have to admit, we giggled quite a bit about this sign. We saw it a lot on the German autobahn. It means EXIT, but of course it looks like something else to us. So lots of juvenile potty jokes but it kept us entertained while traveling down the road!

Julie

The Merchant of Florence

We stopped by a little pottery shop to buy something that was made in Florence. What’s the point of buying a Chinese product? Anyway, Mark started talking with the owner about having to compete with Chinese imports, hard work and what it takes to succeed in business in Italy’s economic climate. Mark told him California has similar economic problems. As the men talked, I shopped.

I picked out two dishes which cost a total of €57. Mark laid a €50 and a €10 on the counter. Our new friend gave the €10 back to Mark then reached in his cash register and gave him another €5. Wow! He only charged us €45. He and Mark exchanged a hearty handshake then he extended his hand to me. I said no to the handshake and offered a hug instead. But he said, “Oh, a kiss!” So I kissed him on the cheek, said “ciao” and off we went.

Julie

Flowers Up Close

There were so many flowers everywhere that we sometimes we would overlook them as we took in the scenery. Here ae a few closeups of the delicate flowers…both planted and natural…that we almost missed.

Mark

We almost missed the wild purple sweet peas because we were so focused on the seaside village.

There were so many flowers everywhere that we would often lose sight of our traveling buddies.

The Grim Truth of Dachau

There were thunderstorms and heavy rain the day we visited Dachau. With rain pounding on the roof of the camp and thunder cracking and rolling through the somber scene our hearts were crushed by all we saw.

But these stark plates and cups really hit us since they were once held by the men who suffered so horribly in the camp.

Mark

Setting Sun

We had many amazing sights in Paris. I especially enjoyed our river cruise as the sun was setting and the fading sunlight was glinting off the buildings and statues.

Mark

Benched in Hohenschwangau

Our tour guides Jennifer and Patricia had arranged a lunch for us…served from the tour bus. Julie and I scooted on over to the beautiful lake next to the castles. It was raining lightly but not enough to keep us (mainly me) from enjoying a restful lunch watching locals and visitors alike. Ahhh…what a great trip!

Mark