gkitzmil's VirtualTourist Home Page

VT is a great travel site. Real places profiled by real people who (hopefully) travel. (I say 'hopefully' because some tips can be memories and others can be today's trip.)

If you are looking at my site because you found one of my travel pages interesting then Great and Thanks!

If you want to know more about the places I know best try Maastricht, NL or Indianapolis or Bloomington, IN or maybe Germany or Melbourne Beach, Fl. If you want my gambling trips after many visits to Las Vegas check out those pages.

If you want to know more about ME then read on with this page.

If you are new to VT, welcome. If you are a pro at VT then you and I share a travel bug!!
I have met great people on VT. I look forward to continuing friendships.

I try to take my camera now so I can record more. Too bad I heard so many warnings about Rio, Brazil in 07 that I left my camera at home!

Every year I try to get in one truly momentous trip.
There MAY not be a BIG trip in 09 but there is still time for one.
2008 Chile and Argentina
2007 Brazil but without a camera
2006 China (again) - Shanghai and Bejing
2006 USA, state of Georgia, Northeast
2006, USA, spending time on the Ohio river
2005 Netherlands -- living in Maastricht
2004 Croatia
2003 China, Shanghai and Beijing

I took One real trip during 2008. I returned from Chile and Argentina and Uruguay in March 08. Another fabulous trip! Hopefully Iwill find time to post some pictures!

I noticed the topic of loss of loved ones on VT. I lost my mother in 07 and my Dad in 08. I had a great year with my Dad, though. He made it to his 93 birthday and we took him, friends, and family to a wonderful German style restaurant. Eight days after that he had to go to the hospital and then died within 36 hours. I knew he would not live forever and I am at peace with his leaving.

Life seems hectic but I hope to return to travel and VT in 09. Perhaps there will be some limited travel yet in the next months!

I guess I cannot really say 2007 was a "bad year for travel" since I did make it to Brazil in March 2007. The REST of 2007 I could not travel because my mother became ill and eventually passed on.

I miss living in Europe and want to visit again sometime. I seem to not have the budget or time to travel as much as I would like -- but maybe I just spend too much money and time on other things.

Brazil! While there is SO much of the country to see, I truly felt I got some feel for part of Brazil in Rio and Sao Paulo. The food was enjoyable and the people were very friendly. Here is a photo of just a few from our group on the beach at Ipanema.

Johanl, my good friend from Belgium, and his wife came to visit. This allowed me to return the favor as they had shown us a lot of Belgium. We met them in Central Kentucky and showed them several things that well represent the area: Shaker Village, a distillery, Churchill Downs in Louisville (home of the Kentucky Derby), the Ohio River, and we ate a Hot Brown at the Brown Hotel!

PHOTO OF SHAKER VILLAGE, CENTRAL KENTUCKY

We visited with JohanL from Belgium

Rivers seem to play a theme. I've lived near the River Rhine in Germany (long ago), I lived near the River Maas (or Meuse) in Maastricht, NL, just 2 years ago, and now while it is not that close I spend a lot of time along the Ohio River from Cincinnati to Louisville.

In 2006 we visted the Tall Stacks Festival where there were dozens of American riverboats. Here is a picture with a paddlewheeler boat and Mt. Adams of Cincinnati in the background!

My travels have taken me to Belgium, China, Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands in 2005 and 2006. In addition, I've taken short trips in the United States

BIG TRIP '06 - CHINA, BEIJING AND SHANGHAI (2nd time)

<----Me in Beijing

Yes, I should post more pictures and tips. Never enough time.

ADVENTURE '05 -- LIVING IN EUROPE

We spent five months living in Europe in the southern Netherlands.

We had lived nearly two years in Germany (Köln) previously!