Spending the Weekend in Paris

On February 3, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn France6 Comments

We are nearing the end of our time in Germany, so we are planning on traveling as much as possible over the next few weeks. Before starting what will be an whirlwind several weeks, which starts with a trip to Dublin next week, we decided to take a quick weekend trip to Paris. We haven’t finalized all of our travel plans yet, but the one absolute place on our agenda is to make our way to Rome, at least for a few days. One of the things that we truly have loved about living in Europe is that we can jump on a train or a plane and visit someplace wonderful within a few hours. It has been almost exactly ten years since our last visit to Paris, so this will be a very special weekend for many reasons. This weekend is about relaxation, romance, and revisiting some of our favorite sights within this wonderful city. Here are a few photos of our last visit to Paris since we haven’t had a chance to do anything new yet.

A Time for Reflection

On January 4, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland11 Comments

As another new year starts and we look back on 2016, there is a lot for us to consider and to reflect upon. To say that it was a tumultuous year would be an extreme understatement, but at the same time, it was a year of tremendous opportunities. We have travelled more in a single year than any other time in the past, but we have sacrificed much in order to see the places that we have seen. As we think about the previous year, here are a few measurements points that have stood out for us as we look forward to an exciting 2017:

Countries that we have visited – We visited eight different countries this year and all but one of them were countries that we had never visited before. Iceland, Peru, Bolivia, Germany, Austria, France, Czech Republic, and Greece were all wonderful experiences for different reasons.
Strasbourg

It was our first trip to South America together and now we each have visited five different continents. We hope to make it to all seven continents at some point, but it has been an eye-opening experience to see the various cultures across so many different lands.

We travelled on five airlines last year that we had never travelled on previously, Iceland Air, Bolivian Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Czech Airlines, and Aegean Airlines. We didn’t always have the best of experiences, but there were surprises as well. Of all of those airlines, Bolivian Airlines was probably the greatest surprise for efficiency and ease to use. There were also the typical suspects for travel such as United Airlines and Lufthansa, which provide reliable service, but do not make it easy to gain loyalty points.

We have learned to say phrases in several new languages, including German, Czech, Greek, and Icelandic. We cannot say that we can speak conversational German, but we can definitely communicate enough, even when talking to someone who speaks no English, to express ourselves satisfactorily.

Within the countries that we have visited, we have been to fifteen different cities, including a couple within the United States. We met so many amazing people in each of the places that we have visited and we enjoy continuing to hear about the adventures in their lives as well as sharing our own with them.

All in all, 2016 was an incredible year. We sold our home, quit one of our jobs, temporarily moved out of the country to Germany, and travelled extensively. One would think that we would spend 2017 sleeping so as to get some much needed rest, but we expect the next few months to be as busy as the previous twelve months. We are definitely counting our blessings and wishing our best thoughts to everyone in this new year that has just now dawned. Perhaps a little belated, but Happy New Year to everyone! We truly wish you all of the best in the year ahead.

Do Not Abandon All Hope

On December 22, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn France, Photo Challenge4 Comments

To say that the last twelve months has been interesting would be an understatement. Not just for the personal changes that have occurred, but equally for everything that has happened in the world. As we have mentioned, our site is not a political site, but there is no way to avoid the consequences of such a tumultuous year. It would be easy to bury one’s head in the sand and pretend that none of these events occurred, but whether we are outraged, discouraged, frustrated, or worse yet, ambivalent towards the events of the year, we cannot give up on the hope that is the human spirit. Every year provides moments that inspire us as well as fill us with dread. It is also possible that a single event can instill one emotion in some and the complete opposite emotion in others. We hope that the year to come brings more optimism than the year that is coming to an end, but we will remind us of what we told our children as they were growing up, “you can’t control the world, but you can control your own emotions, you can choose to be happy, sad, or mad. You can choose to be happy or you can let the world tell you how to feel.” Obviously that is an over-simplification, but we will choose to find the joy in life and do our best to surround ourselves with those who choose a smile over a frown. In response to this week’s Daily Post Discover Challenge – Hope Gone Viral, we have decided to choose this video instead of a single photo. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all of our friends and enjoy this little video of children singing holiday songs for a local TV special at our hotel in Strasbourg, France.