Seeing Street Art When Traveling

On June 5, 2020June 5, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge6 Comments

We have seen some truly interesting and beautiful art on the sides of buildings during our travels. Obviously not all of it is good and there is still plenty of graffiti to be found, but the work done by true artists can be quite wonderful. Art is something that unites all of us and the feelings that the images generate are not limited to the culture in which they were created. With that said, the culture also comes through in the art in the representations of the people, the colors, and at times the political message represented. More and more, as we travel we actively seek out street art in order to capture images of them to be part of our record of our visit. We are sharing just a sampling of that art and we don’t have a particular favorite. Do you capture images of street art and, if you do, do you have one that speaks to you more than others?

Tigers Getting Colorful Stripes in Carlsbad, California

A Woman Looking Like She is Peeking Through the Trees in Budapest

Sandhill Cranes Painted on Wall in Southern Colorado

Surfing Mario at the Beach in California

Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy

On May 26, 2020May 26, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Italy6 Comments

To say that Florence is one of the most romantic and beautiful cities in Europe would not be an understatement. There are so many wonderful places to see in Florence and the Piazza della Signoria is certainly one of them for many reasons. The plaza is an outdoor museum with many different historic statues. It is also the location of the Palazzo Vecchio, which is Florence’s town hall. It is a great place to sit in an outdoor restaurant and people watch and soak in the ambiance.

The Rape of the Sabine Women in the Loggia dei Lanzi

Perseus with the Head of Medusa by Cellini

One of the most notable features of the square is the Loggia dei Lanzi, which is a covered area with columns and many statues that can be seen in the three openings. Of the many statues that can be found in the Loggia, one of the most famous is the Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna. Another of the statues is Perseus with the Head of Medusa by Cellini. The famous Medici Lions can be seen standing guard just outside of the columns.

The Palazzo Vecchio looms overhead with its large bell tower and less ornate architecture than much of what is found throughout Florence. The Piazza della Signoria is actually an L-shaped plaza, giving you different perspectives from almost every direction. A replica of Michelangelo’s David is also on display, but the original is in the Galleria dell’Accademia. There is also a much larger replica of David located in Piazzale Michelangelo, which has wonderful views of the city.

The Piazza della Signoria should certainly be a part of your itinerary when visiting Florence. We enjoyed spending about an hour in the plaza between walking among the statues as well as sitting at a café for a glass of Italian wine. After leaving the square, we wandered down one of the narrow streets where we passed by Dante’s Church, which dates back to 1032 and is one of the oldest churches in Florence.

Heinzelmännchen Fountain in Cologne, Germany

On May 11, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany1 Comment

One of the interesting sights to see when visiting Cologne is the Heinzelmännchen fountain. The Heinzelmännchen are actually supposed to be little gnome creatures that come out at night to do all of the work of the citizens of Cologne, allowing them to be lazy during the day. The gnomes would disappear before anyone awoke, but the wife of a tailor was curious to see what they looked like. She apparently spread peas on the ground in the workshop to make the gnomes slip and fall. The gnomes got so mad that they left, never to return again and the people of Cologne had to do all of their own work once again.

It is an interesting story and the Heinzelmännchen fountain was created with plaques along the wall to tell the story of the gnomes and the tailor’s wife. The legend was first written down in the 1800’s and the fountain was built in 1899. One of our first stops when we visited Cologne was to the Früh Brewery and the Heinzelmännchen fountain with all of the carvings is located in the square outside of the brewery. Certainly fun to see after a couple of local beers.

According to what we’ve read, the story roughly translates to: “Once upon a time in Cologne, how comfortable it was with the Heinzelmen! For if you were lazy, … you just lay down on your bench and took care of yourself. Then at night, before one knew it, came the little men and swarmed and clattered and rattled and plucked and picked and jumped and trotted and cleaned and scoured –and even before a lazy bum awoke, all his daily work was … already done! …”

We love seeing some of these fables as they remind us of our history and culture and also to keep our childlike wonder of the world. We were in Cologne in November, so the fountain wasn’t running, but that didn’t make any less fascinating. It may not be on the top of your list of sights to see when visiting Cologne, but it was a great start to our short time there.