Enjoying Food During Our Travels

On March 25, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Food, Travel Tips7 Comments

Eating local food when traveling is a wonderful way to experience the culture and try dishes that can’t be found where you live. We try to go to as many places and try as many different types of foods as we can during our trips, even if it means stopping at several locations over several hours. We have shared these experiences over the past few years and decided to take the time and review them once again. These are some of our favorite food locations that we’ve visited during our varied travels.

The Food of Hanoi, Vietnam
Phở
The Food of Cochabamba, Bolivia
Pique Macho
The Food of Iceland
Ling with White Wine Cream Sauce in Iceland
The Food of Prague, Chech Republic
Deer with Bread Dumplings in Prague
The Food of Budapest, Hungary
The Original Goulash Stew in Budapest
The Food of Tuscany, Italy
Fresh Zucchini Ravioli in Italy
The Fusion Food of Lima, Peru
Asian Soft Taco
The Food of Romania
Stuffed Cabbage and Grape Leaves with Polenta in Romania
The Food of Scottsdale, Arizona
Carnitas Burrito Served Enchilada Style
The Food of Strasbourg, France
Hearty Dish
The Food of Ecuador
Lamb with Rice and Potatoes
The Food of New Orleans
Crawfish Etouffee
The Food of Panama
Lobster Thermador
Eating in Egypt
Mixed Grill
The Food of Amsterdam
Clams and Linguini
The Food of Carlsbad, California
Seafood Skewers – Incredibly Delicious
The Food of Heidelberg, Germany
Pork Stomach in Germany

The COPE Visitor Center in Vientiane, Laos

On March 19, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Laos2 Comments

During our trip to Vientiane we visited the COPE Visitor Center, which is partly a museum, but also provides insight into the work that COPE does in Laos. Visiting the center wasn’t on our original itinerary, but we ended up with enough time during our tour of the city to fit it in. The country of Laos has many unexploded cluster bombs (referred to as bombies) from the Vietnam war that are still causing injuries throughout the country. COPE is an organization that is attempting to find and defuse all of the bombs as well as provide medical attention and supplies to those that get injured.

Household Items Made from Bomb Materials

An actual cluster bomb is a large bomb shell that opens up as it nears the ground and disperses hundreds of tiny bombs that are about the shape and size of a baseball. Many of them are buried in the ground and farmers come across them when plowing their fields. Sometimes they are above ground and children pick them up and play with them. When you first enter the center, you are directed to a room to view a movie on how the millions of bombs came to litter the entire country. After watching the movie, we walked through the exhibits, which can be quite sobering and somber.

Pictures of Bombs That Have Been Collected

Artificial Legs Hanging from the Ceiling

Going through the COPE Visitor Center is certainly an experience that will impact you in a powerful way. Although it is an important message, the images can be quite disturbing, so families with children should take that into consideration before visiting the center. Overall, visiting the center takes about an hour or less with most of the time spent watching the film.

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress in Koblenz, Germany

On March 16, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany2 Comments

Castles are certainly one of the most interesting sights to see while visiting Germany and there are literally hundreds of ruins along the coasts of the Rhine River. Sometimes, though, a simple military fortress without the opulence of the wealthy ruling class can be as fascinating to view. When we visited Koblenz, one of the most striking sights was the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress that sits on the top of the mountain across the Rhine River from the town itself.

The fortress is definitely worth visiting for several reasons. First of all are the views from the cable car that traverses the river up the side of the mountain to the summit where the fortress overlooks the region. Obviously, the fortress itself is worth seeing, walking along the walls that once housed hundreds of soldiers poised to protect the town from the advances of the French or other invading armies. With that said, the highlight of visiting the fortress are the spectacular views of the town below and the cathedral and the statue at the German Corner.

The German Corner is where the Rhine and Moselle Rivers meet, making for stunning scenery. We were fortunate to have wonderful weather that particular day and the hills were full of color from the changing leaves. We wish we could have captured some images from our train ride to Koblenz along the Rhine River as it was probably one of the most amazing hours of scenery that we have ever seen. After about thirty minutes, we were already teasing with each other, “there is another castle” or “there is another church”. We were too enthralled with all of the sights to stop and take any pictures or take a video, so we will have to hold on to those memories in our minds.

Statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I at the German Corner

We feel very fortunate for the opportunity to see the things that we have seen. Seeing the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress has definitely been one of those experiences that we will cherish. If you are in Germany and near Koblenz, we would highly recommend taking the time to go to the fortress and look down upon this fairy tale town and enjoy the views of the rivers as they merge together. If you really want it to be special, get there around sunset and see the town cast in a lovely orange hue with the sky reflecting off of the rivers.