The Twin Towers of Gothic and Romanesque Cathedrals

On January 8, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge4 Comments

One of the things that you notice as you visit cathedrals around the world are the twin towers on both gothic and Romanesque style cathedrals. They are certainly beautiful and provide a sense of symmetry, but we were curious if there was any particular symbolism behind them. We did what most people do today and did some searches on the internet to see if there was any significance in having towers flank the main entrance to the cathedral, but what discovered was that there apparently isn’t any particular meaning behind them, at least from a religious standpoint. More likely than not, it is just a preference by the artist or architect that created the design. One of the more interesting theories that we read about was that it was introduced by the Freemasons as part of their symbolism, but there are plenty of other theories surrounding the Freemasons. Regardless of whether there is meaning behind these pairs of towers, we have certainly enjoyed seeing them all around the world.

Sharing the Road

On December 18, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge3 Comments

As you travel away from the cities and get into the country, you will often encounter farm animals on the roads with you. We have seen herds of sheep on the road in both South America as well as Ireland, which makes sense as it an easy way to move them to market. For obvious reasons, you will often find cows wandering the streets in India and you simply have to make your way around them. In some occasions they are pulling carts, but other times they are just going along for the ride like some of the cows that we saw in Egypt. Over time, many of us have become removed from the animals that help sustain our lives, but these are subtle reminders that we are all part of the same world. So as you travel to rural places, always remember to share the road with our four-legged or even feathered friends that are on a journey of their own.

Turkey and Rooster on Death Road in Bolivia

Traveling in Winter

On November 30, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge3 Comments

We love traveling at every time of the year and that includes the winter season as well. When it comes to traveling at this time of year there are several considerations. Whether traveling by plane or traveling by car, weather conditions can change quickly and you need to be aware of road conditions. Obviously snow and freezing rain can cause havoc with air travel and it doesn’t even have to be where you are flying out of. Flights being cancelled in one part of the country can lead to flights being delayed or cancelled throughout the rest of the country. It doesn’t have to snow to cause delays, sometimes just the freezing cold can be enough to cause a delay as planes de-ice prior to take off, causing flights to spend extra time on the tarmac. When traveling during the winter, it is even more important to make sure that you don’t choose flights with short layovers that don’t provide any buffer if your flight does take off late. Finally, we all want to pack light these days, but cold temperatures during winter don’t make that as easy as normal. It is important to use layers and perhaps wash clothes during your trip so that don’t have to take a suitcase full of sweaters. Fortunately there are many brands of clothing that provide lightweight clothing that keep you warm without being bulky. We definitely took advantage of clothing made with those materials during our trip to Iceland in February a couple of years ago. Here are a few photos for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, Cold, that just might have you reaching for a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate.