Top Things to Do in Florence, Italy

On October 29, 2020November 30, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Italy, Travel Tips1 Comment

Florence is one of the most beautiful cities in the world with a rich history that includes architecture, art, and politics. There are so many wonderful sights to see when spending time in Florence, but if you have limited time in the city there are a few things that should certainly be on your itinerary. We would certainly recommend spending at least 3 days in Florence if at all possible as there so much to see and do. Depending on the time of year that you visit, you can expect plenty of crowds in Florence, so going during the off-season is advisable. Here are our top things to do in what we would consider to be the order of priority depending on the amount of time that you have to spend in Florence.

Looking Up at the Cathedral and Bell Tower

The Duomo – Officially the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Duomo dominates the city skyline. There is the cathedral itself, with the largest brick dome in the world as well as the bell tower and the baptistry. Although you could consider each of these as separate places to see, we have grouped them together as a single highlight when visiting Florence.

Replica of David in the Piazzale Michelangelo

Piazzale Michelangelo – There are many reasons to make the effort to visit the square with the bronze replica of the Statue of David, but the main reason is the incredible views of the city. You will find many vendors selling food and trinkets and it is a wonderful spot to just sit and enjoy the beauty of Florence. There is also a restaurant located near the square, which was a great place to enjoy a wonderful glass of wine after the somewhat strenuous walk up to the top of the mount.

Galleria dell’Accademia – The Accademia Gallery is best known for having the Statue of David on display, but obviously there is a lot of other famous artwork on display. With seven different halls to wander and enjoy the incredible artwork, you should give yourself at least four hours when visiting the museum.

Piazza della Signoria – The plaza is an open-air museum that was built in the 1400’s and has a variety of statues on display. Two of the more famous statues are the Rape of the Sabines by Giambologna as well as Cellini’s Perseus. Considering it is free, it should definitely be one of the places that you make time to see.

Ponte Vecchio – This medieval bridge is certainly a highlight of any visit to Florence. Today it is filled with vendors selling a variety of local products, but it was originally the location of the butchers in the city. Like many other locations in Florence, expect plenty of crowds in the area and be careful of pickpockets taking advantage of tourists on the crowded streets.

Uffizi Gallery – With many great works of art from artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, and Machiavelli, it is certainly one of the most famous museums in the world. After all of the members of the Medici family had died out, a deal was made to donate all of the artwork to Florence and it is now housed in the Uffizi Gallery. Just like the Gallery Accademia, be prepared to spend at least several hours seeing all of the amazing works of art.

Local Restaurants – Obviously you need to eat and there are so many wonderful restaurants to choose from. There are probably few locations in the world that bring to mind the food of the region as much as Tuscany where Florence is located. We would certainly recommend eating at one of the restaurants that can be found along the Arno River as the scenery is quite beautiful, especially at night.

Needless to say, there are more sights to see than these, but we would recommend that you put all of these locations on your itinerary when visiting Florence. With so many beautiful sights, seemingly around every corner, just walking the streets of Florence is a magical experience. If you have enough time, taking a day trip to Lucca and to the Leaning Tower of Pisa is definitely a worthwhile experience.

Enjoying a Memorable Weekend in Heidelberg, Germany

On October 26, 2020October 26, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany1 Comment

One of our first weekend getaway from Frankfurt was to visit Heidelberg. Heidelberg is the location of the oldest university in Germany and has a wonderful old town area. Because the Heidelberg University has been considered one of the finest universities in Europe since it was built in the 14th century, it has attracted scientists, philosophers, and literary figures throughout its history. Located on the Neckar River, the scenery is absolutely stunning, especially in October, which is when we visited.

Sitting on the hill above the city is the Heidelberg Castle, which is well worth touring and hearing about its fascinating history. The views of the town below make the difficult climb up the stairs that lead from the city to the castle entirely worth it. Just walking around the castle grounds is amazing and is definitely a highlight of a visit to Heidelberg. In addition to the castle, taking a stroll along what is referred to as “Philosopher’s Walk” is an absolute must.

Heidelberg is definitely a popular tourist destination and even during the time that we visited, there were plenty of crowds. We enjoyed walking the streets of the old town area with its Baroque architecture. We enjoyed the local beer, Heidelberger, as well as a wonderful meal that didn’t translate to English very well (“pork stomach“), but was delicious none the less. The historic town square with the shops and restaurants is a great place to take a break from all of the walking and relax for a while.

“Corn Market” with the Castle in the Background

After walking the streets of old town, we made our way to the Old Bridge with its old gate and monument statues. There is also another square called the “Corn Market” where you get wonderful views of the castle as you gaze at the fountain and statue in the center. Perhaps because it was one of the first places that we visited outside of Frankfurt, but our weekend in Heidelberg is definitely one of our favorite memories of our time living in Germany.

Fascinating Architecture Everywhere Throughout the City

Exploring the Fascinating Pyramids Outside of Cairo, Egypt

On October 16, 2020February 9, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Egypt11 Comments

There are so many amazing things to see when visiting Egypt and the famous Pyramids of Giza are probably the most famous. Everyone has seen pictures of the Great Pyramid with the enormous Sphinx statue, but there is more to see than just the pyramid complex of Giza. If you travel to Cairo, we’d highly recommend taking a tour that will take you to some of the lesser visited pyramids where you will have an opportunity to see some of these amazing archeological sites as if you had discovered them yourself.

The Pyramid of Djoser – Located in the Saqqara Necropolis, the Pyramid of Djoser, more commonly referred to as the Step Pyramid, is an ancient pyramid that uses a technique that predated the smooth sided pyramids that you find in Giza. The Step Pyramid was built around the 27th century BC and is considered the earliest large cut-stone in the world. We were able to descend down the tunnel that leads to an ancient tomb, which is just an empty chamber with hieroglyphs today, which was an amazing experience.

The Bent Pyramid (If You Look Carefully, There is a Person at the Base Giving You a Sense of the Size)

Brisk Climb to the Entrance of a Pyramid in Egypt

The Pyramids of Dahshur – Visiting Dahshur was probably one of our most interesting experiences during our time in Cairo. First of all, we were virtually by ourselves as we walked around the pyramids as there were less than a dozen total other visitors there during the time that we spent there. Also, since it is the site of the first smooth sided pyramids, one successful and a couple of others that weren’t successful, it is an interesting look into the learning that occurred by the ancient Egyptians to create what would later become the Great Pyramids. One of the pyramids is known as the Bent Pyramid as it curves as it nears the peak of the pyramid. Dahshur is located in a remote area of the desert, which was purposeful as they wanted the pyramids to be away from any well-traveled area. We were also able to climb down into the pyramid here as well, which is well worth the effort.

The Giza Pyramid Complex – If you visit the pyramids sequentially, starting with the Step Pyramid in Saqqara, then seeing the Bent Pyramid in Dahshur, and then making your way to the Giza Pyramid Complex, you will have a better understanding of the accomplishment of building these pyramids. Here, of course, you will be surrounded by tourists, vendors selling trinkets, and enjoying tourist activities like riding a camel. Having visited the other pyramids prior to visiting Giza made our entire experience better as we truly understood the history behind the pyramids.