Life in a Palace

On December 5, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge6 Comments

Palaces are certainly highlights of many cities throughout the world. They can be wonderful examples of wealth and opulence, but are also reminders of how powerful rulers and other leaders can become. While we would like to shame them for their excesses, it is hard not to walk through these gorgeous “homes” and wonder what it must be like to be able to surround oneself with such incredible artwork and beautiful furnishings. We don’t think that we could ever go to the extremes that the kings and princes achieved, but we have bought artwork from many of the places that we have visited and those paintings adorn the walls of our humble home here in Colorado. We find the memories of our travels to be worth more than any amount of personal possessions. For now, we will just have to visit palaces of the past and imagine what life must have been like for those who wandered through the hallways, bedrooms, and ballrooms. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge are words that start with the letter P and have at least five letters, so we have chosen a few photos of palaces from our travels.

Fountain in the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain

Palace of the Doors in Cochabamba, Bolivia

Christmas Tree in the Main Courtyard of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria

Autumn in Koblenz, Germany

On November 1, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany, Photo Challenge1 Comment

Situated along the Rhine River where it connects with the Moselle, Koblenz is a wonderful city to visit, especially in the fall. One of our favorite memories from our time in Germany last year was taking the train along the Rhine and seeing all of the beautiful foliage. There are many different sites to visit in Koblenz, such as the fortress, the Basilica of St. Castor, Stolzenfels Castle, and the German Corner with its monument of William I on horseback. Regardless of sightseeing in Koblenz, we enjoyed simply walking along the river and enjoying the beautiful scenery. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is anything with the letter K. We hope that you enjoy a few images of our time in Koblenz as much as we enjoyed visiting it last October.

Can You Predict the Future?

On October 26, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge, South America14 Comments

Whether or not you believe that certain people have a sixth sense, we are firm believers that people should trust their gut feelings. There have been times in our lives when we have had a sense that something had occurred and found out that those were true. Sometimes it isn’t anything magical, it is just a matter of using a little common sense, life experience, and trusting your senses. If you are in a strange city and get off of the main streets at night and get the feeling that someone is watching you, it isn’t a stretch to think that something bad might happen to you and that you should turn around and try to get to a more populated area. Traveling puts you on edge as it is, so it isn’t uncommon to get that nagging feeling that something is going to go wrong. A flight will be delayed and you will miss your connection. The taxi driver isn’t taking you to where they are supposed to or they are purposely taking a longer route to run up the bill. These feelings aren’t a bad thing, they make you more aware of your surroundings, make you plan for unexpected changes, and will ultimately make you a more confident traveler.

When we were in the Amazon Jungle, there was definitely no telling what we would see every time we rounded the next bend of the river or trail. Obviously, we were with experienced guides, so that definitely gave us confidence. All the same, we knew that we could come across anaconda snakes, caiman, poisonous frogs, snakes, spiders, and other insects. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is things that start with the letter J and are at least six letters long. We have chosen photos from the Jungle from both our trip to Bolivia last year as well as our trip to Ecuador this year.