Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, Italy

On July 23, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Italy4 Comments

There is more to the Accademia Gallery in Florence than just Michelangelo’s David. Florence was the center of the art world for hundreds of years and still contains incredible paintings and statues to be admired. In addition to the statue of David, there are many other statues by Michelangelo as well as other famous artists. Beautiful and sometimes haunting paintings can be found by Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, and many more. Much of the artwork was commissioned by the Medici family and then later donated by one of the last members of the Medici family so that they could be displayed for the pleasure of everyone to view.

With seven different halls to wander and enjoy the incredible artwork, you should give yourself at least four hours when visiting the museum. You don’t have to be an art critic to appreciate the wonderful pieces that can be found in the various halls within the gallery. Clearly, most of the artwork is religious in theme, but there are plenty of others that are historical or mythological in nature. Obviously, the statue of David is the main draw and you will likely find lots of crowds surrounding the famous statue. In addition to the Accademia Gallery, the Uffizi Gallery should also be visited to see some of the most famous Renaissance’s masterpieces.

Florence is such a beautiful city with so much history and art that can be found around almost every corner. The Accademia Gallery is certainly a museum that should not be missed when visiting the Tuscan city. With so many wonderful sights to see, Florence cannot be seen in just a couple of days, but really takes a full week to enjoy everything that it has to offer.

Government Museum in Chennai, India

On July 9, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn India9 Comments

History museums are a wonderful way to learn about the history and culture of the country that you are visiting. The Government Museum in Chennai is no exception and was interesting for a variety of reasons. It is the second oldest museum in India and also contains the largest collection of Roman antiquities outside of Europe. The main building of the museum complex is architecturally interesting and is a remnant of British rule. The museum can be quite busy, so you will need to have patience as you wait in lines to view some of the exhibits.

One of the Buildings in the Museum Complex

Main Building with Beautiful Architecture

There are many ancient statues on the grounds of the museum that are displayed on stone pedestals, which are truly fascinating. Inside the museum there are many different displays with everything from zoological, archeological, cultural, historical, and artistic exhibits. The museum is very popular with the local schools and the students were by far the majority of the visitors while we were in the museum. Also, there didn’t appear to be many, if any, foreigners in the museum other than ourselves, which made for a unique experience as we felt as much on display as the exhibits themselves.

More Statues with Students in the Background

The information on the exhibits is provided in both the native Tamil as well as English, making it easy for us to understand what it was that we were seeing. Like many things in India, the variety of what is found within the museum can be somewhat overwhelming, but fascinating all the same. It is definitely a bit of a different experience than visiting museums in other places, but well worth taking the time to see while in Chennai.

The Field Museum in Chicago

On January 5, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Chicago3 Comments

We have visited the Field Museum in Chicago a couple of times now and have enjoyed each visit. There are several static exhibits as well as several temporary exhibits, which makes revisiting very worthwhile. One of the main reasons that we decided to go to the museum was because they currently have a Jurassic World Exhibit, which we had heard was really interesting. Unfortunately, it is in an outside tent that wraps around the museum and because of the sub-zero temperatures, it was closed the day of our visit. That didn’t stop us from fully enjoying our time at the museum, though.

Of the permanent exhibits, there are two that are our favorites. The first is the Evolving Planet exhibit and the other is the Tsavo Lions exhibit. Whether you have children or not, seeing the dinosaur fossils and the wild animals displays are always fascinating. You can definitely expect to spend at least four to six hours when you visit the museum, especially if you want to watch any of the movies that are available.

The Field Museum is probably most famous for its exhibit of Sue, the Tyrannosaurus Rex. It holds a prominent location in the main hall of the museum, but the head on the display is not Sue’s actual head as it is too heavy for the display. To see Sue’s actual head, you need to head upstairs and see the exhibit at the rear of the museum where the head is on display in a large glass case. Regardless of how much time you have in Chicago, take time to visit the Field Museum.