Nuremberg Trial Courthouse

On March 30, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany5 Comments

You don’t need to be a history buff to visit the famous courthouse in Nuremberg where the trials of the leaders of the Nazi party were held following the end of WWII. It is a stark reminder of the horrors that people are capable of when their power is left unchecked. It was also probably the most notable use of international law to punish those who committed the atrocities of the Holocaust as well as other war crimes. The courthouse is a short distance from the old town area of Nuremberg, but it is worth taking the time to visit this famous location.

As you take your self-guided tour of the courthouse, there are video stations at the different seats that allow you to see actual footage of the court hearings and listen to the prosecutors, judges, defendants, and others giving testimony. Hearing and seeing these moments from the past is certainly fascinating, although it is almost seems a little surreal. It is important for all generations to understand the significance of what occurred during this horrific period of our history. As you watch the trials through the footage taken at the time, you understand that these were real people, not just mythological figures in history books, who made decisions that seem unfathomable to us now.

Visiting courthouses and prisons aren’t often on the top of anyone’s trip itinerary, but there are times when it is important to make a point to visit these places. As a society, we turn these types of places into museums and historical landmarks as reminder of not only what happened, but also what the human race is capable of if we turn a blind eye to events that unfold around us. These might not be the most beautiful locations, nor should they be, but that doesn’t necessarily lesson the impression that they make upon you.

Don’t Let the Weather Get You Down

On March 22, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn France, Photo Challenge7 Comments

When you have spent so much time and money planning a trip, it is always disappointing when the weather doesn’t cooperate and it either rains or snows so that you can’t see how truly beautiful a place is. Everyone wants those travel photos with the clear blue skies and the sun shining brightly on the statues and buildings. Unfortunately, Mother Nature has a mind of her own. We always try to check out the weather trends for a location before we go so that we know when it might be a rainy season and then try to avoid those times. Even so, it is important to make sure that you try to be as flexible as possible and plan some indoor activities such as museums or tours of a palace. During our time in Germany, we had many rainy weekends, so in the end, we just made the most of the time that we had and decided not to complain about something that we couldn’t control. In some ways, photos of a rainy day can be more interesting than those on a sunny day. These are some pictures of our trip to Paris when it rained almost the entire time, but thankfully it wasn’t our first trip to that wonderful city.

Travel is not Always Easy

On March 15, 2018March 15, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany, Photo Challenge18 Comments

We, like many of you, spend a lot of our time thinking about and planning our next trip. Unfortunately, here in the United States, it isn’t as easy to get to places as it is in some other parts of the world. It is even worse when you live in the middle of the country as we do because we can’t even jump in a car and head to another state without it taking at least eight hours. It certainly isn’t the same as our time living in Frankfurt when we could decide to go someplace on Wednesday and spend three or four days visiting another country with a short two or three hour train or plane ride. As we finalize arrangement for our next trip, it is likely that we will spend around twenty hours in the air before we reach our destination. Taking that amount of time just to reach a destination makes it hard to explore as much as we would like. Obviously, just being in Europe doesn’t mean that suddenly you can go wherever you want, whenever you want, but it does make it a little easier. We have been reminiscing a lot lately about our time in Frankfurt and there are days when we miss it terribly.