What a Long Strange Trip it Has Been

On March 13, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Romania8 Comments

Now that our European adventure is over (for now), we thought that we would take the time to trace our steps and truly acknowledge how many wonderful places we were able to visit. In chronological order, here was our trip in a snapshot, it certainly makes our heads spin.

Frankfurt, Germany – It may have been our home, but it was still a wonderful city and we have a lot of incredible memories of our time there.
Old Town Frankfurt
Kassel, Germany – It was the first place that we visited once we found an apartment and is the home of the Brother’s Grimm Museum and is part of the Fairy Tale Road.
Lowenbrau Castle
Heidelberg, Germany – Truly one of the idyllic cities that we visited while in Germany.
Heidelberg Castle
Koblenz, Germany – One of the most amazing train rides that we have ever taken and an amazing city on the Rhine.
Suburbs of Koblenz
Hochheim, Germany – A truly small hamlet experience.
Vienna, Austria – Our first trip outside of Germany and truly a center for the arts.
Cologne, Germany – Amazing Dom and a wonderful old-world city. We had been told that it was a place that we had to visit while we were in Germany and we would definitely agree.
Wurzburg, Germany – Another small town experience that we had been hoping for and one of the best of Christmas Markets that we had visited.
Statue in Wurzburg
Strasbourg, France – Wine, medieval villages, and some of the friendliest people that we had the opportunity to meet, and that is saying a lot.
Prague, Czech Republic – One of the places in Europe that everyone should visit at some point in time. We were there over Christmas and it was spectacular.
View of Prague Castle
Athens, Greece – There are few places in the world as historically important as Athens.
Amazing History
Bucharest/Brasov, Romania – Definitely one of those special places where the experience far surpasses anything that you might read.
Dracula’s Castle
Nuremberg, Germany – An unexpected surprise, so much history, both new and old that it became one of our favorite memories of our time in Europe.
Medieval City with Current History
Paris, France – Not our first visit there, but it is still one of our favorite cities that we have ever visited, even if it was rainy the weekend that we were there.
Eiffel Tower
Dublin, Ireland – A special trip for personal reasons as we flew our mother over to see us and it will hold a special place in our hearts.
The Irish Countryside
Amsterdam, Netherlands – One of our last adventures while we were in Europe and definitely an interesting city full of history and art.
Canal Upon Canal
Florence, Italy – Part of our farewell tour, this is an incredible city that will fulfill any romantic visions of Europe that you could ever dream of.
What an Amazing City
Rome, Italy – So much to see, the history, the arts, the Vatican City, and for us a very special meeting with a fellow blogger.
The Roman Forum is Amazing
Lucca/Pisa, Italy – A quick day trip from Florence, but it rounded out our trip to Italy perfectly.
Pisa is All About the Leaning Tower

So, as you can see, we had about twenty-five weeks in Europe, part of that time finding an apartment as well as working every week, but we definitely made the most of our time. It will be the trip of a lifetime, perhaps several lifetimes, and we are extremely thankful for every moment. Expect details of these wondrous adventures in the coming days and weeks as we plan our next crazy experience.

The Food of Prague

On January 25, 2017January 25, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Czech Republic, Recipes4 Comments

Prague is a popular tourist destination and, as such, it has wonderful selection of restaurants to choose from when dining out. It many ways, the food is similar to the rest of central Europe, but as always, there are slight variations. One of the common themes that we were served was a dumpling that was very similar to bread pudding. They are thick and dense and wonderful for soaking up the different gravies, but will definitely leave you feeling like you could use to do a few extra exercises.

The other commonality is the various selections of wild game that were available, which was obviously due to the time of year. The United States talks a lot about fresh ingredients and serving what is most available for the season, but rarely do you actually find as many restaurants all carrying seasonal menus with traditional favorites. There was rabbit, deer, duck, goose, perch, as well as the typical pork and beef dishes. When prepared properly, these dishes taste wonderful and don’t have harsh flavors, which can sometimes happen when serving wild game.

We were in Prague over the holidays, so we did find some set menus on Christmas Day, but there were still wonderful choices to select from. In fact, the only disappointing meal that we ate while we were in Prague was at a medieval restaurant that was part of our tour the one day. The restaurant was very touristy and the food, which was served to large tour groups, was obviously mass prepared. That is to be expected when having a meal as part of a large group such as this, but it is possible to create meals that are flavorful and tender, even under these circumstances, so it was a shame.

Overall, the food of Prague was truly wonderful and enhanced what was already an amazing experience. We would certainly recommend going to one of the many restaurants that are in the Mala strana, which is just a section of the old town area. It is highly recommended that you make reservations during the weekends or busy tourist times, which seems to be just about all of the time. There are few places open between 15:00 and 18:00, typical of much of Europe, so plan your day accordingly.

Pork Roast with Dumplings and Sauerkraut

A Time for Reflection

On January 4, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland11 Comments

As another new year starts and we look back on 2016, there is a lot for us to consider and to reflect upon. To say that it was a tumultuous year would be an extreme understatement, but at the same time, it was a year of tremendous opportunities. We have travelled more in a single year than any other time in the past, but we have sacrificed much in order to see the places that we have seen. As we think about the previous year, here are a few measurements points that have stood out for us as we look forward to an exciting 2017:

Countries that we have visited – We visited eight different countries this year and all but one of them were countries that we had never visited before. Iceland, Peru, Bolivia, Germany, Austria, France, Czech Republic, and Greece were all wonderful experiences for different reasons.
Strasbourg

It was our first trip to South America together and now we each have visited five different continents. We hope to make it to all seven continents at some point, but it has been an eye-opening experience to see the various cultures across so many different lands.

We travelled on five airlines last year that we had never travelled on previously, Iceland Air, Bolivian Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Czech Airlines, and Aegean Airlines. We didn’t always have the best of experiences, but there were surprises as well. Of all of those airlines, Bolivian Airlines was probably the greatest surprise for efficiency and ease to use. There were also the typical suspects for travel such as United Airlines and Lufthansa, which provide reliable service, but do not make it easy to gain loyalty points.

We have learned to say phrases in several new languages, including German, Czech, Greek, and Icelandic. We cannot say that we can speak conversational German, but we can definitely communicate enough, even when talking to someone who speaks no English, to express ourselves satisfactorily.

Within the countries that we have visited, we have been to fifteen different cities, including a couple within the United States. We met so many amazing people in each of the places that we have visited and we enjoy continuing to hear about the adventures in their lives as well as sharing our own with them.

All in all, 2016 was an incredible year. We sold our home, quit one of our jobs, temporarily moved out of the country to Germany, and travelled extensively. One would think that we would spend 2017 sleeping so as to get some much needed rest, but we expect the next few months to be as busy as the previous twelve months. We are definitely counting our blessings and wishing our best thoughts to everyone in this new year that has just now dawned. Perhaps a little belated, but Happy New Year to everyone! We truly wish you all of the best in the year ahead.