Bratislava Castle in Slovakia

On June 15, 2021June 15, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Slovakia5 Comments

Sitting on the hill above the city of Bratislava is the historic Bratislava Castle, the Bratislavský hrad in Slovak. The original castle dates back to the 13th century, but it was obviously modified many times over the centuries. By the early 1800’s, the castle was in a state of deterioration and was being used by the military for barracks. It was also damaged more during the world wars, but in 1953 the decision was made to restore the castle to its former glory and it is now a popular tourist site within the capital city of Bratislava.

We visited the Bratislava Castle in May, so the gardens were just beginning to bloom, but we can certainly can imagine what they must look like in the summer months. The castle itself is a rectangular building with four towers, one on each corner. Although there is apparently only a single window left from the original building, the castle is still quite beautiful. We spent about an hour walking the grounds and enjoying the wonderful views of the city below. There is also a statue of King Svatopluk that was added to the courtyard in 2010, which apparently caused some controversy.

Bratislava Castle as Viewed from the War Memorial

The history of the region, with its importance to Hungary and then recent gain of independence, the Bratislava Castle is a source of pride to the people of Slovakia. It is an interesting theme that we found during our tour of Bratislava of how the castle and the city were a seat of power for Hungary for centuries, which obviously is a frustration for Slovakians, but at the same time the country has recognized the importance of this period as part of their own history. Add to that the other occupations, including that of the Soviet Union, and the country has overcome a variety of historical obstacles. Needless to say, any visit to Bratislava should include going to the castle that overlooks the city.

Part of the Wall that Surrounds the Castle

What is the Most “Touristy” Thing That You’ve Done?

On June 10, 2021June 10, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Egypt, England, Mexico, morocco7 Comments

When traveling, we always try to have the most authentic experiences as possible. There are times, however, when a tour that we take includes something that is there just for tourists. They are often photo opportunities that locals believe that the people visiting want to take home with them, but often they aren’t realistic to the actual culture. More often than not, when we end up doing one of those types of things, we literally cringe when we see what we’re about to do. It doesn’t mean that we don’t enjoy them, it is just that we realize that it is a staged activity done just for tourists.

We have actually ridden camels twice, once in Morocco and then again in Egypt. It wasn’t as if we were riding a camel to get from one place to another, it was just us on a camel while someone walked us around. It wasn’t as if we saw people riding camels, although we know that they do in the desert, so it is just something that people have come to expect to do when they visit those countries. Another thing that we did when in Morocco was to see a snake charmer. Interesting as it was, it was still just a planned stop along the tour for us to take photos and tip the snake charmer in order for him to make a living.

When we were in Prague, at the end of the tour, we went to what was supposed to be a medieval restaurant, complete with cobwebs on the ceiling and waiters dressed in garments from the period. Having a meal at a wooden table in a dungeon, while fun, is probably not the way it would have been hundreds of years ago. When we visited Warwick Castle in England, one of the towers was set up as a torture chamber. It was basically a haunted house experience with people jumping out at you. Again, fun, but not anything representative of turn of the century Europe.

When we were in Cabo, we swam with dolphins in a large aquarium. It would be quite fascinating to swim in the wild with dolphins, but that would be a completely different experience than swimming with a dolphin that has been trained to do tricks. We took a cruise on a pirate ship in Puerto Vallarta where they put on a show and entertained the guests throughout the tour. Clearly these activities are a little different, but still very touristy. Obviously it is hard to completely avoid all of these types of activities, so when they happen it is best to just role with it and have fun. The camel rides were probably the most touristy of all of the activities that we’ve done. What is the most touristy thing that you’ve done when traveling?

Unusual Museum Experiences Around the World

On May 25, 2021May 25, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Travel Tips3 Comments

Tell someone that you are going to a museum and it will likely bring images of paintings, statues, or antiquities, but sometimes a museum is something completely different. We have had the opportunity to see a variety of different museums in various locations during our travels. They range from cultural museums or locations of historical and political significance. The definition of a museum is basically a building or series of buildings in which objects of historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural interest are stored and exhibited. These certainly meet that criteria and are some of the more unusual ones that we visited over the past several years.

Settlement Museum in Borgarnes, Iceland – During our stay in Reykjavik in Iceland, we made the hour-long drive to Borgarnes, going through a five kilometer tunnel underneath one of the bays, and enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the restaurant of the Settlement Centre. We then took the tour through the museum, which consisted of two thirty-minute audio tours that covered the history of how the Vikings first came to populate Iceland as well as their turbulent history once they arrived. The early history of Iceland is told through Viking Sagas, one of which is the Eglis Saga. Egill Skalla-Grimsson was a famous Viking and poet whose story is used to provide an understanding of the first people to populate Iceland. It isn’t just a recanting of his poetry, but is the tale of his life, beliefs, fortunes, and misfortunes.

Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin, Ireland – Almost everyone we spoke to about what to do during our visit to Dublin recommended us taking a tour of Kilmainham Gaol. Kilmainham Gaol is a former prison in Dublin that has been converted into a prison museum. It has been used as a set for many movies including In the Name of the Father and Michael Collins as well as many others. The tour was very interesting and provided a lot of detail about the prison and prisoners, especially the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising. The prison held almost every leader of the Irish revolutionary groups until it was shut down in 1924 by the Irish Free State.

Chocolate Museum in Cologne, Germany – When we visited Köln during our time in Germany, we decided to take a tour of the Schokoladen Museum (Chocolate Museum). The museum is situated right on the Rhine river in the Rheinau Harbour next to old town and not far from the cathedral. The three story building is shaped like a large ship with floor to ceiling windows providing wonderful views of the river and city. Lindt is the official chocolatier of the museum and the highlight of the tour is tasting and buying the freshly made chocolate. There is even an opportunity to create a personalized chocolate bar with nut and candy toppings and fillings chosen by you.

The COPE Visitor Center in Vientiane, Laos – During our trip to Vientiane we visited the COPE Visitor Center, which is partly a museum, but also provides insight into the work that COPE does in Laos. Visiting the center wasn’t on our original itinerary, but we ended up with enough time during our tour of the city to fit it in. The country of Laos has many unexploded cluster bombs (referred to as bombies) from the Vietnam war that are still causing injuries throughout the country. COPE is an organization that is attempting to find and defuse all of the bombs as well as provide medical attention and supplies to those that get injured.

Science Experiments at the True Equator in Ecuador

Intiñan Museum near Quito, Ecuador – One of the things that we really enjoyed during our visit to Quito, Ecuador, was going to the true equator and participating in several experiments at the Intiñan Museum. The museum itself is dedicated to the history of Ecuador with several exhibits about the cultures of the people of the Amazon. Although there are several exhibits regarding the people, animals, and plants of the jungle, the main attraction of the museum are the various science experiments that are a hands on experience for those that visit the museum.

One of the Many Trails Through DakshinaChitra

DakshinaChitra Cultural Museum in India – Located outside of Chennai, the DakshinaChitra is a living museum that depicts life, art, culture, and architecture of Southern India, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. DakshinaChitra features 18 authentic historical houses that were deconstructed from their original region and then reconstructed by artisans from the region on the grounds of the museum. Each of the houses features exhibits that represent the region’s art and daily life. Although we visited during an off time, the museum features typical artisans and performers from the various regions that you can interact with, thus making it a living museum.

Inside of Display House in the Brother’s Grimm Museum

Writings and Exhibits in the Sigmund Freud Museum

We’ve certainly been to other interesting museums including the Nuremberg Courthouse in Germany, the Sigmund Freud Museum in Vienna, as well as the Brother’s Grimm Museum in Kassel, and each is unique, fun and interesting in their own ways. Obviously we have also been to many traditional museums that are certain famous and contain amazing works of art or pieces of historical significance, but sometimes going to someplace that is more about the fun than it is about an education experience is equally worthwhile. What is the most unique museum experience that you’ve been too during your travels?