Contrasting Images with Black and White Photography

On January 25, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge7 Comments

Needless to say, when traveling we take all of photographs in high-def and in color. With that said, we convert some photographs to black and white because it provides a different feel and some features actually jump out even more. We like black and white photographs so much that we have a small display of them in our home with very simple black frames around them. Generally speaking, we tend not to alter our photographs when posting them on any type of social media, but converting them to black and white is one of the rare exceptions, although we do that mostly for ourselves. Here are a few of favorite photographs that we have changed to black and white.

Everyone Loves a Historic Castle

On October 16, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn England, Germany, Photo Challenge, Romania, Spain6 Comments

In just about every city in Europe it seems that you will find a palace, cathedral, and a castle. Obviously, these fortifications were an important defense system for the local citizens and for the country as a whole. Although many of them are in various states of disrepair, a majority of them have been restored to their original grandeur. Regardless of their condition, travelers flock to these grand locations and some of them have even been converted into hotels. A few of them have that fairytale feel that create images of princesses meeting their prince charming, but conditions were likely not nearly as nice as the romantic images of films and books.

Although we certainly have many more castles to visit, we have enjoyed seeing the ones that we have. Just like choosing a favorite location isn’t really possible, we aren’t able to pick our favorite castle. Could it be the first castle we ever visited, Warwick Castle in England, or could it be Bran Castle in Romania with its ties to Dracula? Perhaps Heidelberg Castle in Germany would be our favorite with its idyllic scenery? The Alhambra Palace and Fortress is also something special to see with its Islamic architecture. Whether you have a favorite castle or not, it is likely that you have seen many of them during your travels. Maybe our favorite will be the next one that we discover on a future trip.

Driving on the Wine Road Outside of Strasbourg

On October 2, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn France4 Comments

We truly enjoyed our time in Strasbourg and, even though it was after the vineyards had been harvested, we also enjoyed driving on part of the wine road. There is something beautiful about seeing all of the vines lined up in rows, but perhaps that is just because of the thought of the wines that they produce. Although there are certain regions that are synonymous with growing the grapes that produce excellent wines, these days you can find vineyards almost anyplace and they are definitely worth visiting. When you meet the people who run these vineyards, you appreciate the passion that they have for the grapes that they grow and wines that they produce. Alsace is definitely proud of the wines produced in the region and we tasted several wonderful varieties. Doing a full tour of the entire wine road is definitely something that we hope to do some day in the future.