The Duomo in Florence, Italy

On July 6, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Italy25 Comments

Suggesting that you should see the Duomo when visiting Florence is like suggesting that you should breathe, it is almost unavoidable. Not only does it dominate the skyline, but almost all of the roads will lead you there as well. With that said, it is truly one of the most stunning cathedrals in all of Europe. Officially called the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore or Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower, the Duomo has the largest brick dome in the world. The façade of the cathedral is as equally beautiful with its intricate details and uniquely white coloring compared to most other cathedrals.

Construction began on the church in 1296 and it would take about 140 years to complete. The complex is made up of three buildings, the cathedral itself, the Baptistery, and Giotto’s Campanile, which is the bell tower. The Piazza del Duomo is definitely a crowded location as tourists flock to the area to see the Duomo of Firenze. You could spend hours looking at the details of the façade, which is made up of marble panels of pink and green with white borders. The artwork above the doors of the cathedral is as beautiful as the artwork that can be found in the city’s museums. You can also get tickets to enter the Baptistery, but even if you don’t enter, the ornate doors cannot be missed.

To truly get an understanding of how impressive the size of the Duomo is, visit the Piazzale de Michelangelo which overlooks the city. Although there are other towers and churches in Florence, nothing compares to the magnificence of the Duomo. Between the dome and the bell tower, the cathedral truly dominates the historic city. There are many reasons to visit Florence, but seeing the Duomo is high on the list of things to see not only in Florence, but also in all of Italy if not Europe.

Looking Up at the Cathedral and Bell Tower

Historic Santa Fe, New Mexico

On June 25, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn New Mexico10 Comments

If you want to visit a place that has a thriving art scene, some of the best food in the country, and a relaxing atmosphere, then Santa Fe, New Mexico, might just be the place for you. It isn’t all just art and food, though, there is plenty of history as well with both the oldest church in the United States as well as the oldest, continuously occupied public building in the United States. There is also a house that claims to be the oldest in the United States, but if nothing else, it one of the oldest houses depending upon the information that we have seen.

Santa Fe is about a five hour drive from Colorado Springs, so we decided to go on a quick weekend getaway and enjoy a couple of days there. Since the elevation of Santa Fe, which is about 7,200 feet (about 2,200 meters), is very similar to where we live, we didn’t have to worry about acclimating to the altitude, but for those coming from sea level, drinking plenty of water is definitely advisable. Even though it is mountainous, it is still a desert region, so expect high temperatures if you visit during the summer months. Although we didn’t have the opportunity on this trip, there are a lot of trails for hiking if you want to get out and explore the natural surroundings.

The historic downtown region is in the heart of Santa Fe and is where you will find a lot of art galleries and restaurants around almost every corner. The city was first established in 1610 by the Spanish, which also makes it the oldest state capital in the United States. You will find a lot of tourists wandering the streets, which all meander somewhat haphazardly around the central plaza where you can find some shade and grass to escape from the summer heat. In the late afternoon on weekends, you will likely find live music to enjoy as the temperatures start to become more tolerable. The historic area is also where you find the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, which is one of the must see sites in Santa Fe.

There are other churches worthy of visiting as well, including the Loretto Chapel, which is home to the Miraculous Stairway, the San Miguel Church, which is the oldest church in the United States having been built in 1610, as well as the Santuario de Guadalupe. Sitting along side of the plaza is the Palace of the Governors, also built in 1610, which is the oldest public building in the United States and where you can find vendors selling jewelry and other art in the shade of it’s roof. Not far from there is the building that claims to be the oldest house in the United States, which was built in 1646.

Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi

Whatever you do in Santa Fe, take your time and relax, everyone else will be. Whether walking in and out of the many art galleries or having a drink on one of the rooftop restaurants, no one is in a hurry to rush around as they visit the various sites. Not far from the downtown plaza is the Railyard Arts District where you can find many local artists, more breweries and restaurants, as well as catch the Road Runner Express, which is an active railway that runs between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. We certainly enjoyed our time walking the historic streets and stopped in several restaurants to have locally brewed beer, New Mexico’s southwestern food favorites, and people watch as tourists meandered the streets. We will likely return soon to enjoy one of the many spas in the area as well as get out and do some hiking.

Touring Fortifications in Transylvania

On February 9, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Romania14 Comments

If you get the opportunity to visit Transylvania in Romania, there is much more to see than the supposed castle of Dracula. Set in the hills of the Carpathian mountains, there are several peasant church fortifications as well as the Fortress in Rasnov. We took a day tour out of Brasov and were able to visit these locations, although we weren’t able to get inside of the fortress in Rasnov. Seeing the churches that are surrounded by walls with rooms for the villagers to live in during a seige was truly quite fascinating and different than anything else that we saw in other parts of Europe.

The first location that we visited was the fortified church in Prejmer, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the strongest church fortification in Transylvania. Apparently it was attacked about 50 times during its history, but only ever conquered a single time in 1611. Not only has it withstood the ravages of battle, it has also withstood the ravages of time as it is still looks the same today as it did hundreds of years ago dating back to when it was first built back in the early 13th century. If you are willing to walk the old wooden stairs and walkways, there are rooms showing what life would have been like for the peasants who took refuge there.

Our second stop was to the fortified church of Harman, which also dates back to the 13th century. It was, however, reinforced over the centuries, making it another resilient stronghold. Although time has taken its toll on the frescos of the church, enough remains to allow you to imagine what it must have been like during the days of its usage. There are also seven towers around the fortress walls, making it quite striking to see from the outside. We were there in the heart of winter and it was extremely cold, but that didn’t keep us from enjoying our time in the fortifications and churches. You can also climb to the top of the bell tower if you would like, but be sure to pay attention to the time as the bells still ring at the top of the hour.

The final stop on our tour was the Rasnov Fortress. This was meant to be the highlight of the day as it is a large fortress on top the hillside that remains in excellent condition. We should have known something was up when we arrived and the area where tourists had to park was mostly empty. We were told that we could take a little trolley up the steep hillside, but we decided to go ahead and walk. When we arrived at the top, we found that the ticket office was closed, but there was a security guard nearby, so we asked where we could get tickets. We were told that the fortress was closed as they were filming an “American movie” on the grounds and we weren’t even allowed to go any further than the entrance gate. We took a couple of photos and began walking down the hillside. As we walked the road, several large black SUV’s with tinted windows passed us as well as trucks filled with scaffolding and filming materials. We never did find out what movie was being shot or whether there might have been movie stars in those vehicles, but perhaps we will see the movie one day.

Despite the cold and the disappointment of not seeing Rasnov Fortress, it really was a very interesting day. The countryside of Transylvania has many different things to see, including the town of Brasov, which have a more tangible connection with real history rather than the myth of a vampire.