Our Actions Define Us

On July 15, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn France16 Comments

For those who’ve read posts from in the past, it is probably clear that we tend to stay focused on talking about our travel experiences, food, and sharing some of our photography, not on current events or politics. With that said, we felt compelled to say at least something about the horrific and brutal attack in Nice, France, and our thoughts about travel in these uncertain times. First of all, our thoughts and prayers go out to all of the people and families affected by this senseless violence as well as the other recent tragedies. We’re not going to talk about the political and social causes that drive people to do such unimaginable acts because we don’t consider ourselves experts on those subjects, although we do have some pretty strong opinions on the subject.

What we’d like to talk about is staying strong in the face of such uneasiness and uncertainty. Terror is about trying to cause paralysis and inaction due to fear. If we stop travelling, stop going to events with large crowds, visiting places considered to be “soft targets”, we give in to terror. Unfortunately in this day and age, terror can happen anyplace. France has certainly seen more than its fair share of violence perpetrated by terrorists. Would we travel to France right now? Absolutely and we hope to very soon. There are things that are beyond our control, but what we can control is our desire to not let evil deeds such as last night’s attack keep us from continuing to live our lives as fully and optimistically as we always have.

Eventually, the good in people will win out in the end, but clearly there are going to be many more dark days ahead. In light of that, we will do our best to move forward resolutely determined not to let violence deter us. Will we be more aware of our surroundings, watchful of potential threats? Of course, but that is just common sense. So, today we reflect on the events in France with a strong commitment to not let them change the way that we live our lives. We believe that most people have very similar feelings and in that way we let our actions tell the terrorists that no amount of violence will change the world into the world that they are trying to create. In fact, the complete opposite is occurring and they are uniting the world against them instead of causing us to run in fear of them.

Daily Post Photo Challenge – Numbers

On June 6, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn France, Photo ChallengeLeave a comment

Oddly enough, we don’t take a lot of photos while we’re travelling that contain numbers. The one exception to that seems to be clock towers, whether on churches or government buildings, there are several of those to choose from. For this week’s challenge, numbers, we found this picture from one of the bedrooms in Versailles that had an ornate clock on the mantelpiece. It captures the ornate detail of the opulent rooms, although we’re not sure if the clock actually works.

Walking the Streets of Paris

On April 1, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn France9 Comments

At the time that we visited Paris, there was a transit strike occurring, which limited the availability of buses and trains. So, when we arrived early in the morning on our first day in Paris, we went to our hotel, which was really more of a bed and breakfast, checked our bags and headed out into the city, determined to make the most of our first day. We were staying on the famous left bank in the Latin Quarter, just a few blocks from Notre Dame. We had heard before we arrived that the strike was occurring, so we knew that transportation was going to be limited. Undaunted, we decided that we would simply walk to the places that we wanted to see.

Our first stop, the Eiffel Tower. Along the way, we walked along the Seine River, strolled through beautiful gardens, and gazed at the amazing historic architecture. Instead of being frustrated that it took as long as it did to make our way to the tower, we really felt like we were able to truly immerse ourselves in the city. This was the first time that we explored a city exclusively on foot and it has become our favorite way to really get to know a city. Do you need to be smart and avoid certain parts of a city, especially at night, of course you do. But as long as you’re smart about, you will be fine, even in cities that are known for crime.

Walking the side streets of Paris allowed us to find small shops with various goods that we would have never found otherwise. We discovered restaurants along the way that we would make sure to come back to later and enjoy a fine meal. One of our fondest memories was almost one of the most expensive impulse purchases we’ve ever made. We found an old book store that sold rare books, so we just had to go in and check out the old leather books that adorned their shelves. We spoke with the owners, who showed us a first edition of Don Quixote, which we examined wearing white gloves. We are huge fans of books and we were tempted to purchase the two-volume set, but chose not to blow our daughter’s college fund on such a self-indulgent gift to ourselves.

As the day wore on, we were getting quite hungry as 6:00 p.m. approached. Unfortunately, unlike the United States where you restaurants start getting busy around this time, in Paris restaurants don’t even open their doors until 8:00 p.m., so we couldn’t find a place to eat. We had decided to go back to our hotel to change clothes before going out to dinner, but we found that we were a little bit lost. We found a restaurant that, although not open for business, did have its doors open, so we went in and asked directions. We speak enough French to get by, but apparently didn’t put the correct accent on the street name, so it took several attempts, but finally it clicked and they were able to point us in the right direction.

Our first day in Paris was definitely a long, full day, but walking the streets made us feel like we were locals before the day was over. We fell in love with the city and enjoyed our time there immensely. We probably would have loved Paris just as much had we not been forced to walk around the city, but strolling down the streets certainly made it even more memorable. We often compare it to our trip to London, where we rode on the tube and “popped up” at the different locations, feeling like gophers who popped up, looked around, and then went back underground. We never felt that we got a true sense for the city like we did in Paris, so we’ve been determined to try and walk as much as possible ever since, just so that we see a city the way it is meant to be seen, on foot.