Meet Our Friend Afar: Ryan

France - www.AFriendAfar.com

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Ryan, husband of Friend Afar, Meagan, and high school teacher and coach.  I teach foreign language (Spanish), but I am also a certified history teacher, too.  One of the ways that I love to combine these two disciplines is by leading student study abroad trips.  I have twice taken my students to Europe, and I hope to organize another trip very soon.  I love all things sports, especially Atlanta Braves baseball, soccer, golf, and (American) football.  I also love movies, television, board games, and any kind of trivia game.  I think traveling is great because I can experience nearly all of the things I love while I am away from home, albeit in new and exciting cultures which have their own unique traditions, customs, and practices.  And to think that I can return home to share my stories and inspire a captivated audience of eager young minds in my classroom makes the experience of travel all the more thrilling!

Where did you travel for your first trip abroad? Was it for work, school, or vacation?

My first trip abroad was to Vancouver, Canada during the summer between my senior year of high school and freshman year of college.  My mom had a work conference there, and my grandma and I tagged along.  The experience was so exciting because I felt like I was in a completely different world.  The trees were different, the animals were different, the food was different, the cities were different, and the people were different.  My grandma and I traveled out to see the sights during the day while my mom was working, and then we would all explore the city at night.  We also just so happened to be there during the Celebration of Light international fireworks competition, and we watched the show from our high-rise hotel balcony downtown.  It was definitely a memorable first trip abroad!

Mexico - www.AFriendAfar.com

Ryan in Cholula, Mexico

Do you speak a foreign language? How has that influenced your travel?

As I mentioned, I do speak a foreign language, and the very fact that I do can be attributed to my experiences with travel.  I studied Spanish in high school, but I never intended to continue using it after graduation.  During my first year of college I got a chance to participate in a mission trip to Juarez, Mexico to build houses for families in need.  I don’t really remember how it happened, but somehow I was chosen as the designated interpreter to communicate with the Mexican family for whom we were building the house.  At first this task scared me tremendously, but by the third and final day on our work site I felt so proud of the relationship that I had formed with that family of complete strangers who spoke a foreign language and lived in a world so foreign to me.  I think it was in that moment that the world shrunk for me.  No longer did I view other cultures as so distant and incomprehensible.  From that trip on I embraced the excitement of using my Spanish skills, and the very next semester I re-enrolled in Spanish courses.  The following year I spent an entire semester studying abroad in Puebla, Mexico where I lived, worked, played, and traveled with native Mexicans.  My language skills got better and better to the point where I now teach Spanish to high schoolers.  My knowledge of Spanish has also allowed me to travel with confidence to places like Costa Rica, Panama, and Spain.  In each of those places I learned so much more about the Spanish language, lessons that I can then take into my classroom as well.  So in a sense, not only has my speaking a foreign language influenced my travels, but my travels have also influenced my language skills to a great extent.

[Editor’s note: Ryan and Meagan met on another trip to Juarez while building houses with Casas por Cristo. That’s where it all started!]

Mexico - www.AFriendAfar.com

Of all the places you’ve visited, which place is your favorite and why?

My absolute favorite city is Rome.  I’m a huge history nerd so being inside the Colosseum or the Sistine Chapel sends shivers down my spine.  Plus, you can’t go wrong having the most delicious food on the planet for every meal.  Also, I don’t think one is truly living life to the fullest unless they have gelato at least once a day (but really more like two or three times a day!).  When Meagan and I honeymooned there, I remember saying to her how around every corner we turned it looked like an image on a postcard.  It is the perfect city for finding a bench in a square (or a spot on the Spanish Steps) and just spending hours watching the world stroll by.  Now that’s amore!

Rome - www.AFriendAfar.com

What places are at the top of your travel list right now?

I spoke earlier of my love for all things sports so pretty much all of the top places on my travel list are sports related.  I would love to follow my favorite team, the Atlanta Braves, around the country to some of America’s iconic baseball parks.  I would also love to take a golfing trip up and down the British Isles, making sure to get in a round at The Old Course at St. Andrews, the home of golf.  I also really want to travel to northwest England to see my favorite soccer team, Liverpool, play a home match.  Finally, I would love to experience the Olympics or the World Cup in another country.  I’d love to be there from start to finish, going to the opening and closing ceremonies and attending matches all day every day.

Paris - www.AFriendAfar.com

Ryan just attended the Tour de France for his 30th birthday and took this great shot at the Arc de Triomphe!

Has a book or movie influenced your travel?

I had a Spanish class in college where an assignment was to show a film and lead the class in discussion about the major themes of the work.  I chose the film Diarios de Motocicleta (The Motorcycle Diaries).  It is the story of Ernesto “Che” Guevara before he became the Cuban revolutionary figure that most people know him to be.  It is based on the true story of a motorcycle journey that Che and his friend took from Brazil to Peru.  As the adventure unfolds, they become transformed by their observations of the lives of the impoverished indigenous populations of South America.  Through the characters they encounter, they witness firsthand the injustices that the destitute face, and they are exposed to people and social classes they would have never encountered otherwise.  There is a quote from the film that has resonated with me ever since I watched it over and over again in preparation for my assignment presentation.  It reads, “Deja que el mundo te cambie y podrás cambiar el mundo (Let the world change you and you can change the world).”  I think often about this notion that if I truly want to make a difference in this world then I have to go out and see and experience it, warts and all.  Only then will I be able to fully understand the greatest challenges and needs of our society.

What advice would you give to someone traveling abroad for the first time?

A wise Alaskan native once told me (how I came to meet that wise and well-traveled man is another story for another day) that in order to truly experience a place you really need to travel that place by land.  It is easy to see the world by hopping from metropolitan city to metropolitan city via plane or even from major sight to major sight or subway station to subway station.  But you miss so much along the way that truly makes the experience memorable.  Traveling should not be about checking boxes off a must-see list.  It should be about living like a local, even if only for a few days or a few hours.  Stroll the streets with no particular destination in mind.  Buy your meal in a local market.  Take a train.  Rent a bike.  Go where the wind blows you.  Feel the vibe of a city.  You can still go to all the tourist sites and eat at the well-reviewed restaurants, but don’t forget to slow down and embrace the rhythm of life that your destination has to offer.  The moments that I remember most in my years of travel are often the most quiet and intimate ones that were never captured on camera or found in a guide book – a picnic under the Eiffel Tower, a late-night walk along the flooded cobblestones of St. Mark’s Square in Venice after all the tourists have left the city and the locals come out to play, or an ice-cold soda after a long, hot trek through the Panamanian jungle.  These are the memories that I cherish the most, and these are the moments that will make you want to continue traveling time and time again.

Venice - www.AFriendAfar.com

 

Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

Dreaming of Japan: Tokyo Day Trips

Tokyo was one of my first true loves. I could cross a crowded crosswalk with hundreds of strangers in glowing, flashing, technology-infused chaos, or I could turn down a side street and pass traditional wooden architecture and painted signs as I dipped into a restaurant serving steaming bowls of ramen. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen before, and yet, instead of feeling isolated by language and cultural barriers, I was drawn to the unfamiliar. Instead of feeling claustrophobic or hopelessly lost in a city many times larger and more crowded than my own, I sought out the quiet gardens and temples, and I zeroed in on the details. Ok, I definitely felt claustrophobic on the subway, but who wouldn’t?

I studied Japanese in college, and after spending the majority of a summer study abroad in the hot springs town of Beppu in the south, my classmates and I headed to Tokyo. It was my second time in the city, and I loved every bit of it. (OK, Akihabara isn’t really my cup of matcha.) My mom, one of my favorite travel companions, joined me for a week after my semester was over, and I was ready for the opportunity to escape the city again by then. Most people go to Kyoto, which is a longer and more expensive trip, but we stuck close to our home base of Ginza for a few day trips. Here are my favorite spots that you can visit outside of Tokyo. Thank goodness for the shinkansen (bullet) trains!

Our favorite Tokyo Day Trips: To Hakone for Mt. Fuji

It was a fast and affordable ride to Hakone on the shinkansen, and since we love train travel, it was an hour of pure excitement! Once we arrived in Gora, we took the funicular railroad up to Souzan and the Hakone Ropeway cable car to a lookout station and restaurant. Now seems like a good time to mention that even though we planned this trip entirely on the weather forecast, the rain came sooner than expected, and Fuji-san was completely covered in clouds. Yes, this was the view of Mt. Fuji from our “scenic view” cable car. Figures.

Tokyo Day Trips - www.AFriendAfar.com

It’s out there somewhere!

You can’t bring us down, though! After eating lunch at the restaurant with the panoramic views of Mt. Fuji and laughing at our bad luck, we did what we do best. We hit the nearest onsen for a day at the spa!

Onsen are the hot spring baths in Japan. They are very, very affordable, even the fanciest ones with beautifully landscaped ponds and saunas. Since we don’t have these in the states, I considered them to be a wonderfully inexpensive spa – minus the massages.

Onsen Photo Courtest of Hotel Green Plaza Hakone

Onsen Photo courtesy of Hotel Green Plaza Hakone. I couldn’t take pictures inside the onsen, of course!

Have you been to an onsen before? If not, your first visit will come as quite the surprise. Since onsen are traditional public bath houses, you won’t be wearing a bathing suit. That tends to make tourists very uncomfortable at first, but after a little bit of relaxing in the soothing hot springs, you won’t want to leave! We visited one of the more elaborate onsen in the area, and spent our afternoon hopping between saunas, hot springs, bubbling jacuzzis, and pools. Some of the pools were outside, lined with plants and filled by waterfalls, and others were inside and surrounded by beautiful rock walls and tiles. After a morning in the rain and fog, this was the perfect way to warm up and relax. What a treat!

Don’t feel too bad about our missed Mt. Fuji sighting. If you’re in Tokyo on a clear day, you can see the iconic beauty from the top floors of the Metropolitan Government Buildings in Shinjuku, Tokyo. We’re stubborn, so we sat up there all afternoon on our last day until its silhouette appeared through the clouds. It wasn’t picture perfect, but it still took our breath away.

Our favorite Tokyo Day Trips: Kamakura and the Great Buddha

You know which day trip wasn’t a total bust? Kamakura! Once again, we boarded the train and headed out of town. We set out to visit The Great Buddha, or Daibutsu, and since we had learned about multiple very old temples along a path nearby, we had a full day planned.

Tokyo Day Trips - www.AFriendAfar.com

The Great Buddha is a massive bronze statue dating back to 1252. The temple housing the statue was washed away by a tsunami in 1498, and since then, the Buddha has stood in the open air courtyard.

Not only did the weather hold out for us on that day, so did the crowds. It didn’t take long for the only tour bus at The Great Buddha to head out, and after capturing this shot of siblings peeking through a lantern, we were able to take pictures of this important piece of Japanese history with no other visitors in the frame. Even so, these two children are still my favorite.

Tokyo Day Trips - www.AFriendAfar.com

After visiting the Great Buddha at the Kotoku-In temple, we headed to Kenchoji. We had read that it is the oldest Zen training monastery in Japan, so we were prepared for a different sort of temple from those that we visited in Tokyo.

I loved the beautiful wooden buildings that were ornately carved but lacked the vivid red paint that covered all of the temples we had visited before. You could really see the temple’s age. The temple was founded in 1246 and completed in 1253. The gardens were beautiful as well, and we had the opportunity to take off our shoes and tour some of the tatami-floored rooms.

Tokyo Day Trips - www.AFriendAfar.com

Tokyo is a fascinating city with so much to see and do, but getting out of town and heading for the countryside and Mt. Fuji are amazing experiences. If you’re headed to Tokyo, be sure to schedule in a day or two for Mt. Fuji and Kamakura. You won’t be sorry!

Have you been to Japan? Tell us about your favorite places in and around Tokyo in the comments! We love hearing from you!

Weekend-Wanderlust-Logo-V2

Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

Guest Post: 8 Family Travel Tips from Alli

We recently introduced you to two of our Friends Afar, Krista and Ja. We have a new and wonderful friend for you today – Alli! You’re going to love Alli! We sure do! We met her at our church in Atlanta where she had started Lazarus Ministries, an amazing non-profit that does wonderful work with Atlanta’s homeless community. Fun fact: that’s where fellow blog author Stephanie met her husband!

 Now Alli’s living in Washington, D.C. with her husband Joe, her pup Duke, and her darling little boy Jack who is wonderfully featured in this post. Alli has also expanded Lazarus Ministries to Washington, D.C., so if you’re in the area, find out how you can get involved here.  Alli’s been traveling all over the U.S. with Jack and Duke in tow, so she has some great tips on family travel! In fact, Jack has already seen more of North America than most people you know, so he’s Our Little Friend Afar! Enjoy!
Meet Our Friend Afar: Alli and Jack - www.AFriendAfar.com

Family Travel Tips from Our Friend Afar: Alli

Some of my friends call me crazy. I have a 15 month old son named Jack, and he has been to 22 states, Canada, 13 major cities, and has had his feet in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. I travel for work, to be able to see both mine and my husband’s family, and for adventure. Sometimes he is traveling with me and my husband, but sometimes it is just me and our dog. I didn’t plan his first year to be so full, but it happened.  I learned a few things from my various trips, so I thought I would write a few tips.

1) Be mentally prepared and realistic. Just a couple of weeks ago, I loaded up the car with Jack and our dog, Duke, and drove from Washington, DC to Dalton, Georgia. Normally, it’s a 10 hour drive, but it would have been torture to try to make it in that time driving by myself with a toddler and a dog. I managed my expectations to be more realistic and knew it would be closer to 14 or 15 hours. We stopped every 2 hours — mainly so Jack could play. Because I was mentally prepared, it was a pleasant trip. I also try to make sure my expectations of the day match what it will be like.

2) What you wear matters. Of course, I want to be comfortable. But I am more on top of things if I don’t feel and look sloppy. I usually wear stretchy jeans, a shirt that it is not terribly noticeable if it is a little dirty from toddler hands (but still cute), my Puma ballet sneaker flats, and a stylish hat.  Also, bringing an extra shirt is ideal.  I highly recommend not wearing one piece suits (this is important for the bathroom… I’ll get to that).

3) Ration the toys. I keep most of Jack’s toys up front with me (or in my bag if on a plane or train) and hand them back to him one at a time. I have them positioned to be handed back safely. If I give him all of the toys at once, he gets bored much more quickly. Once I have handed him all of his toys, it is usually time to stop for a break. (It would take about 1.5 to 2 hours to go through all of his toys. We do this at home as well, and I have been told it helps with focus.) I usually bring a mixture of 15 toys and books.

3) Think ahead about entertainment. The last trip I mentioned was 14 hours long. We did that with no TV. I was prepared with a playlist that had songs we both like, some NPR podcasts, and audiobooks. When he was happy, occupied and content, I would listen to the podcasts or audiobooks. When he started to get fidgety, I would play the surefire songs that make him smile and clap (for Jack those are Mind Games by Leagues and Shake it Off by Taylor Swift — pretty much a guaranteed smile). Swing by the library and spend a second on iTunes; you will not regret it.

4) Nature does call. For me the hardest thing when traveling with a baby or toddler (and a dog!) is going to the bathroom. With the baby, I wear him as I go to the bathroom. He is too busy and public bathrooms are too nasty for me to let him down at all. Once in the Seattle airport family room, there was a little chair attached to the wall that had straps. That was a luxury! Especially since I was a wearing a fashionable jumpsuit that was one piece (learned my lesson there because not all airports or bathrooms have those and we had other layovers).

Family Travel Tips - www.AFriendAfar.com

5) Snacks. Jack was 7 months old when I drove from DC to Wilmington, NC by myself. It was the first time traveling alone with him. I was so worried about food and snacks, but another mom showed me the dissolvable snacks. It was such a relief to know that he couldn’t choke on them.

6) Traveling with a dog. Our dog, Duke, is a six year old boxer that is a saint. He is a therapy dog, has a wonderful demeanor, and loves the car! I actually have to spell C-A-R if I am not ready for him to know we are getting ready to go. Traveling with a dog brings its own obstacles. We can only do drive-thru restaurants unless I packed meals. I do not travel with him without another adult in the summer. I have to leave him in the car when I need to go to the bathroom. My sister recommended leaving a sign saying that I am just running in to go to the bathroom so that there is no confusion and so people know he is in there for just a few minutes. I always leave the windows down enough for him to get air and park in the shade. I also put the air on full blast for a few minutes before parking. Dogs should not be left for more than a few minutes. I hurry and then let him out to do his business.

7) Bring the right supplies; borrow the rest. A mirror in the backseat so I can see Jack while I am driving and travel dog dishes that go flat when not in use are the types of things that I find irreplaceable (I am hoping that the right carseat goes without saying, but just in case…). Highchair, portacrib, infant bathtub —  I try to borrow in the destination city. In the day of social media, it only takes one post to find someone’s friend’s sister’s cousin who has what is needed.

8) Be ready for THOSE moments. Like when your son is asleep, you’re listening to a Desmond Tutu audiobook, and you are overwhelmed with the beauty of the moment as you drive through the Shenandoah Valley. Or the flight from DC to Minneapolis where he is looking out the windows and giggling at the clouds. Or when a restaurant in Knoxville lets you, your son, and your dog sit in the fenced in patio, and your son stands at the fence holding his sippy cup and waving to people as they pass by. Those are the moments that make you glad you were crazy enough to take him on this adventure no matter how much work it is for you. Those moments.

Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

Meet Our Friend Afar: Ja

Last month at A Friend Afar, we introduced you to inspiring fellow traveler Krista. This month we’d like you to meet Ja. We became fast friends with Ja when we were exchange students in Thailand, and since then she’s lived in Australia and now calls Southern California home. We hosted her on a visit to Atlanta once and can’t wait until we get to hang out with her again!

Angkor Wat- www.afriendafar.com #cambodia #angkorwat #southeastasia

Tell us about yourself.
My name is Ja! I’m 35 years old, from Thailand, and a stay at home mom who lives in Los Angeles. I love photography and traveling! There’s a big difference from traveling when I was single to now being married and having a 9 month old baby, but I am still loving it. It’s my life, my journey. If I stop traveling, I’d die. Seriously!

Where did you travel for your first trip abroad. Was it for work, school, or vacation.
My first trip was in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I went with Meagan, Stephanie, and a bunch of other friends. We had so much fun! I still remember it vividly even though it was almost 10 years ago. It was adventurous, nothing fancy, but we had great time and now I have a memory with friends. My highlight was when we went to Angkor Wat for the day! What an amazing place!

Do you pack light or check a bag?
Of course, I packed light every trip until I had a baby. Now I have to check bag with all the stuff for the baby!

San Diego- www.afriendafar #sandiego #socal #california
Is there a place that you keep going back to? and why?
San Diego! It is absolutely one of the best cities to live in. San Diego also has some of the best weather in the country. The views are gorgeous, and most importantly, it is where I was proposed to and got married!
What places are at the top of your travel list right now?
Paris, Edinburgh, Venice, Vienna, Prague, Monaco! Seriously, anywhere in Europe! I also would love to go back to Melbourne, Australia, but it’s more practical for me right now to do trips in U.S. Yosemite National Park, all over California (so much to see!), Alaska, Colorado Springs, Grand Canyon, Florida, Boston, Texas, and New York are all U.S. destinations on my list.
Do you collect a specific type of souvenir?
Postcards! I send them to friends and to myself.
What is your dream vacation?
Cancun and the Caribbean on a cruise!
Melbourne- www.afriendafar.com #melbourne #australia
If you could recommend one place for us to visit, where MUST we go?
Melbourne, Australia. My favorite! It’s a multicultural city with scenic views, so many galleries and museums, and great coffee! It’s super easy to get around the city using the tram network. It has beautiful weather that’s perfect, really – not too hot, not too cold. Some people say they have 4 seasons in a day. I found it’s true and loved it! You should definitely visit Melbourne!

Stephanie grew up road-tripping across the U.S., but her first flight was to Australia, and she’s been hooked ever since. She lived abroad in Thailand, where she met Meagan, and in Ghana with Peace Corps and has been to over 30 countries on 6 continents. She travels for the adventure, the stories, and nature.

Casa Battlo- A Fond Foodie Memory in Barcelona- www.afriendafar.com #barcelona #gaudi #casabatllo

A Fond Foodie Memory in Barcelona, Spain!

Barcelona, Spain TAPAS Memory

Foodie Memory Barcelona- www.afriendafar.com #barcelona #spain #tapas

As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ghana, one of the food items I craved the most was cheese. Laughing Cow is only an acceptable substitute for so long. The drink item I missed the most was red wine that didn’t come from a box. So you can imagine how a trip to Spain when I lived in Ghana was the best possible place for me to go! We ate at many delicious restaurants, but the one that I still remember by name was recommended to us by our hotel and is called Ciudad Condal. We went for lunch, and even though we had to wait a while, it was worth it. All the tapas we ordered were delicious, but my favorite was the Queso Camembert Crujiente. It’s a baked camembert covered with crushed almonds on a stick served with a raspberry sauce! With a nice glass of house wine to go with it, I was one very satisfied foodie!

What’s your favorite food story from your travels?

One Happy Traveler

One Happy Traveler

A Few Practicalities

Closest Metro Station: Passeig de Gràcia

Nearest Gaudí Site: Casa Batlló

What Else is Nearby: The area is known for its high-end shopping!

Stephanie grew up road-tripping across the U.S., but her first flight was to Australia, and she’s been hooked ever since. She lived abroad in Thailand, where she met Meagan, and in Ghana with Peace Corps and has been to over 30 countries on 6 continents. She travels for the adventure, the stories, and nature.

The Pastry Experience You Can’t Miss in Paris: Baking Macarons

Bon Appetit!

“I think this is my favorite thing we’ve done this entire trip. Yes! This is the best thing ever!” 

Baking Macarons in Paris - www.AFriendAfar.com

My husband and I treated my mother to a trip to France last month. We had the most amazing food and wine experiences, from meals that we raved about so much that our neighboring diners had to order the same thing, to biking through vineyards and tasting all the wines Burgundy had to offer. In Paris, we had a few specific opportunities for Mother-Daughter “foodie” time. We spent one afternoon in the Mariage Frères tea room, enjoying pastries and tea, after a morning in the Louvre. Our favorite experience, however, was when we took a macaron baking class from La Cuisine Paris. Even if you only have a few days in Paris, you have time for a cooking or baking class!

The Pastry Experience You Can't Miss! Baking Macarons in Paris - www.AFriendAfar.com

La Cuisine Paris is located in the 4th arrondissement, just a block from the Hotel de Ville, and a short walk from the Notre Dame. When you step inside their darling shop, you’re greeted by their friendly, English-speaking staff in a simple, but chic room with branded aprons and classic baking supplies. After greeting the other students in our small, intimate group, we headed downstairs to the kitchen. Much like the wine caves we had spent the previous days exploring, the cellar we’d be baking in also had a rounded, cavernous roof. That’s where we met our wonderful pastry chef and teacher for the day!

Let it be known that I am by no means an experienced baker. I tend to bake things that start in a box and only require a few extra additions. So when your teacher started explaining all of the steps in our macaron recipe, I might have panicked a little. Thank goodness my mom was there! She’s the baker in the family!

Not to worry though, La Cuisine Paris has even the most inexperienced bakers covered. All of our ingredients were pre-measured, and our wonderful teacher walked us through each step very slowly. We all took very detailed notes on our recipes, and she provided great explanations for each step we took. She was right when she said that licking your fingers is an occupational hazard. Just look at that meringue! I could have eaten the entire bowl!

Our class was split into two different filling flavors – white chocolate with espelette pepper and praline. Both were delicious, and we might have kept licking our fingers when  we were filling the cookies, too. By the time we filled our boxes full of overflowing macarons, we had already eaten “the slightly broken ones” until we were full.

Baking Macarons in Paris - www.AFriendAfar.com

All in all, it was an absolutely amazing experience, and I can’t recommend it enough! We only had a few full days in Paris, and we are so glad that we squeezed this wonderful two-hour experience in. Just make a reservation online and head over toward the Île de la Cité for a quick class before visiting the Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle. They have other classes as well, from making the perfect french baguette to cooking entire meals with ingredients from the market!

This post is part of a collection of our guides to France. Click here to read other great stories from France.

Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

5 Reasons to Fall in Love with Beaune in Burgundy, France - www.AFriendAfar.com

5 Reasons to Fall in Love with Beaune in Burgundy, France

We fell madly in love with Beaune and the entire regino of Burgundy on our most recent trip to France, and we know you will, too!  There are so many amazing things about the town and the area, but below are our Top 5 reasons to fall in love with Beaune!

5 Reasons to Fall in Love with Beaune in Burgundy, France - www.AFriendAfar.com

 

Small Town Charm

Thank God we found out about Beaune! It’s a quick train ride from Paris, perfect for a few nights away, but it couldn’t be more of a world away from a bustling, international city. Beaune is a wonderfully tiny town of under 25,000 people, and while it’s the wine capital of Burgundy, it seemed to us that the larger crowds of tourists were coming in on buses for just a quick visit. In the evenings, the town goes quiet, and you feel as though you have the cobblestone streets all to yourself.

Beaune is also an incredibly walkable city. The city itself has sprawled beyond its medieval walls, but the historic center is where you’ll be spending all your time exploring, shopping, eating, and drinking. The area within the walls is about a half mile in diameter, meaning that when you have a list of places to visit or wine caves to try, it’s a really quick walk along very pretty streets.

Historic Sites and Architecture

The main historic site in Beaune is the Hospices de Beaune, or Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune, a charitable hospital that served patients from the 1450s to the 1970s. The hospital was established shortly after the Hundred Years’ War by the Chancellor of the Duke of Burgundy with permission from Pope Eugene IV.
5 Reasons to Fall in Love with Beaune in Burgundy, France - www.AFriendAfar.comToday, the Hospices de Beaune draws visitors that marvel at its beautiful and brightly colored tile roofs, an icon of Burgundian design, and the interior that has been preserved. We loved the way the sunlight reflected off the roof. The pharmacy with shelves full of ceramic jars was our favorite room, but we really enjoyed viewing the large halls of hospital beds that were still set up as they would have been hundreds of years ago.

5 Reasons to Fall in Love with Beaune in Burgundy, France - www.AFriendAfar.com

About half of the original battlements, ramparts, and moat are in good condition and worth a stroll.

As I mentioned above, Beaune’s historic center is within medieval walls and ramparts, so while the Hospices is a must-see site, as you walk down the cobblestone streets, you’ll be passing beautiful and historic architecture the entire time. We also enjoyed a nice walk and a few bike rides along the perimeter of the city walls.

Wine!

Beaune is the wine capital of Burgundy in the Côte d’Or region and Côte de Beaune subregion in eastern France. There is so much to be said about Burgundian wine, and even though I feel like I learned so much on this trip, I’m definitely not an expert so I will try to keep this short and simple. The villages to the south of Beaune, such as the famous Mersault, Pommard, and Chassagne-Montrachet, specialize in white wines but do have some wonderful red wines as well. Villages to the north of Beaune like Nuits-Saint-Georges and Savigny-les-Beaune specialize in reds. The mix of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay reflects the varying soil composition as you move from north to south. What does this mean for your typical non-sommelier? It means that you’re in a wonderful location for both world-renowned reds and whites, so no matter your preference, there’s something in the Côte de Beaune that you’ll enjoy!

5 Reasons to Fall in Love with Beaune in Burgundy, France - www.AFriendAfar.com

Where to go in France: Biking Through Vineyards in Burgundy - www.AFriendAfar.com

Where to go in France: Biking Through Vineyards in Burgundy - www.AFriendAfar.com

Wine Caves are the underground cellars for storing wine located all over the city of Beaune and the entire region. Visit these caves for educational tastings and the opportunity to purchase wines from vineyards throughout the surrounding area. In America, I’m used to visiting a specific vineyard with a tasting room on the property. It’s a little different in Burgundy. The vineyards are all on the outskirts of town and the tasting rooms operated by vineyard owners are located in the city centers.

5 Reasons to Fall in Love with Beaune in Burgundy, France - www.AFriendAfar.com

I must share with you our favorite wine cave that we visited! Patriarche is located within the historic center of Beaune, and our experience there was extraordinary! The company has over 3 miles of caves filled with over 3 million bottles of local wine. Many of the caves date back to the 14th century and were all connected over time. After weaving through caves filled with bottles and barrels, the wine tasting is at the end. Extremely knowledgeable guides will describe the intricacies of each of the 13 wines that you will try. Here’s the best part – they give you a small silver “tastevin” cup, and you get to pour your own tasting! That means that when it finally came time to decide which bottles we’d be purchasing, we were able to try a few of those favorites again. That amazing and delicious experience was only 16 Euros per person, and we got to keep our delightful silver tastevin as a souvenir!

I wrote last week about the wonderful bike trails that weave through the vineyards to each village throughout the Côte de Beaune. It was truly one of the greatest experiences of any vacation we’ve had so far!
Where to go in France: Biking Through Vineyards in Burgundy - www.AFriendAfar.com

Food

There’s so much to say about Burgundian cuisine, but for us, the highlight was escargot. We had never had escargot before, but we were certain we’d like it since we like similar foods like oysters and mussles. It turned out that we absolutely love escargot. We could not get enough of those wonderfully garlic-buttery snails, and once we had finished off a platter, we’d dip our bread in the leftover sauce. What a treat! Now to find a restaurant in Atlanta that serves good escargot!5 Reasons to Fall in Love with Beaune in Burgundy, France - www.AFriendAfar.comBeaune also has a wonderful market on Saturdays and Wednesdays. The Wednesday market is much smaller, but we greatly enjoyed shopping for bread, cheese, and charcuterie for lunch, and since Beaune is so close to Dijon, there was a large selection of local mustards that made great gifts for foodie friends back home. My husband made fast friends with these gorgeous truffle-sniffing dogs that work for the truffle stand at the market. They may have a job to do other days, but on market days, they were enjoying a lot of attention and belly rubs!

Night Lights

This is one fabulous aspect of Beaune that we would have missed had we gone to bed any earlier. In April, July, and August, once the sun goes down, historic sites all over the city light up! It was fascinating to watch the moving projections that beautifully illustrated the history of the town.

One of our favorites was the Notre Dame cathedral. In addition to covering the cathedral in images of its beautiful stained glass windows and frescos, the illumination starts with drops of water that begin to pour down from the top, hitting different columns and gargoyles and spilling out across the building, making use of the building’s architecture to create a fascinating, moving work of art.

5 Reasons to Fall in Love with Beaune in Burgundy, France - www.AFriendAfar.com

At the clock tower, an illustrated cat jumps out of one of the windows and chases a ball of light all across the building’s walls until it dives into another window – so charming! And the Hospices shows the history of the building and gorgeous illustrations of the famous altarpiece inside.

When we decided to include Beaune in our trip across France, we were focused primarily on visiting a wine region and touring the vineyards on bicycles. We had no idea that Beaune and Burgundy would become our favorite place in France!

Have you been to Burgundy? We’d love to hear your stories in the comments! If not, which of these wonderful reasons to visit Beaune appeals to you the most? Tell us below!

This post is part of a collection of our guides to France. Click here to read other great stories.

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Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

Where to go in France: Biking Through Vineyards in Burgundy - www.AFriendAfar.com

Bikes in Burgundy: A Two-Wheeled Tour of French Wine Country

Quick! What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever done on vacation? It’s hard to decide, I know! What about the fanciest thing you’ve ever done? If you had told me a few weeks ago that I’d be wearing shorts, tennis shoes, and sunscreen while simultaneously feeling at the height of luxury, I’d have laughed! But when we traveled through the amazing scenery of Burgundy, France on two wheels, it was clear that we were enjoying the vacation of our lives. Biking in wine country was absolutely the best!

We all know France is famous for its world-class wines and amazing meals, but if you’re looking for a truly memorable vacation, here’s why you should throw out all your previous plans and head to Burgundy.

Where to go in France: Biking in Wine Country in Burgundy - www.AFriendAfar.com

We spent a few nights in Beaune, just a short train ride south of Dijon, and it was the perfect decision! Beaune is a wonderfully small town that is surrounded by an old wall just like Avignon. It’s smaller than Avignon though, and somehow when the sun sets, the town falls quiet, and you suddenly have the cobblestone streets to yourself. We stayed at La Villa Fleurie, a charming B&B with a wonderful breakfast and friendly, helpful staff, and we can’t wait to go back!

Beaune is also home to Bourgogne Randonnées, the most helpful bicycle rental shop you could ask for. They set us up with bikes and baskets for a very affordable price for 2 days and provided us with a great map and directions to all of the places we wanted to see. Since they’re the experts, they gave us great advice about what towns to visit and which wine “caves” would be easiest to visit for non-French speakers. Thanks to them, our adventure was off to a great start and ran so smoothly!

We were a little nervous about our trip until they explained to us that the only cars allowed on the roads we’d be taking were for vineyard operations. Not only did we pass very few cars while riding through the vineyards, but the paths were also not very crowded with other cyclists. We found ourselves wondering how we’d stumbled across such an amazing secret!

Where to go in France: Biking in Wine Country in Burgundy - www.AFriendAfar.com

We started our ride right here, with the vineyard walls and gates that announce that we’re entering the Veloroute la Voie des Vignes, the Routes de Grands Crus. We stopped to take pictures at the signs and to take it all in. I can’t begin to describe our enthusiasm and disbelief!

A quick primer on Burgundy wines (by this non-expert):
If you think of Beaune as your home base and the hub of the Côte de Beaune, white wines are the specialty of the villages to the south due to the soil composition, and red wines are more common to the north. Here’s a great guide to the more in-depth details about wines from the region and their classifications. We learned all about this from the expert sommeliers at the vineyards and wine caves we visited.

Where to go in France: Biking in Wine Country in Burgundy - www.AFriendAfar.com

Our view as we headed into Pommard – How perfect is that ivy covered home surrounded by grapevines?

Our path led us from Beaune through Pommard (pictured above) and Volnay to the gorgeous town of Mersault where we enjoyed a picnic from a boulangerie by the fountain on the square. Mersault has some wonderful boulangeries and cafes, and we found that it was the best place to stop for a meal along the way. From Mersault we continued our tour through the vineyards to the tiny towns of Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet before we realized that we were worn out and should probably head home. We weren’t expecting our energy to drop off so quickly! If you’re in far better shape than us, try to make it to Satenay. All in all, we biked about 22 miles that day. All that exercise meant we had even more bread, cheese, and desserts later that night than we normally would, and that’s saying a lot! Oh, and extra wine, of course!

Where to go in France: Biking Through Vineyards in Burgundy - www.AFriendAfar.com

Views of brightly colored tile roofs are part of the Burgundian experience. The square in Mersault, with its beautiful buildings and cheerful fountain was a wonderful place to rest and picnic!

Burgundy was more than we could have ever imagined! The scenery was breathtaking, and knowing that we were biking through some of the best vineyards in the world made the trip so luxurious. Even with all that we read before we arrived in Beaune, we were still really surprised by the following:

  1. Lack of crowds – We expected everyone to be in such an important region for French wines. While we saw a lot of tourists in Beaune at the wine caves and the Hospices, it seemed that the majority of them were just passing through on a tour. There were definitely tourists in Beaune, but it never felt crowded.
  2. Tiny towns – Each little village that we rode through had its own unique personality. When we entered the smallest of the towns in the afternoon, they all had a very sleepy atmosphere.  As I mentioned before, it felt as though we had stumbled upon a wonderful secret. When part of your vacation is set in a tourist magnet like Paris, these towns were a mini-vacation!
  3. Vines as far as you can see! We knew we’d be biking through vineyards. We just didn’t realize that every inch of land in Burgundy would be devoted to vines. It was a never-ending vineyard surrounding each village, and only the short stone fences marked the property lines.
  4. Everyone is making wine! When entering a small village like Volnay or Puligny-Montrachet, we’d leave the marked route for a bit to venture down the side streets. We were always surprised when someone would open up their garage doors or we’d get a peek through a gate into a backyard and someone was cleaning wine barrels or tasting the wine they’ve been laboring for so long to make. I dream of living in a small Burgundian town, surrounded by vines, where wine and all of its intricacies define daily life!
Where to go in France: Biking Through Vineyards in Burgundy - www.AFriendAfar.com

Vines for days! Wines for days!

This post is part of a collection of our guides to France. Click here to read other great stories about traveling through France.
If you’re interested in other stories from the French countryside, don’t miss the lavender fields in Provence!

Where to go in France: Biking Through Vineyards in Burgundy - www.AFriendAfar.com

Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

Meet Our Friend Afar: Krista

At A Friend Afar, we want to introduce you to some of our most inspiring fellow travelers. We met Krista at Georgia Tech, and it’s safe to say that she’s been living abroad for the majority of the time that we’ve known her. Krista was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bulgaria and now teaches English in South Korea.

Feeding the Deer in Nara, Japan - www.AFriendAfar.com

Our Friend Krista feeding the deer in Nara, Japan on her most recent trip.

Tell us about yourself.
My name is Krista. I’m a global citizen who happens to hold a US passport. My passport opens quite a few more doors than some of my fellow world travelers, which is a privilege I appreciate and try to take advantage of as much as possible. I’ve been traveling internationally since I was 15 years old. My career is teaching. Currently I live in South Korea.

Do you have any specific travel interests?
Early in my travels I loved to experience anything and everything new. I wanted to see as much of the world as I could, and I quickly ticked off all the continents, except Antarctica which I’m still a little bitter about. Seeing new places all the time was exciting, challenging, and adventurous, however my interests in travel changed after about 5 years. I realized that for all my bucket lists completed and checked boxes there was a lot I was still missing. Living abroad and getting to know a place, culture, people, and not just experience a small piece of it, started to appeal to me far more, so I decided to live abroad.

I do still travel from my base country quite a bit, but my goals have changed in traveling. I like to travel to countries where I have friends that live there and know the culture well, that way I can have a better idea of the country, culture, and people. Now I base myself in a new country every few years and take small trips to surrounding countries where I have local connections. Most of the things I enjoy doing on my trips aren’t in any travel brochure or magazine, and most often I’m the only tourist. I guess you could say my interests in travel are cultural discovery, exploration, and always adventure.

Krista in London - www.AFriendAfar.com

Krista in London

Do you speak a foreign language? How has that influenced your travel?
I speak Bulgarian quite well and Spanish passably. Disclaimer: I lived in Bulgaria for 4 years. Speaking Bulgarian has definitely influenced my travel habits, but Spanish, not so much. Bulgarian isn’t the easiest language to learn, it’s also not very common, it shares an alphabet with several other similar languages, and the country where they speak it isn’t English proficient outside the major tourist areas. Being able to speak Bulgarian gave me a really good base for roughly understanding many Slavic languages. That, combined with being able to read Cyrillic, makes it much easier for me to travel with confidence in Eastern Europe, a region that’s not very easy to get around if you only speak English. I think that if I didn’t speak Bulgarian I probably wouldn’t have done most of the adventurous things I’ve been able to do in the Balkans and Eastern Europe. I guess I could tell you what some of those are….

I used to rent a car and drive to Greece every spring. I never had a specific location in mind, just somewhere near Thessaloniki or The Fingers. I’d pack a tent and sleeping bag and find a beach or mountain I liked, pull over, and camp for the week. Once I was accidentally on private land and the owner came out to kick me off. After going through English, rudimentary Greek, and then Bulgarian we were able to communicate and he let me stay for the night with the promise I’d move in the morning. I probably should have been really nervous in that situation, but knowing the culture and that eventually I’d be able to communicate it ended up being a really great interaction and we talked for quite a while about his family and land.

Do you plan everything out or go with the flow?
A bit of both actually. I’m a ridiculous researcher. I spend at least double the amount of time I’ll be traveling researching and figuring out all my options for the trip, then usually I make very few plans and decide what to do day by day. Having researched so much and gained a knowledge base of what there is to do, prices, timeframes, possible snags, and effort expended to do each different thing before I leave, I feel super comfortable going with the flow and not worrying I’ll miss out on something once I get to the actual place. Doing it this way seems to be a bit more stressful on the front-end before I leave, but super relaxing when I’m actually on the trip, which is more important to me.

Livorno, Italy - www.AFriendAfar.com

Livorno, Italy – Photo by Krista

What’s the craziest thing you’ve eaten on a trip?
I used to think it was pig brains or bat testicles in Vanuatu, and it still might be. But those were much easier to eat than live octopus and squid in Korea. When your food is moving it makes it a bit more challenging physically and mentally. The octopus suctioned onto one of my molars, and I was a bit worried I’d lose it, but it was just for a few minutes and then I chewed it to death. So the scariest thing was the octopus, but the oddest was the bat.

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Always Afar!

Do you collect a specific type of souvenir?
Yes! I try to get a piece of small jewellery (earrings, necklace, ring) from each place I go or trip I go on. Each country has such unique techniques and styles that I’ve ended up with a very eclectic collection. I don’t wear much jewellery, but whenever I do it always reminds me of a unique time and place far away. It’s like taking a piece of the place home with you.

What advice would you give someone traveling abroad for the first time?
– Keep in mind you’re in a foreign country where no one is required to speak English. Don’t expect people to speak English.
– Go with the experience. Don’t try to put your own cultural values on someone else’s culture.
– Enjoy the experiences for everything they are! Imagine it as a window into a different world. Even if you don’t like some of the things you see, it’s not your world and you’re just looking; you get to go back to your world soon. If you do like what you see, then explore even more.

And most of all, be aware that you may see everything differently when you go home. it may change you, and that’s ok.

 

Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

Shot of the Week

Sainte-Chappelle in Paris - www.AFriendAfar.com

When the sun shines through the stained glass windows at Sainte-Chappelle on the Île de la Cité in Paris, the entire sanctuary glows with sparkling light and color. This 13th century cathedral was commissioned by King Louis IX to house his collection of Passion Relics, including Christ’s crown of thorns – one of the most important relics in medieval Christendom.

Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.