48 Hours in Montpellier, France

Original photos from June 2013.

I had a quick trip to the south of France [in 2013], spending just 48 hours exploring Montpellier alone before Mui & Boris’s amazing château wedding in Brissac. (Alex flew in to officiate the wedding, and was only in France for a record 72 hours! Crazy.) Montpellier is a quaint city filled with young university students and summer tourists, so there was a lot of energy in the streets, especially leading up to Fête de la Musique. Though the eighth largest city in France, it is so small that I ran into the groom at the airport, and when I met with Bogee for lunch before heading to Brissac, we were randomly stopped by Yu-Jung, who was people-watching from a cafe in front of the opera house. Here are a few highlights from my short stay in the city center:

• Place de la Comédie + Rue Foch at night
• Place Royale at sunset
• The Musée Fabre’s Soulages exhibition
• Boulangerie De L’Aiguillerie’s croissants
• Chez Boris’s steak tartare
• La Morue’s smoked cod liver
• Papa Doble’s cocktails
• Cathédrale Saint-Pierre

It was my first visit to Montpellier, so I had an amazing time. The only disappointment was that Les Bains de Montpellier was booked for lunch, so I recommend making a reservation if you want to dine there. Anyway, here are my favorite photos from the short trip.

Land & Water in Maui, Hawaii | Part II

Original photos from January 2013.

After spending the first part of our trip to Maui on the Road to Hana, we decided to head to the water for a few days of diving. Even in January, the water temp was surprisingly warm, and more calm than I remember Oahu’s waters to be a few years back. The best dive started before sunrise. We took a boat out to Molokini, a “crescent-shaped, partially submerged volcanic crater,” and intercepted a handful of humpback whales crossing the channel. The amazing thing was finally diving in the pristine waters protected by the crater, and listening to the whales sing to each other underwater, which you can apparently hear from up to seven miles away.

Next visit, we hope to dive the pretty Lanai Cathedrals and do the Haleakala Volcano sunrise hike. Also, here are a few recommendations: Maui Dive Shop, Airbnb in Kihei, Coconut’s Fish Cafe, Da Kitchen.

Land & Water in Maui, Hawaii | Part I

Original photos from January 2013.

[In early 2013,] Alex & I took a short trip to Maui. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the Road to Hana, the gorgeous 52-mile highway that hugs the northern coast of the island. The views are stunning and diverse, and a bit dangerous to drive on during heavy rain (which we did)! The highlight of the day was hiking the winding Pipiwai Trail, complete with a giant Banyan tree, bamboo forest, and the 400-foot Waimoku Falls.