18 Hours in Dijon, France

Living in Geneva is perfect for long weekend trips as it is centrally located whether you want to hop in a rental car or fly.

This weekend we traveled through the Burgundy region of France with our friends who are visiting from Cincinnati. We’ve spent at least a weekend traveling together each year for the past 4 years as couples though Amy and I have traveled together for more than 8 years at this point. Traveling with good friends makes everything easier as you don’t have to know their travel preferences. Our group loves exploring cities together and savoring the fine food and wine just as much as the historic sites.

We spent just over 18 hours in Dijon on Saturday, the first stop on our tour.

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After checking in at our hotel, The Grand Hotel La Cloche-Dijon, we headed out for a long walk through the small city. The front desk suggested we follow the golden owl triangles which lead visitors through a 2 mile path around the city’s primary sights.

IMG_0547Two hours walking around the city before dinner was the perfect amount of time to wander the streets, stopping in shops and sights at our leisure. The city was bustling yesterday due to the beautiful, cool end of Summer weather and final tourist weekends of the holiday season.

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Instead of sitting down for a late lunch we chose to wander in shops, picking up provisions along the way and settling for a picnic lunch near a fountain in the city center.

IMG_1169 IMG_1173 IMG_1176 IMG_1181 IMG_1183A baguette, two cans of pate and a bottle of local pinot noir was the perfect afternoon snack! We kept it classy by passing the bottle and sharing the baguette and pate while sitting on the fountain steps.

IMG_1175We wandered into multiple mustard shops, including the most famous, Boutique Maille. Here Ryan and Amy were able to buy mustards not available anywhere else in the world in addition to watching the salespeople fill containers from the “mustard tap.”  IMG_1186IMG_1185IMG_1161From there we meandered through the streets to the 3 well known churches in Dijon.

  • Notre Dame – 13th century Gothic church
  • St–Benigne – Great example of Romanesque art in Burgundy.
  • Saint Michelle- lower facade is a great example of Renaissance architecture

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Unfortunately, we were not able to visit Les Halles, Dijon’s historic market which is filled with food vendors, tapestries and local antiques! Otherwise, 18 hours was the perfect amount of time to enjoy most of the city’s prominent sites, a delicious dinner and good night’s sleep before heading into wine country for two days of wine tasting.

Are you a quick tourist or do you like to have a leisurely trip in cities, meandering your way through the sights and allowing plenty of time for relaxation?

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A Montauk & Hamptons Afternoon

This was one of those long weekends that should never end. Bo and I joked that we wish we could bottle up the weekend as it was wonderful in so many ways. Neither of us realized until Thursday morning just how stressed we were about the move as we’ve been avoiding some of the stressful thoughts and just focusing on the positive. But, by the time we hopped in Theodora’s red Volvo convertible we were ready to just let the wind blow through our hair, sing at the top of our lungs and relax for the weekend!

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We left New York City around 7am after some last minute repacking due to the fact that Bo and I tend to over pack and we didn’t take into consideration the amount of space a case of wine and some other gifts would take within the small car. Oh well. We were still able escape the city before any traffic which means that we made it to The Hamptons in about 2.5 hours and then all the way out to Montauk Point in another hour or so.

We decided that we’d allow our dear hosts time with their family during the day Thursday and instead would spend a few hours touring the area since no one in the car had been out to this part of Long Island before. We didn’t have an agenda which felt very liberating and instead we decided to stop anywhere that interested us.

We took in the scenic overlooks along the highway on our way out to Montauk while also enjoying the sights and sounds of the holiday.

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We started by driving to Montauk Point Light House, the oldest Light House in New York and the eastern most point of New York. We paid to park our car and explore the beach area before hiking up Montauk Point Light House! It was a fun activity including some fun history and wonderful views though we were all disappointed that you couldn’t walk along the light house balcony after the climb to the top. 

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Next we headed to the The Clam Bar at Napeague for lunch per Blake and JP’s suggestion!A lobster roll and Blue Point Summer Ale were the perfect vacation kick off lunch! The sword fish sandwich was amazing and the clams were superb but the lobster roll still was second fiddle to Luke’s Lobster. As you can see from the menu board below, the prices were steep but we figured that higher prices are pretty normal in the Hamptons. Though, as an FYI, we learned last night from Blake’s father that swordfish has such high amounts of mercury that any female interested in conceiving should steer clear.

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Our last stop before heading to our home for the weekend was 100% random but a great detour. When Theodora and Bo saw the Wolffer Estate Vineyard sign they both thought it would be fun to stop for a quick tasting. We soon found out that their tasting room was situated on beautiful land and featured a gorgeous terrace, perfect for sipping and enjoying the sunshine.

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We spent the next hour and a half enjoying the “Summer in a Bottle” tasting which featured 4 pours from refreshing, light wines. My favorite of the day was their Rose Table Wine!

If you’re heading out to The Hamptons this summer I’d suggest a stop at any of these three places as we enjoyed each thoroughly! Together, they made for a perfect afternoon itinerary and allowed us to see different parts of the island while driving from destination to destination.

In the Summer, what’s your beer or wine of choice?

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15 Minute Hotel Room Workout

This morning I woke up after only 5.5 hours of sleep ready for an hour long workout at the hotel gym. Unfortunately, I walked downstairs only to realize that the gym didn’t open until 6am which meant I’d only be able to squeeze in a 30 minute treadmill run. Instead of going back to sleep or falling victim to my email inbox, I put together this quick 15 minute hotel room workout that left my legs and arms quivering and my heart beating. It definitely made my 5k treadmill run harder since my body was already feeling the workout!

Hope you like this one – it may be my new favorite go to since it requires NO weights or equipment!

15 minute hotel room workout

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