Category: Travel

Bujumbura Urban and Rural, Burundi // Spring 2019

While Bujumbura is not the world’s most tourist-attractive city, there are a few things to do that are really unique! The zoo is pretty much interactive – you can get in the  cages with the animals, feed the leopard, hold the monkeys and play with the gorillas. Also in the city, you can go sit in Cercle Nautique and check out the hippos in Lake Tanganyika. Or you can just drive around and see the beautiful sites and sounds! Here are a few snapshots of Bujumbura Urban and Rural as well as a few random extras from some of our upcountry trips.

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Rumonge, Burundi // Spring 2019

It is amazing what Iphones can shoot. I took these with my phone off the back of the motorcycle as we took a little road trip down the coast line of Lake Tanganyika a few weeks ago. It is such a beautiful drive but I can’t possibly have my big camera out, so these burst shoots have to work. So while not the best of quality, hopefully you can see some of the beauty of this country in some of these candid, secret snapshots of daily life on the lake.

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Rutana Waterfalls, Burundi // Spring 2019

Rutana waterfalls are a series of seven falls we hiked into in the southern part of Burundi. The drive to reach them is long and bumpy but utterly worth it. As we hiked into the falls, we scouted for monkeys and bright, local birds as we traversed around sweeping vistas. We hired three local guys to wander with us and show us around. They provided complimentary walking sticks, which I initially denied because I am from Idaho and have been hiking my whole life. But I should have listened because they were definitely needed as we crossed over some of the slippery, deep river areas of the hike! All in all, this is definitely a place I would take any visitor!

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Gitega, Burundi // Spring 2019

In April we moved back to Burundi for my husband’s research. We spend quite a bit of time in Gitega where Youth for Christ runs a kids home and a school. Every couple weeks we hop on the motorcycle and drive the three hours from Bujumbura to Gitega and stay at this paradisiacal place. Most people think Burundi looks like a combination of Hawaii and Cambodia – especially with the tea fields! But Burundi has its own unique character which keeps drawing us back year after year with its red dirt and eucalyptus trees and hospitable people. Enjoy some shots of Gitega and Homes of Hope.

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Strasbourg, France // Spring 2019

Just before we moved away from the UK this past Spring we visited Strasbourg, France with my dad and stepmom. This area is known for its Riesling wines, which, at first, I wasn’t sure about, as I am not a huge fan of sweeter wine. But after wine tasting from local vineyards in the small villages scattered along the Grand Est region, I quickly got on board! We stayed in an Airbnb that looked to be straight out of the Beauty and the Beast! Each of the little villages are surrounded by ancient walls, and in the middle of each one there is an adorable town square with pubs and cafes all serving local cuisine. While a very wet trip, we wandered, walked and drove for days around the many castles, vistas, villages and vineyards all along the valley and surrounding mountains. Unbelievably beautiful!

 

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Eze, France // Spring 2019

While we were visiting St. Jean Cap Ferret, we drove to the village of Eze – an ancient city built into a stone monolith on the sea. This beautiful architectural feat was populated in 2000 BC! You hike into the village, meandering through endless alleyways, full of hole-in-the-wall shops and cafes tucked inside. In the center there is an ancient church, completely serene and peaceful with views of the sea and France on all sides. At the very top there is a garden with many varieties of cactuses and Mediterranean plants and flowers. I could have easily spent all day in this gem of a place!

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St. Jean Cap Ferret, France // Spring 2019

For my 29th birthday we traveled back down to Nice with our dear friend and spent the weekend on his yacht. Pastries every morning. Crystal champagne. Bateau lunches of cheese and baguettes. Turquoise waters. One of the days we took a short ride over to Ville Franche for coffee. It was absolutely perfect. Enjoy some beautiful scenes from this stunning part of the world!

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Seven Sisters, England // Spring 2019

Because we lived so close to the Seven Sisters, we visited them often. This time we took a different route than the previous Summer. We went to the East side of the cliffs and hiked to two separate lighthouses. It was a foggy, misty day, but it made for a totally different experience to our first visit -sunshine and blue skies! A treat at the end of our time was the discovery of a whole herd of wild ponies grazing on the cliffs surrounded by yellow wildflowers. An outstanding day, indeed.
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