Tag: guide

San Juan Capistrano | French Californian
Hannah Wilson

San Juan Capistrano

2 Comments California

You’ve probably figured out by now that my favorite thing to photograph is the world around me. But ever since I moved back to California, I’ve been lacking inspiration. The reason for that? I just don’t live in grand, historic Europe anymore! It’s no longer possible for me to simply wander the streets of Paris or other European cities, always finding something incredible to photograph. Instead, I have to seek out specific boutiques, restaurants or little pockets of charm, and bring myself to them via the congested and stressful freeways of Southern California. It’s been a challenge, since I have a bit of driving anxiety, but I find the the more I brave the roads, the less intimidated I feel. With every trip my anxiety levels drop a little.

I’ve been making an effort to explore locally, but a little while ago, I visited Balboa Island in Newport Beach, and was totally underwhelmed – apparently it’s a really popular place to visit, but aside from some cute houses and the original frozen banana stand that inspired the one in Arrested Development, I was left feeling completely unimpressed.

After that “failed” adventure (I left without having taken a single photograph because I found nothing inspiring), I was somewhat reluctant to explore again, but yesterday I was bored and restless and decided to revisit San Juan Capistrano on a whim, since it’s only 25 minutes away from home. The city is best known for its beautiful historic mission, which I visited earlier this year. This time, I wanted to see what else the city has to offer. Here’s what I found!

Read more

Yamtcha Boutique - Frenco-Chinese Cuisine | French Californian
Hannah Wilson

Bonne Adresse: Yam’Tcha

3 Comments Paris, See & Do

In French, a bonne adresse is literally translated as: a good address. It’s a place to eat, drink, or hang out, usually a business, that you would recommend to all your friends. Today I want to share one of mine in Paris.

If you’re a fan of Chef’s Table: France on Netflix, you have probably seen the episode featuring the Franco-Chinois cuisine of Adeline Grattard and her husband Chi Wah, who run a Michelin-starred restaurant called Yam’Tcha in Paris. I certainly do not have the budget to go to Michelin starred restaurants, nor the patience to try and get reservations, so thankfully they have a more casual, affordable counterpart in the same neighborhood that they call “Yam’Tcha Boutique,” where you can get fresh food from a sreet-side window, or sit in the tiny dining area sans reservations. My Stepdad, being really into the Nexflix show and a connoissuer of fine tea, made me promise that I would go have a taste of their famous Bao and high quality Asian tea before I left Paris, and I made good on that promise at the last minute, just a few days before moving away, with my friend Daniela.

Read more

Hannah Wilson

Travel Diary: Positano, Italy

2 Comments Travel

Positano has a little bit of everything (beautiful views, cute town, good food and interesting culture), but many other oceanside towns have these things. I think how Positano differs is that it somehow encapsulates “opposites” like ruggedness and elegance, romance and adventure. You can have the most romantic honeymoon here with all the fancy restaurants and literally breathtaking views, but you can also trek up steep mountains to the Path of the Gods, take boats to hidden beaches, and adventure to other towns along the coast. It’s the perfect amalgamation of vacation elements.

Part of the aforementioned “adventure” of traveling to Positano, are the busses. Since there is so little flat land, everything is built vertically into the mountainside, and all roads are twisty and perched on the edge of sheer cliffs – not for those with extreme fear of heights! The main coastal highway was one thing, but it got even more exciting once we got on the local bus to the tiny village of Nocelle, where our Bed & Breakfast, Villa la Quercia, was located. After having already taken two separate busses from Naples airport, we were bemused to find that only one single bus ran up and down the mountain road, arriving for pickup about once per hour! I’ve never experienced anything like the driving skills of that bus driver – SERIOUS talent! Since the road was extremely windy and barely wide enough for one large car, you can imagine the kind of traffic jams and puzzles that ensued. Lots of stopping, backing up, and edging uncomfortably close to the cliff edges every time another car came down the mountain in the opposite direction.

Read more

Hannah Wilson

Sunny Day in the 5th: Rue Mouffetard, Jardin des Plantes, and Tea at the Grande Mosquée

Comments Paris, See & Do

Okay, let’s face it – when I use the word Sunny, what I actually mean is that a handful of sun rays peeked through the clouds intermittently during the day. What I DON’T mean is the bright, powerful, stark sunshine of California – That kind of sunshine, my friends, I probably won’t be seeing anytime soon. But for now, a few warming rays bring a much-needed feeling of warm happiness.

This Saturday, I went on a little wander through the 5th Arrondissement with my friend Ellen. She introduced me to a really great Crêperie on well-known Rue Mouffetard that has made its appearances on many a travel itinerary, but which I had never heard of. In fact, I had never even walked this famous foodie road until now! I was pleasantly surprised with how charming it was – on a slight incline, full of delicious scents of roasting meat, felafel, and sweet crêpes, miscellaneous shops, an American diner… shall I go on?

Read more

Hannah Wilson

The Paris Memoirs: Magical Moments

Comments Paris

The memories that remain with you the longest aren’t the landmarks you saw or the things you bought – they’re the experiences you have with people and the feelings you get. I could go on for hours about all the amazing meals, nights out, nights in, and inside jokes I had during my five months in Paris, but no amount of storytelling skill would convey the reality of each personal experience.

So instead, in order to make this way more accessible, I’ve decided to share my top four memories of Paris, that is, the images I get in my head when I think of this city. These were the magical moments.

Read more