From Texas to Beyond

Local, Near and Far: Our journey of exploring the world.

Page 6 of 31

The Art of Paris: Musée Rodin

Continuing with our series, The Art of Paris, a visit to the Musée Rodin was a great way to start our visit to Paris.  I had been to Paris once before on a quick three day layover between Istanbul and Austin, but had not visited the Rodin.  I made sure we were able to go this time.  In my art appreciation, one of my weaknesses is sculpture.  However, I had recently attended a few lectures at the Kimbell Art Museum and my interest and understanding was growing.  Also, one of our good friends loves Auguste Rodin and was telling us all about her experience there at the museum.  So we made our visit to the museum a priority.

Musée Rodin - The Thinker

The Thinker

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Paris City Overview

On the final leg of a European vacation, Rebekah and I flew from Prague to Paris on EasyJet, one of many budget flight operators in Europe. We found that flying was the easiest and cheapest way for us to connect from Czech Republic to France.

Detail of the Eiffel Tower

Detail of the Eiffel Tower

While one of the primary reasons for visiting Paris was a convenient direct flight home to DFW using frequent flyer miles, I was excited to experience first-hand the magic of Paris. Rebekah visited Paris on a multi-day layover before we were married, but was eager to share this enchanted city with me. Playing the part of tour guide, Rebekah planned our itinerary based on her prior knowledge of this massive city.

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In Case You Missed It…Kansas City, MO

Every couple weeks we’ll be collecting links from past posts grouped together by location; we thought it handy to have everything in one convenient location as you plan your upcoming travels. Not long ago, we featured a series on Kansas City, MO so here’s your recap:img_1304

Kansas City, MO Overview: Explore my (Rachel) hometown of Kansas City, MO with us on our series that features this quintessential Midwestern town.

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The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: One of the most amazing museums in the country, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art has some of the finest pieces you will find anywhere

 

 

Gates Bar-B-Q: Gates Bar-B-Q is dedicated to family traditions, friendly customer service, and delicious sauces, meats, and
barbeque in Kansas City.img_2076 copy

Kansas City Union Station: Kansas City Union Station is full of history, beautiful architecture, and is definitely worth the stop to marvel at the grandeur of this iconic Kansas City building.

IMG_1233Harley-Davidson Factory Tour: A great way to spend time in Kansas City is by exploring the great tours offered by the Harley-Davidson Factory.

Country Club Plaza: “The Plaza” in Kansas City is a swanky district known for its fine dining, upscale shopping, chic hotels, and location for many annual events.

National World War I Museum & Memorial: The National World War I Museum & Memorial is a beautiful piece of Kansas City history and architecture built to honor those who gave their lives in the Great War.

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Layover: Vienna in an Afternoon

Today, I proudly introduce our first Guest Blogger and my good friend, John Seale. John is one of my frequent travel partners, from across Texas to the other side of the world (2 trips to Kenya). From Texas to Beyond is excited to bring you his unique perspectives on travel, along with some fascinating locations. In this four part series, John takes us to Vienna, Austria, after which he leaves the conventional European vacation behind with destinations in Kosovo and Albania.

My wife Katie and I planned nearly the perfect itinerary for a three-destination trip. The weak Euro was making European travel cheap, and the threat of terrorism was making Kenyan travel cheap, so we were combining a visit to my sister with a visit to a former ministry I volunteered with for years. Most of our long-hauls were overnights so we could sleep, and we even had a long layover in Chicago, where my wife has family.

The only problem was a long layover in Vienna, Austria. Unfortunately long, really – over 9 hours. I’ve done my fair share of long layovers in airports, and nobody likes them. Naturally, therefore, I started looking to see if it was enough time to have a valuable visit to this beautiful, historic city. Turns out, it was plenty of time, and I’m here now to share how we did it and how you can make it work on your long layover too. Continue reading

Method Coffee

The last leg of our day trip to Deep Ellum took us just north of the neighborhood to Method Coffee.

Method Coffee 6

Matt and I have gotten into a habit of trying to explore new coffee shops or bakeries when we have some down time. With the baby in tow, it is the perfect way to get out of the house and try something new. Needing a final stop for our day in Dallas, Matt suggested Method Coffee. We hadn’t been before, but had heard about it and driven by, so we were excited to add it to the agenda.

Even after a long day of standing in line for BBQ at Pecan Lodge, enjoying the brews at Deep Ellum Brewing Co., and generally being in the heat, Method was a welcome haven for tasty drinks, air conditioning, and great conversation about the direction of From Texas to Beyond.

Method Coffee 8Method Coffee is nestled in between Deep Ellum, Bryan Place, and Old East Dallas neighborhoods at the intersection of Ross Ave. and Hall Street. With a large sign on the side of the building, it isn’t easily missed. Inside, the cozy atmosphere seats about 20 people. The seating arrangements aren’t meant for larger groups, but it seemed a popular place for individuals to be productive whether they were there to read, work, or visit with a friend.

Don’t expect to see the menu overhead, instead you’ll take in the ambiance of the brick wall with neat shelving that features some of the various methods they use to make coffee. The baristas were exceptional–they were attuned to the various methods of coffee making and explained very clearly the tasting notes that you might get should you choose to order your coffee via Chemex or Kyoto cold brew. A very small menu is available on the counter where you can select your coffee, chat with the barista, and pay for your item(s). As patrons, we were very impressed with their knowledge, passion, and dedication to delicious coffee, a hallmark you don’t usually see unless you’re in a specialty shop.

Method Coffee 12

Coffee Flight

Noticing the option for a “coffee flight”, Matt and I chose our standard cappuccino and the flight with the options for an espresso, the Yama (or Kyoto–a Japanese method for brewing coffee), house brewed kombucha, and the traditional drip coffee. Yeah, we knew we’d be loaded up with caffeine, but one thing is for certain, we take advantage of the offerings when we’re at a coffee house! David and Rebekah shared a chai tea latte and obviously, their hearts weren’t racing as much on the ride home.

Chai Tea Latte

Chai Tea Latte

Of the options we chose, my favorite by far was the kombucha–yeah–not even the coffee! I’ve only recently started to enjoy kombucha so I was surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did, but with the tastes of basil, citrus, and cucumber infused into the fermented tea, it was the most refreshing drink. Matt enjoyed the cappuccino the best: it was simple, smooth, and well made with beautiful artwork. David and Rebekah had samples of our drinks as well, but really loved the chai’s fullness of flavor, including the extra hints of cardamom.

If you’re in the neighborhood, and interested in trying a craft coffee house, we completely recommend Method Coffee.

Cappuccino

Cappuccino

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