http://urbantravelgirl.com thoughts on black women living globally through international travel Sun, 14 Feb 2010 02:34:27 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en [caption id="attachment_473" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Talk about a film celebrating "romance on the road." "Before Sunset" explores the reconnection of one-time lovers Jesse (an American) and Celine (a Parisian) in the City of Light, nine years after their initial rendezvous in Vienna. This 2004 film might convince even skeptics about the ... http://urbantravelgirl.com/2010/02/13/how-do-you-handle-potential-romance-on-the-road-just-in-time-for-valentine%e2%80%99s-day/ [caption id="attachment_459" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Here I am in my two-strand twists, visiting an archeological site in rural eastern Turkey near the Armenian border. My carefree hair made a culturally challenging trip way less stressful. "][/caption] [caption id="attachment_460" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="During a break from a wine-tasting tour, I'm standing in front of ... http://urbantravelgirl.com/2010/01/10/tips-for-sisters-on-%e2%80%98hooking-up%e2%80%99-their-hair-when-traveling-abroad-part-deux/ I promise I’m going to write about “Black Chicas and Hair, Part Deux,”  but I thought a post I included on my other travel blog, “TCW Travel Connection” for Today’s Chicago Woman magazine would make a good introduction to 2010. For the past couple days, I’ve been reflecting and ruminating ... http://urbantravelgirl.com/2010/01/01/let-travel-take-you-outside-your-comfort-zone/ [caption id="attachment_447" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ahhh... freedom from hair issues! Here I am on a recent trip to Villefranche-sur-Mer in the south of France, in all my kinky-twist glory. "][/caption] [caption id="attachment_448" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Here I am (far right) with a couple of girlfriends during a visit to the Vatican Museums in ... http://urbantravelgirl.com/2009/12/22/hair%e2%80%94and-what-to-do-with-it-when-we-travel%e2%80%94is-nearly-always-an-issue-for-black-women/ For any of us women—especially those who still consider themselves young or young-at-heart and long to experience the thrills and pleasures that travel and foreign cultures provide—the recently released Sony Pictures Classics film “An Education” is a must-see. (Here in the United States, it’s in relatively limited release, which is ... http://urbantravelgirl.com/2009/11/30/%e2%80%98an-education%e2%80%99-offers-far-more-than-a-glimpse-into-foreign-travel-culture-for-impressionable-young-women/ [caption id="attachment_432" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="A young, fruity red wine that usually retails for less than $20 a bottle, Beaujolais Nouveau is a Thanksgiving table favorite. Here, one from Laboure-Roi makes its debut at Cyrano's Bistrot & Wine Bar in Chicago's River North district."][/caption] As a freelance journalist who writes about both ... http://urbantravelgirl.com/2009/11/20/uncorking-of-2009-beaujolais-nouveau-lets-you-visit-france-via-wine-glass/ Times are tough, and even us diehard globetrotters are finding ourselves grounded these days. But there ARE ways to travel the world without leaving the borders of the United States. In a recent post for my “TCW Travel Connection” blog, which I write for a great local monthly magazine called ... http://urbantravelgirl.com/2009/11/12/want-to-travel-the-%e2%80%98world%e2%80%99-without-leaving-the-united-states-visit-las-vegas/ Like my friend and fellow African-American expatriate Kelly Carter, I learned how to TRULY celebrate my "Inner Italian" during my days in Florence, Italy. Here, one of the city's charming mini-buses rounds the corner of a picturesque street alongside the Arno River. [caption id="attachment_417" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Here's the view from outside ... http://urbantravelgirl.com/2009/11/08/who-is-your-%e2%80%98inner-italian%e2%80%99-former-italy-dweller-kelly-carter-celebrates-hers/ My former newspaper colleague and friend Sharon Sanders writes a gorgeous, award-winning blog called "Simple Italy: Italian Food, Culture, Lifestyle and Travel." Years ago, she and I developed a tight bond over our fascination with all things Italian. Today, Sharon—who spent several years living and working in beautiful Florence—was kind enough to ... http://urbantravelgirl.com/2009/10/29/urbantravelgirl-dishes-about-her-%e2%80%98inner-italian%e2%80%99-on-simple-italy-blog-a-love-letter-to-bella-italia/ [caption id="attachment_401" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="For me, there's truly NO PLACE like Paris. Its street life and energy is infectious -- and I got to travel there via the "big screen" earlier this week by catching "Paris" at a Chicago cinema."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_402" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I love this statue, which stands majestically ... http://urbantravelgirl.com/2009/10/15/traveling-abroad-through-film-often-the-next-best-thing-to-being-there/