http://urbantravelgirl.com thoughts on black women living globally through international travel Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:10:44 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en [caption id="attachment_697" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The "center" of Samois-sur-Seine, a village of just more than 2,000 residents, is quite small. But it's charming, as I'm sure this curious beagle would agree!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_698" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Here's the Samois boulangerie where I go for fresh baguettes and delectable pastries. You'd be hard-pressed to ... http://urbantravelgirl.com/2012/01/22/loving-the-%e2%80%98honeymoon-phase%e2%80%99%e2%80%94getting-settled-in-france/ [caption id="attachment_684" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ahhhh... now THIS lovely breakfast-on-the-balcony (at the waterfront Hotel Welcome in lovely Villefranche-sur-Mer) says France to me! I need to think of scenes like these when I start stressing and obsessing about my upcoming move."][/caption] So I’m headed to France in a little over one week, and ... http://urbantravelgirl.com/2011/12/20/countdown-to-my-french-departure/ [caption id="attachment_664" align="aligncenter" width="227" caption="I'm all smiles at this charming restaurant in Nice earlier this spring (I was in the south of France visiting a good friend in Villefranche-sur-Mer).  I'm even MORE thrilled to be spending 2012 in this fabulous country!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_667" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I NEVER tire of seeing the amazing "La ... http://urbantravelgirl.com/2011/12/04/enfin-finally-france-here-i-come/ Ciao, and welcome to UrbanTravelGirl, a blog featuring my thoughts on black women living globally through international travel. I'm a passionate believer in the ability of travel to not only transform the way we see the world, but ourselves.  As an African-American woman, I've developed an even stronger sense of who I ... http://urbantravelgirl.com/2011/10/16/hello-world-2/ I met Tom Harrow (now the very successful "Wine Chap" in London) when we both were living in Florence, Italy, back in 2004. I'd met Tom through Paula, a Delta Sigma Theta sorority sister and friend who was living in London -- and Paula met Tom through HER soror friend. It's a ... http://urbantravelgirl.com/2011/10/16/let-friends%e2%80%94and-friends-of-friends%e2%80%94hook-you-up-on-your-next-overseas-trip/ [caption id="attachment_638" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ahhhh... "Beachfront Bliss," indeed! Here's the view from the Riviera Experience flat I stayed in during my recent solo trip to the South of France. Don't I wish I could sit here forever and contemplate life...."][/caption] I like to think of vacations—especially those that take me abroad—as ... http://urbantravelgirl.com/2011/05/01/turn-vacation-time-into-%e2%80%98figure-out-your-life%e2%80%99-time/ [caption id="attachment_628" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ahhh... can't get back to the lovely French Riviera town of Villefranche-sur-Mer next week. Planning my return to this charming place has been a pleasant trip in itself!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_630" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Does this look serene, or WHAT? I'll have a view like this out the window ... http://urbantravelgirl.com/2011/03/13/planning-an-international-getaway-is-more-than-half-the-fun/ [caption id="attachment_602" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Inspired partly by fabulous vacations to Italy, former American expat Kelly Carter (and her famous long-haired Chihuahua Lucy) moved to Positano on the Amalfi Coast. Kelly's now writing about her two-year Italian adventure in "Bellini for One.""][/caption] [caption id="attachment_605" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Life as an expat wouldn't be ... http://urbantravelgirl.com/2010/12/21/turning-a-trip-abroad-into-a-%e2%80%98permanent-vacation%e2%80%99/ [caption id="attachment_595" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Driving up to the gorgeous Club Tapiz in the Mendoza province is a lovely experience in itself. And staying at this working vineyard is a treat beyond words."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_596" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Vineyards like these that supply Tapiz and Zolo wines (the latter are sold in the ... http://urbantravelgirl.com/2010/11/29/doing-the-argentine-%e2%80%98wine-thing%e2%80%99-in-lovely-mendoza/ [caption id="attachment_586" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ahhh... finally relaxed! Here I am, sitting outside an historic cafe on the bustling Avenida Santa Fe."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_587" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Portenos, as Buenos Aires residents are called, have mastered the civilized art of the chill-out. Here's a look outside Freddo, a popular gelateria in the hip ... http://urbantravelgirl.com/2010/11/23/how-do-i-love-thee-buenos-aires-let-me-count-the-ways%e2%80%a6/