On my recent visit to France, I was excited to find out that Josephine Baker’s former residence was 45 minutes away from the private chateau that we had rented 6 hours south of Paris, in France’s Dordogne Valley region. In my eyes, Baker was the ULTIMATE ex-pat. At the height of her success in 1930’s interwar France, the 24-year-old icon was a millionaire…
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Portugal's Pretty Pink Palace is Algarve's Hidden Gem
The Pousada of Faro is famous for its neo-Baroque and neo-Rococo features, including the its ornate plaster ceilings, two tea pavilions and wonderful French-inspired gardens adorned with statues. Waking up at the picturesque Estoi Palace felt like I had been swept away to a mini Versailles. I loved the romantic-style architecture…
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“Feed me tacos and tell me I’m pretty” - White sangria and shrimp tacos at Aqua Restaurant in Duck, NC (one of several small towns that make up the Outer Banks).
OBX: Change In Latitude Will Change Your Attitude
Historic lighthouses, towering sand dunes, shipwreck diving sites and wild horses that have inhabited the area for over 400 years; the Outer Banks has become one of my favorite East Coast beach vacations. The year-round surfer’s haven offered the perfect backdrop for my family’s vacation………
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La Heroica: Colombia's Vibrant Seaside City
Located in the northern part of South America, the flight time to Rafael Núñez International Airport from New York City was just under 5 hours. I loved that our hotel was inside the ancient-walled city, a section of Cartagena overflowing with palm-filled plazas, brightly painted colonial buildings and fabulous floral archways. Everything within Cartagena’s Old Town is within walking distance…
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Words Don't Flow As Easily As Whiskey
During the 3 hour tour, I learned that in the mid-1800’s, over the hills above Lynchburg, there was a Tennessee farm owned by a preacher who had a small whiskey distillery as side hustle. Nathan Green aka “Uncle Nearest” was the enslaved black man who distilled the whiskey using a special charcoal filtering technique used to clean water in West Africa. Still used today, his method of filtering whiskey through sugar maple tree charcoal became known as the famous ‘Lincoln method’…..
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Blooming In The Seam Of A Desert Horizon
Tapping into the real Morocco is a journey that lies far from the elaborate touristy suites and buzzing restaurants of the north. Found deep in the southernmost region, where the ungenerous stone begins to surrender to the saffron gold dust of the Sahara….
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Passport To Freedom
While creating community has always been Tanesha’s gift, being able to incorporate her global life experience into The Black Freedom Colony has expanded her skills. “I am learning that community building takes the proper application and balance of education, clarity, love, patience, grace, hard lessons and boundaries”……
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Tiffany Blue: Who Said Red Is The Color Of Love?
While I’ve always dreamed of having Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the experience took what I had envisioned to the next level in a setting that was as inviting as the food was inspiring. Making it that much easier for this Pink Girl to easily transition into a blue babe for the afternoon; as Tiffany’s signature robin’s-egg blue was everywhere…
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Photo Credit: Summer Jones
She Designed The Life She Loved: Asheville Edition
As I stepped into the marbled entry hall of the 250-room home (including 35 bedrooms and 43 bathrooms) nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, I was mesmerized by the octagonal sunken Winter Garden that is surrounded by stone archways….
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Author, Kayla M. Hebbon surrounded by attendees at the Black History Month Leadership Tea Event
Brewing Great Thoughts With Great Minds Is My Cup Of Tea
Having experienced afternoon tea in France, South Africa, England, Morocco, Japan and the Caribbean; I’ve grown to appreciate the significant role that tea plays in different cultures as well as my own. Converting a floor in her brownstone into a tea salon during the Harlem renaissance, Madam C.J. Walker’s daughter (Lelia
Walker) was known for her extravagant tea parties with iconic guests like Langston Hughes, James Baldwin….
À Bientôt: We'll Always Have Paris
Affectionately known as Nett Nett, Arnetta was my mother’s first cousin and accompanied my mom when she traveled to visit me during my study abroad in France. We made so many great memories in the City of Lights during their visit. As we explored Notre Dame & Opera Garnier, it was like the operas that she learned while studying at Westminster Choir College had come to life and we had starring roles…
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