Author: Kristin
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Harlem in Paris
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The day started an introduction to African American history in Paris on a city tour. Some of the places we saw were performance venues and favorite haunts of people like Josephine Baker, Langston Hughes, W.E.B. DuBois, James Baldwin, and others. African Americans have found acceptance in Paris that they did not find…
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Paris Arrival
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Our hotel is the boutique Hotel Les Jardins du Marais, centered in the Marais district, between Place des Vosges and Opéra Bastille. Temple Square, found close by, was the center for the Knights Templar in the 13th and 14th centuries. It is where a medieval fortress stood, which was demolished in the mid-19th century. Standing there,…
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Paris Noir
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After our breakfast, we watched a screening of the 2016 documentary Paris Noir: African Americans in the City of Light. The film explores the relationship between Paris and African American expatriates in the decades following World War I. The film makers were there to answer our questions after watching. It was very informative. Then…
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The Flavors of France
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This morning we had a tour of French Gastronomy in the neighborhood next to the Champs-de-Mars, a park that stretches from the foot of the Eiffel Tower. This was Paris’ 16th century market garden. We followed the Rue Cler Walk, stopping at 18 shops and stands. We visited all sorts of food stands…
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Sainte Chapelle
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The morning of our “free” day, we spent at Sainte Chapelle. The Sainte-Chapelle was built in the middle of the 13th century by Louis IX to house the most prestigious relic of the Passion of Christ: the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the True Cross. It is the epitome…
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Hemingway in Paris
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After lunch we opted to follow Hemingway’s Paris tour which focused on the Left Bank where most of the writers and artists congregated. Hemingway’s first apartment in Paris was located at 74 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine in the Latin Quarter. He and his first wife, Hadley, moved into this bare-bones, fourth-floor walk-up…
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Left Bank
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Before we headed to the Left Bank as a group, we had an interesting lecture by Jake Lamar, a Bronx transplant to Paris. He is the author of An African American Writer in Paris Today; as well as 6 novels, a play, a memoir, and many short stories, essays, and articles. His take…
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Au Revoir Paree
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Our final excursion of the week was a cruise down the Seine. It was a beautiful day and we saw many of the same sights and some new ones from a different perspective. The American Church in Paris is the first American church established outside of the United States, tracing its roots back…
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Saint-Paul-de-Vence,
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Our ship docked at Villefranche, situated on the French Riviera east of Nice. The bay of Villefranche is one of the deepest natural harbors of any port in the Mediterranean Sea. Being a medievalist of sorts, I opted for the tour of St. Paul-De-Vence, a walled medieval village in Provence, in the…
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Avignon and Arles
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Marseilles Marseilles is the second largest city in France and was the main port of the French Empire. The bay, flanked by Fort Saint-Nicolas and Fort Saint-Jean, shelters the Castle of If, from Count of Monte Cristo fame. It is a fortress located on the island of If, the smallest island in the Frioul…
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Firenze (Florence)
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Our ship docked in Livorno. We opted for the tour of Renaissance Florence. To get to Florence, we had an hour and a half drive through the beautiful Tuscan hills. The tour began with a visit to the Accademia, where Michelangelo’s colossal “David” is housed. It is breath-taking. All the pictures I have seen…
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Rome, Italy
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Our ship arrived in Civitavecchia at 7 am. From there we were bused to Rome, the capital of Italy and home to over 2.8 million residents. Rome was hot and crowded. Because of heavy traffic our tour was changed. First we went to Vatican City where we had to wait in line in…
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Corfu, Greece
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Today in Corfu, we began at the 15th Century Old Venetian Fortress, (Palaio Frourio), a Corfu landmark with amazing views from its towering headland, back over the town, and along the island’s east coast. Built initially during Byzantine times, Corfu’s entire population once lived within the walls of the Old Fortress,…
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Pompeii, Italy
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Our ship docked in Sorrento, and then we bussed to Pompeii. Sorrento is situated on top of a hill. It is fascinating to look up at the buildings. Pompeii is a vast archaeological site in southern Italy’s Campania region, near the coast of the Bay of Naples. Once a thriving…
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Taormina, Savoca, and Forza d’Agro, Sicily
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Taormina, Savoca, and Forza d’Agrò are three historic Sicilian hilltop towns on the Ionian coast. Savoca and Forza d’Agrò are situated approximately 15–20 miles north of Taormina. These two were the primary filming locations for Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather. To get to Taormina, we had to drive through Naxos founded by…
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Split, Croatia
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Split is the second largest city in Croatia and the largest in Dalmatia. Centered around the Roman Palace of Emperor Diocletian, Split dates back to the 4th century C.E. When Diocletian abdicated in 305 C.E., he had already completed a lavish palace in Salona, now Split, in his native Dalmatia. It is a walled…
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Anacona-Urbino
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Good-bye Venice. Today we sailed to Anacona. We docked at Ancona, founded in 1200 B.C.E. Ancona is the capital of Italy’s Marche region. It is a vibrant city known for its ancient Roman Arch of Trajan, the hilltop Cathedral of San Ciriaco, the Fontana del Calamo. After driving through town we…
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Venice
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This morning started with a walking tour of the Plaza and area. The hotel was only a block from St. Marks Square, famous for its pigeons. We walked through the Square to the Campanile across from the 15th century clock tower. At 323 feet high, the remarkable San Marco Campanile is Venice’s tallest…
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Arrival at Venice
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We arrived in Venice after an overnight flight on Lufthansa. We flew Orlando to Frankfort and then Frankfort to Venice. As Diane predicted, it was raining in Venice—a Seattle rain. We took a water taxi to our hotel—Hotel Monaco and Grand Canal. Water taxis hold about ten people. No cars are allowed on this main…
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St. Petersburg
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Catherine’s Palace Our first stop was Catherine’s Palace, located about 30 minutes away in the town of Pushkin. Peter the Great won back the region between the Gulf of Finland and the Neva River from the Swedes and presented it to his wife Catherine I, who commissioned gardens and a…