Europe

I absolutely love to travel.  When I boarded a plane for my first overseas trip in 2000, I had not considered what it meant to travel as a black woman. As a matter of fact, I did not consider it at all until years later after I had visited several countries. I was naive to think that the rest of the world would see me differently than how all races, including my own, viewed me in the United States.

When you think of Paris, France, I am sure food is one of the first things that comes to mind. France is one of the best culinary playgrounds in the entire world. In all of my trips to France, I do not think have never really sought out soufflé. But, for one of my latest trips to France, a friend said I could not leave without making a stop to Le Soufflé in Paris.

I am really into World War II history, so my bucket list would not be complete without having Normandy on the list. I knew I would love spending time in Normandy. However, I did not realize how much I would hate leaving the region after spending only a week there.

I do not think I would ever attempt to driving in Paris or even parts of southern France where the cities are much more walkable and public transportation is readily available. However, in the countryside, renting a car is a must if you want the freedom to see the best sites.

On a recent return trip from Belgium, I noticed that the flight was going to be quite full. Out of curiosity, I asked the lovely people at the counter if there was still room in business class. Luck would have it, there were plenty of seats available.