Paris, France

Black Paris and a Taste of France

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But there are many other Black Americans that also became famous in France. How about William Wells Brown, the 19th-century former slave turned abolitionist who once expressed awe that he could pray next to whites at La Madeleine church, or that some tipped their hat to him on Paris streets? There were also jazz greats like Sidney Bechet, a longtime Paris resident, and the all-black 369th Regiment of World War I, best known as the Harlem Hellfighters.

American Blacks in France are in a category by themselves. For the most part, African-Americans came to France as a privileged minority, a group that benefited not only from French fascination with blackness, but French fascination with Americans. The French loved jazz and jazz became popular in France about the same time as movies became popular in Hollywood. Movies and jazz were both embraced enthusiastically.

Many Black Americans moved to France during World War I. About 200,000 black Americans were brought over to fight. Ninety percent of these soldiers were from the South, and the idea that they could associate and speak to white women without being lynched or arrested was astounding to them. These soldiers wrote letters back home to tell their friends and this helped create the idea that France was racially tolerant. Many of these letters made it to the press.

After the war, many black musicians moved to France because of France 's infatuation with jazz. This helped created many famous jazz musicians and jazz clubs known as “caves.” There is also an area in Paris called “Little Africa.” Africans explored France before it was a country. French farmers learned skills in animal husbandry and ironmaking from Africans; and Napoleon admired Hannibal, the North African general of Rome .

Personally, I had no idea that so many African-Americans were involved in the history of France. After this tour you will get you a very good idea of how African-Americans helped shape French history.

The Black Paris and a Taste of France is led by Cynthia Amin of Colesville Travel, and Julia Browne, bilingual former Paris resident and guide from Walking The Spirit Tours, this is a once-in-a-lifetime journey that blends French and American cultural exchange, history and lots of new discoveries.

Paris

Starting in Paris, you take in the beauty of the City of Light from several vantage points: by city tour, on a Seine River cruise and from the majestic Eiffel Tower. Then, adding a fresh new perspective, the Spirit of Black Paris combination walking/bus tour offers an enlightening discovery of the city's lesser known but rich Black history.



During the bus segment, the tour passes the famous sites but your knowledgeable guide points out many treasured locations - Eugene Bullard honored at the Arc de Triomphe, numerous Josephine Baker's sites, the Montmartre home of Black Paris of the 1920s, and the Sorbonne where Anna Julia Cooper earned her PhD.
 

Paris and its charms are best appreciated on foot, and the walking tour segment strolls through the lively Latin Quarter and artistic St.Germain-des-Pres. Along the way, you pass the homes and favorite haunts of writers Richard Wright and James Baldwin, as well as Beboppers Miles Davis and Bud Powell and artist Henry O. Tanner.



In Paris, there will be time to live a little like the Parisians - visiting one of dozens of outstanding museums, sipping a refreshing beverage on a terrace, or indulging in your own particular flare for fashion.

Latin Quarter

Jazz Clubs

But there's so much to France outside of Paris. A private coach will transport you through the green, chateau-strewn Loire Valley , past towns such as Cognac, and to the hills of the Dordogne region in the southwest.

Josephine Baker's Chateau

Just as Josephine Baker fell in love with 15th century Chateau des Milandes in Dordogne, so will you. You will also be deeply touched during your private tour by the extensive displays of her stage costumes, memorabilia and images, the many honors bestowed on her, and the private spaces of her family life with her 12 Rainbow Tribe children .

While staying in the nearby town of Sarlat you can enjoy the local specialties and culture, just as Josephine did. No town in the southwest puts on a Saturday market like this one: cobblestone streets lined with stands offering foie gras (duck liver), walnut products, mushrooms, strawberries, as well as local wines, colorful textiles, clothes and crafts. In the two days spent here, there is ample time to take a guided tour of this impeccably preserved medieval town or take a side trip to the stunning world's oldest existing prehistoric caves at Lascaux .

Bordeaux

Just an hour to towards the Atlantic, the Bordeaux region boasts the highest concentration of fine winegrowers anywhere -Margaux, Medoc, Sauternes and St. Emilion, to name a few. An exciting day-long excursion takes in lush vineyards, beautiful wine estates, and wine-tasting sessions. Back in the UNESCO World Heritage port city, fine dining, superb architecture and museums are all within easy distance. You can dig further into the city's past by visiting the commemorative plaque remembering the slave ships built and launched here in the 18th century or exploring the permanent slavery exhibit at the Aquitaine Museum .

Colesville Travel has a Black Paris & a Taste of France tour scheduled for May 1 – 10, 2012. Contact us at 301-989-1654 or send an email to info@ColesvilleTravel.com or visit our website www.ColesvilleTravel.com . LIKE us on FaceBook at www.facebook.com/colesville.travel to stay updated on our other tours.