AA Abroad: the indispensable travel guide for African-Americans abroad.

• Relax at a Cafe
• Tour the Palais des Papes, and the Musee Angladon
• See the countryside that Inspired Van Gogh, visit a gallery that pays tribute to African beauty
• Explore fields of lavender and visit a perfume factory
• Shop to your heart's content
• Find Hair Products and Services on Rue de La Carreterie
• Dine on bread, wine, and escargot

 Tours Outside Avignon

Your hotel will be able to arrange a tour of lavendar country or a number of small villages outside Avignon.

If you're looking for a cute little gallery in which African beauty is truly admired,  head to this little gallery outside Avignon.    The first line in the window of this gallery that features busts of black women reads, "Color is the source of happiness." 

Inside, I found the bust below of an African woman along with several other similar busts and statues.  A few seconds later, my friend and I were joined by an amiable gallery employee who explained that the  women depicted in the busts modeled for the sculptor and lived in the area. 

While I wouldn't have minded a little less nudity in the sculpture  below,  I couldn't help but appreciate the workmanship, the homage to black women, and the kind enthusiasm with which the host  described the artist's work and showed me around.

In another nearby village outside Avignon, I happened upon this sign which caught my eye because the artists's last name , while not very French, is a common African-American surname that also happens to be  the same as mine. 

I ventured inside and somehow even with my non-existent French, managed to explain to Virginie that I had a travel website in which I would like to feature her shop.  There was something about her warm, familiar manner, that allowed us to communicate despite the language barrier.  I wanted to tell her that she reminded me of people I knew at home, but could only manage to watch her and listen.  I offered my AA Abroad business card with my name printed at the bottom and we laughed about the coincidence.  I relied on my knowledge of Spanish and Portuguese  as she smiled and explained in French that she didn't know the origins of her last name, though it could possibly have come from the United States among other places.  there was much more I would have liked to ask her, but given my language limitations, settled instead for being content with our funny exchange and a few photos.