Author Archives: Merle Minda

Paris, Still the Feast

With just a few days in Paris, both before and after my immersion language stay in Sancerre (about 2 hours south of the city), there was just too much to see and do.  I had friends to contact, favorite haunts to visit, favorite writers to meet, and one day when all the museums were closed […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Responses

Angel on my Ceiling

French and the French! As I drift off to sleep each night during my 14-night stay here at Coeur de France, www.coeurdefrance.com, the immersion language school I have been attending, I gaze up at my ceiling where a beautiful, hand-painted angel floats above me. My appartement at the top of this 400-year old chateau where the […]

Posted in Independent Travel, Travel, Travel in Europe, Travel in France, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Responses

France On My Own

A Three Week Journey In Learning French   I look out the tall windows of my small apartment to gaze again at the petite village of Sancerre, about two hours south of Paris in the southern Loire. I have been here for just over a week now, ensconced at the top of a lovely old chateau in the heart […]

Posted in Travel i France, Travel in France, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 5 Responses

A French Adventure

I am off today on a solo journey to France, stopping in Paris at the beginning and end of this sojourn but spending most of my time in an immersion language school in the southern Loire district in a little village called Sancerre. (Yes, this is where that wine comes from!) I will be gone […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Responses

Paris Met the Mississipi and Conquered!

Our delightful guest from Paris, American expat Terrance Gelenter, came to Minneapolis this past weekend — or rather, I should say — came, saw and conquered. We had eight or more events in three weekend days, enthusiastic audiences at all events, loving to hear all about Terrance and his life in Paris. Appearances at Magers […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Paris Meets the Mississippi!

A weekend of appearances by Paris-based author and bon vivant Terrance Gelenter, the quintessential American in Paris. All events are free. Merle Minda (www.travelovereasy.com) and Barbara Redmond (www.awomansparis.com) invite you to a series of events on and near the Mississippi River in Minneapolis with Paris-based bon vivant and author Terrance Gelenter. An American who has re-invented […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

My Lunch With Julia

Today would have been Julia Child’s 100th birthday; here’s an account I wrote for a local publication of my singular lunch with her 27 years ago. Hope you enjoy it.           For weeks, Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” hovered again near the top of the charts in the New York Times’ Book […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 6 Responses

No-Hassle Tips for Getting Through Airport Security

  Travel Tips from Merle Minda   First and most important: Get to the airport early!  No longer can you simply sail up to the airport 45 minutes before your flight departure time;  Parking is often very full; same with Park n’ Ride lots so it may take a while to find a spot;  Security […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 9 Responses

Thank you, Woody Allen

    For “Midnight in Paris” A special shout-out and thanks to Woody Allen for his delicious new comedy, “Midnight in Paris.” For those of us who love Paris, (and is there anyone that doesn’t?), Woody has captured the mysterious magic of the city, along with a hilarious plot, the two worst-matched lovers one can imagine, […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Responses

Crossing the Atlantic!

On Cunard’s Queen Mary2, from NYC to Southampton. “Oh the sea is blue, so blue” goes a song by Kurt Weill, and ain’t it the truth! We are on our 5th day into a sea voyage crossing the Atlantic from New York’s Manhattan Pier to Southampton and are loving every minute. Our first transatlantic voyage, […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 3 Responses