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About Robin & Mélange

My story does not begin like the typical ones. I live in New York in the beautiful Hudson Valley. I am not Italian or French, although most days I feel like I was in a former life.

Robin Locker I was not immersed in European culture as a child. I did not spend countless hours cooking with my Grandmother in the kitchen, sharing time-honored family recipes, globetrotting or museum hopping.

Truth is, I never had an overwhelming desire to travel to Europe.

Until the day I saw Under the Tuscan Sun, that is.

My life changed that day. For the better.

I planned a two week ‘trip of a lifetime’ and experienced Venice, Florence, San Gimignano, Lucca, Chianti, Rome and Positano.

I fell deeply in love with Italy- the gregarious people, the food, the cafés, the wine, the cappuccino, the history…the lifestyle in general.

Missing that European culture, I wanted more and decided to put that high-school French to use and go to Paris, solo. The first time I came upon the Pont St. Michel on the Seine, with Notre Dame in the background, and the grand Hausmann style architecture with beautiful flowers dripping over the iron balustrades- it was breathtaking. And of course there are the croissants!

There is somthing very magical that happens when I spend time in these places- and Europe in general. The culture has infected me.

When I am there, I just come alive. I feel like I belong. The moment I leave, I can’t wait to get back.

I enjoy traveling frequently to Europe but in between trips I like to discover new things that remind me of the European culture that I love so much. As a writer and a travel consultant I started My Mélange to infuse European culture into your lifestyle; to share my experiences, recipes, pictures, travel tips, ways to travel on a budget, how travel with only a carry-on bag and anything to keep YOU in the know.

My passion for travel and undying love for Italy and France, has now grown into a multi-facted business which includes freelance writing, travel consulting, itinerary planning, photography, and of course, blogging. Most recently, I have partnered with my trusted local contacts to offer cooking classes, wine tastings and other fun foodie adventures to provide fun ways to interact with locals and have an authentic experience.

My wish is for you to visit these magical places in Europe, experience them like a local and be willing to let it change your life as it did mine.

And me? Well, someday I hope to publish my travel memoirs from the very first time I set foot on Italian soil, my first solo trip to Paris, dinner with my Parisienne friend’s family in her home and meeting up with expat friends in Rome. Each subsequent trip adds yet more stories!

And I dream of living out the rest of my life in the beautiful Tuscany region of Italy- drunk on Chianti and the Italian language.

Happy Travels!

-Robin Locker Lacey