December 2022. Mum & I in New York City ~ a dream becoming true. Christmas spirits everywhere. This city pulls all stops when it comes to celebrating. Christmas trees and trimmings everywhere.

After a long & by many hours delayed journey, we finally made it. Made it to the city that never sleeps & fell heavenly into our beds.

Good morning, NYC!

Goosebumps while dancing on Fifth Avenue to the Saks Christmas show with music from Elton John. Mums happy face. Priceless. Her, flirting with a French men. A drink with friends from SC. Frank Sinatras “New York, New York” in the hotel room. Cheesecake New York style. A pizza New York style. Yellow cab rides. Broadway strolls. A show. A Horse ride through Central Park. Those window displays. Oh mei!

We all like to have our homes decorated for Christmas, no matter what part of the world we live in. Residents of New York, however, they bring the decorations to a higher level.

Rockefeller – The Christmas tree is decorated with about 50 000 LEDs in all colors and a proudly placed Swarovski star, on the top. We went to Rockefeller Center both during the day and at night. Every day. Of course. It has been a NYC staple since 1931, and every year its lighting ceremony kicks off the holiday season.

Everywhere ~ magic.

In steak heaven. And burger heaven.

New York during Christmas is indeed magical.

One of the biggest holiday traditions in New York is strolling the glitzy stores on Fifth Avenue, and admiring all of their spectacular Christmas window displays. Window shopping!

If I had to choose one city in the world to spend Christmas every single year, it would definitely be New York City.

4 days in NYC filled with sparkle, glitter & laughter. Fun, fun, fun! We had a blast! Thanks, mum, for coming & making this such a special & enjoyable time! I’ll miss the singing Starbucks lady at 7am handing me over my coffee.

Greatest city in the whole world ~ Frank Sinatra.

Time to go back home! We’ll ring in the new year hopefully from home with hubby & friends.

Christmas. Love it or dread it, it’s the one time of the year where everyone is on the same page. Want to turn your house into a temporary Mardi Gras celebration? No worries about your neighbors getting mad. They’ll turn out in drives to admire it instead.

Haven’t seen your relatives in a while? Take those travel delays in stride, friend, you are not the only one making a journey to reconnect. For a short time, the pressures and the deadlines of our fast-paced world give way to tradition, both old and new.

It’s Santa’s Christmas. He transcends country and religion. And he is unrivaled. Either you believe in him or you don’t. And we should never doubt the power of taking our little leaps of faith.

Faith may be the least universal concept holding the whole world together.

And besides, a little magic never hurt anybody.

Merry Christmas, anyone.

Today all four candles on the Adventskranz are burning, each with its own meaning… The candle of Hope, the candle of Love, the candle of Joy, and today the fourth, the Peace Candle.

Dreaming of a white Christmas…

… well, the weather forecast for next week is +13C degrees! Merry Grill-Mas!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go.

Mulled wine & Feuerzangenbowle with our neighbors. Invented last year due to Covid pandemic & keeping the good things alive.

Less than a week to go until Christmas! (And more importantly, only 3 more work days in 2022!!!).

Merry merry!

Start spreading the news

I’m leaving today

I want to be a part of it

New York, New York

These vagabond shoes

They are longing to stray

Right through the very heart of it

New York, New York

I want to wake up in a city

That never sleeps

And find I’m king of the hill

Top of the heap

These small town blues

They are melting away

I’ll make a brand new start of it

In old New York

If I can make it there

I’ll make it anywhere

It’s up to you

New York, New York

New York, New York

I want to wake up in a city

That doesn’t sleep

And find that I’m number one

Top of the list

Head of the heap

King of the hill

These little town blues

They’ve all melted away

I’m gonna make a brand new start of it

In old New York

And

If I can make it there

I’ll make it practically anywhere

It’s up to you

New York, New York

New York

-Frank Sinatra

I’m delivering on a promise I made about 8 years ago: inviting my mum for Christmas shopping to New York City.

We are all checked in and departing in a few minutes, Frank Sinatra with us on the MP3, of course!

I cannot wait to be back in my favorite city.

New York, we are coming!

A very relaxed 3rd advent weekend.

It’s snowing! The very first snow of the winter season is the best. Watching the tiny single snow flakes coming down to earth.

Wrapping Christmas gifts. Posting Christmas post (some of them have a long way ahead…). Listening to favorite Christmas songs. Hubby made kimchi. And new beer.

-1C degree and it’s snowing. That’s when the mulled wine is tasting best (or a hot Aperol, Glüh Gin…). It’s about time to get into Christmas mood – discover the magic of Christmas markets. No matter if big ones, or tiny markets, all of them are very enjoyable.

Christmas markets in Germany are unique. Historical town squares form a romantic backdrop to many markets. Streets, pedestrian malls, public buildings and shops are decorated with lights and Christmas trees and add to the beauty of the scenery.

The oldest markets date back to the 14th and 15th century. The original purpose of these early markets was to stock up for the long winters, and to add a bit of light to the dark months. The first markets were certainly not as enchanting as they are these days. During the centuries Christkindlmarkets became a source to buy Christmas presents for children, and an opportunity for local craftsmen and artists to sell their work.

Romantic scenery, an easy-going atmosphere, German Christmas traditions and the smell of mouth-watering treats are the main attractions of a Weihnachtsmarkt in Germany.

Although it seems that all Christkindlesmarkets offer the same range of goods to buy, there are many local variations. Additional cultural programs, local arts & crafts markets, the scenery and surrounding architecture make each German Christmas market unique.
Look around and find some unique gifts for your loved ones.

One thing is for sure, you’ll never leave a Weihnachtsmarkt hungry. I don’t envy you the hard decision which market to visit! 🙂

Get your winter coat and boots on & enjoy the magical places! 💫 Germany is really wonderful at Christmas time. Especially after 2 years pandemic – it’s the best! Happy 3rd Advent!

The 4 weeks before Christmas are the best (almost better than Christmas itself).

Another wonderful German tradition for kids & everyone else including pets: the Advent calendar, counting down the days until Christmas Eve. 24 little surprises to shorten the waiting time until Christmas with the major function to keep kids from asking everyday how far Christmas Day is away… it works! Even for adults! And it has a wonderful side effect: you can support the ones in need.

Arrived at the Christmas wonderland. Where? North of Stuttgart. No, not the North Pole. A little more south, Bremen. (And I’m back in my routine when it comes to packing for traveling).

That’s another tradition: spending a Christmas weekend with my sister & family, and my mum. And what a wonderful Christmas weekend it was. Hours filled with baking cookies, building a gingerbread house, watching Christmas movies with the nieces, a little bit of Christmas shopping, Christmas concerts, Christmas dinner, Christmas market, reading to the nieces… and more Christmas movies.

Lots of reasons to celebrate. Cheers to our reunion, mum retiring, Christmas…

Today the first of four Advent candles will be lit in homes in Germany. The Prophecy Candle… the Candle of Hope. A candle will be lit on the Advent wreath each Advent Sunday until Christmas Eve. Then all four will burn. That’s just one of many traditions that make a Christmas in Germany.

+1C degree, fog & icy wind – perfect weather for the first hot Aperol Spritz!

Castles are always beautiful. At Christmas, some turn into a majestic magical winter dream. Goose bumps inclusive. Wow!

Our tradition continues: first Advent Sunday means enjoying Irish breakfast with friends, followed by finding the most beautiful Christmas tree(s), cutting it down and taking it back home.

What a wonderful weekend kicking off the Christmas season.

It’s time for a business trip. The last one, already 3 years ago (to China). And then came Covid. And working from home. And lockdown. And closed borders. And canceled flights. You know it…

I’m loving it. The planning. The (positive) stress. The packing. The shopping (chocolate & Christmas cookies for the colleagues). The long travel days. The even longer work days. The dinners. The culture. The people. Meeting new colleagues. Meeting old colleagues. And last but not least, I was really excited about traveling to a country I haven’t been to: Romania. Ready to go.

Wearing a business style winter coat first time after purchasing it before the pandemic started.

Monday morning. All packed up. Hubby offering a shuttle service to the airport. A quick kiss & fly. So far, so good.

2 hours later, all checked in and ready to go… and then… first flight (out of 2) canceled. Yeah! Great start and a lot of work: go & pick up your checked in baggage. Go back to entry hall where the journey started 3 hours ago. Wait for new information on flight. Receiving a meal voucher in between. Go and check in your baggage again. You purchased a water? Bad luck. Drink it or leave it and get ready for a 2nd security check in. Find your new gate and wait. And this is how you get back in a routine. Lol.

The good news: meeting people from all over the world and chatting along to kill time.

New flight to Munich (instead of Frankfurt) and from there to Rumania. New arrival time: 1am next day. Yeah! That’s only a 8 hour delay or to kill 8 hours in Munich airport. That almost spoke for a dinner at the Hofbräuhaus, but no interest in check in a 3rd time. What a day. A lot of coffee and working from Munich airport later…. Ready for our red eye flight.

Travel bug instead of software bug – definitely something new.

First impression: Cluj is a bit like Shanghai. A young & wonderful team. All day rush hour. Taxi fast lane (we’ll, it’s actually the bus lane…). Crazy drivers (Oh, I miss our driver Mr Xu). First impression chaotic and not organized but surprisingly it all does work out. Of course! I’m loving it.

I like that it’s me who brings German Christmas cookies abroad rather than receiving it. The smiles on the (German) faces – priceless.

I learnt the the German word for cheers – Prost! – means stupid in Romanian. Oh, well. Cheers then!

It was fun. It was exhausting. It was wonderful. Our return travel went surprisingly well. Next challenge: reimbursement of costs with the new tool. Never a dull moment.

I have a feeling I’ll be back in January. Looking forward.

November. Half of the month already over. November, the month between the end of fall & the beginning of winter. Temperatures are getting cooler, the days are getting shorter. This time of year can be either depressing or joyful: nature is slowing down, everything is getting calmer. Cozier. The sofa is calling. A little fire (if you were able to get fire wood…). Candles. Heavy delicious food. Red wine. Let November be simple!

Winter tires are mounted, the garden is ready for winter. So am I! So are we.

Snow is in the forecast. Anybody who needs more smart energy saving tips?

6 weeks until Christmas 🤶🏻 Pleasant anticipation! Who else can already smell the mulled wine?