Tag: Holiday
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Reflections
This is my last post of 2025—and what a year it has been. So much happened: travel to faraway and beautiful places, returns home and reunions with old friends, great times with new ones, and busy work schedules made easier by fun and relaxing weekends. There were ups and downs, as there always are, but…
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The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
I kept my best Christmas picture for last: the famous tree at Rockefeller Center. I managed to catch a short window in the run-up to Christmas and ran over during a work break to see it. Even on a weekday, at a very random time, it was already crowded with people. So yes — I…
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Carnegie Hall
Today is Christmas Eve—Heiligabend– the main event in Germany with afternoon cake, traditional food, presents and one of my favorite parts: my mum revealing her special surprise for the holidays. Always treating us to a concert, the ballet, or a cabaret. Even though I’m not spending Christmas in Germany this year, I’m keeping that tradition…
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Christmas Trees
This year I’m spending Christmas in Manhattan, which means scaling things down — but of course not the level of cosiness. After choosing a cute, real fir tree, decorations followed: lights and a variety of ornaments. But have you ever wondered where this tradition actually comes from? It goes back much further than modern Christmas…
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Hot chocolate with a kick
This Saturday I popped by a Baileys pop-up — the tasty, creamy liquor that’s especially famous during the holidays. I had a hot chocolate with Baileys and whipped cream on a very cold December day, surrounded by fairy lights and Christmas trees. A nice little warm-up. It reminded me of all those beautiful Christmas markets…
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Happy Thanksgiving!
Unverhofft kommt oft. Some things really do happen out of the blue — like getting a Thanksgiving invitation three hours in advance from my friend in California to her parents’ house in New York. She wasn’t even there, but I went anyway and ended up spending a wonderful evening. It was a traditional Thanksgiving dinner…
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Pan De Muerto
The “bread of the dead” is a sweet, slightly orange-scented bread traditionally baked for Día de los Muertos in Mexico, the Day of the Dead, celebrated November 1 and 2. Soft, round, and often dusted with sugar, pan de muerto is decorated with small dough shapes that resemble bones and tears, symbolizing the cycle of…
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Savoring Spain
Another little holiday escape—this time for just one evening and without even leaving the city. Tonight I had dinner at Socarrat, a Spanish restaurant named after the best part of a paella: the crispy, caramelized layer of rice at the bottom of the pan. In Spain, getting the socarrat just right is considered the mark…
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Aperitivo in Trastevere
On one of my final nights in Rome, we found ourselves in Trastevere again—a charming neighborhood that feels just a little more local. It’s greener, slightly less overrun with tourists, and definitely more laid back. Sitting on those famously uneven cobbled streets, flanked by graffiti-covered walls, with chilled drinks and a bowl of chips—perfect. Aperitivo…
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Beach Day
Back home in NYC—greeted by thunderstorms and a flood watch—I am thinking back to the last day of the Rome trip, spent at the beach in Santa Marinella. Just an hour outside the city, it’s a little glimpse of that Italian Riviera feeling. The town is charming and low-key, with umbrellas and sun loungers lining…
Josephine in New York City 