Thoughts from the road (literally), looking back at lessons and highlights of 2024 from sports and corporate work, family and travel, the ups and downs. A year that felt like a pilgrimage in 9 countries. With both cities and nature as inspiration in an extension of a complex life.

Year in review

It was a good year to be in Europe or to travel here – London theater, Berlin Varieté, traditional Berlinale movie nights, a social summer with Italian coastal hikes, followed by Romanian mountains with a taste of home, one beautiful Adele concert in Munich, EURO 2024, the Paris Olympics, tennis time and Vienna’s museums. What a sentence to type.

Every year or retrospective does not to look the same. This time, the favorite exhibition seen was at Centre Pompidou in Paris, a tribute to Romanian born Constantin Brâncuși. Art worth traveling for. Before the Olympic summer. Followed by a visit at  Tate Modern in London, to experience two of Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms, Kusama’s unique vision of endless reflections.

Favorite concert was Adele in Munich. And is also not easy to choose between best shows attended in Berlin. Many great ones: AIDA – the Arena opera show, or Wintergarten Varieté tribute to Josephine Baker. Unter den Linden Staastoper für alle event, or finalement seeing Joana Mallwitz conducting Konzerthaus orchestra. Plus Friedrichstadt Palast show curated by Jean Paul Gautier. We have a Berlin options paradox when it comes to art and entertainment, where the scene is diverse.

This year I was not very invested in creative projects, but I feel my storytelling and writing skills also evolved over time, especially when I read my posts from 2019 or older. My favorite souvenirs is writing the story of my trip or special event in my own way so I don’t forget.

Next to favorite trip of the year in Cinque Terre with a scenic hike Monterosso to Vernazza, most unexpected (new) place seen was during my first visit in Ireland. In Dublin, in the Long Room in the Old library of Trinity College campus, was the Gaia installation that features NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface.

Besides exhibitions and concert or theater tickets, one of the best purchases made was the “Gilded Perfection” wool cardigan, in cobalt blue, sustainably produced in Romania. But inspired by the Japanese kintsugi technique and philosophy of gluing in gold a broken object, in itself a metaphor about an imperfect life. And memorable meal I had in the best company were in Brașov, Transylvania, at Bistro de l’Arte. Plus, most special walking tour was in Thessaloniki ancient sites in Greece.

Moments of this year made me also think of Nedra Glover Tawwab words, that “Letting go is hard, but it can also be what’s best.”

Retrospective

Always fun to see this year top 5 most read stories, that are all about culture and travel, in a precious time puzzle writing about parts of my 2024:

1. Beautiful Cinque Terre – a dear Italian trip in the middle of June – visiting a rainbow of villages and hiking on the coastline of Sentiero Azzuro and from Santa Margherita Ligure to Portofino;
2. London theater – next, my notes from a night in West End, at Savoy Theater, a strand of English national culture. Another bucket list item;
3. Valencia, art with a side of paella and more Spanish food in Art Nouveau Mercado central in January, plus a dear reunion;
4. It also had sport, at Paris 2024 Summer Games. Can you believe it? This time in Paris was something else. As it was written in the message I got from the Paris2024 app when the Games ended: “In 5, 10 or even more years, I’ll be able to say: I was there!”;
5. My memories from lovely Brussels travels mix and more postcards from the past landed on number 5. Often is beautiful to look back.

2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 retrospectives

Now – Guten rutsch ins neue Jahr – as the German speakers say, in an almost (unexpected) poetic encouragement to glide smoothly into the New Year.

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