The passing of time feels different for everyone. 2025 was filled with fragments of time I choose to preserve and journeys I continue to relive. I moved through both new and familiar cities that left their mark, in 10 countries in total. Work unfolded into new challenges, and somewhere between that and travels, I found joy in writing here and conducting 7 interviews for CreativeMornings / Berlin—a privilege to listen, ask questions, and spend time with creatives and core team members.
This year (and life, really) was not linear. I feel every bit of progress in both my personal and professional life came through consistent effort. Actions that are simple but not easy – eating and sleeping well most of the time, exercising weekly, showing up, reflection, learning new things (as AI), same routines, but also new habits, a book and run club, speak multiple languages, meet more people, write, take some risks.
Top Berlin highlights
A highlight in winter and some of the best movies of the year for me came again through Berlinale – especially Cologne 75, Blue Moon, Heldin, and Le rendez-vous de l’été. The anniversary 75th Berlinale film festival edition transformed many places all over Berlin in cinemas. Hard to imagine how this cool city hosted in 10 days over 400 films and events in its usual special atmosphere. Looking forward to the next one in 2026.
Read more about Theater Nights | Berlin edit 2025
This year I saw very good theatre plays and live performances, and favorite ones were already revisited in a story here, top place being Marlene at Renaissance Theater. Along with plenty of musical moments that add more color to life – from listening to world class pianists for Complete Piano Etudes by Philip Glass at the Philharmonie Berlin, Cuarteto Rotterdam – Tango at Kammermusiksaal, Piaf Musical and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at Admiralspalast, and an underground Labyrinth performance at Musikbrauerei in Prenzlauer Berg.
Disclaimer – Title of the post inspired also by the postmodern dance performance in three parts: Glacial Decoy / In the Fall / Working Title by the Trisha Brown Dance Company that I attended in January at Haus der Berliner Festspiele. This contemporary piece was meditative, and somehow made me think of my life in different cities, especially Bucharest. Traveling to beautiful places is amazing, but living and working for years in great ones is even better.
Lastly, CreativeMornings is a constant in my life for over 10 years – a community that meets once a month, on a Friday morning, for a free talk and breakfast. In different locations across Berlin. Every month there is a different global theme. The manifesto is that everyone is welcomed and everybody is creative. It started in New York, but has now over 200 chapters in the world – I first attended events as a participant while living in Brussels, later became a member in Berlin, and since this year I am part of the team as a volunteer, conducting interviews for the blog that you can check here: CreativeMornings/Berlin.
Retrospective
Beautiful to read again the top five most-read travel stories, rich in beautiful fragments of my 2025:
1. Train Bolzano – Innsbruck – Munich was the most read story of all time since I have created the website. A train ride from Italy through Austria to Germany of almost 4 hours with spectacular mountain views in winter – 3 countries and 2 languages with one ticket.
2. Portofino & Santa Margherita Ligure remained one of the most-read for a second year in a row, followed by a return to Liguria this year—this time to Camogli and San Fruttuoso. There is something about summer and Italy. Great timing, for special moments by the sea that birthdays are made for.
3. Best of Istanbul / Crossing continents – my first visit was more special than I had imagined. Being at Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque was moving, as was experiencing the local culture and crossing continents to the Asian side in Kadıköy.
4. Brusssels food tour – Phil edition – in dear Belgium for Art Nouveau and to attend also the event of Phil Rosenthal, host of favorite Somebody feed Phil unscripted travel series, while happily revisiting favourite food spots and chocolateries.
5. Traveling for music in 2025 to Vienna and Copenhagen, from a classical evening at the Musikverein in the gorgeous Austrian capital, to Ed Sheeran modern sounds live in Denmark. Plus at the very end of the year, I also went to London for a musical, a story to come soon.
hope
when you come home to yourself
there are flowers lining the front porch
that were left from all the women
you were beforeMaia, When the Waves Come
Travel Journal 