In December 2024 I took a spectacular trip to the Christmas Markets in Eastern Europe. I had thought about this trip for quite awhile and it did not disappoint.

I traveled with two friends on an EF Go Ahead Tour. When I saw a write up of tours for this company it spoke to me! My initials, followed by “Go Ahead”. I felt like the universe was sending me a message to check this out! The tour started in Budapest went on to Vienna and ended in Prague. All three locations have been on my list. In fact, Tom and I planned to go to this area in 2021 and “waltz in Vienna”. Obviously, we did not get to go on that trip, and I felt certain that Tom would be telling me to do it now. So, I recruited some interested friends and the planning began.

EF Go Ahead Tours did a wonderful job. They cater to solo travel and accommodate single supplements for hotels. The groups are small. Most I think are a max of 30 something travelers and the ages are quite varied. On my tour, ages ran from late 20’s to 80! And it was a great bunch of people. There were single travelers as well as couples. We had a fabulous guide who we met at the hotel in Budapest and she was with us in each city. The best part of this tour was the itinerary. The plan was 3 days in each city. In each city they included one day that was a tour on a motorcoach. It was not just passing by points of interest. We stopped and did some tours. After that, the rest of your time in that city was for whatever you wanted to do. Each day a great breakfast was included at the hotel and one night in each city there was also a group dinner planned in a local restaurant. It was perfect!

Let me tell you about each hotel that we stayed at. I would recommend each of them. The first one in Budapest was The Novotel Budapest Centrum. It was in a great location, it was a classy looking place, nice restaurant and a small cozy bar. The room was a good size with a large bathroom. Only comment on the bathroom was there was a very deep tub that you had to step in to and the shower was overhead. Could have used an extra handrail but it was all ok! The second hotel was Hampton by Hilton Vienna City West. Nice hotel, modern. No real restaurant but it used open areas for the breakfast buffet each morning. There was a bar for a cocktail. My room was not on the same floor as my friends’ rooms. I took the elevator to my floor and the doors opened to a VERY dimly lit hallway. I felt uncomfortable for a minute but as I stepped off the elevator my presence triggered all the hallway lighting. That was a relief! And what a great way to conserve power. The room was great. Nice size and the bathroom had a no-step shower which was perfect after having to climb into the last hotel’s bathtub. And the bonus was a few TV stations with english speaking news. The last hotel was NH Collection Prague. This was a very interesting hotel. There were two separate buildings that connected with a funicular. That was quite a ride. One got a beautiful view looking northeast over the western part of the city. The first ride up was not comfortable for me since I have vertigo but then I adjusted so that I could enjoy the ride (which was brief!). The rooms here were very spacious as was the bathroom. They had a fabulous restaurant that was open for meals in addition to breakfast and there was a really nice bar and a talented bartender.

In each city we had really wonderful tours given by local well-versed guides. In Budapest we toured the opera house, went to Hero’s Square and Matthias Church, Budai Varnegyed, Buda Castle, Fishermens Bastion, and our first Christmas market at Buda Castle . The next day on our own we toured St Stephens and hit the Christmas Market there. We went to see The Danube Promenade Memorial- Shoes on the Danube. That was so moving. It’s a memorial for Jews massacred by fascists who shot them in the back and let them fall into the Danube. We also took a night cruise to see all of the beautiful bridges and the Parliament lit up at night. After that we had dinner. As luck would have it, I have a Hungarian acquaintance through my friend Susana who recommended a restaurant for dinner-Simaliba- delicious Hungarian food!

From Budapest we went on for a day trip to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. This stop was on the way to Vienna. I am so glad we got to see this beautiful city on the Danube. We took a walking tour here and had a wonderful lunch on own and we shopped in adorable shops and their Christmas Market.

Next stop was Vienna. Vienna exceeded all of my expectations. I loved everything about Vienna. Saw the best graffiti, ” Note to self-RELAX”. I think that was scribbled for me!! In Vienna we had a group dinner at K&K. It was a wonderful dinner but the best part is that part of the restaurant is a hat museum. And, boy do I love hats!!! In Vienna we went to Belvedere Palace and saw a magnificent collection of Gustav Klimt’s work. The Kiss is truly amazing. From there we went on to the Hundertwasser promenade in a crazy little neighborhood called WeiBgerviertel. Everything was colors and artsy! Talk about looking at a street that opens your eyes and makes you exclaim “OH!!!” From there we went on to the City Hall Christmas Market. That same day I had a recommendation for another restaurant from Susana from her trip to Vienna. The Griechenbeisl was another great find! This restaurant has been around since 1447. It has had many notable visitors who include Schubert, Strauss, Mark Twain and now us! As you would expect, the food was great, and the decor rated a 10. Would have to be a 10 if its been around since 1447, right? The next day was truly a day for the markets. We went to three markets that day and stopped at a few shops. I was so excited when I stepped into NEXTART. I just LOVE finding artist pieces when I’m traveling and when its jewelry, I am really happy. Found two pieces that came home with me. That night we went to a concert at the Schonbrunn Palace. Absolutely fabulous. Orchestra and two voices. The music was Mozart and Strauss. Hearing a Strauss waltz played in Vienna made me think of how Tom and I had planned on waltzing in Vienna.

From Vienna we went on to Prague-The city of 100 Spires. The architecture on this trip was just spectacular. Here we went to the Prague Castle, and St Vitus Church (which is at the castle). There were so many confessional booths in this church that I am assuming a lot of confessing went on back in the day! We walked the Golden Lane which is now many shops in the row of 16 small homes from the 16th century. The damp cobblestone streets were certainly interesting to navigate and make sure you stayed upright! Next we moved on to The Charles Bridge. I wish it had been a clear sunny day so that the bridge could be seen for all its beauty. It is a medieval stone arch bridge that crosses the Vitava river. The bridge is the connection between Prague Castle and the city’s Old Town. The bridge is decorated with a continuous run of 30 statues and statuaries. The statues were mostly Baroque statues erected between 1683 and 1714. Since 1965 all of the statues have been replaced by replicas and the originals are exhibited in the Lapidarium of the National Museum. After crossing the Charles Bridge, we went to Old Town. It was time to see the Astronomical Clock. This was incredible to see. The clock has three main components. The astronomical dial represents the position of the sun and moon, statues of various Catholic saints are on either side of the clock and “the walk of the apostles” takes place hourly moving the Apostle figures and other sculptures and there is a calendar dial with medallions representing the months. Every hour people gather to see the display. It is amazing!! In Old Town there is another Christmas Market. This one was quite good, and I got several things here including wooden painted spinning tops for my grandchildren and beautiful Christmas ornaments for gifts for my daughters-in-law. (I had already picked up Paprika for my three stepsons who are all great chefs and would appreciate (I hope) one of Hungary’s special treasures). Every building you look at has some points of architectural interest and colors! Another “must see” is The Dancing House. This is known as “deconstructivist architecture” due to its unusual shape. A nick name for this building is Ginger and Fred. The building resembles two people dancing.

This trip will be stored in my memory bank as one of my BEST TRIPS EVER. This year was a really good year for travel for me. In 2024 I visited 7 countries, 5 of them were for the first time. I would recommend a trip to these cities. There is so much to see and do. I will wrap up this blog with some photos from each of the 4 countries I was in for this trip. I took so many photos that I put together a Shutterfly book which has 357 photos!

BUDAPEST

BRATISLAVA

VIENNA

PRAGUE

I hope that you have enjoyed the journey. I know that Lynne, Pat and I did.

How do you feel about this year coming to an end? I think no matter who you ask the answer will be “I’m glad it’s over…too much stress”. No matter what may have been going on for you personally it was eclipsed by what was going on in the country and the world. So hard to believe that there were issues that were splitting families and causing people to lose friends. I personally chose to keep my thoughts to myself when I was with people I cared about who had an opposite view. This is when many people made decisions to “stay or go”. I chose to stay and maybe their views will change, and we can once again find common ground. There is just too much history to just let it go.

This brings me to what I always do in the last week of the year. I reflect on my own year and I think about the year ahead of me. I also pick a word. or in this year’s case words, that I will live with for 2025. My words for 2025 are FOCUS, DETERMINATION, and COMMITMENT. These are words that I can relate to my personal growth as well as trying to keep the world on track.

For myself, I want to have my life be meaningful and worthwhile. This takes focus, determination and commitment. This year I did rather well at getting my mojo back. I had several trips that took me to 7 countries. 5 of the 7 countries were new stops for me. It was a fantastic year of travel. I know that Tom would be very happy that I extended myself and got back to what I love to do. Travel and photography are my passions. The record remains at 2019 when Tom and I went to 8 countries in 1 year. Maybe I’ll break that record someday. It is still very hard for me to keep moving forward without Tom but one cannot live with thinking that what you have is not enough. It is enough to be happy and have amazing people in your life who you could call at 3:00 AM if you needed to!

This year part of my focus will be getting used to saying “I not WE” and “ME not US”. Still working on that.

I plan on extending my volunteering to continue to give back to my church and my community.

As far as the country goes I think my word choices are good too. If you want something to change then do something about it. Volunteer and join others to work on improving the world for everyone. We are all-in-this-together as they say. Find that common ground. We need to come together to make this a better place for our grandchildren.

As I always say at this time of year, I hope that life brings surprises to you. Be open to receive them. And be the light in someone’s life. The benefit of helping someone will astound you.

Happy New Year.

It is always interesting to see what color is selected as “the color of the year”. For 2025 the color Mocha Mousse has been selected. Pantone selected ‘…Mocha Mousse, a warming brown hue imbued with an inherent richness that nurtures with its suggestion of the delectable quality of cacao, chocolate and coffee, appealing to our desire for comfort”. There are 5 color palettes. You will see these palettes throughout fashion and home interiors. There are some beautiful colors presented for 2025. It makes you look at shades of brown in a way that you may not have viewed it before! See how Mocha Mousse sits in each palette.

As I always say, enjoy color! It can put a new spin on your day.

The first palette is “Uniquely Balanced”.

Next is “Deliciousness”

The 4th palette is “Subtle Contrasts”

And the last palette is “Relaxed Elegance”

I just got back from a cruise that ended in Quebec City. I had not been to Quebec prior to this trip. Now, I am adding it to my list of favorite cities and thinking about a return trip.

I stayed at the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac. This hotel is the most photographed hotel in the world, and I can certainly understand why. There are 610 rooms and suites. It is totally magnificent. There are restaurants that are wonderful and the shops in the lobby rival boutiques anywhere I have visited! My favorite was a beautiful shop that presented Annie Pelletier’s art. I got to meet Annie and talk about her multi-media art. She is very fond of painting Umbrella Alley at Rue du Cul-de-Sac. I purchased a scarf depicting the art installation. What a great memory for the trip to Quebec City.

The city is filled with small shops and interesting looking restaurants. The night we were there we had dinner at Chez Rioux & Pettigrew located on Rue Saint-Paul. It was “very french”. It was as if we were entering a country farmhouse…in fact, we even had to cut through the kitchen to get to another section of the dining area. I loved the decor which was an eclectic mix of furniture and tables and chairs in all different sizes and styles. It was very inviting.

Anyone who knows me is aware of my interest in photographing doors and portals in places I visit. I am also a cloud watcher! There were plenty of doors and clouds for me to photograph in this city!

Here are some of the photos I took while in Quebec City along with several doors that I found interesting.

I hope that you find them interesting too!

Labor day has come and gone. The September issue of Vogue arrived at my house. How many more clues do you need?? The Fall season is approaching. This is my favorite time of year to shop and dress!

First let’s talk about color. Coming off of the popularity of Pink for several seasons, the color Red is now coming on strong in everything from Cherry Red to Burgundy. Shades of Red are everywhere in apparel and accessories. There are many shades of Green. Green symbolizes renewal and many designers have embraced it for fall 2024. Brown is also alive and well for this fall season. The importance of Earth Tones-burgundy, olive, chocolate and navy make it easy to shop your closet when getting ready for Fall. Animal prints are once again strong. Animal prints have continued to be important year after year. And as an accessory, animal prints add fun to your outfit.

There are a few key looks for you for this season. They can be found in all of the major retailers. Some of these items might already be in your closet.

BLAZERS…BLAZERS…BLAZERS. Jackets are part of each of the trending categories. They are of major importance in the Suiting trend. In this category you will find leather and faux leather jackets in both blazer styles and moto jackets. You will also see monochromatic dressing in suits that are both structured and luxury knits. Pantsuits are once again trending and monochromatic dressing is very IN. There are some novelty treatments on this year’s jackets. There are ruched sleeves as well as knit cuffs extending from the blazer sleeves. And I saw a jacket that was 1/2 one pattern and 1/2 another pattern (see Nordstrom photos) We have all become accustomed to comfort dressing. But now there are places to go! People to see! We have to dress up a bit. Add some pearls to an oversized blazer. Put a kitten heeled boot on with a knit set.

DENIM on DENIM is an elevated spin on monochromatic dressing. Lots of denim available- wide legs as well as straight legs. And look for the newest shape-the horseshoe jeans-which features a curved wide leg falling to a slightly tapered hem. I have included a photo of a horseshoe jean from The Gap

PREPPY has become part of corporate chic. Blazers, button-up shirts, pleated skirts, Mary Jane shoes and “lady jackets” (think Chanel) are part of this look. You will also see oversized novelty sweatshirts and stripes.

BOHO is alive and well giving us tasteful ’70’s inspired styles. Crochet apparel is very visible for vests and toppers. It’s a great third piece. There are crochet accessories. In this category you will see dark floral prints, lace and suede.

FRINGE deserves a line of its own. Fringe is very big right now in a variety of looks. You will see long fringe hems on skirts and fringed detail on jackets and pant hems. There are also handbags with fringe.

SHEER Dressing. There are sheer and partially sheer skirts as well as shots of sheer in tunic tops, dresses and shirts. All of this can work and be very tasteful if layered!

Last but not least is embellished dressing and it is intended for daywear. Feathers-very dramatic -as trim on cuffs and hems (look at Emily in Paris). There are also some fabulous pieces with sequins in a variety of sizes. See the photo from Cinq A Sept that I photographed at Neiman Marcus (black sweater with a red skirt) This line is also available at Nordstrom.

Enjoy looking at the photos. Get yourself out and enjoy the shopping experience. And, of course, shop your own closet too!

NEIMAN MARCUS

NORDSTROM

BLOOMINDALE’S

MACY’S MACY’S GAP

I was at this fabulous exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art this month.

Items on display are part of the Costume Institute collection. The fashions were reawakened! Many pieces were under glass due to their fragility. The garments that were not under glass were of course, roped off.

The technology used was amazing. All of your senses are tapped as you walk through the exhibit. Your sight, sound, scent and touch are all engaged. You could touch a wall that would let you feel the texture of a dress. There are tubes that you can lean over and smell what a hat behind glass smells like. In my opinion this was l little funky because you could actually pick up the scent of sweat and hair oil! I can definitely live without that, but the technology was a great way to let the viewer smell flowers that were the inspiration to creations. There is light projection and soundscapes. Tools of artificial intelligence are used as well as computer generated imagery film projection. I am glad that taste was left out of the sensory experience!

There were 220 garments and accessories in the exhibit spanning 4 centuries. It was visually connected through themes: Earth (flowers and foliage), Air (insects and birds) and Water (shells and fish). You could smell the flowers that were embroidered on a dress in front of you. You could hear birds chirping and see overhead moving pictures as you looked at styles featuring feathers or insects and butterflies.

Here a few photos to give you the flavor of this magnificent exhibit. If you can get to the Met, the exhibit runs until 9/2/24.

We are in the second “heat wave” of the summer and it is only 7/8/24!! So that must mean it’s time to look at colors for Fall 2024. I can hear the chuckle and groan…Fall? We just started the summer season and it’s HOT! Fall starts months ahead in the fashion world. The colors shown here were detailed in February. Manufacturers are receiving finished garments and are shipping to their customers. But I always figure that those of you reading my blog are more interested in seeing the colors closer to when you will be seeing apparel. I think a good plan for me is to publish this prior to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!

Here are comments from The Pantone Color Institute experts for colors seen at New York Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2024/2025. The colors are rich and earthy. The colors are reliable but have energy.

I can’t wait to see these colors in the clothing we’ll be wearing in a few months.

Remember, color is a form of self-expression. The important thing with color is how it looks on you. It doesn’t matter if it is the “IT” color for the season if it does nothing for your complexion. You should also be asking, does this color suit my personal style? If you feel the need to be of-the-moment with color, accessories can make that happen. And, as I always say, have fun with your colors and fashion. Color can put you in the BEST mood!!

Anyone who knows me knows that I love to photograph doors when I am traveling. As I have said before, Doors represent many things. The obvious, of course, is a place of passage. Doors lead to places other than where you are. For me, seeing an interesting door is an opportunity to let my imagination run wild. What is behind that door? Is it open and welcoming me in? Perhaps that would lead to a new opportunity or adventure for me. Doors when opened, are symbols of transition. Am I being invited to be part of a new adventure? I am always looking for that open door.

The color selected for a door can also tell you something about either the location or the person behind the door. Several years ago, I wrote about a blog I had read about selecting the color for your door and what it represents. Does your door reflect something about you? Red says Welcome. Orange says you are social. Blue says you enjoy peace and truth. Gray is indecisive and says you prefer compromise. Green says you have traditional values. Black says your world is ordered and controlled. White says simple and organized. Brown says you are warm, reliable and stable. Yellow says you are positive and logical while also being creative. Turquoise speaks to emotional balance, a romantic dreamer. Pink is for a hopeless romantic. Purple says you are comfortable taking risks. Wood says you are generous and down to Earth. Did you learn something about yourself? Think about this the next time you need to have your front door painted.

Here are several doors that I photographed on my spring UK trip. One thing that I really loved seeing in London was the entry way draped in garlands of green and flowers. So inviting!

On to Inverness and Edinburgh Scotland

I always find at least one open door on every trip!

Just got back from a trip to the UK which included London, Inverness and Edinburgh. My trips to Europe have always given me lots of food for thought on the fashion front. But, aside from enjoying seeing men in Kilts, the street fashion is not much different than it is here. To add to this, it was extremely chilly everywhere. So, the views you will see are mostly outerwear. Fashion is truly global. You could see the same looks walking in NYC. The addition for this trip was seeing men in kilts (In Inverness)! I have also included some photos in stores from London (Selfridges and Marks & Spencer) and in Edinburgh (John Lewis & Partners and a couple of windows)

In LONDON

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND

In the stores:

SELFRIDGES

WINDOW at SELFRIDGES Photo from Marks & Spencer

EDINBURGH-John Lewis & Partners,

Windows in Edinburgh

MEN IN KILTS- INVERNESS, SCOTLAND

Reading my journals since the day we met. Torture or Therapy?

Reading and looking at all my journals and photos from our extensive travels. Torture or Therapy?

Counting the number of times the pandemic is referenced. This still makes my knees go weak. Torture or Therapy?

Every morning telling Alexa to play songs we liked to listen to. Torture or Therapy?

Posting all kinds of memory posts or sharing thoughts on managing grief on my Facebook page. Tom used to say I was a serial poster!! Torture or Therapy?

I have deemed all of this to be Therapy rather than Torture. Making that statement alone feels therapeutic.

Today marks 4 years since Tom’s death.

I am still looking for a soft place to land. I am still working on learning to fear less. I am taking the time to meditate daily. I am making lots of travel plans. I am trying to envision going out on a limb because I do believe there is still sweet fruit out there.

In the meantime, I will dance in the kitchen each morning to whatever I tell Alexa to play. I will try my best to have my wonderful memories make me smile more often than bring tears to my eyes. I will continue to talk about Tom with our family and friends and the little humans because he is worth it. He isn’t a footnote in my story. He checked all the boxes for what you would want in your ideal partner. I consider myself very lucky to have found him and known this incredible love.

My artist friend, Karen, painted this and gifted it to me. Still I Rise. We were both widowed 4 years ago. We are helping each other through the grieving, and this is our plan. We will rise up and continue to make ourselves and our husbands proud of our accomplishments.

Life does go on with or without you. I think it is best to get in step, even if the steps are small. Eventually you reach the place you are supposed to be.