Currently: December 2024
I can’t believe December and 2024 are coming to a close. Last week felt extraordinarily long. We had a lot of good news for students in December but that always comes with a lot of hard news. It’s a balancing act to try and figure out how to celebrate and keep everyone moving forward. I’m thankful for a little bit of down time, and I’m super thankful for a leaderhsip team that is willing to divide and conquer the holidays together.
We are spending the last part of this year in Florence. While this will be our 6th New Year’s Eve in Florence, it will be the first Christmas that we’ve spent here. I think it’s going to be nice to be in one place for a bit, though it’s a bit of a different speed for us during this time of year.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for tours and products I love at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
Making:
For the last two months, I have made dessert for our 1st Saturday wine dinners. Inspired by our trip to Annecy earlier this year, I have mastered a gateau de Savoie recipe. It’s a pretty easy recipe that has a short shopping list and may be things you already have in your pantry.
One of the things that I’m excited about this month is taking another buche de Noel class in Paris. I booked the vanilla and caramel version Buche class, which will be completely different from the chocolate cardamon cake I learned to make previously. I do think I want to spend some time studying the shopping list while we are in Paris because I was very overwhelmed trying to find certain baking ingredients in Dallas. It will probably be a little easier to buy things abroad and bring them home.
In 2020, I had this great plan to chronicle my travel-inspired recipes on the blog. While I did it for a few weeks, it was not something that became a regular occurrence. This is one of the things I want to do better on in 2025. I like the idea of challenging my cooking skills in this way.
Celebrating:
My birthday was at the start of the month. We had a low-key celebration with dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Dallas. Last year, one of our schools was selling a gift certificate for the restaurant as part of their silent auction, and I was happy to snap that up! I ended up ordering an escargot and tortellini appetizer that was DELICIOUS. We tend to be creatures of habit, so I was very proud of myself on that. I also had a filet with mushrooms and truffle (amazing), and the most perfect risotto. Our waiter brought me a key lime pie with blood orange sorbet, and while I couldn’t finish it, it was delicious!
One thing people may not know about us is that we RARELY go out to dinner in Dallas. We really do put all of our extra money into travel, so it makes our special occasion meals that much better. It also means that we tend to go to the same places because we have an affinity and loyalty to them. (You probably also have noticed our travels are like this, too.) We love the relationships we create with people by returning to the same places, however frequent or infrequent our visits may be! Our favorite waiter wasn’t working on Friday, but the staff still made sure my birthday was perfect!
I also used the opportunity to wear the dress and shoes I bought for the Sotheby’s event last month. Susan’s vision was so perfect, and I can’t thank her enough for finding this outfit for me! (I’m going to take the dress with me for The Nutcracker in Milan, too!)
Holiday Traditions Bucket List:
While I don’t always love the idea of a bucket list (I’m much more inclined to make a 101 in 1001 list), I feel like our holidays abroad have started to take on a few traditions of their own.
First up, the buche de Noel class at the Ritz Paris Escoffier. I certainly enjoyed taking another class with chef and creating this delicious roasted vanilla and caramel Christmas cake. It was the perfect dessert after a perfect dinner at Le George.
Second, seeing The Nutcracker. As a former ballet dancer, Christmas is synonymous with Nutcracker season! Last year, we had the opportunity to see the Paris Opera Ballet perform The Nutcracker at the Bastille. This year, we were able to see it at La Scala in Milan. It was beyond incredible, and the Park Hyatt Milan was the perfect hotel for visiting La Scala!
Tom loved it so much that he suggested we should just keep going where its being performed. It will add new places to our holiday travels and allow us to experience different variations. I totally don’t hate that idea.
Reading:
I really started to dive into this book while we were visiting Krakow. Learning how much Polish art was destroyed during World War II made this an especially emotional read for me. Though it mostly takes place in Berlin, it was easy to make connections between this book and the present-day population of Poland. I’ve noticed that I am very strongly gravitating towards books that highlight the deliberate work done to preserve culture during World War II. I’ll have more thoughts and comments on this in the coming weeks. It’s definitely worth considering how / when / if culture is erased, nothing remains.
The Train that Took You Away by Catherine Hokin
The Train that Took You Away by Catherine Hokin is hauntingly human. Hokin’s writing is captivating. This story begins in Berlin during the beginning of the dehumanization of the Jewish people in Berlin. There is a sense of optimism between the characters, all of whom are living separate lives in the artistic confines of Berlin. That optimism is quickly erodes as the intentions of the Nazis become increasingly clear. Esther makes a difficult decision to send her son off on the kindertransport after losing her husband and her father. Amalie fights against the truths her family has tried to impress upon her and eventually fights against the greater forces at work in Berlin. Laurenz moves through the book with a careful and cautious tale, reflective of his experiences as a Jewish artist, a husband, and a survivor.
With careful and thoughtful movements forward for each character, Hokin manages to provide a story that is both realistic and engrossing. Hokin captures the resilience of the human condition and spirit without unnecessary gory details and overzealous optimism, leaving the reader with a feeling of hope in spite of the horrors of humanity. This story is engrossing without illogical leaps about the connection between the characters. While the ending is expected, it is not trite. It captures the complicated relationships that exist between people who must confront the difficult decisions made during exceptional times.
Note: I received an advanced reader copy of The Train that Took You Away through Net Galley. All opinions are my own.
The Girl Who Saved Them by S. E. Rutledge
Captivating and suspenseful. I finished The Girl Who Saved Them in less than day and 85% of it in a single sitting. One is immediately immersed into the world of Louise, Marie, and even Andre – seeing the world through each of their perspectives. Visiting Paris, you’ll hear that 5% of Parisians were part of the Resistance, 5% were collaborators, and 90% of people were just trying to get by. This book makes all those groups real – and what it felt like to fight against all the complex feelings that were exacerbated by the daily realities of occupied France.
While many stories from the concentration camps have been written from the Jewish perspective, very little has been written from other perspectives. There is so much depth to this book – from the Russian and Soviet perspective, to the Polish respective, to the “volunteer” perspective, to the Resistance perspective. The stories from each character are engaging, believable, and above all else, human. An engaging read to the very end.
Note: I received an advanced reader copy of The Girl Who Saved Them through Net Galley. All opinions are my own.
Wearing:
Okay, I’ve talked about Sarah Flint shoes a lot on this blog, but we need to talk about the stretch suede boots again. (If you use Sarah Flint discount code EXTRA, you can save an additional 40% off the holiday sale price!) I have worn these all over Europe in the last two months, and they are SO comfortable. And, yesterday, I put them to the test in the rain in Florence. They are truly waterproofed and my socks weren’t wet at all. I am really impressed with them. My Stuart Weitzman 50/50s are officially retired after 6 years.
I pulled out my J Brand Maria skinny jeans after not wearing them for at least two years. It’s good to have them back in the rotation! I brought a couple of cashmere sweaters that I’ve been wearing for more than a few seasons. I’ve got a blazer and my Marta Scarampi Stacie cape. Andddd, I brought this Lafayette 148 top (dress?) that I bought a couple years ago on clearance. (I’m really proud of all the re-wears in my wardrobe and the things I’ve been bring for the past few years!)
Photo Editing:
I’ve been a little lazy and just updating posts. I updated my review about the Park Hyatt Milan because it was lovely. I also added some details to my review of the Hotel du Louvre with updates from the last two rooms that we’ve had there. After our November trip to Paris with my mom and my sister, I added a few new restaurants to my post on where to eat in Paris. I also added information about the French sauce class in Paris that we took in November! I did blog about our hotel in Saint Emilion from our November trip, but I still need to write about the new restaurants we tried in Bordeaux!
I finished off the post about our trip to Beaune. Now I can move on to Champagne and Alsace!
