On my bike ride through the woods yesterday, I was struck by the change in tone of the moss on the trees that has morphed from a lovely celadon to a bold Irish leprechaun tone. It then occurred to me that green has been the primary hue of our past several weeks. Of course the color green also symbolizes the greed and callousness of de-facto President Musk and his definitively authoritarian slash & burn of the federal government, on top of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde act for world domination. While the post-Cold War global order crumbles before our eyes, we’re trying to keep our focus one day at a time here in Europe, with daily reminders in the news cycle of the vast continent and ocean that stand between us and Washington. Hopefully the EU will survive this abandonment and all of the upheaval that comes with it. While the EU remains a beacon of hope for values of freedom and democracy to survive, and the AfD continues to be blocked from participating in the German parliament, we are not immune from shell shock here in Europe. Just a couple of hours away from Berlin, Poland is calling up reservists to report for duty. It is moderately reassuring to be in a country where 83% of eligible voters actually show up at the polls because they care, and the German government continues to uphold its post-WWII commitment to exclude the far right Neo-Nazis from decision-making, even if they don’t outwardly ban them.

But in the week leading up to the German parliamentary elections, we had the ultimate escape planned for a week of marveling in the beauty of European winter wonderlands around the continent. Julian was off on a school ski trip to Italy and Austria, and we had uncanny good luck (perhaps thanks to the leprechauns?) on our aurora hunting journey to the Arctic Circle in Finnish Lapland. Despite the odds, particularly given the dim aurora forecast l had been obsessively following on multiple apps in anticipation of our three-night visit, we struck gold.

On our last night in Rovaniemi, we experienced the most mind-blowing, awe-inspiring and downright majestic display of the Northern Lights for several hours of sheer marvel and wonder at the beauty of the universe. The lights popped at the very reasonable hour of 11:30 pm, so strong that we could view them right outside the coziness of our glass igloo, delighting us with absolutely dazzling wizardry in the sky. We immediately tossed on our outer layers and dashed from one spot to another around the resort, from the cul-de-sac outside our igloo to the frozen lake down the path. It was a once in a lifetime experience– a magic show of nature to celebrate our 25th anniversary!

The green magic continued well into the night, and I could hardly bear to close my eyes. Finally, while lying in bed at 2:30am and looking up at the bright green skies from our igloo, I couldn’t believe it, but the big dipper was directly overhead. I decided that was an appropriate moment to snap my last few photos before forcing myself to catch some zzzz’s.

Our arrival into Rovaniemi on Finn Air had been as easy as pie, with the downright adorable new airport there serving as an easy point of entry to the region. I was immediately struck by a sight I had never seen before: white trees. I couldn’t tell what was making the trees white—from the sky, the pine trees and deciduous trees were like an impressionist painting with speckled white and green dots artfully arranged on the landscape. But how these trees such a bright, sparkly and crisp white? Were the poor trees frozen? I mean, it was below freezing for the duration of winter, but could trees survive a deep freeze? Upon closer inspection, I discovered that there was simply a delicate layer of ice coating each fragile tree branch, creating an optical illusion of iced trees. I couldn’t get enough of these magical sweets for the eyes—like someone had taken a brush and coated white frosting evenly around each twig. What a wonder— a quintessential force of nature that was oozing with North Pole magic.

In planning this trip with the bucket list purpose of aurora hunting, I had narrowed down our choices to Tromso, Norway or Rovaniemi, Finland, both of which are near the Arctic Circle where the aurora viewing is exceptional. Given that Tromso is more often overcast and has fewer quintessentially “Lappish” accommodation options (we didn’t yet know what that meant, but got the vibe once we were there), we opted for Rovaniemi, which has a couple of resorts boasting cool glass igloos with the explicit purpose of aurora gazing from the comfort of a cozy bed. Not only did we have a bed with a view, but our igloo came with a spacious living room and the added bonus of having yet another Marimekko outlet store within 10 minutes.

We were totally enchanted by our classic “Lappish” resort replete with rich wood paneling, ample reindeer antlers affixed to the walls and exquisite light fixtures that looked like giant acorns.

Finnish hospitality is second to none, and it is clear why the nation has won the happiest country on earth award. Everyone we met was smiling from ear to ear. The grounds were coated in freshly groomed snow, and we giggled upon receiving the instruction to pick up a loaner sled outside the lobby to transport our luggage down the snow path to our glass igloo.

Upon arrival at our abode for the next three nights, we were again blown away by the tastefully decorated structure which included a huge glass rooftop in a hexagonal shape above the bed, an artfully geometric steep staircase up to the bedroom, a living room with leather chairs and reindeer rugs, plus a little dining table, kitchenette and gas fireplace. It was perfect in every way. 

Initially, we thought the resort was super overstaffed, with so many people walking around in classic matching black and royal blue snowsuits with a big “Apukka Resort” logo on the back. We soon realized, however, that the matching outfits were “loaners” available at no cost to hotel guests visiting from places where owning snow gear is not part of the program– like the Persian Gulf. In fact, no hotel staff wore the cutesy matching outfits. It did make an excellent hotel marketing strategy in town as well, although we were happy to have our own snow gear from home.

Our itinerary was deliberately minimalist, with only one activity slated for each day. We enjoyed a dog sled along a scenic woodsy path one day, but by far, the best daytime outing we had was a tour of the nearby Arctic Snow Hotel. Each room was decorated with customized thematic ice sculptures that were incredible.

The hotel had an ice bar, an ice chapel for weddings, an enormous ice restaurant, and of course ice beds with electric blankets… It was both bizarre and absolutely incredible to see.

I am super glad that we opted not to try sleeping in an ice bed– a daytime tour was so much more enjoyable, and staying in the rooms seemed pretty rough, as all luggage was kept in the lobby and the bathrooms were down an icy hallway. We were happy to sleep in a warm, dry igloo instead.

Apparently the ice hotel rooms fill up over a year in advance, and of course the hotel, restaurant, chapel and bar are completely rebuilt from scratch every year. We were impressed with the talent of the local ice sculptors whose work was so beautifully displayed in the rooms, hallways and several outdoor exhibits as well.

After a dreamy three nights in Finnish Lapland that far surpassed our expectations, we headed back to the airport to launch Part Deux of our week away.

While I flew back to Berlin with our snow gear, Jonathan flew to Milan to speak at a conference the next morning. I spent a night back at the house, repacked a smaller suitcase, and met him there just before dinnertime.

Milan was downright balmy compared to the Arctic Circle, and our hotel was right in the center of the city, making it easy to find a quaint outdoor restaurant for a big Italian feast and a perfect glass of house red– Viva Italia! The colors, vibrancy and spirit of Italian design and fashion beamed from the moment I stepped off the plane. Even the subway car I took from the airport into downtown was painted in a bright, happy floral mural from floor to ceiling. I mean, seriously… Italy– could you be any cuter?

While Jonathan attended his conference, I had a delightful time walking all over Milan and shopped ‘til I dropped. The stores blew my mind– such artful displays of creative fashion, and so joyful– a perfect antidote to the state of the world. I soaked it all up as I wandered into the stores with window displays that piqued my interest, which were plentiful as Milan fashion week (there are actually several, but the first of 2025) was just a week away!

But for Jonathan’s birthday celebration, we had one final leg of our trip in store with a destination of Zurich by way of Chur: a day-long ride on a UNESCO World Heritage train route through the Alps from Italy to Switzerland. We started the famed route in the picturesque northern Italian town of Tirano, and within 5 minutes, crossed the Swiss border and headed up into the mountains.

The train journey was even more spectacular than we envisioned– and even more enjoyable with fresh crisp mountain air, no reserved seats and no crowds even on the weekend. We took a regional train along the famed scenic route rather than the tourist Bernina Express so we could hop from one side of the train to the other and stick our heads out the enormous windows to soak up the stunning views.

Our shiny red train was like a souped up version of The Little Engine That Could that swirled in and out of picturesque rock tunnels, gracefully hugged the tracks around sharp turns, and chugged over the most stunning arched bridges.

More good luck brought us bold sunshine that lit up the bright snow capped peaks, and we relished in sticking our heads out the big picture windows to catch a fresh breeze and the most stunning of views. It was almost like a multi-hour ride at Disneyland!

Our trip through the Alps did involve seven separate trains and some tight transfers along the way, one of which involved my slipping down a couple of steep steps into a bank of snow. Ouch! But the natural wonders along the route were absolutely unforgettable, and a glass of white wine on our train into Chur took the edge off. On the short train connector routes at the peak of the Alps, we sat next to local seasoned skiers and kids with sleds who rode down the slopes or carved their own paths from one stop to another. What a life! 

We took one last local train from the end of the scenic route in Chur to the town of Bad Ragaz, where we stayed at a rather fancy hotel with a massive pool of seven separate hot pools that filled a palatial indoor space (with no phones or cameras permitted, but thankfully required swimsuits!) and out into an outdoor pool complex with a waterfall, lazy river and a hot tub. Wow! It was Saturday night, the pools were open until 10pm, and we fully enjoyed soaking up the full Swiss spa experience after sitting on trains all day. As if on cue, our Swiss hotel room was decorated in a sea of bold green hues including these light fixtures over our bed.

The next day, we enjoyed an exquisite breakfast buffet fit for royalty with bread pudding, fresh tropical fruits and local smoked salmon to fill our bellies for the day before our last Swiss train ride to the Zurich Airport. Staying in Switzerland for only one night was the right move, as everything there was SO expensive! But we fully enjoyed our one luxurious night there, and our only other expenditure (apart from train tickets) were a couple of small Swiss army knives (mine is a fabulous shade of light blue) which they oddly sold *after* security in the airport. Apparently the store only sells them to people taking direct flights within Europe. The logic didn’t quite compute, but we shrugged our shoulders and hopped onto our Swiss Air flight carrying a little red Victorinox knife bag, and no one blinked an eye. And that will be the one and only plane trip we take with knives in hand. Thank you, Switzerland!

After a smooth direct flight back to Berlin, we greeted Julian and his fellow skier classmates upon their return from Venice, and loved hearing his stories of skiing above the clouds in the Italian and Austrian Alps for the week. Their ski instructor took them all over the mountain for seven days of skiing adventures, and he mastered the art of recovering in the sauna at the end of each ski day. The weather and snowpack cooperated, and he had a blast!

What a spectacular week it was– from the alien-like green skies of magical wonder and iced trees at the Arctic Circle to the bold color and happy prints of Milan, the scenic trains of the Swiss Alps and a classic Saturday night in a European spa resort, we were beaming from ear to ear, and spent most of the following week back in Berlin doing laundry, cooking lots of vegetables to detox from all the pizza and pasta, and recovering from our week of nonstop dazzle by reading on the sofa in our pajamas. I think we’ve nailed this sabbatical situation. Now we’re back into our routines of biking through the woods, finding the best German bread at downtown bakeries, squeezing groceries into Forest’s basket, and exploring more of our “home city” as this early spring weather makes our backyard grass green again, liberates us from coats and beckons us to enjoy our last months of Fantasyland.

I think we’ve soaked up more than our annual quotient of green to fuel us through St. Patrick’s Day and well beyond. Leave Greenland for the Danes!