“Man muss die Feste feiern wie sie fallen”. This reminder, one of my mom’s many hand-me-down German expressions, was reverberating in my mind as the cursor hovered over the “Buy tickets now” flag on my laptop screen. It was not the first time I’d booked a Christmas Markets trip. In winter 2021, when Covid should have been no more than an unsettling memory, skyrocketing incidences of the virus shuttered the beloved annual holiday markets tradition for the second consecutive year. And now, the cursor seems to plead with me, it wants to get the job done. What use is a cursor, if not to click? But I was torn. If I proceed, will I be disappointed yet again? (and left with more annoying airline credits with increasingly ridiculous rules for use). Would the markets even be open? How would we fare at our rapid pace in a cold, wet environment where…

It all started with a fairly innocuous question. “Hey Dad, what do you want to do for your birthday this year?” His answer – “go to Japan” – led to an 11 day, four city adventure in late March last year, which coincided perfectly with Sakura, the cherry blossom season. Those of you who know us, aren’t going to be surprised by this. It’s how we roll. Nor will you be surprised by the fact that the trip had to be timed around spring break because after 60 years in university lecture halls, and what amounted to about 3 hours of “retirement” in 1999, Dad is still imbuing his passion for Microbiology among upperclass college students. Fortunately it worked out – spring break, birthday, Sakura- check, check, check. My first and only visit to Japan was a short-lived one, nearly 17 years ago. I needed to attend a breakfast meeting…