Two festive stories

Holiday fun

I’m traveling as I write this, and I’ve seen some wonderful ways to celebrate this festive time of year. I’ve encountered smiling, friendly faces, dazzling decorations bursting with joy and a good dose of magic, and all manner of enticing things to browse through and perhaps even to buy.

Today’s first stop is Barcelona, where I spent one gorgeous day walking and exploring that beautiful city.

Following that is our second stop, a fun place to visit in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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One day in Barcelona

A little teaser in my hotel room suggested a visit to Carrer Petritxol, in the heart of the oldest part of Barcelona, the Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter). This is the area where the Romans founded their city of Barcino, and if you look closely, you can see some vestiges of Roman structures, including the city wall. Petritxol is just one of many labyrinthine streets in this quarter; it’s a pedestrian street, three meters wide, and it opens into the Plaça del Pi.

What’s so interesting about Petritxol? Besides being charming and historic, the street is home to a variety of interesting shops and businesses, including a fabulous bookstore, art galleries, jewelers, cafés, and … the reason I was there.

Let’s have a little drumroll to announce that Carrer Petritxol is known as Barcelona’s chocolate street, home to several chocolate shops. Right up my alley, so to speak.

After taking a stroll to see the whole street, I decided to visit Chocolataria Equador. It’s a lovely old shop with brick walls, wooden cabinets, the perfume of hot cocoa, and a mind-boggling variety of chocolates. My own cup of cocoa was thick and rich, with the tiniest bit of sweetness—perfection!

Step inside with me to see what we can find.

Chocolataria Equador was founded in Porto, Portugal, in 2009, by a talented husband-and-wife team whose core values are cocoa, chocolate, design, fantasy, love and sustainability. (The list is on the company website, here.)

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One evening in Las Vegas

Two flights and a few days later, I was in Las Vegas to visit a longtime dear friend. There’s one place in Vegas that I’ve long wanted to visit, and we decided to go one evening.

The Neon Museum was established to collect, restore and exhibit neon signs. I wanted to go because I find neon fascinating, and it can be great fun to photograph. Many of these signs are iconic, recognizable threads in the fabric of Las Vegas history.

Take a stroll with me through the Neon Boneyard, the place where rescued signs get a new life.

Reno-born commercial artist Lew Hymers was a prolific commercial artist and caricaturist. This sign shows his unique style, and was created for Anderson Dairy in the 1950s.

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Parting shot

This is the year’s big season for celebration. Many of the world’s faiths have a major holiday in late December, and the one that resonates with me is the Winter Solstice. It’s a time to recognize the quiet of shorter days and longer nights, and to know that “it is the way of all things that the night ends and the light returns. The light always returns.” (Thank you, Kai Skye, for this perfect statement.)

I celebrate the earth, the sky, and the waters; I honor the living beings who walk this earth, who fly in the sky, and who swim in the waters of the glorious jewel that is our planet, our home.

On the Winter Solstice, I think of these things and what makes our planet pulse with life. It is light and it is love, and these are always with us if we can just remember.

From my heart, I wish you happy celebrations and a great deal of love.

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