"If not now, then when?"

It was early August when I was swayed by a word a coworker said during lunch, and as soon as I returned to the office, I immediately paid for my plane ticket and hotel stay.
Since then, for five months, I've been immersed in Germany, borrowing travel books from the library near my house after work, reading them, and googling on the weekends. So, this trip was actually not five days, but five months for me.

The beginning was definitely light-hearted.
I was just thinking about taking a break at the end of the year, but when I was bored, I searched for places that looked good, and since I was already there, I decided to make a reservation to get a good seat in advance. As I was drawing up a route in my head, I thought it would be good to move efficiently by organizing these details little by little, and before I knew it, I had completed a 328-row Excel file.

I set off with such a thick stack of printed materials and a suitcase so full it was hard to close the zipper, but due to flight issues, I arrived at the airport with my hands light.
As you read the book, you may notice that I didn't visit many places compared to the length of my trip.
Nevertheless, it was a pleasant time in itself, slowly getting closer to an unfamiliar city.

I always knew that planning and actually traveling can be fun, but this is the first time I've realized that you can immerse yourself in the fun of traveling for months.
I wanted to keep the information I had researched so thoroughly in my head, but I felt it was a waste to just throw it away, so I thought about how I could use it, and that's how I ended up writing this book.
As I look back on my trip, write about it, look at my photos again, and continue my journey, I have been traveling around Germany for a long time, perhaps five months or more.

Like the Excel file, this book was also started with the intention of preserving my memories somewhere, rather than showing them to someone else. As such, it contains a mixture of objective information I researched and my extremely personal impressions.
You can read it like a travel guidebook, or you can read it like you're looking into someone's diary.

Despite the chilly weather that makes you button up your coat collar, neither vendors nor tourists can leave the street where their booths are set up on this winter night.
As if on a treasure hunt, you approach each booth you see and look at the shiny products on display, and before you know it, you've arrived at the end of the street.
As you exit the main street and return to Craftsman Square outside the city walls, the scenery changes, as if you have traveled back in time from the Middle Ages to the present.
I board the train feeling like I was in a dream.
---From "December 21 | Time Travel to the Middle Ages, Nuremberg"

As darkness falls, streetlights come on and people's footsteps quicken.
After spending the day touring the city's sights, evening finally arrived.
Now it's time to visit the Christmas market.
Head to the Old Market Square, where the largest market in Dresden is held.
Hundreds of bright lights indicate our destination from afar.
At the entrance to the market, there is a large semicircular candle arch, and you can see people climbing up the stairs to the top of the arch.
A wooden arch decorated with dolls and candlesticks is brightly lit by a sign that reads 'Dresdener Striezelmarkt'.
---From "December 22 | Florence on the Elbe, Beautiful Dresden"

We departed from Dresden Central Station and arrived at the nearby Koswig Station.
The cloudy sky cleared up in that short time, making it incredibly blue and vivid.
After taking a moment to admire the clear sky that refreshed our minds, we boarded the bus that would take us to our destination. The bus ran along the forest road and arrived at a small village.
A place where low houses with red roofs are scattered here and there, and wide stone roads run between them.
Turn your head along the main road and you will see a yellow castle floating like a small island on a huge lake.
This is our first destination for today, Castle Moritz.
---From "December 23 | The Toy Palace and the Cute Children"

On one side of the high, wide street are rows of Renaissance and Baroque style buildings, while on the other side are the Elbe River and the new town across the river.
A place where you can truly capture the beauty of Dresden at a glance.
The great German writer Goethe, who was captivated by the scenery here, is said to have called Brühl's terrace the 'balcony of Europe'.
If Nuremberg, a medieval city seemingly frozen in time, had the appearance of an old, somewhat rustic, yet comfortable country town, Dresden, with its beautifully preserved Renaissance and Baroque architecture, possesses a neat yet quaint charm.
I once again realize that this is a beautiful city where modern and classic coexist.
---From "December 24th | A Silent Christmas Eve"

We decided to see the Nutcracker ballet performance here today.
The Nutcracker is my personal Christmas ritual.
Since I was twenty, I have been watching the same performances every Christmas, alternating between the National Ballet and Universal Ballet.
I know the song and the dance to the tune, but this is my own way to immerse myself in the Christmas spirit the most.
So when I was planning this trip, the next thing I paid for after flights and accommodations was tickets to this show.
It was my first time spending Christmas abroad and seeing The Nutcracker, so it was one of the moments I had been looking forward to the most.

---From "December 25th | A Fairytale Fantasy: A Dreaming Christmas"