I arrived in Taipei at the end of December, during Christmas week, and left before New Year's Eve. The city did not announce the holiday. It acknowledged it quietly. A few lights in department store windows. Familiar songs played softly. Christmas existed, but it did not interrupt anything.

The air was cool and forgiving. Cool enough to walk all day. Cool enough that steam from food stalls felt necessary rather than dramatic. Locals wore light jackets. The sky stayed mostly overcast, which made the city feel calm and held together.

Taipei felt like it was between things. Ending a year. Not yet beginning the next.

Day 1: Finding the Old City

My first stop was Longshan Temple.

I stayed longer than planned. Incense hung heavy. People moved with practiced rhythm. No one rushed. The temple felt lived in, not preserved. Taipei felt old here, but in use.

Later I walked through Ximending. Neon flickered on as evening arrived. Young people gathered. Music leaked from shops. The energy was there, but softer than I expected. December muted everything slightly.

I ate simply that night and went to bed early. The city did not mind.

Day 2: Memory and Scale

I walked to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall early.

The space was vast. Architecture doing the work of history. I watched the guard change and felt small in the open plaza, then grateful when I slipped back into side streets where scale returned to human.

Lunch drew me to Yongkang Street. Beef noodle soup. Mango shaved ice, even in winter. Taipei feeds you without ceremony.

That evening I wandered Dadaocheng, near the river. Old shop houses. Tea smells. The light thinned slowly at sunset. I lingered without reason.

Day 3: Mountains Close Enough to Touch

I took a bus to Yangmingshan National Park.

Steam rose from the ground. Grasslands rolled open. The city disappeared faster than I expected. December suited the mountains. The air was clean and quiet.

In Beitou, I visited the Hot Spring Museum.

Heat loosened the day. The pace slowed further. That night I went to Shilin Night Market. Crowded but not chaotic. Families eating together. Food stalls sending warmth into the air.

Day 4: Looking Down on the City

I went up Taipei 101.

From above, Taipei flattened into patterns. Roads made sense. Neighborhoods revealed their density. I did not stay long. Being small again felt better.

At sunset I climbed Elephant Mountain.

People sat quietly with snacks and cameras. The city lights came on slowly. Taipei did not rush its evenings in December.

Day 5: Leaving Wishes Behind

I took the train toward Jiufen Old Street.

Lanterns swayed. Tea houses steamed. It was busy but manageable. If you stepped aside, it still felt intimate.

In Shifen, I wrote a wish on a sky lantern.

I watched it rise until it disappeared. I did not photograph it leaving. Some moments ask to be left alone.

I returned to Taipei tired and quiet.

Day 6: Objects and Ideas

The National Palace Museum surprised me.

I thought I would skim. I did not. Jade, calligraphy, porcelain. Time compressed into cases. December seemed to encourage slowing down.

In the afternoon I wandered Huashan 1914 Creative Park.

People worked, talked, sketched. Ideas felt visible here. Taipei thinking out loud.

That night I ate at Raohe Street Night Market.

Pepper buns. Soup. Heat and motion. The city alive but not loud.

Day 7: Leaving Softly

I walked through Daan Forest Park.

The city breathed differently here. I sat longer than planned.

I bought tea. Pineapple cakes. Things that could carry memory without explanation.

My last meal was quiet. One more bubble tea. I left before New Year's Eve. The city felt like it was holding its breath.

What Stayed With Me

December gave me Taipei in a reflective mood. Fewer tourists than expected. Night markets that felt lived in. Holidays acknowledged but not centered. The city did not pause for celebrations that were not its own.

Taipei never asked me to understand it first. It let me belong through walking, eating, waiting, and watching.

Some cities insist. Taipei allows.