Freedom on Four Wheels Or: Why a Convertible Was Never Just a Car to Us. There are songs that sound like summer. California Dreaming is one of them. As soon as the first notes come on the car radio, something curious happens. Reinhold almost automatically reaches for the button that opens the roof, I lean […]
My Name Is Tim Now – Greetings from the Starbucks Universe When the name on your cup suddenly develops a life of its own. For those unfamiliar with Starbucks: when you order, you tell them your first name so the right coffee can find the right person later. At least that’s the plan. What actually […]
Catalina Island – Somewhere Between Heaven and Reality An island between the Pacific, pastel colors, and the realization that sometimes the dangerous part is not the ocean — but the motion sickness pill. The Pacific can be loud. Grey. Unpredictable. But on this particular morning, it lies there like polished glass. Almost too beautiful to […]
On the Road with Us and the Ordinary Madness No instruction manual for travel. Just a few stories that still make us smile. America was never just a travel destination for us. For a while, we lived here. It was everyday life — with thunderstorms, supermarkets, neighbors, and the small misunderstandings that later turned into […]
A Waltz, a Fall, and a Young Hare Or: How I came down very quickly at the Doctors’ Ball in Vienna’s Hofburg Palace Prologue – An Invitation with a Touch of Glamour Every year, we receive an invitation to the ball at Vienna’s Hofburg Palace. We’ve been there many times before — danced, laughed, and […]
Hello Spring Or: Between a Dream, Reality, and a Slice of Cheesecake by the Sea Prologue – One Night, One Dream, One Mistake Last night, I dreamed of spring. Of warmth. Of light. Of that feeling that everything is starting to get a little easier again. And then I woke up – in Schleswig-Holstein, in […]
Sometimes, Breathing Is Enough About a yellow snorkel, a penny, and the art of breathing at the right moment Prologue – One Minute A man asks God: “What is a million years to you?” “A minute.” “And a million dollars?” “A penny.” The man doesn’t hesitate: “Good. Then I’d like a penny.” God looks at […]