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I am training to be a guide for river cruise tourists in Cologne. Cologne prides itself in its 12 Romanesque churches, and as a guide, you could tell endless stories about them. But by the time guests arrive in Cologne, they have toured Europe and seen so many churches that they are “churched out”.

Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.

The best part of life is the bit that is summarised with „they lived happily ever after“ in fairy tales. But no good story ever began like that: First, there has to be a story to tell!

Zeit ist das kostbarste Geschenk, das man machen kann, denn Zeit ist – im Gegensatz zu Geld oder Gegenständen – unwiederbringlich. Einmal erlebt, nicht wiederherstellbar. Was, also, haben wir unseren großen Kindern zum 30. Geburtstag geschenkt? Zeit. Zeit mit uns. Na gut, so ganz uneigennützig war das Geschenk nicht, denn so kamen wir in den Genuss von Zeit mit den Kindern. Schön war’s.

„Home is where the Dom is“, sagt man in Köln so schön. Da ist was dran: Wenn ich auf Reisen war, bin ich gefühlt wieder daheim, sobald ich die Doppelspitze des Doms erspähe. Aber was macht eigentlich dieses „Daheim“-Gefühl aus?

The big gay pride parades around the world are colourful celebrations of life and love, but let’s not forget that there’s more to it than that.

We hadn’t expected to share our holiday home with so many others!

Reykjavik is the cultural centre of Iceland, with countless museums – including a phallological museum. The penis is a body part that would not be mentioned in a fairy tale, but Norse mythology was not so shy about the gods‘ private parts.

Have you ever heard of „flow“? Flow is the blissful state we find ourselves in when we are deeply involved in an activity that is challenging but well suited to our skills. In other words: Time flows when you’re having fun!

A place’s unique smell is part of its character, and something that sticks in our memories. In some cases, I wish it didn’t.