Le Tréport, Normandy

My Childhood

I was born in Gissigheim, a small village in a region in Germany that is called Tauberfranken. I used to call it Germany’s Midwest. It is a rather remote area with lots of nature and the next large city Würzburg was some 25 miles away. As a child I really loved to grow up in all that nature and always had a great time. Back in those days internet didn’t exist and mobile phones were yet to find their way into our lives. Watching TV wasn’t very interesting either, since we had only 3 channels to choose from. So we were forced to find things to do. Whenever possible I went out into the woods with a friend of mine after lunch. Soon we knew where to find all those wild animals and watched them. My father was a big nature fan too and I really did enjoy the rare outings with him. He showed me the best places to find endangered flowers. The region I come form is known for its broad diversity and you can find orchids and other flowers that usually only grow in the Alps. Today I still love to be out in the nature hiking or biking.

My Youth

When turning into a young man the village became fast to narrow and calm and I grew reckless, feeling the urge to explore the world. So traveling became a longing. Even when I had to choose my profession after school I was looking for a field that would enable me to work and travel. In my mother’s family most people did work in the restaurant business and so I decided to follow that path. Originally I had planned to become a pastry chef, but I couldn’t find an openeing as apprentice, so I eventually opted for becoming a licensed waiter. After my apprenticeship I finally started my world tour in stages. On this blog I will write about the things I’ve seen, since I believe that it might be of interest for others.

When I grew older and hopefully wiser

At some point there came a time when I was fed up working all weekends and mostly at night and so I started looking for a new challenge. Since I still wanted to travel I decided to pursue a career within the tourism industry and that’s where I am still today, 20 years later.

There are two destinations on this planet that I know very well and cherish a lot.

Being born on a 4^th of July I consider my birth date as a destiny and so it was clear that one of these days I would be getting in closer touch with this great country. Through my career I have a special attachment to Southern California, New England and my all time favorite Hawaii. I love those islands because of the people with their Aloha Spirit. Nowhere on this planet I have met people that are so open minded and tolerant. It doesn’t count where come from, the important thing is who you are and what you do. A place where different cultures blend magically into each other.

My second favorite destination is France. My mother’s sister married a French man back in the 1960’s and so I spent already during my childhood quite some time in that fascinating country and learned the language along the way. To get to know this country it is essential to speak at least a few words of French. The whole world brags about the fact that the French don’t speak foreign languages, but then again, How many English native speakers do know other languages?

So, my dear readers, stay tuned for some hopefully interesting articles on this blog. I am looking forward to your comments good or bad. If you have any suggestions how I can make this blog even more interesting, let me know.