For the benefit of potential readers who do not speak German, I started this blog in English. However, I soon had to realize that my English writing had shortcomings that I was not prepared to accept, and writing in German goes easier. For these reasons I switched back to German after just a few posts. I apologize to the English speakers, and I hope they enjoy the pictures and use their imagination to figure my travel adventures.

My interests and my activities are wide spread, hence they may perhaps not be very deep. They include cooking, bread baking, photography, bicycle (tour, mountain, tandem) traveling, reading – unfortunately too seldom, favorite authors e.g. Murakami, Zafon, Capote, Auster, but right now Nietzsche’s “Also sprach Zarathustra” (Oct 08) – handyman work at the house, gardening, work in the vineyards owned by the nearby small town. The list is not conclusive – some interests always come and go.

I live in Switzerland, near the lower end of the lower Constance Lake (Bodensee), in a wonderful region. From my home I can see the newly renovated, well preserved castle of Hohenklingen on top of the hill, but have no direct view of the lake nor the Rhine River.

In my first job I was working in chemical plant design, with an M.Sc. in chemical engineering. Then I lived and worked with a trading company in Asia for 11 years, in Singapore, Taipei, and Seoul. Back in Switzerland I held several positions in the machinery industry. My internet alias Houdini may suggest that I see myself as a magician or an escape artist, but I have never thought to be one. That I freed myself from the constraints of the business life has also nothing to do with my alias. My jobs gave me great enjoyment and satisfaction over many years.