Live broadcasting interviews, broken trains and a strike

Germany, August 2021

My book has finally been released on the 19th of august and since then I am traveling all around Germany to attend invitations to live interviews at various television broadcast companies.

The first one took place in Hamburg at the NDR studios where my great friend Mirjam accompanied me to. We almost did not make it to the live show due to a broken train and headed back next midday after an extended morning sauna bath in the hotel, on the last day of operating trains because a five day strike from the german railway company followed and complicated the whole tour.

Therefore, my other great friend from childhood, Thomas, drove me with his car back and forth to Magdeburg for a short interview at the MDR studios. Before heading back to Berlin airport to catch a flight to Stuttgart that same evening, we crossed the river Elbe on a fascinating old train bridge that is situated just beside the studios and wondered around the river‘s natural and beautiful unspoiled shore. It reminded us of our time in Berlin in the wild and exciting 90ties, back in the days when GDR was so present still.

In Stuttgart, my older cousin Michaela, whom I had last seen 12 years ago, fetched me at the Hotel that evening and we chatted and watched family photo albums until midnight. Our grandmothers, who grew up in Bohemia which is now Chech Republik, where sisters and died with 99 and 104 years. What an amazingly long life to have lived!

Next day‘s 2 hour radio interview at the SWR studios was lots of fun, I love radio and prefer it much more to television. When I used to have a car, I recall listening to all sorts of interesting radio shows both on short trips but definitely on long Autobahn rides.

Right after coming out of the studios, another team from the ZDF broadcaster waited in front and picked me up to film and interview me in a nearby park. Cool team and good questions. They dropped me off at the bus station where I waited for the one hour delayed bus to Munich. Phew! I just about made it to my dinner date…

Munich is such a neat and beautiful town, fully organized and well functioning. I remember how absolutely bored I had been when living there in the 90ties at the end of my teenager and school days, before moving to Berlin aged 19. The sun has come out and the nearby church is announcing the time as I live right in the center by the famous Marienplatz in my cosy and small boutique hotel. I drive around in the tube to get from A to B and gain back memories from when I used to escape from the public transport employees controlling if I had a valid metro ticket. I never bought one and preferred to run away when caught. In theory, I can still run now, in fact I run much better than I walk because of the tip toeing. But I am far too old to be caught by some nasty and badly mooded officials.

This evening, I will give a short interview at the BR studios during the Abendschau program and go out for dinner with a friend. Until then, I have to whole day to myself!

Travels through Germany are great!