For years, Nice had been a quiet wish. After countless business trips, I wanted to see it differently — not from hotel windows, but through the slow rhythm of days spent by the sea, with my family. Arrival The journey was long — a flight at 6 p.m., the shuffle of bags, and a tired child. But then, stepping out into the open air, everything softened. The light felt warmer here, gentler. The sea shone like metal and glass. Nice…
48 Hours in Tirana — A Weekend in Europe’s Most Underrated Capital We picked Tirana because it felt close enough for a spontaneous weekend, yet still a little off the beaten path—recommended by friends, and spot on. We landed on Friday afternoon and jumped on a city bus—half chaotic, half charming. Base camp: Bob Marley Hostel downtown. Friendly staff, resident animals, easy vibes, best location for wandering. Very quiet this time of year. Saturday: Squares, Pyramids & Parks Skanderbeg Square…
Here we are back from the island. 3 years after my first trip to Mallorca I returned for spring this year, only this time I brought my family. Crazy how quickly life changes. After a few intense months at work with extensive business travel I desperately needed some rest and after months of only riding the trainer in my basement I desperately needed some outdoor sunshiny riding as well. The eagle-eyed reader might have noted that this websites banner was…
Brussels has become one of my favorite cities in Europe. The classic architecture is beautiful, historic pubs and restaurants take you back to the belle époque. The European quarter adds a certain vibe of true European-ness. I’ve always embraced the European spirit, but especially when I hang out here in the middle of the politic and bureaucratic Europe I can’t help but to feel glad it still works somehow. I don’t understand the appeal of re-nationalizing European politics, I really…
Business trips rarely leave much space for running. You land, meet, eat, sleep too little, and fly back out again. But if you’re lucky, there’s a small window — half an hour between obligations — to see a city on foot. Bucharest was one of those windows. A loud, layered city with heavy history, unexpected kindness, and more old beauty than I expected. The only question: where to run? 📍 Base: Near Old Town / Calea Victoriei 🏃♂️ Go-to Route:…
To keep this going let’s squeeze in one of my few adventures outside Europe. I was lucky to get invited to a conference in D.C. in October and took the opportunity to go for a few runs while I was there. Initially I was planning on running around the national mall, but as it turned out my hotel was situated close to the rock creek park and so I decided to collect some miles there. One thing I noticed wherever…
I’m still aimlessly meandering around. I have yet to decide on my next big project for the 2019 season. Until then I sort of wanna work out for fun, but in practice I hardly work out at all. Terribly stressful work and plenty of overtime provide ample excuses for hitting the beer fridge instead of my running shoes. Anyway, I hope that writing more about good memories of running help me get going again. And to make it a bit…
Finally the big day has come! Not entirely as expected though. On our way to Hamburg the news hit that the swim would be canceled due to high concentrations of blue and green algae and be replaced by a 6k warm up run. Bit of a bummer that my first ever long distance triathlon would not be an actual triathlon. But we were already on our way, had put in the work and nothing better to this weekend and so…
I’ve been a fan of Portugal and its people since my first visit to Lisbon two years ago. So when I got the chance to present a paper I wrote at a conference in Porto I didn’t think twice. I had three days and two nights to spend, but as always most of it was busy with work. I still managed to take a few walks across town, trying to soak it all in and even a run to the…