It's a little ironic that most of my friends look for new experiences as they travel & what satisfies me the most as I do is the comfort of the déjà-vu...

Nowadays, I love to return to old places, stay in the same rooms and eat at the same restaurants as I have always done. Friedrichshafen, where I have come back each year at this time for the last 20 gives me exactly that satisfaction.

The feeling is not unlike returning to my youth, or visiting an old aunt & uncle. It feels cosy in a very predictable way. Time seems to move at its own pace here on the shore of Lake Constance in the south of Germany. Very slowly, yet keeping up with most of what is considered modern today.

I love to visit the Buchhorner Hof Hotel & Restaurant, 2 blocks from my hotel. The maitre d' greets me with the exact same cheerfulness year after year, the food is absolutely reliable & tasty. The atmosphere old worldly & comfy. Guest whispers to each other, the service is precise & efficient. The wine list features beautiful treasures from the region. It's a mini-vacation. Time stops, life slows down, my mind takes a break.

The region around Friedrichshafen is a wonderful little jewel of a wine region, at the very south-end of Germany, on the shore of the lake. It produces muller-thurgau whites mostly but also some pretty nice pinot noir in some areas. Thanks to the lake, the region has a wonderful climate during ripening season and here some of Germany's fullest bodied wines can be found...