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If you would like to tell me something about any of the places, feel free to do so:
This is an alphabetical list of places that I have seen in my life. I only list the cities
where I was at least a couple of days or where I can tell a story. I used to work for a
software company (Fidelio) that produces and installs software in hotels worldwide. This
made me go to a lot of cities, but sometimes I only saw the airport and a hotel. I did not
mention those places...
Click on any of the below places in order to read more about my
experiences there.
| "A" | Apulia,Italy | Athens,Greece | Atlanta,USA | |
| "B" | Basel,Switzerland | Beijing,China | Belek,Turkey | Berlin,Germany |
| Boston,USA | ||||
| "C" | Chamonix,France | Chicago,USA | Cyprus,Greece | |
| "D" | Duesseldorf,Germany | |||
| "H" | Hannover,Germany | HongKong,Asia | ||
| "I" | Ithaca,NY,USA | |||
| "J" | Jerusalem,Israel | Johannesburg,S.Africa | ||
| "K" | KeyWest,FL,USA | |||
| "L" | Limburg,Germany | LosAngeles,CA,USA | ||
| "M" | Macao,SouthOfChina | Mainz,Germany | Manila,Philippines | Marblehead,MA,USA |
| Monaco,SouthFrance | Munich,Germany | |||
| "N" | Naples,FL,USA | NewYork,NY,USA | Niagara,USA | |
| "O" | OchoRios,Jamaica | |||
| "P" | Paris,France | Phoenix,AZ,USA | ||
| "R" | Rome,Italy | |||
| "S" | SanDiego,CA,USA | Singapore,Asia | St.Louis,USA | |
| "T" | Toronto,Canada | |||
| "V" | Vancouver,Canada | |||
| "W" | Wuppertal,Germany | |||
| "Z" | Zurich,Switzerland |
The below table is sorted in alphabetical order by city names. 
Place of interest |
What I have done there |
|---|---|
| Apulien, Italy (1998) | 2 weeks of holiday with my wife Birgit and my son Mark. This was a beautiful Holiday because the Robinson Club in which we stayed was really ready for small children. This made it possible for Birgit and me to enjoy the evenings alone. Mark slept in the hotel room and we were carrying a pager that was connected to the phone in the hotel room. The Hotel area was very pleasant, very good food and a nice beach. No street between Hotel and beach, only a short walk from the Hotel through a pine tree forest. This is an "All inclusive Club" which means free sailing, windsurfing and tennis. The worst was the 7-leg trip to get there: (1)Taxi from home to Walldorf train station,(2)train to Heidelberg, (3)change train in Heidelberg for Frankfurt main station, (4)change train in Frankfurt main station for Frankfurt airport, (5)change train in Frankfurt airport to go to terminal 2, (6)flight to Brindisi, (7)Bus tour (1.5 hours) to the hotel. |
| Athens, Greece (1995) | There was only one day to visit this old city. I was able to see the Acropolis before I went on a one week sailing trip with 7 other people. On this cruise, in a wonderful full moon night, I proposed to my wife.I can really recommend sailing in this area. We went from one little island to another and always found a quiet bay to drop the anchor and spent the night. |
| Atlanta, Georgia, USA (1993) | I went there twice to prepare the Swissôtel for installation and then again for stand-by time. I saw the "Coca Cola" museum and some other places in the city. I also went to visit the "original" theme house of the movie "Gone with the wind". However, the most part of the time I spent in the hotel, working. Some evenings I spent somewhere in pubs in the neighborhood of Buckhead. |
| Basel, Switzerland (1988-89) | Worked about 2 years in the Swissôtel Basel as a Rooms Division Manager. I had my apartment close to Freiburg (Germany) and drove every day 60 KM to work... I was not really interested to learn a lot of Basel since this city is full of industrial zones, mostly chemistry (Hoffman La Roche, Sandoz and Ciba Geigy). Still, Basel has a very nice old town and the close area in the direction of the Bodensee is very nice. In Loerrach, a town just across the border from Basel in Germany, I attended ballroom-dancing classes for several months. |
| Beijing, China (1992) | 12 days work at the Kempinski Hotel; I was still able to take some time to visit the great wall and the forbidden city. This were extraordinary experiences. Since this was my second visit to an Asian country, I knew how to deal with the Asian people. It was interesting for me to find out that doing training for Chinese people is much different than for western people. A Chinese person will not admit that he did not understand a topic when he is in a group. You have to find out by doing test scenarios all the time to find the knowledge gaps of the trainees. |
| Belek, Turkey (Oct.1998) | One week holiday with family. We stayed in the Cesars-Resort hotel. This was one of the "Last Minute" holidays and now I know how the hotels still survive despite the low package-rate: It is "robbery" when you are there. The next town is 7 KM away and we had to buy necessary things like water etc. in the hotel. And this for outrages prices! Other than that, the hotel was very nice. You have everything you need for the whole family. The evening shows are not as good as in the "Robinson Club" in Apulia, Italy, but it was nice entertainment. Food was good but boring after one week. |
| Berlin, Germany (1991) | I was several times in Berlin, first on business in the year 1991. I was there to do software installations in hotels, consulting or presentations in exhibitions. All this for Fidelio Software. This was also when I met my wife first during an exhibition in the InterContinental Hotel. The most interesting hotel I saw in Berlin was the "Bristol Kempinski Hotel". I also have an uncle in Berlin who I visited. After I met Birgit, my wife, I went to Berlin quite often and spent time in restaurants and pubs. Berlin is very good for this! |
| Boston MA, USA (1991) | Here I did some presentations for hotel software. I went to go out in Boston a lot when I lived in Marblehead, MA for 3 months. This is where I trained new employees of the US-Fidelio office on the Fidelio-software packages. |
| Chamonix, France (1986) | Nice little village in the French alps! Stayed and worked there for one winter season in the Park Hotel Chamonix. Since I was a "Night Auditor" I had to work from 8:00 PM to 8:00 AM (during the night) and could sleep in the morning. This left the afternoon for skiing: Great skiing! No skiing area for families though. I skied more than 50 days in that winter season and also learned how to do mono-skiing and snowboarding. |
| Chicago, USA (1994) | Worked 10 days for Hyatt international and saw a lot of this great city. Went to see the musical "Joseph and his ... dreamcoat". |
| Cyprus (1994) | The Sunwing Hotel needed a special software setup which I had to create. When I was there I had a great time and lived like a tourist for a couple of days. It was interesting to learn that such a small island is actually split into two parts: a Greek independent part and the Turkish part. There is a well protected border in the middle of the island and tourists are advised not to come too close... |
| Duesseldorf, Germany (1983-84) | Lived there about 2 years. Worked as an apprentice in the Savoy hotel right downtown. I also used to help out as a waiter in places like "Der Malkasten", "Hotel Nikko", "Hilton Hotel". |
| Hannover, north Germany (1962-77) | This is where I started my life. Here I went to school until I was 15. About 15 years later (when I was 30) I installed the Fidelio F/O software in the "Intercontinental Hotel". I also visited the CEBIT exhibition a couple of times in the beginning of the 90's. |
| Hong Kong (1991+95) | One of my favorite cities! In 1991 I was 3 months in Hong Kong, staying in the "Peninsula Hotel". I installed the Fidelio F/O software and started to train the first trainers for the Fidelio Hong Kong office. In 1995 I worked 7 month on a CRS package (Central Reservation Software) and stayed at "Island Shangri-La Hotel". I went back several times until 1997. Did you know: there is great hiking on Hong Kong island and on Lantau island? |
| Ithaca, NY, USA (1992) | I went to visit my friend Richard Pinkham. He was a student at Cornell University at that time and I had the opportunity to see the campus and to take part at a students life for 3 days. |
| Jerusalem, Israel (1997) | This was a very interesting trip! The first time I traveled with my family and the first time for my son to fly in a plane (he was not even a year old). We stayed at the house of friends and took daily trips to visit Jerusalem, Tel-Aviv and En-Ghedi at the dead sea. En-Ghedi is a little Spa where you can take a bath in the dead sea. This is where you really float on the water as if you are a punch-ball that cannot sink. It was great fun to walk around in the old town of Jerusalem where so different mentalities live together. Arabs, Jews, ultra-orthodox Jews and Christians have all their own "quarter". The markets have their own flair and the ancient monuments were really interesting. |
| Johannesburg, South Africa (1996) | Stayed about a week in a hotel a little outside of Jo'burg. The best was a daily trip to Sun-City. This is a gambling resort in the desert, about 150 km north of Jo'burg. It is like a little Las Vegas in South Africa. But it also is very nice just to hang out: they installed artificial beaches and offer other tourist attractions like water sports. |
| Key West, Florida, USA (1993+1999) | Went there twice already. First with a girl friend in 1993
for a two day visit. Mostly I remember that we did a snorkeling trip on a huge catamaran
where we got terrible drunk with cheap champagne. The second trip was in 1999 with my family. We had rented a motor home and stayed on a camp side just before Key West. The most memorable was to view the sunset. Mark was fascinated watching some street artists. |
| Limburg, Lahn, Germany (1974) | Stayed at the youth hostel for 2 weeks when I was 12! Limburg is located in a very nice hilly area, where you can do lots of one day hiking. It has also a very nice old town and a famous church. |
| Los Angeles, CA, USA (1998) | One week HITEC convention visit. L.A. is a too big city for my taste. I was able to visit Disneyland Anaheim, but only for a business meeting! L.A. downtown mainly consists of skyscrapers and if you want to go from one building to another, you better take a cab. I did not really see many people walking in the streets... |
| Macao in Asia, governed by Portugal (1995) | The "Las Vegas" for the Hong Kong population (gambling is/was not allowed in Hong Kong). Very nice old town. I went there for only one day as a tourist. Also in order to get a visa extension for Hong Kong. |
| Mainz Germany (1985) | I worked in Mainz for 6 months in the Hilton Hotel. 'Had a lot of nice nights out. I especially enjoyed the Wine festivals in the close region of Mainz in summer time. |
| Manila, Philippines (1995) | Shangri-La hotel, Manila. The hotel with one of the fanciest lobbies I've ever seen. Haven't seen too much of the city, but the hotel is worth being mentioned. (I'd never attempt to drive a car on my own in Manila, too dangerous!) |
| Marblehead, MA, USA (1992) | 3 months of "Train the Trainer" for the Fidelio office north America. Nice little town with a lot of flair. |
| Monaco, south of France (1994) | Worked in the "Hotel Hermitage" in order to prepare for the install of the computer system for the SBM (societé Bain de mer). This is the company that "owns" Monaco and is driven by the King of Monaco. They, of course, have money to burn and therefore we were able eat out every day in the "Café de Paris", a very ritzy place opposite the casino entrance. I also went to the casino twice but didn't bet a lot of money. I do not recommend to go to Monaco except you have a big budget! You will find that everything is very expensive. |
| Munich, Bavaria, Germany (1989-97) | Lived there 8 years and worked for Micros Fidelio Software. This is the city with the longest park I know: the "Englische garden". Munich has a lot to offer in cultural means as well as in means of nice buildings and of course, the Oktoberfest and the Beergardens. |
| Naples, FL, USA (1997 + 1999) | I went there twice to consult other developers on the design
for a "central guest information system". I stayed in the Naples Beach hotel and
took a swim every morning in the ocean: beautiful! Then, in 1999 I went there with my family on a 3-weeks trip. We stayed at a friends house and took tourist trips to the everglades, to Disney world in Orlando and in the Naples area. Naples was booming at that time, construction everywhere. Mostly elderly people live there. Naples has over 50 golf courses which tells me that there is a lot of money and people with a lot of time to play... |
| New York City NY, USA (1986+93) | First I went to NY just for 3 days as a tourist in 1986.
Great! I saw a lot, had blisters on my feet, went to a musical and stayed in the youth
hostel on 44th street in Manhattan. Then I had several short trips doing consulting on hotel software installations for the Vista Hilton and "The Drake Hotel" (another Swissôtel) when I worked for Fidelio Software.To all short-visitors of Manhattan I can really recommend the boat tour around Manhattan and to take a trip with the subway. |
| Niagara falls (1986) | I made a couple of daily visits when I lived in Toronto. You can have spectacular views to the falls as a tourist and I think this is really worth a trip for everybody. A very special place which I would visit again when time allows. |
| Ocho-Rios, Jamaica (1995) |
Two weeks in an all-inclusive-honeymoon resort where I had to
work together with three other programmers of Fidelio Software. We stayed in one of the
villas on the premises of the Radisson resort and did some add-on programming for
Radisson. We subscribed ourselves to working hours from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM with lunch,
dinner and tennis breaks. In the mornings I went to take diving lessons in the beautiful
coral reefs out in the ocean. This is where I finished my deep-sea diving license
(PADI-license). Negative experience: On the way to Jamaica "Lauda Airways" left our luggage standing on the ramp in Miami for some time so that the luggage was not moved into our connection plane. This was just when there was a severe thunderstorm coming down in Miami so that the clothes in the suitcases was all wet and damp when it arrived in Jamaica. We did not have the clothes for two days... |
| Paris, France (1985 + 1994) | First time to Paris was in the eighties with a girl friend.
Then we already saw most of the tourist attractions and had many blisters on our feet.
What I liked most: The windows in the Notre Dame church (windows made by Marc Chagall),
Montmartre as a tourist site and the trip on the Seine river with a boat. To be honest:
the Eiffeltower is not so spectacular, I think. In 1994 I had to visit Paris several times for about 3 months in order to install the Fidelio Software in the Concorde Lafayette Hotel, a 998-room hotel located on Porte Maillot, almost downtown Paris. At that point I learned a lot about Paris and the people. Paris is a real busy city with strong character people just like London or New York. |
| Phoenix, AZ, USA (1990) | Stayed there for 3 months in order to "Train the Trainers" of a distributor of Fidelio Software. Stayed in the wonderful "Orange Tree" golf resort hotel. Installed two Howard Johnson hotels. From here I took 7 days off and rented a 24-foot mobile home. I drove up to Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, San Francisco, down to Los Angeles and back to Phoenix. This was a trip that I would not recommend again in 7 days. Three weeks would be a better timeframe do do this... |
| Rome, Italy (1992) | Holidays in a mobile home on a camp site close to Rome. I visited the city a couple of days in order to see all the sites. Was really interesting! But again: blisters on the feet... |
| San Diego, CA, USA (1992) | Did some software presentations for 3 days, went to the famous zoo and saw a little bit of the city. |
| Singapore, Asia (1995) | Great City. Exactly as they say: Very organized, perhaps not everybody's cup of tea, but for me this is just right! I installed a prototype of the CRS software for Shangri-La in about two weeks. |
| St. Louis, MS, USA (1990) | Installed the "Ramada Six flags" within 2 weeks. I was surprised to see that the vegetation and the whole area looks very much like Germany. |
| Toronto, Ontario, Canada (1986) | Lived there for 13 months and worked in the "Sutton Place Hotel" as management trainee. As a hobby I made my private pilots license on a Cessna 172 airplane. Doing this I saw a lot of south Ontario, e.g. the Niagara falls! |
| Vancouver, Canada (1993) | A two day trip to program/install/test an interface in the "... Hotel". Did not really see anything of the city. Just when flying out of the town I saw the great horizon with the snowy rocky mountains. One reason to go back. |
| Wuppertal, Germany (1977-83) | Lived there about 6 years and finished school. This is where I learned to like ballroom dancing. I would not want to live in this city anymore because of the bad climate. It rains a lot (one of the 3 worst places in Germany). Wuppertal is known for its "hanging Hoover-S-Trains". They have a 13 km train system that is installed above the river "Wupper" and has its wheels on the roof (called Schwebebahn). It is the mostly used public transport system in the city, not only a tourist attraction. |
| Zurich, Switzerland (1987-88) | Worked there for 1 year in a Moevenpick hotel in a suburb of Zurich, called Regensdorf. I did a lot of trips to many places in Switzerland. Sometimes I used to drive 3 mountain ridges in one day just for fun. In total I drove 40.000 km in this one year in order to see all of Switzerland. Cities like Lucerne, Geneva, Zurich and Montreux are places everyone should see. Off course, there is the best skiing in winter time. |
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