Foto-Poet-CALENDARs english - 2021 till today (part 1)
Here you will find all my lovingly handcrafted calendars produced since 1992 in descending chronological
order,
divided into part 1 , 2 and 3.
All calendars have a cover sheet, 12 motifs for each month and a bonus picture as well.
Each photo is accompanied by an inspiring text, which I wrote specifically for the motif from the depths of my spiritual heart.
Below this you will find a short information, when and where I pressed the shutter button on my camera.
You can order both the digital and the physical edition of every calendar in the SHOP -
of course, regardless of the year in which the original first edition was issued ;-).
Have fun
browsing and "slide-showing" through.
JAPAN (1) 2026
After 20 years, I was back on my own; with a backpack in an exotic country. I'd only booked the flight. No plan. Just had faith in my intuition and a bit of
travel luck. These were some of the rather adventurous prerequisites for me at the beginning of 2025, setting me to travel through the Land of the Rising Sun for 44 days and get to know it in an
unconventional way... I almost gave up. I was overwhelmed. In Tokyo, the most populous city on earth. Hardly anyone spoke English. The few backpackers from the Western world were mostly under 30
and talked more to Google and the like than to the locals. My way of traveling seemed completely outdated ...
Only when I dared to leave the jungle of concrete, consumerism and crowds after six days, taking the bus towards Mount FUJISAN, could I finally breathe again,
collect myself, and rediscover my personal travel rhythm: exploring on foot, avoiding mass tourism and bad weather as much as possible, accepting the cold, embracing the sunshine, and taking in
the daily contradictions I observed and experienced with a non-judgmental, serene "That's interesting."
I also decided to stay in each region for at least three to four days, even though the guidebooks recommended a maximum of one overnight stay. This allowed me to see other, lesser-known corners
that are likely hidden from the typical tourist in Japan.
JAPAN (2) 2026
So I moved from the majestic "Magic Mountain" to the HAKONE area shaped by the volcanic Lake Ashi, further south to the windy surf bays and mystical temple
complexes of KAMAKURA, and back up into the mountains of NIKKO, where sacred shrines and deep snow radiated an enchanting tranquility.
And then it was time. For the fastest train in the world, the Shinkansen. I sped with it to the far north, to the island of HOKKAIDO and its capital, SAPPORO, where, in addition to the Ice and
Snow Festival, a pair of cross-country skis awaited me. After that, I traveled - with a day stop at the hot springs of NOBORIBETSU ONSEN - past HIMEJI, all the way to KAGOSHIMA and the offshore
volcanic island SAKURAJIMA.
I reached my southernmost point with the deserted NICHINAN COAST and the island of AOSHIMA, also known as Lovers' Island. The last
10 days were dedicated to immersing myself in the past of the last century: visiting the two cities of NAGASAKI and HIROSHIMA, despite their terrible history and its processing, among other
things, in the form of peaceful art and memorials, was deeply moving. The former imperial city of KYOTO and the NARA Park close by, provided the crowning finale.
This amazing trip resulted in 5,000 photos taken during a 6,000 km journey using public transport and walks of over 600 km. Here are the two sets of 14 supposedly most representative photos ;-),
which made it into the calendars "JAPAN (1) and (2)".
HEAVEN WAYS (1) 2025
It was back. Finally. My thirst for travel and adventure, for new experiences in unknown, new territory. I hadn't been on the road as much as I did in 2024 in a long time. For over 70 days, I slept in unfamiliar beds, hiked new or old paths, and - if I consider the spiritual level - came a good deal closer to heaven, in the sense of moments of awakening, of enlightenment, of being connected to everything. Sounds too far-fetched for most people?
But anyone who hikes over 600 km from PORTO to SANTIAGO de COMPOSTELA along the Portuguese WAY of ST. JAMES in just under four weeks, always with the moving sea in front of him and on his left side, and who was almost always alone,
because he moved out of sync with the streams of pilgrims, encounters silence, experiences nature in all its splendor and power,
and automatically comes closer to himself and his core.
The road trip with my son to ISCHIA and around the GULF of NAPLES offered other, no less beautiful experiences on an island still sparsely visited by tourists at Pentecost, and on a spectacular coastline beneath the magical, unpredictable Mount VESUVIUS.
HEAVEN WAYS (2) 2025
Being able to follow my own rhythm on the journey home because my son "had" to go back to school was pure luxury, which I also enjoyed, albeit with almost 500 km
of walking. This time, it was the not-so-unfamiliar cities of ROME, FLORENCE, and PISA, where I simply let myself drift into so many nooks and crannies, seeing incredible scenery and having
special encounters.
A stop at LAKE GARDA and the spontaneous decision to cross the Alps via MERANO also offered my worn-out Lowa trekking boots further very special moments and adventurous day trips.
The third week of hiking during the summer holidays (after 2022 and 2023) with my friend Brian – this time in the region around BERCHTESGADEN – was once again a real stroke of luck. We had a great time with great weather, delicious food, and, of course, sporting challenges and fantastic views over summit crosses and deep gorges.
So it was no surprise that I took almost 7,000 photos again. Here are perhaps not necessarily the 28 best shots, but the 2 x 14 that – for whatever reason – made it into the calendars "HEAVEN WAYS (1) and (2) " :-)).
AT HOME (1) 2024
Finally being truly free again. Finally being able to travel and see the world again without a mask. What a luxury after the last few years. And what did I do?
I stayed at home and somehow "only" moved around in my home country.
Doesn't sound spectacular, doesn't sound like new cultural experiences or even exotic adventures.
And yet I took 9,000 more photos on my smartphone because every day I felt the beauty, the sense of well-being, the feeling of being safe and at home more and more where I was ...
AT HOME (2) 2024
Whether it was during spring time in EAST FRISIA, along the Spree in BERLIN or at the many lakes around LEIPZIG (to "swap" my beloved Ford Mondeo for a new-to-love Citroen Berlingo). Whether it was in summer at the French Open in PARIS, hiking in the ZUGSPITZ REGION around Garmisch-Partenkirchen or rediscovering the untouched countryside on MALLORCA in fall ... I always felt at home there, finding the familiar and the unknown, the old and the new at the same time.
Even in places I've been many times before: around MANNHEIM and HEIDELBERG, around RAESFELD and BORKEN, along the GERMAN WINE ROUTE and the adjacent PALATINE FOREST.
There was always pure nature, pure pleasure, pure joy, alone, with friends or my beloved one. Simply wonderful. And because I have so many photos of them, there are two different editions this year for the first time ;-). May the 2 x 14 photos tell you about it and remind you of your AT HOME(s) ...
ON the ROAD 2023
After the fourth non-sense-making lock-down in Germany finally came to an end at the beginning of May, I found my new beginning. And the courage - in small steps - to explore the country without a mask and without reservations towards myself being an non-vaccinated person ...
It started with a yoga retreat on the Polish border in the historic GORGAST estate with its wonderful and idealistic owners.
From there I went along the ODER in search of my grandfather's grave, which gave me special encounters in PRENZLAU and the surrounding area.
Finally back to BERLIN said my aging Ford Mondeo. There I literally turned my back on the Love Parade and instead dove into the for me more appealing east side of town on foot.
Next I travelled to my grandmother's birthplace: GÖRLITZ. An undestroyed Treasure Island; not only for architects. After so much concrete - although not boring -
my soul longed for peace and nature.
SAXONY SWITZERLAND was the obvious and ideal choice for the return trip. Despite the forest fires, it revealed to me exactly what I needed: endless hikes through quiet forests up to majestic
castles and mystical rocks.
A short time later I was finally on the road again with my son. With bike and the help of informative tour guides, PARIS - again - turned out to be one of the most fascinating metropolises on earth.
Enough is not enough. The nomad gene didn't want a break just yet. So I hiked with a like-minded friend for seven days in fantastic weather to the peaks of
OBERSTDORF and the KLEINWALSERTAL.
From 2,500 photos I selected 14 for this calendar ... May YOU, the viewer, enjoy the variety as much as I had
when creating it and BEING ON THE ROAD ;-)
LAND of LONGING LAKES 2022
Crossing borders despite Corona, enjoying the flair of Switzerland and especially Italy. What was that for a soothing bliss, a change of scenery!
Without thinking too much, I wanted to crack the 220,000 km with my Ford Mondeo and eventually end up in Venice via Ticino and Lombardy ...
It never came to that. Because Lake Lucerne, the Lagos d'Orta, Maggiore, Lugano and Como are simply too clear, calm, colorful and inviting. Southern enough to come into contact with locals without a mask directly on the shore or somewhere on a castle, mountain or monastery with a magnificent view and not only philosophize about the beauty of this area or La Vita Bella and Dolce ... ;-)
THE NETHERLANDS 2021
In the form of a road trip, I explored Zeeland in spring 2019 and the Dutch north and Friesland in autumn 2020.
Most memorable are the inviting, creative culinary pavilions with endless beaches, the fresh, liberating sea breeze and the friendly, laid-back, almost cheerful attitude towards life of the locals.
And almost every day I was able to let my soul dangle meditatively by going barefoot or by bike to the corners not yet discovered by mass tourism ...
