Bartender Jörg Meyer and restaurateur Rainer Wendt enjoy high-quality drinks and food not only as business partners but also as friends. For this issue of COMPANION, the duo share their favorite food pairing: a drink and sandwich that go as well together as they do.
Breathtaking beaches, spectacular natural scenery, rocky volcanic landscapes, Creole delicacies, and a veritable mix of cultures: at around 2,500 square kilometres, Île de la Réunion is a truly exotic part of France and a somewhat remote corner of the Eurozone. A whopping eleven-and-a-half-hour flight from Paris to the middle of the Indian Ocean, this island to the east of Madagascar, only a stone’s throw away from Mauritius, proves to be a genuine paradise for active tourists and nature lovers — and a welcome destination for us COMPANION adventurers.
Subtle and seductive, the aroma molecule Iso E Super was created in a laboratory in 1973. In 2006, the master perfumer Geza Schön bottled it pure to create Molecule 01 — a fragrance that fast gained a cult following the world over. Many more scents later, COMPANION visited Schön at his Berlin apartment and lab to get a whiff of the chemistry behind his ‘anti-fragrances’, and glean his take on the wellness industry’s obsession with nature (hint: it’s overrated).
Haya Molcho and her sons, the family behind eatery empire NENI, have written a new cookery book about the people of Tel Aviv and their culinary histories. And it has recipes too. The most important ingredient? Friends with whom to share what you make.
Rooms are becoming ever more comfortable, both at home and in hotels. Thomas Tritsch could write the book on this topic. Together with architect Sabine Mühlbauer, the artist founded Morgen Interiors in 1998. The creative studio acts as a liaison between the disciplines of architecture, design, art, music, events, and handicrafts. Creating spaces you’re happy to spend time in is one of Morgen’s core competencies — one which the team demonstrates time and again in both private and public projects across Europe. For example, at the freshly renovated 25hours Hotel The Trip in Frankfurt, the concept for which Morgen Interiors worked in cooperation with Frankfurt-based artist Michael Dreher. In a talk with COMPANION, Thomas discussed the requirements of cosy design, the importance of well-being in hotels, and why the uncomfortability of travelling will continue far into the future.
Nature, awareness, deceleration, meditation: ‘shinrin-yoku’, meaning ‘bathing in the forest’, is a recognised treatment in Japan. It’s also spreading to Germany as a by-product of the general mindfulness trend. Why is it so popular? What does the bathing part involve? Accompanied by two guides, partners Carlos Ponte and Emma Wisser, COMPANION headed off to the Mangfall Valley, close to Munich, to test the waters and discover what this activity is all about. Between the trees and wet earth, we learned something about the healing qualities of the forest — and about ourselves as well.
The days when late risers were seen as layabouts are long gone. Instead, a newfound awareness for the importance of sleep is growing in our meritocratic society. Jan Stritzke is deputy medical director at the Lanserhof Tegernsee health resort, where he works with a programme which combines state-of-the-art technology with traditional naturopathy. An interview about the complexity of sleep, as well as a few simple tips for catching better Zs.
The nocturnal hours have become something of a status symbol: endless brands and technologies now focus on deep sleep, which reputedly makes us energised, healthy, and beautiful. But what happens if that gradual slide into the world of dreams remains inexplicably elusive? Jessica Hoyer from Hamburg founded the ByNacht brand to help people fall asleep. And to look better when they awake.
Kevin Braddock gathered all his strength to ask for help during a severe depressive episode — then the journalist launched Torchlight, a project aimed at encouraging others to do the same. About a glimmer of light in the darkest moments.
