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.
Under the respective monikers Pam Pengco, Kimberly Kiss, Marcella Rockefeller, and Laila Licious, Olli, Kim, Marcel, and David have been performing as the group “Real Queens” in Cologne since 2016.
Once again, Vienna has been named the most liveable city in the world. Horse-drawn carriages, Sachertorte chocolate gateau, 'Küss die Hand' - really now? Oh yes, says Zara Pfeifer. Thirteen years ago, she came here from Cologne to study and, bar a few short hiatuses, has stayed ever since.
A Mediterranean climate and laid-back urban flair on the Côte d’Azur: Marseille certainly has more to offer than its reputation would reveal. The lively international port city, with its 300 days of sun per year and a particular passion for bouillabaisse and pastis, was long considered the French Naples, ruled by criminal gangs and the violence of its ‘French Connection’ mafia. Much has changed since then. In 2013, Marseille was named the European Capital of Culture, and pocketed significant subsidies that were invested in polishing up its appearance. France’s second-largest city now attracts growing numbers of creative minds and artists. Hot on their heels are the galleries, hip boutiques, and cafés. For the younger French generation especially, Marseilles is becoming a real alternative to the exorbitantly priced Paris due to its affordable standard of living — with a view of the sea included.
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).
Exploring Germany’s banking city with James Ardinast – a tour from bites to beats
Marvin Schuhmann and Valentino Betz refuse to be pigeonholed.
In all its sophistication, Paris often feels very grown up. But the pleasures it holds for pint-sized bon vivants are manifold, if you know where to look. Xavi Vega, general manager of the new 25hours Hotel Terminus Nord and father of two-year-old Sofia, helped us plot out the city's treasures for les petits. The Catalan-born Francophile first moved to Paris in 2009, and returned in 2016, after a short intermezzo in Madrid. Together with his wife, he delights in raising his daughter amidst the culture, cuisine, intellectual rigour, and simple pleasures the city so elegantly embraces. Here are his secrets to sharing the Parisian art de vivre with your little ones on a weekend in and around Paris.
Wine without Dress Code.
Agents of Change
Drawing the Jungle.
A grand tour from culture to consumption.
Fran's Favourite Place in Berlin
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.
Interior designers Andrea Kraft-Hammerschall and Armin Fischer tell stories using rooms.
Art for a good cause - How does it work?
Munich is known for a lot of things but exciting nightlife is not exactly one of them.
A Column on Suburban Life in Urban Neighbourhoods
Swimming in and around Berlin
Lessons about Attitude to Life.
Two guys, two bottles, two playlists.
Joy and Mine at the interview.
Ines Czaya and Stephanie Wissmann of Let’s Dine have cooked up a new take on a Bavarian classic.
Breathtaking beaches, spectacular natural scenery, rocky volcanic landscapes, Creole delicacies, and a veritable mix of cultures.
Barbara Vinken loves Munich. Twelve years ago, Germany’s most elegant academic moved to the Bavarian capital.
Of coffee, big wheels, and a trip to Bratislava.
Coffee to go in a paper cup is passé.
Internationally inspired dishes made with seasonal and regional products are prepared with a distinctly French touch at Gesa Hansen and Charles Compagnon’s neo-brasserie 52 Faubourg Saint-Denis in Paris. The couple cooked a favourite for us to sample.
A travel blogger explains the city.
Okwui Enwezor is one of the most influential contemporary curators
Johnny Talbot and Adrian Runhof are making world-class fashion right here in Munich.
Joerg Meyer talks about hotel bars, highballs, and Hemingway
Shopping free of plastics.
An interview with Joji Hattori.
Living healthily, saving resources, taking care of the environment, and, naturally, also of our fellow humans.
Design from Finland
An interview with Bobby Decker
Questions & answers by Erik Nissen Johansen from Stylt.
Dubile in South America
A portrait of Haya Molcho.
Five best practices for relaxed travelling.
Is Classical Music Outdated?
Summer travel recommendations by Stephan Luecke.
Explore the city by running.
Sn interview with Sonny Daze.
Bompass and Parr from London.
canvasco shows how to upcycle.
An interview about design and architecture.
An interview with Christoph Hoffmann & Bruno Marti.
An interview with Nils Jansen and Michael End
An interview with Karen Mester-Lichtsinn & Florian Kollenz
Project journey to Nepal with Viva con Agua.
The recipe for success at one of the best luxury spa hotels in the world at Elmau Castle is based on a special concept called “mental detox”:
Wayne McGregor is one of the most prominent contemporary choreographers of today. He will make his Munich debut in 2018 at Bayerisches Staatsballett’s annual Ballet Festival Week.
companion joins author and journalist Boris and illustrator Robert on a tour inspired by the Roaring Twenties
Nadiv Molcho is a theater and movie actor, comedian, director, screenwriter, and producer — all that at the age of 27. A talk with companion.
People in hotels are a peculiar species — and have inspired artists to soaring flights of creativity, as our columnist Rainer Moritz recounts
For Companion Theresia Enzenberger has created a very different kind of map, which highlights unusual Bauhaus locations to be discovered in cities that are home to our 25hours Hotels
A good week after completing his residency in the studio at the 25hours Hotel Langstrasse, Oliver Ross explains the extent to which a change of scenery affects his creative process and influences his artworks, whether his daily routine changes with the location, and whether art and hotels can function well together.
The artistic heart of the 25hours Hotel Langstrasse is the hotel’s studio on the ground floor. It is a workspace for international and domestic artists, who produce and prepare for their exhibitions, presentations, or collaborations on-site. Louis Schmidt stayed here three weeks in June 2018.
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.
