Thanks to my diving certificate and water sport training, I've got to know our Franconian lake area from a completely new point of view. I've discovered a beautiful - and often almost empty - beach at the Rothsee Lake. I often visit it in summer after work, so I can get away from everything and enjoy the sunset. Even when it's so close to home, I sometimes give guests a tip to go there so they can have some peace in the countryside and a refreshing swim in a lake after they've finished their work.

Last year I and our Labrador Gracie - the second generation of mascot at our Congress Hotel Mercure - started to learn stand up paddling together. Now that I have figured out that it is an ideal hobby to put your stress and troubles behind, we have spent some entertaining hours on the water together.

We've had "office dogs" for more than 15 years. I can't imagine anything nicer. We've already had a lot of amusing experiences with Gracie, my one-and-a-half-year-old Labrador, and Wilson, our other hotel dog. We almost always manage to get a smile from a guest - no matter how stressful their day has been.