It’s all so neat there, so nice and tidy, that even the sprayers are afraid of their mothers and apologize ironically. I am talking about the region where four countries and their languages come together, and the mountains meet the sea. Wait a minute – the sea? Yes, the people living around Lake Constance call it the „Swabian Sea“. On stormy days, the crystal clear, seemingly endless blue surface turns into huge waves, and desperately blinking orange lights call the sailing boats to the harbors.

But when I visited my friends in Meersburg (literally castle at the ocean) last weekend, the lake looked like a mirror. The water reflected the white mountain summits. While the Tramuntana is already in its summer gear, it has been snowing in the Alps just recently. On a sunny spring day like this the contrasting white and green under a blue sky is just estupendo.

On the northern shore where the slopes face the southern sun my friend grows great white wines. Some of them, as the vineyards themselves, carry funny names like Meersburger Jungfernstieg (virgins’ steep path) and Meersburger Bengel (rascal) – inspired by the frivolous goings-on between the grapevines.