Life is a journey
However, it is the experiences that are worth it.
GUNTER H. RUETTER
From scientist, surgeon, medical officer and Emergency physician, managing director and entrepreneur to globetrotter
Newest blog post
Howth – The Gem off Dublin
In the northeast, just outside Dublin, lies a peninsula like a round pendulum with a narrow footbridge to the mainland.…Read More
Irish Fall, Tour of Germany and Relocation
I’ve been in Ireland for four months now and I’m really enjoying it. I enjoy life and the healthy food…Read More
Ireland – for decades on my bucket list
Ireland has always been on my bucket list, especially as I find the landscape and climate so inspiring. After the…Read More
GUNTER H. RUETTER
ABOUT
Good day to you. That’s me with the braces! Okay, I admit, the photo is no longer up to date, but on the picture from 1955, I’m really well hit, aren’t I? Honestly? – Well, the photo is obviously not from 1955, but certainly much younger. However, everyone who knows me and my suspenders will say: “Hey, this little man can only have been Gunter as a child. If you’re really interested in what happened to me since then, you can check here.
What I would like to share with you here is my attempt to find a smooth and healthy transition from a varied and committed career to a more balanced lifestyle, characterised by less, yet varied and interesting professional phases and increasing – sometimes challenging – leisure activities that keep you agile.
To start with, I did a traditional Ayurveda Panchakarma cure in Sri Lanka. All I can say is that it was fantastic. From now on I will do it every year. I am really “run-down” and I have strictly followed all the recommendations. Yoga, meditation and acupuncture completed the cure. Without sugar, meat and alcohol I lost a lot of weight. It was a special experience and after five weeks I felt more rested and relaxed than ever before.
Another reason for my decision to move forward to a new stage in my life is not only, but also following both the German motto „If it can’t get any better, you should stop“ and another motto of the emergency medicine: “Treat first what kills first!” As you know that I lastly worked as an emergency physician you may understand that I wanted to avoid situations such as pictured in the attached cartoon.
Read all about my travels
the experiences
Please click through on my images to see a range of my experiences
Howth – The Gem off Dublin
In the northeast, just outside Dublin, lies a peninsula like a round pendulum with a narrow footbridge to the mainland… Read More »
Irish Fall, Tour of Germany and Relocation
I’ve been in Ireland for four months now and I’m really enjoying it. I enjoy life and the healthy food.. Read More »
Ireland – for decades on my bucket list
Ireland has always been on my bucket list, especially as I find the landscape and climate so inspiring. After the.. Read More »
Vacation and Brainstorming in Panama
After deciding at home to take a month’s vacation in Panama to continue my brainstorming, I flew to Panama at.. Read More »
Forging new plans on the home island
Back at home, it was time to relax and unwind: hiking and simply lazing around became almost our favorite pastimes… Read More »
From Bora Bora across the International Date Line to Fiji and Australia
From Papeete on Tahiti, we first sailed overnight to Bora Bora. The lagoon invited both guests and crew to go.. Read More »
The South Seas are calling
After the Caribbean trip, I spent just 10 days at home sorting everything out and preparing for the next, longer.. Read More »
Caribbean Island Hopping
Even before I arrived home, my smartphone messenger rang. A colleague is having problems and cannot receive the required C1D.. Read More »
The Magic of Antarctica
Somehow I had a strangely familiar feeling when I arrived in Ushuaia for the second time in almost a year… Read More »
Chilean fjords, glaciers and volcanoes, Strait of Magellan and Cape Horn
From Valparaiso, we sailed to Puerto Montt. This took us into the inner bays off the Cordillera de la Costa,.. Read More »
From the Caribbean through the Panama Canal along the west coast of South America
After the Bahamas, we spent a few days at sea heading for the Caribbean. Cleaning helicopters was also on the.. Read More »
Surprise Before Mum’s Birthday
Shortly before my mother’s 92nd birthday, I received an email in Germany asking if I could possibly fill in a.. Read More »
Holiday activities
I spent a good five weeks enjoying my holiday at home in the Azores. The lush green, the intense blue.. Read More »
Japan – The second round trip
The last few days have been rather quiet and leisurely. There were few patients and after Tokyo I didn’t feel.. Read More »
Tokyo, the largest city in the world
We arrived in Tokyo this morning at 08:00 and have time until 22:30. My nurse’s sister has lived in Tokyo.. Read More »
At the foot of Fujiyama
Shimizu at the foot of Fujiyama: 30 degrees and high humidity greeted us today at our last stop before Tokyo… Read More »
Busan, metropolis in South Korea
Busan is a vibrant industrial city in the south of South Korea with a population of almost 3.5 million. The.. Read More »
Father’s Day at Hubbard Glacier
Yesterday in Icy Bay the weather was lousy, cold, windy, rainy, foggy. So the afternoon literally fell through and the.. Read More »
Here we go again
After seven weeks at home, the next trip was upon us again. Before we left, we were caught in stormy.. Read More »
Asado Grill in Ushuaia
The “journey home” to Ushuaia through the Drake Strait was a bit busier this time. We had many seasick people.. Read More »
Antarctic Peninsula II
The crossing from South Georgia to the Antarctic Peninsula was smooth. Summer in the southern hemisphere is the ideal travel.. Read More »
Falkland Islands and South Georgia
The second trip over almost three weeks in the Antarctic region took us first to the British Falkland Islands, which.. Read More »
Arrival and first impressions of Antarctica
The visits to the authorities in Germany and Lisbon, as well as the short stay in the Azores, were an.. Read More »
No break in Germany
During my stay in Germany, I had an extensive to-do list. I had to go to the authorities in Arnsberg.. Read More »
A stopgap from the holiday
I really enjoyed Panama, both the capital and the two shore excursions to the mountains of Chiriquí. Everything was perfectly.. Read More »
First time in Panama
Panama had always appealed to me. The biggest hurdle of the outward journey was the mismatch between the masses of.. Read More »
Hanseatic Intermezzo
Arriving back in “Good old Germany” in the evening, I spent the night at the Hamburg airport hotel. On the.. Read More »
Summer Yachting
So my last voyage on the Scenic Eclipse was supposed to end after one month, but the shipping company asked.. Read More »
Back in Paradise
Back home on my Azorean island paradise, I first, cooked my favourite meal for myself in a long time: grilled.. Read More »
The Caribbean “underground”
Two months in the ship’s hospital “underground” on a cruise liner with a capacity for almost 4830 people went by.. Read More »
Professional Medical Center
After the five-hour COVID-19 entry procedure in Bridgetown, we finally took a cab to the ship. The first impression is.. Read More »
Keep moving
The three months on the ship in the Red Sea went by like a flash (photos). The return flight from.. Read More »
43°C at 09:00 in Jeddah. I can’t stand that for long.
After a few weeks at home, I received an offer I couldn’t refuse, especially since I had taken a liking.. Read More »
COVID-19 – The hermit living in isolation does not need vaccination. Only the rational, social person wants it.
Even before the vaccination centre was halfway functional, we went with mobile vaccination squads to the nursing homes and other.. Read More »
COVID-19 – We are living in this situation and the situation is changing by the hour.
During my hibernation on my subtropical, mild, corona-free island paradise, I am called upon to help fight the pandemic in.. Read More »
A research journey comes to an end
With full steam we went over the North Sea through the English Channel. In the Bay of Biscay we were.. Read More »
After the lockdown – The Christian seafaring
The first pandemic wave seems to have levelled off for Europe. Restrictions have taken hold and are being gradually eased.. Read More »
Trapped on the island paradise – What more could you want?
Since February 23rd I am now stuck on Santa Maria and have made myself comfortable in my little holiday home.. Read More »
Travel in pandemic times
As the world is gripped with the pandemic of Covid-19 – here are my thoughts on this period of time.. Read More »
Santa Maria – tiny place of longing and sun island of the Azores
The approximately 50 Germans form the largest group of foreigners permanently living on the island. Some have been here for.. Read More »
Volcanoes, calderas and legends
Sete Cidades (engl.: Seven Cities) is one of three active but currently dormant giant volcanoes on São Miguel, one of.. Read More »
Ponta Delgada impressions
The capital of the Azores on the island of São Miguel with its approximately 68,000 inhabitants seems rather quiet in.. Read More »
Azores – my first impressions
While I’m in Portugal, I have make some time to go to the Portuguese islands. The flight from Faro via.. Read More »
Portugal – the third.
Ambivalence – I like it here, but I’d like to keep walking. Lagos has not only the enormous natural monuments.. Read More »
Part 2 – After the calm comes the storm
During the first week, the Algarve offered a fantastic weather: at nights rather fresh and during the day around 20°C.. Read More »
Algarve – dream destination and yet so much more!
After the last few weeks in the big city fever I am now drawn to the country. From Lisbon to.. Read More »
The first months of the new life – an interim balance
Five weeks of Ayurveda treatment in Sri Lanka, five weeks from Singapore to Hong Kong as a ship’s doctor on.. Read More »
Lisbon – an unbroken attraction
Lisbon, more than 3000 years of eventful history of survival, shaken and repeatedly destroyed and with unbroken attraction My way.. Read More »
Porto, old town with picturesque bohemian atmosphere
Last night I arrived in Porto and I was starving. My Airbnb hosts João and Hugo sent me lists of.. Read More »
A stormy night!
Besides Fisterra, near Muxía is another popular pilgrimage destination after reaching Santiago de Compostela. The village at the Costa da.. Read More »
The end of the world, flooding in the apartment, convalescence and magic moments
I take the bus from the rainy Santiago to Fisterra, because I don’t want to walk longer distances with my.. Read More »
Santiago de Compostela – goal achieved – despite misdiagnosis and complications – now on it goes to the end of the world
My right leg has deteriorated again in the last two days, contrary to my expectations. I can’t see any bruising,.. Read More »
The Beginning of the End
Around 9:00 I leave my family-run boutique hotel. The weather has become friendlier, with 13°C much milder than yesterday, almost.. Read More »
A lonely day – but 15km down!
Today was a rather lonely day. But it was also my fault, because I ran the relatively short 15 km.. Read More »
Lots of water, problems in Hong Kong and a torn muscle.
Shortly after 8 this morning it was still dark in Lestedo, but this was also due to the permanent storm… Read More »
Horizontal rain!
As fast as it became late summer yesterday, the weather changed again just as quickly. Tonight at about 3 o’clock.. Read More »
A fairytale path!
After I involuntarily changed from the Camino del Norte to the Camino Francés, we started this morning in Sarria. Initially.. Read More »
Hailstorms and continuous rain plus emergency plan = a new way and upgrading for the last 100km
The way is partly dangerous and currently not recommended, locals tell me when I proudly announce that I want to.. Read More »
Washing day, shopping at Lidl/Galicia, Entrecôte and a destroyed backpack
It’s also raining here in Ribadeo in Galicia, it rains almost continuously. I escaped to a small private apartment about.. Read More »
A restless night!
Last night was a little restless. From 03:00 o’clock it was over with the sleeping in Bilbao. Forget the whistling.. Read More »
The rain in Bilbao – A day of culture
“Hurricane low Zed unites with storm low Arne and reaches a diameter of 2000 km”, says the weather forecast. In.. Read More »
It’s too good to leave!
“Euskara Euskal Herriko hizkuntza da. Hizkuntza isolatua da, ez baitzaio ahaidetasunik aurkitu, eta morfologiari dagokionez, hizkuntza ergatiboa da.” My school.. Read More »
Giant Wasps!
Today was a quiet day. At 27°C I said goodbye to my host couple in Hendaye and explored the marina… Read More »
Welcome to Basque country!
I found a nice place with a couple of retired teachers and globetrotters in Hendaye in the French Basque Country… Read More »
Quickly off to the south
The bad weather for the next time has led me to take the fastest way south. That’s also the reason.. Read More »
A very European evening!
In Les Champs Mélisey I had booked an accommodation via Booking.com and was immediately asked after my arrival whether I.. Read More »
Bad Weather, Wine and Brexit! A very English experience in France!
From La Renouillère in La Villeneuve-au-Chêne, I walk along the Way of St James towards the next destination, Gîte La.. Read More »
A little off track
Somehow, I’ve gotten a little off track on my planning today. According to Google Maps, my destination was just 20.. Read More »
A Family Favourite – Fondue Bourguignonne
I enjoyed a wonderful one and a half day break in La Villeneuve au Chêne in the Département de l’Aube.. Read More »
Rain, rain and even more rain!
Today was a rainy day. From Dienville to La Villeneuve-au-Chêne: 26 km through forests, across rivers and canals at “Liquid.. Read More »
A lucky find
Rest has been much needed, and I got a lucky find, in the way of the very nice, 51300 Châtelraould-Saint-Louvent:.. Read More »
The Migration of the Cranes
I spent my last few days exploring the area near the Lac du Der-Chantecoq. At almost 48 km2, it is.. Read More »
Pilgrims from the Lower Rhine
Today, shortly before Verzenay in Champagne, I met a group of seven hikers who turned out to be pilgrims to.. Read More »
My first BlaBlaCar!
The weather has deteriorated here in Aywaille today. It’s raining. I have to get to the south faster. That’s why.. Read More »
Walloons!
Today I only walked around in the cities of Verviers and Aywaille, but I took the train from Verviers to.. Read More »
Totally done!
Wow, I am totally done for today! Better go slow and careful? – No, I have to be in Santiago.. Read More »
The first two weeks are the hardest
The Way of St. James begins classically from home (that would be Singapore for me and that seemed a little.. Read More »
Camino de Santiago – This is just the beginning…
Why the Camino de Santiago is just the beginning: I like traveling. I do not have to care a family.. Read More »
Sonne – German government research vessel
During my stay on Sri Lanka I got the offer from the shipping company Briese to hire me as a.. Read More »
Ayurveda on Sri Lanka
In order to find a start I made it to Sri Lanka for a traditional Ayurveda Panchakarma cure. For those.. Read More »
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