OT: Which is your favourite destination in the world? Michael Schumacher: I don’t really have a favourite destination
OT: But don’t you take a vacation at all? Where do you like to go then?
Michael Schumacher: Of all the places I have been to so far, I really like Majorca and Dubai. I also love Sydney, simply because I love to shop there.
OT: Is privacy important?
Michael Schumacher: Yes, it is. While I don’t like to be alone — I like to share my life and spend time with the people I love — I am very particular about my privacy. My choice of a holiday destination is often dictated by that. My kids are not easily recognised by the man on the street, and I think that is very important. So far they have lived a normal life and will continue to do so. I feel they should have the option to live a free life — to live without the burden of the fame that comes with my professional successes.
OT: What do you like to do while on a holiday?
Michael Schumacher: I have always played a lot of sports — football, skiing, mountain biking. So when we are together as a family, Gina-Maria (daughter), Mick (son) and I play a lot, especially one-on-one basketball. We also go cycling, diving and do everything outdoorsy!
OT: How fond are you of local cuisines?
Michael Schumacher: Very! I always make it a point to try local sweets. I loved the baklava in Istanbul and the shahi tukda in Delhi.
OT: Any travel anecdotes?
Michael Schumacher: This one is rather touching, actually. My wife fell in love with a dog in Brazil at the racetrack. They wanted to throw him out and were quite cruel to him too. She took him under her wing, fed him and cared for him and, from then on, it was a typical love story. He never left her side again! We decided to call him Flo, because Flo is like flea and he was absolutely covered in fleas when we first took him in.
OT: Any souvenirs that you like to pick up?
Michael Schumacher: I love collecting watches — something that perplexes my wife no end — because she says she is the one who ends up taking care of them.
OT: One place you really want to visit?
Michael Schumacher: I want to come back to India — for longer. The time we spent here during the inaugural F1 last year was just too short. I want to interact with my Indian fans who supported me during the races. And I love Indian food — oh, the wheat pudding (halwa). And the women — they have such intense eyes. Next time I want to travel to the Himalaya. I want to see more of this country. Spend at least a week here. And I’m hoping it will happen soon.
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