[by Irma Heuven]
QUESTIONS PORTRAITS INTERVIEW
The beautiful Astrid Palca, was born on the 2nd of January 1966 in former East Germany. She is
married and a mother of an 18-year-old son, and as well the good mature friend of her
her husband`s other 5 grown-up kids. The family has been growing the last four years, +4
grandkids.
Astrid is a medical doctor, generalist, and allergologist. She has been working for a long time in
the department of insurance medicine and she finished her post-diploma study for the
Master of Insurance Medicine.
She is a very versatile person. On one hand, she is an intellectual, but in a pragmatic way.
On the other hand, she is an art lover, aesthetic, a creative and active person.
Her life philosophy is that she will stay always curious and she is never
done learning, not only in her job. As much as she loves all four seasons she also loves all her life stages
and she embraces her mature life phase in her own way – taking it as a privilege to grow wise(r) but
staying young at heart and mind.
How do you feel about being fifty plus?
I have to admit, that I was more stressed with the fact of turning 40 than opening up the
next decade chapter. Every decade means something new and means changes.
Today at 55 I feel great, I`m blessed with my health and body condition and I made my
peace with the traces of life on my face and the silver roots, they mix in the blonde. Today
I`m more relaxed about things I can`t change and concentrate on the things I have the
possibility to develop with my knowledge and experience.
At which age did you enjoy life the most? Would you like to go back?
Definitely not in my teenage years and in my early twenties. Life became better with age
and my powerful lifetime started at the age of 28, and it still continues. Maybe the last 10
years I enjoyed the most and I`m still in the phase of great enjoyment of life.
From which experience did you learn, and what made you stronger?
My life, especially in my young years wasn`t that easy. I lost my mother very early and my
childhood was over that moment I lost her, but life is unpredictable and I think I was
always growing stronger due to the challenges and difficulties of life. Accepting life as it is
and also accepting the sad things were important in my life. The problems, and sometimes
a crisis made me understand life and made me believe in myself, my resilience, and
my unstoppable optimism.
What changes have you experienced after your 50th?
Even if I`m still blessed with great health conditions and a young(er) appearance there are
undeniable changes in the age of 50+. I need to work harder than before to keep in shape,
I need reading glasses and need more time to get ready in the morning. At least I have to
deal with the comments of my son about (my) age. For me, he became a good sparring
partner to sharpen my arguments in a discussion about generations. I have to say I deeply
enjoy these moments.
Which book and/or film and/or music shaped/changed you and why should we read it?
One of my former partners and still a good friend of mine gave me this special book as a
present:
“Love in the Time of Cholera” by Gabriel Garcia Marques. The book left a deep impression
on me because it`s a great story and maybe the most beautiful and impressive ever
written love story.
What would your ideal day look like?
Because of the fact, that my husband went through some tough times the last two years,
my perfect day would be a romantic day with him. It would be fantastic to have a
wonderful day in Paris, staying in the Hotel Ritz, strolling through the city, the Jardin des
Tuileries, having some little delicacies at “Angelina” and in the evening we`re going out
for a show in the Crazy Horse and having a spontaneous late-night cocktail on our way
back.
My other perfect day would be to throw a big party. My dream would be giving a home party with all my
family and friends and with fantastic catering made by a good friend, a very creative chef,
also with a show of my best friend, a singer, and actress from Berlin. I would love to make
everybody happy that day!
Astrids favorites on Instagram?
1. @hana_photographer11
2. @roya_heydari
3. @facehunter
4. @fiftyyearsofawoman
And for sure @_chapter_fifty
What’s your favorite destination/hotel/museum/restaurant in the world?
● Destination : Paris, Milano, New York, Berlin, Rio de Janeiro
● Hotel : The former Park Hotel / Weggis (CH)
● Museum : Louvre Paris, Vatican Museum Rome, MoMA New York
● Restaurant : Restaurant & Bar Hotel National Lucerne, El Pintor Barcelona
What’s your signature dish? The one that makes your friends demand a seat at your
dinner table.
Filled bell pepper with rice. Everyone who was eating my signature dish wanted to have
more.
Which childhood dish represents best the time and place of your youth?
It`s a very simple dish, made of the leftovers: spaghetti warmed up in a pan, mixed with
scrambled egg and tomatoes.
How did you become the person you are today?
Looking back on my way of life, I have to say that just the difficult and almost unbearable
moments of life made me stronger and made me grow and develop into the person I am
today. I learned one of my life lessons, that every crisis is a chance as well and life is a
continuous learning process. The other important thing I`ve learned is being critical and
honest but also very kind with myself.
Loving people is something, that developed over the years, it`s my vision of life and my
motivation for the important decisions of my life.
Thank you so much for sharing your story with other inspirational women!
Any questions? Please do not hesitate to contact
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