Heading out

His perspective

My first trip to Switzerland was many years ago, with my Dad, Mom and brother, Ken. My parents took us on 3 trips to Europe in 1964. Dad was in the process of being automated and knew he would lose his job as a navigator for TWA later that year. Some airline pass benefits would go away with the job, so 1964 was the last opportunity to show the kids a new piece of the world. Thanks for doing a helluva job!

We left LA on the 4th of July and flew to London for a few days, then to Frankfurt and next to Zurich for a “cross country” drive all the way to Geneva. We went back to Switzerland in December of that year, for the last family trip to Europe.

Nancy and I were there very, very briefly almost 25 years ago. We drove across the border while in southern Germany. We checked the price of a hotel in Schaffhausen and very rapidly  made a u-turn back to Germany and more reasonable accommodations.

I spent a month working in Zurich in late 2001. It was just above freezing and seemed like it rained every day. But I met some good people whom we will see on this trip.

But, it’s that 1st trip that I keep going back to when I tell her of Switzerland. Mental pictures of towering Alps, hillside villages and deep green valleys. Are these real memories, or too many scenes from the Sound of Music, or too much romanticizing of a long ago trip? Nostalgia seems to become more prominent the older I get.

Time to find out.