Schloss Neuschwanstein – Germany
I lived in Germany in the late 1980s and made many business and personal trips while living there and after moving back to the States. I supported the marketing and sales of our products in the northern and southern countries, including Benelux, Scandinavia, Italy, and Spain. I spent much time visiting southern Germany, Switzerland, and Britain. I got about everywhere else, including a visit behind the Iron Curtain in late 1989 and immediately after the fall in early 1990. What a time that was!
Germany
I lived in the Stuttgart area from February 1987 to December 1999, working at a large Hewlett-Packard factory in Boeblingen. In the first half of the 1990s, I frequently made business trips there and did a six-month assignment in 1992.
Germany is unique in how well everything looked and worked when I lived there. I would try to visit someplace new every weekend that I was not elsewhere.
My favorite destinations included Fussen (Neuschwanstein Castle), Munich (Octoberfest!), Rothenburg ob der Tauber (a walled village), and the Black Forest (Cuckoo-Clocks!). There were paths everywhere, and I spent countless hours walking between small villages around where I lived. It was a wonderful time. My family visited several times.
The Alps – Austria and Switzerland
I made some trips to the Alps, usually when someone came to visit. The natural beauty and humankind’s work of thousands of years are unique. I rank Switzerland as the most beautiful country I have ever visited.
Czechoslovakia and Hungary
In the summer of 1989, I went on a bus tour of Czechoslovakia and Hungary. We mainly visited Prague and Budapest. Prague was particularly beautiful and had a good vibe.
Italy and Spain
Aside from one hurried trip to Rome, I spent a lot of time in northern Italy and never saw the south. I took several trips and saw Venice, the Dolomites, and the Italian Riviera in the east. I was in an old Roman arena in Verona and saw the Queen Mother in her British racing green jaguar make an appearance. Quite a treat! On my first trip in 1985, I drove to Monaco over the weekend and walked the Formula 1 race course!
Benelux
My favorite spots in this area included the village of Kinderdijk in Holland and the ‘Venice of Northern Europe’ at Brugge in Belgium. Amsterdam was pretty interesting, too—prostitutes dressed in nightgowns sitting in the front windows of their places of business in the red-light district—wild! I drove through the tiny country of Luxemburg—I have never seen so many banks in my life 😆.
Britain
I tried to visit England whenever I could. I took a couple of car trips, including one to Scotland and Wales in the Summer of 1989. In the early 1990s, I hiked most of the Coast to Coast trail, 190 miles through the scenic northern part of England. I loved London and have seen most of its offerings over many trips.
Sweden
I visited Sweden fairly often, as it had many manufacturing companies like ABB. I traveled around quite a bit and made it to the southern and western parts of the country. I was surprised by how much was still woodlands—a big country with a low population. My favorite memory is sailing the archipelago outside of Stockholm one summer weekend.
Russia – St Petersburg
I visited St Petersburg in 1995 while visiting friends in Sweden. It was fascinating, and I wish I could have spent more time there.
