June 2018

I return to Amsterdam with Reid and, together, we look at the home that we are considering for purchase in the village of Laren. Also in the Het Gooi and not far from the schools, Laren is a small town that, unbeknownst to us at the time, has a reputation of being a bit snobbish with very well-heeled residents. But, to us, it seems quaint and quintessential Dutch.

The bed and breakfast where we stay is just around the corner from the home we want to purchase. The house a blacksmith shop in the back that dates back to the 1920’s.  You can see all the history here.Reid and I take the train now from the Bussum Zuid station. Bussum is another Het Gooi village and it has the distinct advantage of a full free parking lot for cars, not a common trait for many of the train stations.

The ride is no longer non-stop so the commute is now about a 40 minute train ride, but it is pleasant enough and I can do some work while we travel.

Amsterdam is only for about a week and then it is time again for more international travel, this time to the northwest corner of Switzerland where a “Digital Bootcamp” is happening within our IT team.

I decide to drive the distance with Reid. Our roadtrip will take us through the south of the Netherlands, through Belgium, Luxemberg, France and Germany before getting to our destination, Basel, Switzerland.

It is really so impressive to be able to pass from country to country with no more than a solitary sign on the side of the road offering you a “Thank you for visiting” from where you left to a “Welcome to..” for the country where you just arrived. No different then passing from Arizona into New Mexico or California. It is quite remarkable when you consider the trade and immigration agreements that had to be reached to make the European Union a reality.

Our first overnight stop is the Hotel Brimer in Grundhof, Luxembourg. We will stay here Friday and Saturday night to allow us to take in the sites on Saturday. Being in Luxembourg, the staff speak primarily French, but all seem quite knowledgable in German followed closely by English.  There has been a lot of rain in the area and a raging river runs just to the edge of the hotel. There are barricades to keep pedestrians from straying where an entire barrier wall has collapsed into the fast moving waters.

The hotel itself has a large banquet area and restaurant where Reid and I get our breakfast. The hallway that runs along the length of the hotel is a menagerie of unrelated items from all different eras. Some European, some Asian and a whole lot of taxidermy wonderment.

Reid and I find a hiking trail system just to the east on the border to Germany near the Perekop peak and we head there for a day of hiking. Beautiful area, but ended with a lot of blisters after no longer being conditioned to long walks – I really have to get in shape!

The other aspect holding our interest is that Reid and I have been watching the Band of Brothers HBO series. Each night we watch another episode. It is the third time for me, but the first for Reid and he is just at the right age to really take in the enormity of what Easy Company accomplished and overcame. The region we have driven through is the same where Easy Company had been deployed. On the start of our journey, we drive through Eindhoven, Netherlands where Operation Market Garden liberated the Dutch town.  We then pass through Bastogne and Foy, Belgium where the infamous Battle of the Bulge took place and then on to Germany, nearly tracking the same trail taken by the 101st as they made their way to Hitler’s Eagles Nest, before we head south at Strasbourg, France on towards Basel.