“Sometimes it seems to me that religion has no higher function than to sharpen ones awareness of the extent of his imperfection” – “The Sins of the Fathers” by Lawrence Block

My Dad was a career Air Force Officer. He served in WWII and finally retired after a long career in 1968.

In the interim he dragged our sorry souls over half the planet from St Louis, Mo to Guam and finally, for me, to Heidelberg, Germany where I graduated from High School in 1962.

 Heidelberg, Germany. Senior prom in that Castle on the hill.

1960 through 1962. Two of the finest years of my young life.

The sights, sounds, and adventures I experienced with my buddy Sam are treasured memories. And way too numerous for this post.

One in particular is my favorite.

Our senior year. We had a two week spring break. Time to indulge in one last hurrah before graduation, college etc.

What to do?

One of us had a thought, probably Sam. Let’s take a drive from Heidelberg to Barcelona. Spend a few weeks on the Mediterranean. Get some sun. Fantastic. Let’s do this.

And so The Great Adventure was born. Keep in mind that we had no plan. No advance hotel bookings. No itinerary other than to just hit the road. Everything that followed was spontaneous and incredibly thrilling.

Our route as it finally evolved.

One fine day in April 1962 we loaded into Sam’s 1955 VW bug with eager enthusiasm. We were young and as free as we would ever be.

Imagine you are 18 years old and about to embark on this journey. The Great Adventure. No parents. Just you and your buddies. We were on fire with anticipation.

First day we travelled through southern Germany, crossed the border into France and headed for Lyon. The French countryside was absolutely beautiful and at days end we rolled into Lyon France.

Lyon France

I’ll never forget that night in Lyon. Never mind why.

Bright and early the next day we set our sights on Barcelona, Spain. Crossed the dark and mysterious Pyrenees into Spain and drifted towards Barcelona.

The Pyrenees

Barcelona Spain

We found a back street hotel with a small balcony and a distant view of the Mediterranean. Spanish food was excellent and the people were warm and friendly.

I’ll never forget that first night in Barcelona. Never mind why.

We roamed the avenues of this beautiful city and fell in love with Spain.

Most of it.

Ever seen a Bullfight? Well………………..when you’re young and free in Barcelona………………..you’ve got to see a Bullfight.

That was my frame of mind. Little did I know…………………..

This is not a sport. This is an insane display of violence and animal cruelty.

But at least now I know.

To be continued……………………

“They say no plan survives first contact with implementation” – “The Martian” by Andy Weir