1965

Prologue

Over the years, due to my father's position as a traffic manager for his employer (deciding how an order of steel products was to be shipped economically and efficiently from point A to point B somewhere on the planet), he would often regale us with stories of having spoken with someone in England, the USA, Germany, etc. As a result, I developed an intense appetite for travelling and seeing exotic places wherever they may be.

Life-altering decisions should not be made with little forethought. Kathy and I had made such a decision when deciding to get married, but with very little preparation. Years later, when she and I were trying to educate our children about the importance and necessity of planning well for marriage, invariably, we would get a reaction: "Sure, Mom, Dad, that's exactly what you did, isn't it?”

But there were other important decisions that affected my life - some positively, others less so. And travelling is just such an example of risk-taking without much forethought, just an urge to "get going"! For example, at age 18, I decided to finish my summer job one week before Labour Day and travel to New York City. My father agreed with my adventure and rented a hotel room near Times Square for me. That was one of the few times he took an interest in something I wanted to do. I took the bus to that magical city and spent several days discovering its mysteries. The following two summers saw me travel to Miami, stopping off in Washington along the way, and then, the following year, to California, with numerous little detours between Montreal and Los Angeles - even travelling along the famous Route 66.

Now, the dice had been rolled and the die had been cast! My first international foray would bring me to a multitude of European cities. The pictures associated with the 1960s travelogues are over half a century old and were not stored properly. Therefore, the images are suboptimal. Nevertheless, enjoy! I bought myself a little diary book - I had never kept a diary to this point - and wrote feverishly during most of the trip.

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It was decided that Kathy would attend the summer semester at Saint Michael’s while I would begin my European adventure in late June. On Saturday, August 7, she would fly from Montreal to Paris and then transfer to a flight landing in Zürich the following afternoon. Air Canada did not have a direct flight to Zurich at that time. We also decided that if, for whatever reason, we did not connect at the Zürich airport, then we would meet at noon the following day at the American Express office in downtown Zürich.

And so it was that on June 23rd, I took a taxi to the airport and boarded an airplane for the first time in my life, eagerly anticipating my arrival in London. As the saying goes: "The rest is history!" 1965 would prove to be just the beginning of my succumbing to wanderlust. This is a dangerous appetite - one that can become ravenous. In fact, when one succumbs to wanderlust, it can result in one giving in to his/her strong urge to travel and explore new places. And, that certainly aptly describes my mental and emotional perspective at that time and, seemingly, almost forever.

Be that as it may, wanderlust does have positive attributes associated with it. It enables one to gain new experiences – seeing different cultures, foods, languages, and landscapes. Frankly, I believe that wanderlust enables one to grow personally, becoming more adaptable, open-minded, and independent. For many years, I've considered that travelling widely, combined with my studies in history and training in psychology, has provided me with a different perspective on current events. That has often resulted in my having opinions that differ from those of others and, at times, may be considered politically incorrect.

Yes, wanderlust does cause, at times, a feeling of restlessness. Regardless, travelling widely allowed me to collect memories instead of things – stories, photos, and friendships from around the world became more valuable than possessions. In short, succumbing to wanderlust propelled me to let curiosity and the love of exploration guide a portion of my life.

My short forays to NYC, Miami and California helped me understand that I wanted to see and experience more - whatever that was. But those trips only served to whet my appetite! Therefore, 1965 would prove to be the beginning of an odyssey - a long, eventful and even adventurous journey or experience that enabled me to take the blinders off my decision-making process.

Soooo, let's see what happened!