At this hour exactly 30 years ago, I was 12 and boarded a plane for the first time in my life to go on a long flight to Frankfurt, Germany to visit my sister, her husband, and their son where they were stationed with the Army in Schweinfurt. The flight was long and nerve-wracking, but I think it hardened me in a way that made facing the world independently quite a bit more doable in my future affairs. It was a great month, the drives to see historic castles, architecture, and gardens were stunning, but what stayed with me most was the town itself—peaceful and picturesque. As a kid who loved riding bikes, I spent hours on the trails, pedaling up into the surrounding wooded hills, happily losing track of time. Of course, that’s the portion I took no pictures of because I was just out there experiencing it.
