In 1960, Otto Schmalz and his wife, Gertrud, decided to take a four-month vacation to their native Europe, where they would tour parts of West Germany, Switzerland, Holland, and Italy, visiting family and friends, and seeing as much of the continent as possible. They went by freighter from Canada and took their car with them. Their goal was to discover and learn about history, culture, food, people, and new things.Having worked for more than two years without a day off, this transplanted-to-Canada German couple was itching for a change of scenery. Today, their tales still vibrate with interest and colour for anyone who likes to travel or has an interest of the histories of the places they visited.