When I first wrote about my planned trip to Europe, I explained that my reason for going was to attend the 70th birthday party of my Swiss cousin Werner. My cousin Brigitta, with whom I was staying, is Werner's sister. So, of course, she and her husband Peter were attending the event. Around noon on the Saturday of the party, they drove me from Uster, where they live, to Othmarsingen, the ancestral home of the family. Othmarsingen is about 30 miles to the east, on the other side of Zurich, and the party was going to be at the house that belonged to their parents.
The event was planned to be held in the back yard, and we were all concerned about the weather. As it turned out, the weather was perfect... warm and sunny.
Werner, the birthday boy, is to the left, and he is with his brother and sisters.
I had brought my luggage with me, because after the party, my cousin Walter and his wife Helen were taking me to their home in Aarau (just nine miles to the east) where I was to stay for the next three nights.