My first introduction to Switzerland was 25 years ago. I was traveling around Europe on my own for the very first time, and really enjoying the experience. That is, until I had my bag stolen in the middle of Amsterdam’s central train station. Those were the days of using travelers checks instead of a credit card and mine were now gone. Getting reimbursed was not easy back then. So, I took my last $200 and headed through Germany down to Bern, Switzerland. I knew that my ancestors had come from somewhere around Bern, so (thinking that I would never return), I wanted to visit this birthplace of my great-great grandfather before heading home. I had just spent a few days in Frankfurt, Wurzburg and Munich (yes, $200 went a long way back then!) and boarded a train for Bern.In my compartment was a young man who was reading through some papers. I was in a bit of a funk because I had to cut my European trip short, so I sat down and started reading my Swiss guide book. After a few hours, I asked the man if he spoke English (he did) and we started talking about my being robbed, my Swiss heritage and his trip to Munich. He was a lawyer living and working in Bern and he had taken a few days off to meet a friend in Germany. After awhile, he told me that he wanted to lend me some money to finish my trip. Of course, I thought that this Swiss man was absolutely nuts! To my surprise, I accepted his offer, so he gave me the Swiss Francs, and a piece of paper with the name of his bank and his account number so that I could repay him once I returned home.We talked all the way to Bern and he told me that he had an extra room at his home for me. At this point, the red flags went up and I wondered what I had gotten myself into, but before I knew it he had my suitcase in hand and we were walking through the Bern train station to an awaiting taxi. I had no idea where I was going, knew very little about this man, but for some odd reason I knew that I had to trust him. When we got to his home he made reservations for us to have dinner at a typical Bernese restaurant nearby and wanted me to experience real Swiss hospitality. We had a wonderful meal (my first roesti und Geschnetzeltes) and talked through the night! I must tell you that there were absolutely no strings attached to this scenario!This proud Swiss man just wanted to show me true Swiss Gastlichkeit! We became very good friends over the years and I’ve returned to Switzerland almost every year for the past 25 years to visit him. The anniversary of our first meeting on that train will be June 9, 2006. And who is this man (besides my friend)? Well, he is now a bundesrichter (a Swiss federal judge) by the name of Dr. Lorenz Meyer.
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