Taking the train from St. Etienne, France, to Gossau, Switzerland, on August 15th, was a very anticipated trip. My two-month stay in St. Etienne was OK, particularly because I got to play drums a few times at a local bar with a few students from the local Conservatory and with a few other local musicians.

I hadn't played drums in years, so that was a real fun experience.

Yet, I was quite happy to catch the train to Lyon, and then the one to Geneva, and then another one to Gossau, where I arrived something like five hours after leaving St. Etienne. Immediately after getting off the train I saw my friend Tony Andreu standing just a few meters away from the train door.

I hadn't seen him in a few years. We had last spent some time together in the Summer of 2005, during one of the few business trips Tony took to Barcelona, Spain, while I was living there. It felt really good to see him again.

Tony and I have known each other for over four and a half decades and have shared more than a few good experiences together, alongside some other mutual friends that I have recently renewed contact with.

Sitting down in the spacious living room of his apartment, playing guitar and singing together, was like leafing through a living album of memories, some of them intimately tied to the songs we were playing and some others simply written on our faces, voices and expressions. To say that our encounter was a vivid walk down memory lane would perhaps be a bit prosaic, as our re-encounter was a real multidimensional experience.

Talking again to Franziska, Tony's energetic wife, was also a very refreshing thing to do. Down-to-Earth people like her always make me look deeper into my own perception of people and things. Great.

Listening to Marcus, Tony's son, play the saxophone with one of his bands was also something to write home about, particularly when watching Tony's eyes fill with pride as Marcus played his solos. And, indeed, Marcus was the best soloist of them all, even though there were some good competitors in his group.

But the highlight of it all was meeting Isabel, Tony's daughter, one of the sweetest and most charming young women I have recently met. May she always stay as sweet as she is.

In short, visiting Switzerland once again this past month of August was a very pleasant experience, although this time around it was all doubly enjoyable in the company of my good friend Tony and his lovable family.

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