On one of Curt's last trip to Europe, to attend an Oldtimers meeting, he extended his stay to join Monika and myself for a week in Tuscany. I had made arrangements for a nice countryside spa and tickets for a visit to the Florence Uffizi to see the world famous painting collection. On the last day of our stay, a motoring tour through the Tuscan countryside was on the program with stopovers at various picturesque wineries. Curt was not so quick on his feet anymore, so I drove through the vineyards straight to the main buildings in order for Curt to buy some wine to take home as souvenir. This was not successful, being off season, and on our way back to the hotel I made one last attempt, driving up a steep country road that led to an almost hidden farmhouse. There we rang the bell until someone opened the gate. A friendly gentleman led us to a well appointed reception hall. He spoke fluent English. From a wine list we chose some reds for tasting and they were all wonderful. During our conversation with the owner we detected framed photos on the wall with motives of Snowmass and Aspen. As it turned out, the owner's brother was based in Aspen from where he ran the distribution of their wines throughout the United States. Such coincidence was unbelievable. Curt paid for a carton of first class red wine to be delivered straight to his Snowmass home. Returning from this trip, it took me all the way to convince Curt that this had not been stage managed.

Most hotel managers dream of having their own property, some wish for their own hotel chain which rarely works out.
My more modest acquisition was a country house hotel in beautiful Devon in the UK. The purchase was generously supported by a bank loan that I could not have obtained without Curt's endorsement. As a small thank you gesture, Curt & Fleur were my guests of honour at their 50th wedding anniversary at 300 year old Northcote Manor Hotel, located between Dartmoor and Exmoor.
The hotel's Rolls Royce, acquired for weddings, met Curt at Exeter railway station where he remarked that this and an exclusive bathroom of his own were two of his unfulfilled wishes.
We all had a great time, celebrating the big event in style, well remembered by those who are sadly left behind.