Five Guys in a Beetle The Grandest Grand Tour Europe 1963

They wore white shirts, dark suits, some had crew cuts...all found themselves adrift in a strange new world. Five American college boys, for some their first time outside of their native Illinois, squeezed into a Volkswagen in the summer of l963. Minus the technical wizardry of GPS, smartphones, and today's numerous apps, they took off-as novices-relying on the now outdated services of the American Express office for news from home. Little did they know that their journey through post-war Europe would provide a treasure-trove of experiences that would have a lasting influence on their lives. This one trip not only opened their eyes to the culture, tastes and customs of Europe, but it became the source of laughter, shared memories and multiple group reunions for decades to come. The five guys came of age that summer. All became folks you would like to know and be friends with.