Even if she does not know yet, it all started in Mainz, Germany, with follow-up in San Diego, USA, Berne, Switzerland, and finally 1986 in a beer garden in Berlin, then part of West-Germany. Here I met the key person who made me acquainted with staff members of the Stefan-Institute, Ljubljana. Since I was chairing an EU-project at this time, around 1990, the European Commission allowed me to extend funding to the Slovenian partners as well (PECO project). Within this framework of collaboration, finally, I also got to know Tamara in person, and to learn about her fine research. My talk will focus on these events and will highlight some of Tamara's major achievements.