My way to history (Studying history)

Where does a historian pick up his fundamental insights (if he has any fundamental insights) about history? It would be nice if I could sketch a clear line of intellectual development since I started studying history in the early 1960's, but I can't. When I arrived in Utrecht the great Geyl was no more than a background noise. As far as I know there wasn't something that could be called an 'Utrecht School'. The study program was an old-fashioned mess and most of the lectures were not particularly inspiring. J.C. Boogman was the exception. Despite all this I liked reading about history and had no regrets making such an unpractical start in life. My saviour in a way was H.W. von der Dunk, who made his debut as a full professor with a refreshing seminar about the early history of the cold war. That was inspiring and set me on course for the following decades.