THE Excitement OF ‘ABROAD’!

trips across Europe when she didn’t wear shoes at all. The Italians and the French thought her cool and chic, going aux pieds nus in stylish counterpoint to the smartly tailored skirts and dresses she favoured on holiday. The Spanish, to whom bare feet signified poverty or penitence, thought she was crazy. But once behind the wheel, her petite figure propped up by a ventilated ‘Continental Touring’ backrest and her favourite ex-Army ‘biscuit’ cushion, no vehicle was beyond her capabilities and no drive beyond her endurance. She nursed a variety of big cars through heat, thunderstorms and bewildering traffic jams. She negotiated the rugged mountains of Spain, swung us over Alpine passes, and roared down the length of Italy – all with superb driving skill, elegant style and good humour. High above Monte Carlo she stripped off her dress just so she could say she had driven the Grande Corniche road in a bikini. 1973 found us on the French Riviera. In 1974 we sailed for Denmark; braving dour weather to see Hamlet’s castle at Elsinore. These big trips abroad were jolly jaunts packed with amusing incidents and a few hair-raising escapades. But for me they were also spiritual experiences and the most important thing I was doing. Winters would be spent on planning, the latest maps spread across the dining table; more absorbing than any school homework. And the journeys themselves were educational; the deserts of Spain and forests of Germany became landscapes in my novels. On Swiss National Day, August 1, 1966, musicians and merrymakers, drenched in schnapps and sentiment, led us to a mountain bonfire where delightful girls yodelled beneath the stars. These continental holidays were soul-stretching experiences I treasure. Roger’s latest novel, Room for Love, is available at Amazon. Visit www.roger-harvey.co.uk