Not Dark Yet

In August 1985, during that long summer between finishing university and starting work, I went on a European camping and caravanning holiday with my housemate and his family. Over two weeks, we travelled down Germany’s Romantische Straße to the far south-eastern corner of the country, near Salzburg. From there, we continued through Austria into Italy, eventually ending up near Pisa after visiting Padua and Venice—the photograph above was taken on that trip.

Until then, my experience of Europe had been limited to specific destinations on family holidays. Travelling through countries rather than simply to them was a revelation. The scenery, food, civilised towns, and friendly people stood in stark contrast to the dense, restless energy of London, where I had spent the previous four years at university.

Nearly twenty years later, having gained my full motorcycle licence, I was invited to join a European tour in the summer of 2004. It was my first time riding a motorcycle outside the UK, and I suggested revisiting some of the places from 1985 that had left a lasting impression.

So the medieval gem of Rothenburg ob der Tauber and the Alpine splendour of the Obersalzberg region made it onto the itinerary, along with a couple of destinations driven by personal interests: the Porsche Museum at the Zuffenhausen plant, and a location featured in a favourite book.

Then, in 2024, after a working life that seemed to pass in a flash, it felt like the right moment for a brief, reflective glance in the rear-view mirror, revisiting these same destinations as forty years fade into the distance.

Click ‘Europe 2024’ below for the articles.