LIVING IN EUROPE WAS GREAT

Switzerland, had a lot of snow and ice in the winter but was well prepared for it. It was also expensive but salaries and the standard of living were high. It had a reliable transport system and, like Germany and Austria, was efficient, advanced and clean and tidy. I worked and lived in picturesque lakeside Zurich for two years.

BMWs and windows to clothes and stationery, were of the highest quality. Its streets were clean, and its roads a joy to drive on. The bars (or Kneipen) had a cosy character and excellent Pilsener beer or fine white wines. The salaries and social security were generous. I was based just south of Frankfurt for three years.

Only France is both northern and southern European. It is at the heart of Europe and, like Italy, it is both Alpine and Mediterranean. Its scenery and topography were exceptionally varied and striking while the affordable re ­