Before Wine and Cheezies Travels was even a glimmer in our wine glasses, there was this—our six-week farewell tour of Europe in 1994. We’d spent two years living in England, exploring every corner from Cornwall to the Scotland, and even hopping over to Northern Ireland a couple of times. When our work term wrapped up, we hit the road one last time—cruising across France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium in our company car: an Alfa Romeo with right-hand drive. Slightly terrifying on the continent, but hey, it was free!

We didn’t have our beloved Cheezies (Canada’s finest export was sadly unavailable in the UK), but we made do with a steady diet of baguettes, olives, pasta, and very respectable European wine. It was the perfect way to toast our time abroad before heading back to Canada.

The photos of those charming outdoor cafés capture us in full 1994 glory—complete with some “what were we thinking?” outfits and hair that makes us both laugh (and wince). Neil even had some back then! What an incredible adventure it was for a couple of 35-year-olds, soaking up Europe one baguette and bottle of wine at a time.

More to come. still scanning photo albums