The 1975 Interrail trip I was brought up in Mastrick, an Aberdeen council housing estate, in the early 60s with my mum Elizabeth a nurse, my dad Angus a bricklayer and my older brother, Kenneth. In primary and secondary school, I always enjoyed geography: in primary it was the map of the world, flags and capital cities, and at secondary it was looking at cultures, rivers, mountains, deserts and natural disasters. Like many others at that time, my interest in countries, cultures and famous attractions were common, perhaps because they were not accessible, and it was another world away.One major influence came when I picked up the National Geographic when I was in the waiting room for an appointment. This publication opened the world to me. What I read was magical; the photography was literally out of this world. In the 1960s, all these well-known European countries and cities were a dream away, like so to many of my school friends and neighbours. There was not a lot of money around and
