In the autumn of l979, Erich and Ruth Hartmann bought train passes and set off on a journey around France with no set route, no firm destinations and no hotel reservations. Train passes made it possible to decide on the spur of the moment where to go next, a single small suitcase each made it possible to run for a train if its route beckoned, to book into the station hotel and spend the day investigating the surroundings.

Destinations were often chosen after a glance at the day's departure board revealed an interesting place name. In fact the journey went clockwise around the borders of France...