LONDON, U.K. -- Remember the Summer of Love?

Peace, pot, and flowers in your hair. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin. That would be 1967. A hundred thousand hippies descending on San Francisco. Make love, not war.

What shall we call this year? The Summer of Death?

Huge protests across America. Brutal police crackdowns. Thousands dying every day around the globe. Whole countries slowly coming out of virus lockdown. A mass of humanity wearing surgical masks.

The Summer of Fear?

Europe opened up a crack and now it’s closing again. I’m afraid we’ll pay for our brief window of summer freedom with more lockdowns and quarantines.

As soon as a country was put on the safe list, the British took to the roads and the skies in a mad dash to enjoy something of a normal holiday. To Spain, to France, to Greece. Book, pack and go.

But what does a normal holiday look like anymore?

Take, for example, two London-based Canadian journalists, and their faithful dog, who hit the road for Croatia, never quite sure if they would get there. (And hoping they wouldn’t get back).

Three days of driving. Borders to cross. COVID bag at the ready, stuffed with bottles of hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, disinfectant sprays, boxes of latex gloves, and a bundle of surgical masks.

Let the stress begin at the first bathroom stop. Face mask on. Gloves on. Go for it.

Raise your hands those who hate using the lavatories in those grim roadside service-centers. I mean, hold your breath and get out quickly. And don’t touch anything.

Double the jeopardy with COVID in the air.

Some countries, Austria and Slovenia, put U.K.-based travellers on a 14-day quarantine list. You could drive through, but you couldn’t stay over. At least they’re small.

Even the hotel experience has changed. No more breakfast buffets. Minibars emptied as a health precaution. Some hotels are now leaving rooms empty for 24 hours before giving them to other guests.

Croatia opened its doors to tourism, and within weeks the number of COVID cases jumped dramatically. Look around, and the same thing is happening across Europe.

Nobody seems sure if this is a late, first-wave surge, or the beginning of a second wave. No matter which, we’re still in the middle of a pandemic.

Remember when the World Health Organization said wearing face masks wasn’t really necessary, or all that helpful.

Well, Scotland has just announced that high school kids will have to wear masks in hallways, common areas and in buses. It applies to all pupils over the age of 12. England is about to do the same.

So, welcome to the end of a weird, unforgettable summer. No Olympics. No Wimbledon. No Calgary Stampede.

The love-in days of San Francisco are over.