Back to Istanbul: On Foot across Europe to the Great Silk Road

After trekking nearly 7,500 miles, from Istanbul, Turkey to Xian, China, French travel writer Bernard Ollivier thought he had put the Silk Road behind himenough for a retiree to rest on his laurels! But that was before meeting his now-partner-in-life Bénédicte Flatet. Why, she asked, hadnt he set out from France? After all, the city of Lyon was once Europes silk capital.   Now, at seventy-five years old, Ollivier decides to lace up his walking boots and head out to complete his Silk-Road journey, once and for all: 1,900 miles, from Lyon to Istanbul. Only this time, he wont be alone. Flatet has long yearned to hike side-by-side with Ollivier, so the couple sets out together . . .                                                                                                                          This unexpected fourth volume in Olliviers Silk Road series (Out of Istanbul, Walking to Samarkand, and Winds of the Steppe) is a wonderful bonus for the authors fans: not only is it the enthralling continuation of his long walk across Asia, its a new journey unto itself, across Europe, full of delightful firsts, such as the inclusion of short chronicles by Flatet. Through ten countriesfrom familiar France and Italy to the more mysterious Balkansthe intrepid pair invites us to discover the sometimes happy, sometimes tragic history of those they encounter, and to share in their daily lives. Back to Istanbul is both a fervent appeal for greater understanding among peoples, and a magnificent declaration of love.