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Out of Istanbul

By: Bernard Ollivier, Dan Golembeski - translator
Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
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Publisher's summary

Upon retirement at the age of sixty-two, and grieving his deceased wife, renowned journalist Bernard Ollivier felt a sense of profound emptiness: What do I do now? While some see retirement as a chance to cash in their chips and settle into a comfy armchair, Ollivier still longed for more. Searching for inspiration, he strapped on his gear, donned his hat, and headed out the front door to hike the Way of St. James, a 1400-mile journey from Paris to Compostela, Spain. At the end of that road, with more questions than answers, he decided to spend the next few years hiking another of history's great routes: the Silk Road.

Out of Istanbul is Ollivier's stunning account of the first part of that 7,200-mile journey. The longest and perhaps most mythical trade route of all time, the Silk Road is in fact a network of routes across Europe and Asia, some going back to prehistoric times. During the Middle Ages, the transcribed travelogue of one Silk Road explorer, Marco Polo, helped spread the fame of the Orient throughout Europe.

Ollivier's journey, far from bragging about some tremendous achievement, humbly takes the listener on a colossal adventure of human proportions, one in which walking itself, through a kind of alchemy, fosters friendships and fellowship.

©2001 Bernard Ollivier; English translation copyright 2019 by Daniel Golembeski (P)2022 Tantor
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What listeners say about Out of Istanbul

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A cerebral quest and a physical test.

Ollivier’s eloquent account of his walk across Turkey. . . His is an obsessive and foolhardy plan that depends on the hospitality and kindness of strangers. Things get increasingly dicey as the kilometers from Istanbul grow.

This book is a call to journey on foot, to take risks, to be curious and rigorous, to embrace solitude and community, even in a tense political climate.

5 star narration. Starting next book in the series momentarily

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RECOMMEND

This is a very interesting book and well narrated.
If you like to read about people and geography and an amazing, gutsy adventure I highly recommend listening.
I am off to book two and his continuing adventures.
My thanks to all involved, JK

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Down to earth travel

Not romanticized or whiny, the account of a man keeping an open mind as he experiences the ups and downs of walking across Turkey.

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