Out of Istanbul: A Journey of Discovery along the Silk Road - Bernard Ollivier

Written by Bernard Ollivier
Read by Nigel Patterson
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 80 Kbps
Unabridged

Dan Golembeski - Translator

Longue Marche Series: Book 1
Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc.
Release date: October 18, 2022
Duration: 11:52:41

Upon retirement at the age of sixty-two, and grieving his deceased wife, renowned French journalist Bernard Ollivier felt a sense of profound emptiness: What do I do now?

Searching for inspiration, he strapped on his gear, donned his hat, and headed out the front door.

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.

Almost immediately, dangers and doubts plague the sexagenarian’s journey: his watch is nearly stolen by thieves; the Turkish army stops him multiple times along the way and, at one point, forcibly removes him from a shelter; sheep dogs block his path; and he fears encountering terrorists (“Of course, I’m fully aware that they could hold me hostage”). Ollivier animates the landscape with vivid accounts of people he meets along the way, including a Turkish philosopher named Behçet who is eager to debate after years of solitary study in the woods, as well as several drivers who offer him rides, both amazed and stupefied by his undertaking.

Suffering from dysentery, Ollivier doesn’t quite make it to Iran and returns home. However, the scope of his project remains extensive, as he chronicles the history and culture of the Turkish people. Adventurers will relish his enthusiasm and bask in his rugged sense of outdoorsmanship