Bernard Ollivier thought he had finished with the Silk Road. After all, after walking 12,000 kilometers from China to Turkey, he deserved a rest! But that was forgetting about Bénédicte Flatet, his partner, and her stubborn refusal to stop. So there he is, at age 75, back on the road, completing the final stage of the journey, from Lyon to Istanbul, closing the loop. The tragic history of the Balkans and an itinerary through Northern Italy that for once, he will do with his partner.

What a wonderful gift Bernard Ollivier is offering his fans with this fourth volume of Longue marche! This account, complemented with short texts by Bénédicte Flatet, has all the charm of the first time, since Europe, where he is walking now, being familiar, is is so different from the Asian lands in his earlier books. The famous traveler invites us to discover our own and our neighbors’ history in this series of landscapes and encounters. An appeal for more brotherhood, and one that is also a magnificent declaration of love.