Nick Hunt

A few years ago, I read the first of Patrick Leigh Fermor's books about his magnificent walk across Europe in 1933 and thoroughly enjoyed it. This was a perfect follow up - a modern homage to PLF's wonderful pilgrimage as Nick Hunt seeks to recreate his historic walk in modern Europe, walking from the Hook of Holland to the Golden Horn in Istanbul.

Whilst the comparisons with PLF's walk were hugely interesting (the huge changes to the landscape often forced him on a different route to PLF's original), his own experiences were equally fascinating and a unique travelogue of the differing cultures across the different European countries. The further east he went the more interesting I found it as I haven't been to some of the countries he walked through. Hunt had done his homework, so his observations intelligently couple his experiences with the history and politics of the lands he was walking through.

What makes this a standout travelogue is the uniqueness of his endeavour - to travel across the entirety of Europe mostly by foot makes for an experience few other travellers can write about, and I enjoyed every minute of travelling with him. I would have liked to have understood some of the logistics of his travels a little more, as he tends to brush over the details a nosy Parker such as myself would like to know (he claims he didn't pre-plan his route, so just how much did he use a smartphone to find his way, for instance), but it probably would have taken some of the romance out of reading about his adventure, so I accept the omission of some of the practicalities I wondered about.

4 stars - a much recommended travelogue to many of Europe's hidden corners.… (more)

This is a very peculiar book. One I savored for a long while, because it’s fascinating, both in concept and in storytelling. Did you know that there’s a glacier tucked away in Scotland? Or a desert in Spain? I was aware about the latter, and of course the existence of the Hungarian steppe is common knowledge, but the glacier stumped me. Same with the Białowieża, a Polish forest.

[Keep reading @ rel="nofollow" _target="_top">Bookshelves & Teacups]… (more)