After trekking nearly 7,500 miles, from Istanbul, Turkey to Xi'an, China, French travel writer Bernard Ollivier thought he had put the Silk Road behind him - enough for a retiree to rest on his laurels! But that was before meeting his now-partner-in-life Benedicte Flatet. Why, she asked, hadn't he set out from France? After all, the city of Lyon was once Europe's 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 1,900 miles, from Lyon to Istanbul. Only this time, he won't be alone. Flatet has long yearned to hike side-by-side with Ollivier, so the couple sets out together . . . This unexpected fourth volume in Ollivier's Silk Road series ( Out of Istanbul , Walking to Samarkand , and Winds of the Steppe ) is a wonderful bonus for the author's not only is it the enthralling continuation of his long walk across Asia, it's a new journey unto itself, across Europe, full of delightful firsts, such as the inclusion of short chronicles by Flatet. Through ten countries - from familiar France and Italy to the more mysterious Balkans - the 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.