Inspired by Leigh Fermor's epic journey to Constantinople in the thirties, Crane decides to walk from the Atlantic to Istanbul along the continuous chain of mountains that dissects southern Europe. Fanatical to avoid mechanised transport, he succumbs only once, crossing by ferry from Romania to Bulgaria near the Iron Gates where the Danube cuts a swathe through the lower Carpathians. The latter part of his mammoth hike, being perhaps less familiar, is the more interesting.
(Jeremy Miller - bwl 50 March 2009 ) |
