Dr. Paul Gardner, a PhD graduate from Oxford, set off on a journey between London and Istanbul by walking the entire distance of 3280 km, in order to raise money and awarenes about Europe's cultural heritage. Inspired by the Grand Tour, the journey taken by European elites to find out about the great historical and cultural heritage of Europe, as well as two walkers of the 20th Century, he pushed himself into this great effort and ran a blog along the way. This is certainly a different way to experience places as opposed to more immediate forms of travelling that often times make the world a much flatter place. The chance to speak to local communities and spending 137 days to complete the journey made this a life-changing event. Paul raised money by generating interest and made a donation to Europa Nostra, the pan European federation for Cultural Heritage. He experienced various difficulties and harsh conditions. He visited important historical hallmarks in Austria, Serbia, Bulgaria before reaching Istanbul, the ancient capital of two major empires. (source: Europa Nostra magazine)
