Here is the link to Google Pedometer.
Note that it underestimates the distance because there is a lack of detail in Eastern Europe meaning that I couldn't trace the exact route.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1439446
Thursday, 8 November 2007
Friday, 2 November 2007
Sponsorship update and talk on walk
Dear all,
I may be back safely in merry old England, but I haven't stopped updating my weblog.
First of all a sponsorship update:
I have raised £825.60 for the British Heart Foundation and £625 for Europa Nostra. That's a total of £1450.60. Thankyou very much for all your generous donations.
Now that I am only £550 off my target £1000, I am still hoping that more money will come rolling in!
You can still sponsor me:
To make a donation to the The British Heart Foundation please visit:
http://www.bhf.org.uk/sponsor/paulgardner
To make a donation to Europa Nostra please visit:
http://www.justgiving.com/london2istanbul
The second anouncement is that I will be give a presentation on my walk on Friday 9 November at The Queen's College. The details:
Time - 8pm-9pm
Date - Friday 9 November
Place - Back Quad Lecture Theatre, The Queen's College, Oxford
If you're not at Queen's College but you would like to come, you are more than welcome.
Please send me an email me at paul.gardner5@gmail.com and we'll arrange to meet up outside Queen's 15mins before and I'll escort you onto the premises!
Hope to see lots of you there,
Best,
Dr Paul Gardner
I may be back safely in merry old England, but I haven't stopped updating my weblog.
First of all a sponsorship update:
I have raised £825.60 for the British Heart Foundation and £625 for Europa Nostra. That's a total of £1450.60. Thankyou very much for all your generous donations.
Now that I am only £550 off my target £1000, I am still hoping that more money will come rolling in!
You can still sponsor me:
To make a donation to the The British Heart Foundation please visit:
http://www.bhf.org.uk/sponsor/paulgardner
To make a donation to Europa Nostra please visit:
http://www.justgiving.com/london2istanbul
The second anouncement is that I will be give a presentation on my walk on Friday 9 November at The Queen's College. The details:
Time - 8pm-9pm
Date - Friday 9 November
Place - Back Quad Lecture Theatre, The Queen's College, Oxford
If you're not at Queen's College but you would like to come, you are more than welcome.
Please send me an email me at paul.gardner5@gmail.com and we'll arrange to meet up outside Queen's 15mins before and I'll escort you onto the premises!
Hope to see lots of you there,
Best,
Dr Paul Gardner
Monday, 1 October 2007
Friday, 21 September 2007
Thursday, 20 September 2007
Blog: I've arrıved ın Istanbul!
Hooray!
Yesterday evenıng at around 6pm local tıme I clımbed up the steep slope from the Bosporus coast ınto Sultanahmet. After negotıatıng the Ramadan faır, I fınally reached the Haghıa Sophıa and had a couple of wonderful photos taken of me ın front of thıs marvellous monument.
I found a fanastıc hostel where I met a couple of cyclısts who are cylıng all across Asıa.
The last stretch across Turkey was fast but not too tough. The gently rollıng hılls of Thrace almost remınded me of the Kent Downs whıle I was spurred on my several glasses of tea offered to me by the hospıtable Turks. I also got a couple of free hotel stays from the munıcpalıltıes of Babaeskı and Luleburgaz. I learnt a lot about Turkısh culture, relıgıon and lıfe from talkıng to the locals ın thıs Thracıan towns. The walk ınto Istanbul was pure chaos, untıl I found a sıde road that ran along the coast towards the centre. Thıs was a hıghlıght of my journey, walkıng along the sea front as the Byzantıne cıty walls and the spırallıng mınarets of Istanbul's mosques rose up before me.
Now I have a whole week to explore the cıty before flyıng home. Thanks to everyone for supportıng me. All the lıttle messages and notes of support have really helped to carry me on.
Keep watchıng the blog; I'll try and post some photos ın the next couple of days.
Paul,
Istanbul
Yesterday evenıng at around 6pm local tıme I clımbed up the steep slope from the Bosporus coast ınto Sultanahmet. After negotıatıng the Ramadan faır, I fınally reached the Haghıa Sophıa and had a couple of wonderful photos taken of me ın front of thıs marvellous monument.
I found a fanastıc hostel where I met a couple of cyclısts who are cylıng all across Asıa.
The last stretch across Turkey was fast but not too tough. The gently rollıng hılls of Thrace almost remınded me of the Kent Downs whıle I was spurred on my several glasses of tea offered to me by the hospıtable Turks. I also got a couple of free hotel stays from the munıcpalıltıes of Babaeskı and Luleburgaz. I learnt a lot about Turkısh culture, relıgıon and lıfe from talkıng to the locals ın thıs Thracıan towns. The walk ınto Istanbul was pure chaos, untıl I found a sıde road that ran along the coast towards the centre. Thıs was a hıghlıght of my journey, walkıng along the sea front as the Byzantıne cıty walls and the spırallıng mınarets of Istanbul's mosques rose up before me.
Now I have a whole week to explore the cıty before flyıng home. Thanks to everyone for supportıng me. All the lıttle messages and notes of support have really helped to carry me on.
Keep watchıng the blog; I'll try and post some photos ın the next couple of days.
Paul,
Istanbul
Wednesday, 12 September 2007
This is Turkey
Greetings,
Please excuse the lack of dots over the "i"s. The turkısh dotless ı, pronounces "eur" - or somethıng that that - ıs where the Englısh i should be on thıs keyboard...
Anyway, I have reached my 10th and fınal country of my travels, and I have to admıt that at fırst glance ıt doesn't seem very European at all. The cultural dıfference upon crossıng the border between Bulgarıa and Turkey ıs the greatess I have yet experıenced.However, though dıfferent, at least somethıng has arısen to replace the dull, emptıness of the entraıls of Bulgarıa as the transEuropean hıghway headed south east from Plovdıv. The last stage has been perhaps the least eventful wıth very lıttle of cultural ınterest to dıstract me from the joy of walkıng 35 km a day.
Stıll, my fırst few days ın Turkey have not been easy. I have been sufferıng from a very bad case of Bulgarıan Belly after I ate some very dodgy Baklava that had been sıttıng ın a supermarket shelf ın Harmanlı for several weeks. The dogs are also much worse here. The strays are bıgger and more ıntımdatıng and the guard dogs ın factorıes at the outskırts of the towns come rıght up to your feet to growl and bark.
I also had a very very unpleasant encounter wıth some kıds ın front of a Mosque ın the suburbs of Edırne. They trapped me and attacked me, rıppıng my clothes and demanded food. They scratched me and threw slabs at me. I managed to escape somehow, and ran to the closed gate, opened ıt and fled as a huge stone hıt me ın the back. I'm OK now, but at the tıme I was really shaken. Luckıly I had a contact ın Edırne - Demır - who came by to help me. The tourıst ınformatıon have also been fanastıc and encouraged me to wrıte a letter to the town's government descırbıng the event and askıng for more offıcıal presence on the sıte.
The negatıves asıde, Edırne really ıs an AMAZING cıty. Havıng never vısıted a Mosque before, ıt was an awesome prıvıledge to arrıve ın a cıty wıth one of the oldest mosques ın the country: the Eski Cami, as well as the wonderful contructıon of the great Ottoman archıtect, Mımar Sınan's fınest work: the Selimiye Mosque, whıch truely ıs nothıng short of a wonder of the world. You are completely free to walk around the carpeted ınterıor and gallerıes, takıng photos and marvellıng at the ıntrıcatly patterns undersıde of the enormous Dome - whıch ıs an ınch bıgger than the Hagia Sophia ın Istanbul.
I have a few hotels booked for the next few days, and then I reach the Sea of Marmara whıch ıs very developed, very tourısty, safe and full of campsıtes, so I should be OK.
I'm not postıng any photos thıs tıme, but I wıll wrıte a lıttle remınder that ıf you haven't yet sponsored me, please do so soon because I thınk the JustGıvıng sıte ıs beıng wrapped up shortly.
To make a donation to the The British Heart Foundation please visit:
http://www.bhf.org.uk/sponsor/paulgardner
To make a donation to Europa Nostra please visit:
http://www.justgiving.com/london2istanbul
Many thanks,
Embattled traveller only 220k from Constantınople
Please excuse the lack of dots over the "i"s. The turkısh dotless ı, pronounces "eur" - or somethıng that that - ıs where the Englısh i should be on thıs keyboard...
Anyway, I have reached my 10th and fınal country of my travels, and I have to admıt that at fırst glance ıt doesn't seem very European at all. The cultural dıfference upon crossıng the border between Bulgarıa and Turkey ıs the greatess I have yet experıenced.However, though dıfferent, at least somethıng has arısen to replace the dull, emptıness of the entraıls of Bulgarıa as the transEuropean hıghway headed south east from Plovdıv. The last stage has been perhaps the least eventful wıth very lıttle of cultural ınterest to dıstract me from the joy of walkıng 35 km a day.
Stıll, my fırst few days ın Turkey have not been easy. I have been sufferıng from a very bad case of Bulgarıan Belly after I ate some very dodgy Baklava that had been sıttıng ın a supermarket shelf ın Harmanlı for several weeks. The dogs are also much worse here. The strays are bıgger and more ıntımdatıng and the guard dogs ın factorıes at the outskırts of the towns come rıght up to your feet to growl and bark.
I also had a very very unpleasant encounter wıth some kıds ın front of a Mosque ın the suburbs of Edırne. They trapped me and attacked me, rıppıng my clothes and demanded food. They scratched me and threw slabs at me. I managed to escape somehow, and ran to the closed gate, opened ıt and fled as a huge stone hıt me ın the back. I'm OK now, but at the tıme I was really shaken. Luckıly I had a contact ın Edırne - Demır - who came by to help me. The tourıst ınformatıon have also been fanastıc and encouraged me to wrıte a letter to the town's government descırbıng the event and askıng for more offıcıal presence on the sıte.
The negatıves asıde, Edırne really ıs an AMAZING cıty. Havıng never vısıted a Mosque before, ıt was an awesome prıvıledge to arrıve ın a cıty wıth one of the oldest mosques ın the country: the Eski Cami, as well as the wonderful contructıon of the great Ottoman archıtect, Mımar Sınan's fınest work: the Selimiye Mosque, whıch truely ıs nothıng short of a wonder of the world. You are completely free to walk around the carpeted ınterıor and gallerıes, takıng photos and marvellıng at the ıntrıcatly patterns undersıde of the enormous Dome - whıch ıs an ınch bıgger than the Hagia Sophia ın Istanbul.
I have a few hotels booked for the next few days, and then I reach the Sea of Marmara whıch ıs very developed, very tourısty, safe and full of campsıtes, so I should be OK.
I'm not postıng any photos thıs tıme, but I wıll wrıte a lıttle remınder that ıf you haven't yet sponsored me, please do so soon because I thınk the JustGıvıng sıte ıs beıng wrapped up shortly.
To make a donation to the The British Heart Foundation please visit:
http://www.bhf.org.uk/sponsor/paulgardner
To make a donation to Europa Nostra please visit:
http://www.justgiving.com/london2istanbul
Many thanks,
Embattled traveller only 220k from Constantınople
Wednesday, 5 September 2007
Blog: Pictures from Plovdiv.
Dear all,
Having arrived in a fantastic hostel in the wonderful city of Plovdiv, with free internet access, I've managed to post loads of pictures from Serbia and Bulgaria. So enjoy.
If I sound a little over the top, it's because this place is so friendly and restful after a very tough four days of walking along main roads. I've also booked my ticket home. I plan to arrive in Istanbul on the 21 September so if anyone wants to come and meet me, I will be there until the 27th.
I'm getting used to Bulgaria now. Although the language is similar to Serbian, the prounciation and some of the vocab is different and I've had to relearn key phrases. Bulgarians shake their heads for "no" and nod for "yes" which is also very confusing. Most Bulgarians are helpful and polite, some are grumpy and rude, but some Bulgarians are amazingly friendly, welcoming and kind.
I'm getting a little sick of the food - endless reconstituted meat patties in various shapes, cucumbers and tomatoes galore, and foul tripe soup.
But in Plovidiv there's a great restaurant where you can see you dish before you pick it - hooray Kavarma stew and rice with vegetables!
Next blog from Turkey!
Having arrived in a fantastic hostel in the wonderful city of Plovdiv, with free internet access, I've managed to post loads of pictures from Serbia and Bulgaria. So enjoy.
If I sound a little over the top, it's because this place is so friendly and restful after a very tough four days of walking along main roads. I've also booked my ticket home. I plan to arrive in Istanbul on the 21 September so if anyone wants to come and meet me, I will be there until the 27th.
I'm getting used to Bulgaria now. Although the language is similar to Serbian, the prounciation and some of the vocab is different and I've had to relearn key phrases. Bulgarians shake their heads for "no" and nod for "yes" which is also very confusing. Most Bulgarians are helpful and polite, some are grumpy and rude, but some Bulgarians are amazingly friendly, welcoming and kind.
I'm getting a little sick of the food - endless reconstituted meat patties in various shapes, cucumbers and tomatoes galore, and foul tripe soup.
But in Plovidiv there's a great restaurant where you can see you dish before you pick it - hooray Kavarma stew and rice with vegetables!
Next blog from Turkey!
Monday, 27 August 2007
Blog: Welcome to Bulgaria
Despite being told that "it can't be done", I managed to walk through the
wild terrain that spans the over 100 mile distance from Nis to Sofia in record time of 4 days.
It was one of the toughest sections with several hours walking in the hot sun alongside the transit road from Europe to Asia, with very few shops and cafes.
The day's walk into Sofia was the longest yet. I walked 31 miles or 50 km, from Dragoman to the Capital of Bulgaria where I met mum and my sister, Sarah. So far impressions of Bulgaria are positive. We've been nearly cheated a few times in restaurants in Sofia (something that never happened in Serbia), but people are generally kind and very helpful.
My walk is on temporary pause while I gather energy on the Black Sea before returning to Sofia to complete the last fifth of my walk to Istanbul.
Serbia was a great country all in all. Some of the people are a little upset - understandably - about the NATO bombing in 1999 but that doesn't stop them from being welcomnig to Westerners. The city of Novi Sad has an unrivalled beautiful position on the banks of the Danube, and the countryside of southern Serbia is wild like a fantasy land, full of forests, mountains and hidden monastries.
I was interviewed twice in Serbia by the local media - the first time I've had a camera pointing in my face! I also met other walkers. One going from London to Persia - good luck Mohammed - and another walking from the Basque country to Alexandria via Jerusalem - keep going Jose!
Accessing external files seems to be almost impossible south of Alps. Sorry about lack of photos. I will keep trying.
Walk begins again on 1 September.
wild terrain that spans the over 100 mile distance from Nis to Sofia in record time of 4 days.
It was one of the toughest sections with several hours walking in the hot sun alongside the transit road from Europe to Asia, with very few shops and cafes.
The day's walk into Sofia was the longest yet. I walked 31 miles or 50 km, from Dragoman to the Capital of Bulgaria where I met mum and my sister, Sarah. So far impressions of Bulgaria are positive. We've been nearly cheated a few times in restaurants in Sofia (something that never happened in Serbia), but people are generally kind and very helpful.
My walk is on temporary pause while I gather energy on the Black Sea before returning to Sofia to complete the last fifth of my walk to Istanbul.
Serbia was a great country all in all. Some of the people are a little upset - understandably - about the NATO bombing in 1999 but that doesn't stop them from being welcomnig to Westerners. The city of Novi Sad has an unrivalled beautiful position on the banks of the Danube, and the countryside of southern Serbia is wild like a fantasy land, full of forests, mountains and hidden monastries.
I was interviewed twice in Serbia by the local media - the first time I've had a camera pointing in my face! I also met other walkers. One going from London to Persia - good luck Mohammed - and another walking from the Basque country to Alexandria via Jerusalem - keep going Jose!
Accessing external files seems to be almost impossible south of Alps. Sorry about lack of photos. I will keep trying.
Walk begins again on 1 September.
Sunday, 19 August 2007
Surviving Serbia
Greetings from Nis, in south east Serbia. My trip is going well and I found the strength to carry on. The section in Serbia has been easily the most adventurous so far. I have been interviwed by local TV stations and the local press, I have met a range of Serbians - all of whom are friendly and welcoming, and I have met an Iranian who is walking from London to the Persian Gulf for peace. There seems to be a problem with this blog account, but I'll try and post this and some pictures.
Wednesday, 8 August 2007
Blog: Belgrade...Belgrade...Belgrade...Belgrade
I think that you can guess from the title where I am?
After three months of my journey, I have enterred the capital of the former Yugoslavia.
Beograd is bustling, busy, lively and loud. It has some incredibly ugly parts but also some overwhelmingly beautiful bits - like the views across the Sava and Danube rivers and the glimpses you get of the orthodox churches lit up as you walk around the city at night.
Serbia has been tough, but I'm slowly getting to understand and appreciate its charm. Like Hungary, it is a country of contrasts, but the contrasts are perhaps even more pronounced here.
In the centre of a village on the way into Belgrade - the equivalent location of Chelmsford or Guildford in England - my path was stopped by a flood of cattle pourring out of a farmstead. These were accompanied by a number of yapping dogs; I was unsure whether they were strays or farmdogs herding the cattle. This was looked on by an old woman dressed in a colourful shawl leaning on a wooden stick, who looked as old as time itself. A Mercedes Benz drew up beeping at the cattle to get out of its way so it could rush on towards the capital. All this, just after I passed a posh cafe terrace laid out on the dirty pavement with reclining seats with huge cushions, and shiny menus and umbrella shading.
It was images like this that have made me determined to carry on. Between Novi Sad and Belgrade as I walked parallel with the Danube, I sufferred a crisis of confidence. Some of the road walking has been so terrible, always dodging oncoming lorries and streams of Yugos that I was close to giving up and taking the bus. But, now I determine to carry on and search out country roads even if it is a longer way round.
I think the USB port works here, so here are the Hungarian smiles I promised you.
Paul
After three months of my journey, I have enterred the capital of the former Yugoslavia.
Beograd is bustling, busy, lively and loud. It has some incredibly ugly parts but also some overwhelmingly beautiful bits - like the views across the Sava and Danube rivers and the glimpses you get of the orthodox churches lit up as you walk around the city at night.
Serbia has been tough, but I'm slowly getting to understand and appreciate its charm. Like Hungary, it is a country of contrasts, but the contrasts are perhaps even more pronounced here.
In the centre of a village on the way into Belgrade - the equivalent location of Chelmsford or Guildford in England - my path was stopped by a flood of cattle pourring out of a farmstead. These were accompanied by a number of yapping dogs; I was unsure whether they were strays or farmdogs herding the cattle. This was looked on by an old woman dressed in a colourful shawl leaning on a wooden stick, who looked as old as time itself. A Mercedes Benz drew up beeping at the cattle to get out of its way so it could rush on towards the capital. All this, just after I passed a posh cafe terrace laid out on the dirty pavement with reclining seats with huge cushions, and shiny menus and umbrella shading.
It was images like this that have made me determined to carry on. Between Novi Sad and Belgrade as I walked parallel with the Danube, I sufferred a crisis of confidence. Some of the road walking has been so terrible, always dodging oncoming lorries and streams of Yugos that I was close to giving up and taking the bus. But, now I determine to carry on and search out country roads even if it is a longer way round.
I think the USB port works here, so here are the Hungarian smiles I promised you.
Paul
Wednesday, 25 July 2007
Blog: Hello from Hungary
As I expected, things have got much tougher now that I'm in Eastern Europe. Planning ahead and booking ahead is virtually impossible because there aren't any youth hostels, I can't speak the language and the few tourist information centres that exist are normally closed by the time I arrive. I've been staying in a mixture of guesthouses and cheap hotels - and everything is much cheaper in Hungary, especially the food. You can get a really good feed for 4 or 5 pounds. Actually, the food is one of my favourite things about the country. They excel in stews here which is one of my favourite dishes. Everything is with sauce (not vinegar like in Austria) and is pleasantly spicey. One of my favourites is the "Vitaminsalad". For Hungarians, this is a super healthy choice: cold diced carrots, peas and sweetcorns garnished with a heap of mayonaise and a sprikling of paprika.
Hungarians are friendly and helpful. I've been offered food a couple of times: a bag full of pale peppers, pork snitchel in KFC flavoured batter and pancakes galore. The main problem has been the heat. It has been topping the high 30s, and reached a new July record for Hungary, at 42 celcius in the south and east of the country. I'm now in Pecs, a beautiful historic city. The main square is adorned with a massive mosque, which has been converted into a church. It signals to me that I am enterring Ottoman Europe: the territory fought over between Christians and Muslims for centuries.
Hopefully, I'll find a proper internet cafe later and can post some photos. I'm getting better at asking people if I can photograph them, so expect some Hungarian smiles.
Hungarians are friendly and helpful. I've been offered food a couple of times: a bag full of pale peppers, pork snitchel in KFC flavoured batter and pancakes galore. The main problem has been the heat. It has been topping the high 30s, and reached a new July record for Hungary, at 42 celcius in the south and east of the country. I'm now in Pecs, a beautiful historic city. The main square is adorned with a massive mosque, which has been converted into a church. It signals to me that I am enterring Ottoman Europe: the territory fought over between Christians and Muslims for centuries.
Hopefully, I'll find a proper internet cafe later and can post some photos. I'm getting better at asking people if I can photograph them, so expect some Hungarian smiles.
Thursday, 12 July 2007
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