2007_03_01_archive

Presentation Card of Walk

LONDON - ISTANBUL

2,000 miles...10 countries...120 days...On foot!

Between May and September 2007, Paul will travel across Europe from London

to Istanbul on foot. His route will pass through some of the continent's

major cities: Brussels, Mannheim, Munich, Salzburg, Belgrade and Sofia. The

walk will present a vigorous physical and psychological challenge. Paul will

undertake this journey alone, walking twenty miles a day for 6 days of the

week and will have to cross a series of mountainous ranges including the

Bavarian and Austrian Alps. Not only will this journey be an enormous

personal achievement, but also Paul hopes both to raise significant sums of

money for his two charities - the British Heart Foundation and Europa Nostra

- and to raise public awareness about European cultural heritage.

THE CHARITIES

The British Heart Foundation is the largest independent funder of

heart research in the UK. It plays an important role in funding

education targeted at both the general public and health

professionals. The BHF is also a major provider of life-saving cardiac

equipment and support for rehabilitation and patient care. Its

overarching aim is to play a leading role in the fight against disease

of the heart and circulation so that it is no longer a major cause of

disability and premature death.

Europa Nostra is the representative platform of over 200 heritage NGOs

active throughout Europe. It serves as the voice of this vast movement

of European civil society towards major international bodies, in

particular the European Union, the Council of Europe and UNESCO. As

well as supporting national and international campaigns for the

preservation and rescue of Europe's heritage at risk, Europa Nostra

works to promote high standards in the fields of heritage

conservation, architecture, and urban and rural planning.

WHY A EUROPEAN WALK?

By doing this walk, Paul hopes to demonstrate in practical and

symbolic terms the importance of promoting unity and harmony

throughout the European continent. Alongside ever-progressing

political and economic integration, Paul believes that it is important

to advance social cohesion and foster a shared sense of cultural

identity amongst the European people. This can be done by promoting

and celebrating our common heritage.

The walk will demonstrate the wealth, richness and diversity of

Europe's heritage. Along the way, Paul will visit several prehistoric

and Roman archaeological sites, medieval fortresses and castles,

Second World War cemeteries and a number of World Heritage Cities

including London, Graz, Salzburg and Istanbul. The journey reflects

one made by Patrick Leigh Fermor, who walked from London to Istanbul

in the 1930s, at a time when the continent was on the verge of being

changed forever. To celebrate and explore the discoveries and

experiences of his walk, Paul will be organising an exhibition in

London on his return in September.

Posted by Paul Gardner at 15:32 0 comments

London-Istanbul Webblog

Welcome to my the London-Istanbul Webblog site. Here you can follow

the my progress as

I hike across the European continent.

The 2,000 mile journey will start at 9am in Trafalgar Square, London

on 6 May 2007.

From there I will walk in a south-easterly direction, traversing ten

countries,

one mountain range, several rivers and hundreds of towns and villages