Slow Trains to Istanbul: ...And Back: A 4,570-Mile Adventure on 55 Rides

"That’s exactly the way to put it. It’s a travel book of the Old School, really—you know, with the author setting out on a grand expedition, for the reasons we were just talking about, the pleasure and serendipity of it all. Obviously it’s part of this hallowed genre of train journeys will all its accompanying romance. Chesshyre is an enjoyably exuberant yet self-deprecating traveller. He just plunges in with great gusto. With a friend, he moves from London to Paris, Naples, Nuremberg, the Swiss Alps, Budapest, Athens, and on through Eastern Europe, Romania, Bulgaria, eventually to Istanbul. Then he turns round and comes all the way back. They are two middle-aged guys who enjoy a drink, and it’s an unpretentious account of their journey with interesting snippets of history and culture. He has a great eye for detail. As Paul Theroux said: “I sought trains, I found passengers.” There are interesting characters in the story. It’s a book for the rail enthusiast who might set out on a similar journey, and perhaps relive their youth in a spirit of adventure. Yes, and Chesshyre can’t help himself, he references the master of that category, Paul Theroux , several times!"