In 2004, Norbert Schöbel and his partner Thorsten Baensch began walking from their adopted home in Brussels to Munich, the city of Norbert’s birth. This was the first big step on a Grand Tour of more than 3,000 km tracing a circle across Europe in 155 days over 12 years and 7 months. Hamburg, where Thorsten grew up, was also part of the trip, as were Berlin, Prague and many other cities, towns and villages. They walked through seven countries: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

The large-sized book of 752 pages is the report of their quest. It documents the contemplative aspects of hiking and the discovery of ordinary yet oddly man-made landscapes and intriguing places. This illustrated travelogue features detailed maps created for each day and a borderless Europe, taking the reader on a journey marked by various leitmotifs such as danger, death and nature.

The book is written in German with short English summaries for every stage. Concept and photography are by Thorsten Baensch and Norbert Schöbel; the text is by Norbert Schöbel, with text editing and translations by Michael Foster. Design and lithography are by Carel Fransen and Rob van Hoesel, and cartography is by Carel Fransen. The volume measures 235 × 330 mm, is a classic softcover, and was printed and bound by Wilco Art Books (NL). This feel-good book is a celebration of the simplicity of walking together on one path, in a time of vast complexity and divergence.