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It’s hard to sum up four and a half months on the road from Norway to India. Here are a few photographs to remember the journey by.

A study in blue and white: the church overlooking the caldera in Oia in Santorini.

The Treasury at Petra, Jordan comes magnificently into view after walking for more than a kilometre through a stunning narrow canyon known as The Siq.

We climbed through the morning to reach the top of Mt Sinai in Egypt, surrounded by singing pilgrims and overlooking a barren landscape lit up by a spectacular sunrise.

We climbed Mount Olympus once; I assure you that we won’t be climbing it again. Picture taken before fear of the descent set in.

Our Canadian friends Jerome and Caroline enjoy a moment of solitude at the magnificent Taj Mahal in Agra, India.

Overlooking the lake palace at Udaipur, India.

We took a walk through Rose Valley in Cappadocia, Turkey and were surprised to find that we were not alone among the rocky outcrops.

We had seen a few largish things along the way in Egypt but nothing could prepare us for the sheer “hugeness” of the Pyramids of Giza.

These little feluccas looked terrific on Nile… from the window of our luxurious Moevenpick cruise ship.

I was delighted to share my thoughts on Iran’s propagandistic religious regime with the enthusiastic reporters of Esfahan TV.

I couldn’t quite get the hang of the stick dance at India’s Navrati celebration but it provided ample opportunity for interaction between the thousands of young men and women of Udaipur.

This magnificent citadel stood out over the predominantly grey concrete sensibilities of Syria’s Aleppo.

Lone Pine, Gallipoli, evoked a strong sense of familiarity, even on our first visit.

To experience Pamukkale in Turkey, you genuinely have to get your feet wet.

Norway in “summer”. Andrew swimming; Kate leading the way.