British admiral Charles Colville Frankland (1792-1876) travelled from Vienna to the Southeastern Europe and the East in 1827, when he was still a lieutenant in the Navy. His journey lasted fifteen months. Frankland published the account of his journey soon after his return.

Frankland's account is written in the form of a travel journal. He describes his itinerary from Vienna to Hungary, Wallachia and Bulgaria all the way to Istanbul, where he toured the monuments and sights in the surrounding area. On his return trip Frankland crossed the Dardanelles and the Troad and reached Smyrna. From Smyrna he travelled to Nafplio and Athens, where he met Mavrokordatos and Trikoupis, and visited Aegina and Poros. In continuation, he travelled to Cyprus, Syria and Alexandria and returned to Vienna by way of Malta and Italy.

The edition of his account is illustrated with engravings based on the author's drawings, and includes a glossary of the Arabic language and an index of stopping places on the journey from Vienna to Istanbul.

Written by Ioli Vingopoulou