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Sarajevo – Siege City, Bosnia and Herzegovina
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The first time I remember Sarajevo coming to our screens in Australia was for the ’84 Winter Olympics. The second time was for a long and bloody siege that mocked any notion of human rights and dignity.
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Lost and Found in Translation, Balkans
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I often find it funny how people who speak English as a second (third, fourth or fifth) language habitually use phrases that English people don’t. I am sure there are people all around the world right now saying the exact same thing about English speakers who learn their languages.
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Leaving Kosovo
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Sometimes leaving a country is a straight-forward, stress-free exercise. Other times, it is anything but.
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A Walk in the Black Forest, Germany
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The Black Forest. The name conjures images of dark, mysterious mountain woods, inhabited by wild animals and supernatural creatures straight from the pages of classic fairytales. I was in the neighbourhood, so thought I’d spend some time exploring this place of legends.
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The Statues of Skopje, North Macedonia
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Whoever was in charge of Skopje’s Statue Department clearly took the ‘more is more’ approach to their portfolio. The Macedonian capital has a lot of statues. And when I sat a lot, I mean heaps. Literally hundreds.
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Vodici Ceremony, North Macedonia
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When I checked in to my apartment in the North Macedonian capital of Skopje, the landlord mentioned that the following day was a public holiday. He explained that a ceremony, involving hardy souls plunging into the freezing Vardar River, would be taking place in the city, and that it’s something I might like to have…
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The Sound of Lake Ngototo, New Zealand
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Hearing kids nearby singing along to Chris Cornell had me reminiscing about seeing live music in the 1990s
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The Storks of Poland
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Apparently 25% of the world’s white storks nest in Poland, and therefore ‘every fourth white stork is a Pole’.
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Taupo Volcanic Zone
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New Zealand is pretty much made up of a whole bunch of volcanoes linked together by other volcanoes. Despite the risk of incineration, tourists like me flock to the Taupo Volcanic Zone to experience a little geothermal action.
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Ferry to Athens
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I decided to take the ferry to Athens. It’s more expensive than a flight, takes all night, and no-one chooses it unless they are taking a car with them, but I like ferries so I bloody-well booked it anyway.