Having been in France for a couple of months, I think it’s fair to say I’m now an expert in French culture. Considering this, I feel it’s my duty to address a couple of stereotypes of French people, both of which were popular when I was growing up. I have discovered that one of these is indeed true, whilst the other is demonstrably false. When I was a kid, the stereotypical French bloke was depicted as wearing a black beret…
It’d been ages since I’d been to the beach, so when I reached the Baltic Coast I was keen get my feet in the sand. I was staying in Ahlbeck, one of a number of small villages along the north coast of Usedom Island. Getting off the train and walking through the town to my accomodation, the place definitely had a sleepy seaside feel to it. In summer I expect the place is bulging with tourists, but it was quiet…
I spent three years trying to learn German when I was at high school, and I have to tell you, I found it pretty tough. I kept getting the feeling that I must have missed some classes, despite the fact that I hadn’t. Everyone else seemed to understand what was going on, whilst I sat there feeling overwhelmed and terrified the teacher was going to ask me a question. Apart from this I quite enjoyed the classes, as hearing the…
It has been a fascinating visit to Bosnia Herzegovina. I have learned a lot about the tiny nation’s turbulent history, and also enjoyed getting out and about to enjoy some of its beautiful natural areas. Sadly, during my stay, war has once again broken out in Europe. After amassing forces on the border with Ukraine, Russia, despite repeated assurances to the contrary, have now invaded their neighbour. My plan after leaving BiH was to head to Croatia, but now I…
It took a little effort to get into Serbia, with a bum steer* from a bus company and Novak Djokovic’s 2021 Australian Open debacle nearly derailing my attempts. But after a shaky start I have enjoyed my time here in the largest of the former Yugoslavian countries. However the time has come to be leaving Serbia. From here I’m going to cross the border into Bosnia and Herzegovena, so I’ll let you know what I what I find. Until then…
I loitered outside the bakery in Tirana, the capital of Albania, looking in my wallet for Albanian lek. I find that having a few smaller denomination notes identified before I go into a shop saves fumbling for money at the till while the locals are lining up behind. Into the bakery I strode, and selected the goodies I was after. The lady identified me as a foreigner (not hard), and kindly wrote down the total on a piece of paper…
I returned to the bus terminal where I had arrived in Kosovo a week before. I had a bit of time up my sleeve as I wasn’t sure exactly where my bus for Serbia would leave from. A walk through the terminal area and I was none the wiser. I couldn’t see a sign for my bus company anywhere, and the people I asked had no idea where the departure point was either. I ended up messaging the provider who…
Since I was in North Macedonia, I was right next door to Kosovo, Europe’s youngest country. So I thought I’d have a look. After a little under four hours from Skopje, the bus pulled over and the driver announced ‘Pristina’. It was early evening, dark and snowing steadily, and it seemed like the bus had stopped at a completely random location. No signs, no buildings. I needed convincing. ‘Pristina?’ I asked the driver as he slung my backpack at me…
When I was a young bloke, there was an Australian Rules footballer called Peter Daicos. He was a freakish talent, and although he played for the much hated Collingwood Magpies, you couldn’t help but be impressed by his skills. Daicos was known as the ‘Macedonian Marvel’, and after his playing career went into sports media, where you got the impression he was a pretty good bloke all round. Since I was heading to Macedonia, I thought it would be pretty…
In the line of fire When I was a kid, I remember we had a wooden souvenir school ruler in amongst our stationery at home. For those younger readers, a ruler is a 30cm long strip of wood along which you drag a pen or pencil to make a straight line on a piece of paper. Oh, and stationery refers to things you use to write or draw with, which is what pens and pencils are. And writing is something…