Any Excuse to Travel

Stories from travels in

June 2012

Life and death on the Tisza

‘It’s started. They’re flowering. Catch the next train to Subotica and someone will meet you at the station.’ I’d been waiting for this particular phone

Sarajevo window box

No Bosnians in Bosnia

I met a woman once who had survived the concentration camps. I was in awe of her. She was old and frail, but feisty. It

Bonnets and Belgrade

I’ve been told on more than one occasion that I have a big head. It rarely bothers me except when I get the urge to

Johnny Valiant

Three hundred and seventy verses, 1480 lines, make for one hell of a long poem. But I read them all, cover to cover, the first

Back in the Balkans

Get the phone call – revise the route – hop on a train – and enjoy the best of Serbian hospitality. Just another Sunday in

Live ducklings and rosary beads

I’m a great fan of markets. I love sorting through other people’s junk in search of a piece of history or something that I can

An oasis of learning in the heart of the community

Living in Budapest, it’s easy sometimes to forget that there’s a whole other world out there, one that lies beyond the city limits. A world

Frescos and cheese

I’ve never professed to be an art expert – what I know about art (other than knowing what I like) could be written on the

Shaken not stirred

‘Wear a good bra’, she said seriously. ‘It’s the hév’, I thought, ‘how bad can it be?’ One hour and fifteen minutes later, I was

Yes in my back yard

The developers must die a little inside each time they see this community garden on Nagytemplom utca. Smack in the middle of the Corvin Sétány