We Do Adventure

Given time, I could write a delightful post about some wonderful New Year experiences in Dubrovnik. Alas, today you will just have to make do with some videos instead!

I noticed my brother changed the banner on his blog the other day. The new image presents a list of places where his readers log in from, much like fashion stores have a fondness for putting London, Paris and Milan on their windows. The purpose of this blog is not to try and go one up on his impressive selection of cyber destinations but merely to say thank you to those of you who have been following our adventure throughout 2009. Thanks to all of you who have commented or let us know that you enjoy what you're reading. We know 2010 has some exciting things in store; we hope you'll be part of seeing them unfold with us. But, tempted as I am to do my own little bit of 'place-dropping', I'll let you in on our New Year plans. In previous years we've taken in the delights that London, New York and Cape Town have to offer. Tonight we will be in Dubrovnik and I'm sure they'll be pictures or, more likely, video to follow!

We saw in the New Year with the celebrations in Mostar. The evening was opened up by Laka , who then went on to, undoubtedly, rock Sarajevo as the clock struck twelve. Laka, for those not up on their Balkan pop, are the act who represented Bosnia Herzegovina in the Eurovision song contest this year. ( See our previous entry about that .) They were fantastic. Super quirky and original, a fine blend of comedy and melody with a tight backing band. Today Rowan was on a local news website and spotted us in their report on last night. If you check out the photos be sure to admire the lead guitarist’s jacket – I won’t go so far to say I’m envious, but its close! Perhaps it gives an insight into what Tim Jupp is up to in his life after Delirious? There were other band playing besides Laka, but RT1 didn’t see fit to show them. However, I will say that Elemental have improved since we saw them in an over-crowded Sarajevo student bar. They got the privilege of playing over the New Year – pausin...

Up until now I had been quite excited to discover I wasn’t the only Scrooge in the country. Back in England, to be in church and not to be into Christmas was, certainly in my experience, something of an anathema. The two seemed indivisible. Over the years I found myself the centre of much seasonal bafflement – particularly when I married someone who enjoys all things Christmasy! My lack of emotional attachment to the celebrations finds me fitting well amongst a group of Christians from Muslim, Catholic and communist backgrounds. While none of us doubt the importance of Jesus’ birth we have our questions about what the celebration has turned into. I’m not going to try and persuade anyone to my point of view, but neither am I going to get excited about something I think at best unimportant, at worst misguided. Sadly, such high-sounding principles lay dashed by an ignominious fall from the moral high ground. I had to make a tough decision in what was an interestingly organised trip distri...