An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home.

Expect gentle reflections, real places, local voices, field recordings, and stories that go beyond the usual headlines.

Hidden at the end of a quiet track through the farmland and forests of northern Bosnia and Herzegovina is a place that has become a lifeline for nearly 200 dogs.

In this episode of An Englishman in the Balkans, I visit Suny Shelter, a dog sanctuary run by Balkan Dogs, a Finnish volunteer organisation founded in 2015. The shelter provides safety, veterinary care, space and, eventually, the possibility of a permanent home for dogs rescued from the streets, abandoned by their owners or removed from difficult conditions in municipal shelters.

I sit down with Mei Sawanoi, who moved permanently from Finland to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2019. Together with her husband, Dražen, she now lives at the shelter and cares for the dogs every day.

Mei shares the story of how adopting one rescue dog led her towards the Balkans, why she eventually made Bosnia her home, and what daily life is really like when almost 200 dogs depend upon you.

I also speak with Elina, a Finnish volunteer whose own adopted dog first introduced her to Balkan Dogs. She describes the emotional experience of meeting animals she had previously seen arriving at the shelter injured, frightened and severely neglected—only to find them healthy, trusting and ready to begin new lives.

We also hear about the extraordinary journeys Mei and Dražen make every two months, driving rescued dogs for around 30 hours from Bosnia through Europe to Finland, where carefully selected adoptive families are waiting for them.

This is not simply a story about a dog shelter. It is a story about compassion, responsibility, sacrifice and the difference a small group of determined people can make.

In this episode:

The story behind Suny Shelter and Balkan Dogs

Why Mei left Finland and moved permanently to Bosnia

The reality facing abandoned and stray dogs in Bosnia and Herzegovina

How the shelter cares for almost 200 dogs

The importance of vaccination, quarantine and sterilisation

Why Finnish volunteers travel to Bosnia to help

How rescued dogs are transported and re-homed in Finland

The emotional rewards, and pressures, of running a rescue shelter

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If this episode brought back a memory, made you curious about Bosnia and Herzegovina, or simply gave you something to think about, why not send me a WhatsApp voice note?

You might have a question, a story of your own, or just want to say hello.

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As always, thank you for being here.

David

An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home.

Expect gentle reflections, real places, local voices, field recordings, and stories that go beyond the usual headlines.

Living here has taught me that sometimes the most respectful thing an outsider can do is listen rather than judge.

I’ve lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina for many years, and one question comes up more often than almost any other: why don’t I talk more about politics?

The truth is, I follow what happens here and I see how political decisions affect everyday life. But I also believe that, as someone not born here, my role is to listen more than I speak. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a deeply complex country, shaped by history, memory, identity and experiences that do not fit neatly into simple explanations.

In this episode, I reflect on why I avoid political commentary, why outsiders can so easily misread this country, and why I would rather encourage visitors to come for the people, the culture, the landscapes and the stories. Sometimes the most respectful thing we can do is ask questions, remain curious and accept that not everything has a simple answer.

Leave a comment

If you enjoy these stories from Bosnia and Herzegovina, you can find more at:

Website: https://www.anenglishmaninthebalkans.com

YouTube: A British Voice in Bosnia with David Bailey

If this episode gave you a different glimpse of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the simplest way to support the podcast is to share it with someone who might enjoy these stories too.

You can also subscribe here on Substack to receive future episodes and reflections directly by email.

Share

As always, thank you for being here.

David

Good News from Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦 This Week.

It is very easy, in this country, to be drawn towards the difficult stories.

Politics, division, bureaucracy, frustration, summer water shortages, endless delays, they are never very far away. And I do not think we should pretend otherwise.

But every week I also try to look in the other direction.

Not because I want to ignore the problems, but because Bosnia and Herzegovina is much more than its problems. There are always small signs of movement, pride, creativity and ordinary life carrying on. Sometimes they are big national moments. Sometimes they are just water coming back into people’s taps.

So, here are a few pieces of good news from Bosnia and Herzegovina this week.

Football pride, even in defeat

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup journey came to an end after defeat to the United States, but I don’t think that should take away from what the team achieved.

Coach Sergej Barbarez said afterwards that the players should be proud of their journey, and I think that really matters.

In a country where so much gets pulled apart by politics, football briefly gave people something simpler to share. A flag. A song. A bit of nervous hope. A reason to shout at the television together.

That may not solve anything, of course. But it still means something.

For those of us who live here, and for the huge Bosnian diaspora scattered across the world, those moments are not just about football.

They are about being seen.

A small step towards cleaner air

The Western Balkans, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, have committed to stronger tobacco-control policies and a more smoke-free future.

Now, I know what some of you may be thinking.

Bosnia and Herzegovina and smoke-free public places? That may sound ambitious.

And yes, as always here, the promise is one thing and implementation is another. But if this eventually means less exposure to second-hand smoke in indoor public places, workplaces and public transport, then it is a positive step.

Especially for children. Especially for families. Especially for those who have simply got used to smoke being part of everyday life.

Of course, I’ll believe the full impact when I see it, but I still think it is worth noting.

Solar panels and practical progress

The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has adopted its first support scheme for residential solar self-consumption, with grants reportedly available for households.

That might not sound as emotional as a football match, but in many ways this is exactly the sort of good news I like.

Quiet. Practical. Useful.

Energy is one of those things we all tend to take for granted until there is a problem. So anything that helps households move towards producing some of their own electricity feels like a sensible step in the right direction.

Not dramatic. Not flashy. But potentially very useful.

Strengthening the electricity grid

Staying with energy, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is providing a €46 million loan to help modernise Bosnia and Herzegovina’s electricity transmission network.

Again, this is not the sort of story that will make everyone stop scrolling.

But it matters.

I can’t begin to count the times our electricity get cit off - just like that

A stronger grid should help with stability, reduce losses, and make it easier to connect more renewable energy in the future. In a country with so much natural potential, that is important.

Sometimes progress does not arrive as one big shiny announcement. Sometimes it arrives as infrastructure. Cables. Systems. Upgrades. Things most of us never notice when they are working properly.

More passengers through Tuzla Airport

Tuzla International Airport has seen passenger numbers more than double in the first five months of this year.

For a country where travel connections can still feel frustratingly limited, that is encouraging.

Airports are not just buildings with check-in desks. They are connections. People coming home. Families visiting. Workers travelling. Tourists arriving. Students leaving and returning. Diaspora links kept alive.

For Bosnia and Herzegovina, better connectivity is always good news.

Sarajevo Film Festival is getting ready again

The Sarajevo Film Festival is already preparing for its 32nd edition, which will take place in August.

I have always thought the festival is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s great cultural calling cards.

It shows a different face of the country to the world. Creative. Open. International. Confident. And deeply rooted in a city that knows more than most about resilience.

In a country that is too often described through politics and problems, culture still has a way of opening doors.

And finally, water in the taps

Closer to home, there was some good news for parts of Banja Luka, where water supply from the Tunjice reservoir was reported as stable again, with residents relieved to have regular supply.

That may sound like a small thing.

But if you have lived through summer water problems here, you will know it is not small at all.

When was the last time you had full buckets of water ready to flush the toilet?

Sometimes good news is not a grand announcement, a policy document, or a national achievement.

Sometimes good news is simply turning on the tap and water coming out.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is complicated. It always has been. But inside all that complication, life keeps moving. People keep creating, travelling, watching football, making plans, fixing things, waiting for rain, hoping for better, and getting on with the day.

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🎧 The Podcast.

In this episode of An Englishman in the Balkans, I sit down in Banja Luka with photographer, writer, and fellow Substacker Jennie Blythe.

Jennie has travelled widely across the former Yugoslavia, but this was her first visit to Banja Luka.

Over pita cooked under the sač, with heavy rain falling outside, we talked about first impressions, Bosnian hospitality, photography, history, memory, and the way this country quietly draws people in.

Our conversation takes us from the Partisan monument on Banj Brdo to the everyday rituals of local food, from street photography and respect to the slow, thoughtful world of Substack.

What I loved most about this conversation was seeing a place I know well through someone else’s eyes. Jennie notices the details many of us walk past: a monument, a posture, a street corner, a quiet expression, or the feeling of a city after rain.

This is an episode about Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also about looking more carefully, travelling more slowly, and understanding that every place carries stories if we take the time to listen.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

📸 Seen This Week.

😢 Obituary

The centre of Banja Luka loses an iconic piece of history.

The closing of Kod Muje in the centre of Banja Luka feels like one of those small local moments that says rather a lot.

On the face of it, it is just a ćevabdžinica closing its doors in one part of town.

But places like this are never just about food.

They are about habit. Memory. Meeting people. The smell of grilled meat drifting out into the street. The quick lunch. The familiar table. The place you took visitors because, in some quiet way, it said something about Banja Luka.

Cities change, of course. They always have. New cafés appear, old signs come down, rents rise, tastes shift, streets slowly become something else.

But when a place like Kod Muje disappears from the centre, it feels like another little thread has been pulled from the fabric of the city.

For many people, Banja Luka ćevap is not just something to eat. It is part of the city’s identity.

And for those of us who live here, or who have spent years trying to understand this place beyond the headlines, these small closures matter.

Because sometimes you notice change not through politics or big announcements, but through an empty doorway where there used to be smoke, conversation, and the smell of ćevapi.

Another little piece of old Banja Luka quietly gone.

Note: Kod Muje still has two other outlets that are still open.

🎙️ The Sound of Bosnia.

An Earworm.

The other weekend Tamara, her father and I were in Zenica. Up the side of a mountain at the club where our hiking club is.

There was sooo much food. How UNUSUAL for Bosnia. Some drinks and a massive loudspeaker pumping out “toons”

The playlist, it has to be said wasn’t huge.

This track was played a lot and has become somewhat of an earworm to be honest:

🏡 From the Kitchen

Kljukuša

Tamara has been busy again.
Kljukuša is a traditional dish from Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is made from a few simple ingredients:

• Grated potatoes

• Flour

• Water

• Salt

• A little cooking oil

The mixture is poured into a baking tray and baked until it develops a crisp, golden-brown crust. Once baked, it is often drizzled with a mixture of garlic and oil, or served with sour cream or plain yogurt.

It’s a simple, hearty, and comforting dish that has long been a staple of Bosnian home cooking. Despite its humble ingredients, a well-made kljukuša is full of flavour and is enjoyed throughout the country.

🗺️ A Place Worth Knowing About.

This week, I’m taking you to near Krupa na Vrbasu.

Just outside Krupa na Vrbasu, the Kameni Most feels like one of those places you could easily pass by without fully noticing, and yet it holds so much quiet beauty.

Stone, water, greenery, and that unmistakable sound of the Vrbas nearby all come together in a way that feels timeless.

It is not grand in a showy sense, but that is exactly its charm. It feels rooted, modest, and deeply Bosnian, the sort of place that reminds me why the smaller corners of this country often leave the strongest impression.

👇 Watch the video here.

💬 A Question.

“What small moment made you stop and smile this week?”

Leave a comment

An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home.

Expect gentle reflections, real places, local voices, field recordings, and stories that go beyond the usual headlines.

In this episode of An Englishman in the Balkans, I sit down in Banja Luka with photographer, writer, and fellow Substacker Jennie Blythe.

Jennie has travelled widely across the former Yugoslavia, but this was her first visit to Banja Luka.

Over pita cooked under the sač, with heavy rain falling outside, we talked about first impressions, Bosnian hospitality, photography, history, memory, and the way this country quietly draws people in.

Our conversation takes us from the Partisan monument on Banj Brdo to the everyday rituals of local food, from street photography and respect to the slow, thoughtful world of Substack.

What I loved most about this conversation was seeing a place I know well through someone else’s eyes. Jennie notices the details many of us walk past: a monument, a posture, a street corner, a quiet expression, or the feeling of a city after rain.

This is an episode about Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also about looking more carefully, travelling more slowly, and understanding that every place carries stories if we take the time to listen.

Leave a comment

If you enjoy these stories from Bosnia and Herzegovina, you can find more at:

Website: https://www.anenglishmaninthebalkans.com

YouTube: A British Voice in Bosnia with David Bailey

If this episode gave you a different glimpse of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the simplest way to support the podcast is to share it with someone who might enjoy these stories too.

You can also subscribe here on Substack to receive future episodes and reflections directly by email.

Share

As always, thank you for being here.

David

An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home.

Expect gentle reflections, real places, local voices, field recordings, and stories that go beyond the usual headlines.

In this episode I want to take you with me to one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s most remarkable places. Lukomir.

Perched nearly 1,500 meters up on Bjelašnica Mountain, it’s the country’s highest permanently inhabited village. Seventeen families still call it home.

The winters bury their stone houses in snow, sometimes for months, while the summers transform the fields into wide open pastures.

On paper, it sounds like a postcard.

Leave a comment

If you enjoy these stories from Bosnia and Herzegovina, you can find more at:

Website: https://www.anenglishmaninthebalkans.com

YouTube: A British Voice in Bosnia with David Bailey

If this episode gave you a different glimpse of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the simplest way to support the podcast is to share it with someone who might enjoy these stories too.

You can also subscribe here on Substack to receive future episodes and reflections directly by email.

Share

As always, thank you for being here.

David

It is very easy, in this country, to be drawn towards the difficult stories.

Politics, division, bureaucracy and frustration are never very far away. But this week I found myself looking in the other direction, because there have been some genuinely encouraging moments worth celebrating.

One of those has been football.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s national team, the Dragons, may have bowed out of the World Cup, but reaching the knockout stage was an achievement that few people here will forget in a hurry. For a country of just over three million people, competing with some of the world’s footballing giants and earning a place in the last 32 was something to be proud of.

I know football is never just football here.

It carries pride, identity, memory, frustration and hope. Results matter, of course, and there will be disappointment that the journey has come to an end. But for a few weeks, people across the country had something to cheer together. Cafés filled, conversations turned to team selections rather than politics, and the Dragons reminded everyone that Bosnia and Herzegovina belongs on the world stage.

For a country so often viewed through the lens of its past or its problems, moments like these matter. They don’t solve anything overnight, but they do remind people, both here and abroad, that there is another side to Bosnia and Herzegovina, resilient, passionate and capable of inspiring genuine pride.

This video (a remix of a song from a years back) became synonymous with the competition here. 👇

Top Tip - Switch on the Captions to get lyrics in YOUR language

There was encouraging news for tourism too. The Sarajevo Canton Tourism Board suggested that the national team’s World Cup success could help position Bosnia and Herzegovina as a more attractive destination for foreign visitors. That makes perfect sense to me. Every time Bosnia appears positively on the international stage, someone somewhere thinks, “Actually, I’d quite like to visit there.”

Away from football, there was a lovely mountain story as well. The 10th Vučko Trail took place on Bjelašnica and Visočica, bringing together more than 1,000 runners from 27 countries. The routes passed through mountain landscapes, traditional villages, historic sites and areas connected with stećci, the medieval tombstones that are such a special part of this country’s heritage.

For me, that is exactly the sort of Bosnia story that deserves more attention: nature, endurance, community, and people discovering the country by actually moving through it.

There was also practical good news for local producers, with the EU lifting its ban on chicken meat imports from Bosnia and Herzegovina after restrictions linked to bird flu. It might not sound glamorous, but it matters. These are real businesses, real jobs, and real families behind those headlines.

And then there was recognition for the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which received an international award for financial stability work. Again, not the kind of story that will stop people scrolling, perhaps, but still important. It is a reminder that behind the noise, there are professionals and institutions here doing serious work.

There was also something heartening from Sarajevo, where the long-running “BiH and Nippon” judo tournament was held again, bringing together young athletes and marking friendship between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Japan.

So yes, there are always problems here.

But there are also runners crossing mountains, young athletes learning discipline, producers getting back into export markets, footballers making history, and people around the world being reminded that Bosnia and Herzegovina is not just a place of old headlines.

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🎧 The Podcast.

Across Bosnia and Herzegovina, temperatures are pushing towards 40°C, orange weather warnings have been issued, and daily life is being reshaped by heat, fire risk, water worries, and pressure on local services.

In this reflective episode, I look at how the current heatwave is affecting communities across the country, from the landfill fire near Mostar and forest fires in Blidinje, to the quieter but very real pressures felt in rural areas like Laktaši.

This is not just a story about weather. It is about village life, public services, Bosnia’s complicated administrative structure, rural vulnerability, neighbourly care, and the practical realities of living through extreme heat in a country where local connection still matters.

It is also a reminder that extreme weather shows us where the cracks are, but also what still holds.

📸 Seen This Week.

Tamara has been making Baklava this week.

There are some things here that are never just food, and Baklava is one of them. It carries family, memory, patience, and the quiet skill of making something properly.

Sometimes the real story of Bosnia is not found in speeches or statistics, but in the kitchen.

🎙️ The Sound of Bosnia.

The other night across northern Bosnia, the weather finally broke.

After days of heavy heat, the kind that seems to sit on the house, the garden, the dogs and your own shoulders, the thunderstorm arrived. I had hoped to capture it as a timelapse, but like so many creative plans, it didn’t quite come out as expected.

What I did manage to record, though, was something much more intimate: A 17-minute soundscape of rain, thunder, and the atmosphere changing over our little corner of rural Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Here’s a snippet:

Across the country, the heat had been building.

Weather reports had warned of high temperatures, unstable air, sudden storms, heavy showers, strong gusts of wind and even hail in some places. It was that familiar summer pattern here: days of fierce heat, then the sky begins to shift, the pressure changes, the air turns restless, and suddenly the storm arrives.

At home, our three dogs reacted in their own ways. Two of them were completely unbothered, as if thunder was just another background noise of village life. But the tiniest one, Fibi, does get worried when the storms come.

So while the rain fell and the thunder rolled, I cuddled up with her and kept her close.

And she was good as gold.

This soundscape is not dramatic in the polished sense. It is simply a real moment from a real night in Bosnia: the rain on and around the house, the rumble of thunder, the feeling of the heat finally lifting, and a small frightened dog finding comfort beside me.

To be honest, we enjoyed both the rain and the rapid drop in temperature.

Sometimes a recording does not capture what you planned.

Sometimes it captures something better.

🏡 From the Garden

This week, I managed to capture one of those small sounds of summer that can easily pass you by if you’re not listening carefully.

The Golden Oriole is here in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the warmer months, but it is a bird you are far more likely to hear than see. Even the male, with his bright yellow feathers, tends to stay hidden high in the trees.

For me, that makes the sound even more special. Somewhere above the garden, out of sight, there it was, that clear, liquid, almost tropical call drifting through the morning air.

I’ve added a short audio snippet below, so you can hear a little of what I heard.

🇬🇧 Another Brit in Bosnia

The Mayor of London is “round our manor”

🗺️ A Place Worth Knowing About.

This week, I’m taking you briefly to Lukomir.

It’s only a short introduction, but I wanted to share it because the drone footage really does speak for itself. From above, you get a sense of the scale of the mountains, the isolation of the village, and the quiet beauty of a place that feels very much part of old Bosnia.

Lukomir is not somewhere to rush through. It is stone houses, mountain air, wide skies, and a way of life shaped by altitude, weather and tradition.

I hope this short video gives you a little window into one of the most remarkable places in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

👇 Watch the Lukomir video here.

💬 A Question.

“What small moment made you stop and smile this week?”

Leave a comment

Hello from the village,

It's been another hot week here in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The sort of heat that slows everything down. By mid-afternoon even the dogs have decided that finding a patch of shade is a far better idea than doing anything energetic.

Maybe that's why something has finally dawned on me.

After months, perhaps even a couple of years, of constantly changing direction, questioning what I should create next, worrying about numbers, algorithms and whether I was doing enough, I think I've realised what has been going on.

I don't think I'd ever really accepted that I'm retired.

Although I officially retired some time ago, part of me was still behaving as though I needed another career. Another business. Another project that somehow justified getting up every morning.

Looking back, I can see how often I'd changed direction. Video... then podcasts... then newsletters... then courses... then back again. None of those things were mistakes. They were all things I enjoyed. But I think I was still trying to turn every hobby into work.

This week, sitting outside with a Yorkshire tea (as I am now), while the crickets carry on regardless, I've found myself thinking...

What if I simply allowed these things to be hobbies?

Not hobbies in the sense of "not taking them seriously." Quite the opposite.

Hobbies that I care about because I enjoy them. Not because they have to earn their keep.

Get more from David Pejčinović-Bailey MBE in the Substack app

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Oddly enough, that thought brought a sense of relief.

So from here on, I want to spend more time making the kind of audio I genuinely enjoy.

Stories.

Conversations.

The sounds of everyday life.

Those little moments that rarely make the headlines but somehow tell you far more about Bosnia and Herzegovina than another list of places to visit.

The podcast is becoming the place where all of that lives.

One small practical change you’ll notice is that I won’t be embedding the podcast player in Substack anymore. Instead, I’ll include a link to the podcast, where you can listen in your favourite podcast app.

It's a small change, but it means everything lives in one place and makes it easier for people who prefer Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts or another app to listen wherever they get their podcasts.

More than anything though, I'd really like to build a community around the podcast.

Not a huge audience.

Just a group of people who enjoy listening, who are curious about life here and who don't mind taking the slower route through a story.

If you've been listening, I'd genuinely love to know what you think. Which episodes have stayed with you? What would you like to hear more of? Even a short email or comment makes more difference than you might imagine.

And if you enjoy the podcast, I'd be grateful if you'd consider following it wherever you normally listen. Every follower helps the podcast find someone else who might appreciate these audio letters from Bosnia.

☕ JOIN ME ON THE PODCAST

As for me, I'll keep wandering with a microphone, recording village mornings, mountain walks, café conversations and whatever catches my attention along the way.

No grand strategy.

Just curiosity.

Somehow, that feels enough.

Until next time, Vidimo se opet 

Bests 

David

I’m back home again after a week away teaching near Sarajevo, in a place called Tarćin.

It’s always slightly strange, that feeling of being away and then returning to the rhythm of home. One moment you’re in a hotel, talking about communications, content, digital media, and the way we tell stories. Then, a few hours later, you’re back among the trees, the garden, the animals, the familiar sounds of the village, and that very particular feeling of northern Bosnia settling around you again.

Tarćin was beautiful in its own way.

I was there for work, but as always in Bosnia, place has a way of getting into the story. Early mornings, mountain air, changing weather, and that quiet sense of being somewhere just outside the rush of everything. I even managed to record some atmosphere while I was there, because, well, I can’t seem to go anywhere these days without listening as much as looking.

Tarćin at Dusk ⬆️

Tarćin at Dawn ⬆️

Latest on YouTube

There’s also a new YouTube video ready for you to watch. A bit of walking, a bit of talking, a bit of weather, a bit of village life, and a few further thoughts from me after being away for the week.

New Podcast Episode

In my latest episode of An Englishman in the Balkans, I introduce you to something I find quietly fascinating: the wooden minarets of Bosnia.

They’re easy to miss if you’re passing quickly. These are not the tall stone minarets that many people might imagine when they think of Islamic architecture. They are smaller, humbler, and often found in villages or more rural places. But for me, that is exactly what makes them so interesting.

They speak of forests, local craftsmanship, faith, village life, and memory.

They are a reminder that Bosnia’s history is not only found in the big places, the famous bridges, the old towns, or the grand monuments. Sometimes it’s there in the smaller details. A wooden minaret above a village mosque. A shape against the sky. Something modest, practical, beautiful, and deeply rooted in place.

That’s what I wanted to explore in this episode.

So, if you’d like to listen, just click the button below:

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE HERE

I suppose that’s what this week has been about, really.

Being away, coming home, and noticing again how much story there is in the ordinary things around us.

A hotel balcony in Tarćin before dawn and at dusk.

A walk through the garden after a week away.

A wooden minaret in a Bosnian village.

Small details, perhaps.

But here in Bosnia, small details often open the door to much bigger stories.

Thanks, as always, for being here.

Wherever you are, I hope your Sunday is peaceful.

David

Leave a comment

Just a quick midweek note to let you know that the latest episode of An Englishman in the Balkans is now available.

This week, I’m taking you into the centre of Banja Luka on the evening of the annual “Matura”, that wonderful end-of-school celebration when young people step out in their finest clothes, families gather with cameras and bouquets, and the whole city seems to pause for a moment of pride.

It’s not a formal guide to the tradition. It’s more of a gentle walk through the atmosphere of the evening: the colour, the noise, the photographs, the proud parents, and that unmistakable feeling of a city marking an important rite of passage.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

As ever, it’s a small window into life here in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A story, a place, a moment, and a few reflections from someone still trying to understand this remarkable country after all these years.

You can listen now on the podcast page of my website.

Thanks, as always, for listening and for being part of this small community.

Vidimo se opet,

David

I’m getting close to launching my new online course, Start With Your Voice.

It’s a course for people over 50 who would like to start an audio-only podcast, but perhaps feel unsure where to begin.

Maybe the technology feels a little confusing.

Maybe the idea of “putting yourself out there” feels uncomfortable.

Maybe you have stories, knowledge, experience, or ideas you’d like to share, but you don’t want to be on camera, dance around on social media, or chase the latest online trend.

That is exactly why I’ve created this course.

Start With Your Voice is about beginning simply.

It is about using audio to communicate in a way that feels natural, personal, and manageable.

No cameras.

No complicated studio setup.

No pressure to become an online personality.

Just your voice, your ideas, and a simple path towards creating a podcast of your own.

Before I release the course publicly, I’d like to invite a very small group of people to help me test it.

I’m looking for 5 thoughtful testers.

As one of the testers, you would receive free access to the full course.

In return, I’d ask you to work through the lessons within 14 days and give me honest feedback on the experience.

I’d like to know what feels useful, what feels unclear, what could be explained better, and whether the course gives you more confidence to begin.

I’d also like to know if there are any technical problems with the videos, audio, worksheets, links, downloads, or course access.

As a thank you, the 5 testers will receive lifetime access to Start With Your Voice for as long as the course remains hosted and available.

You do not need to have any podcasting experience.

In fact, if you are just starting out, your feedback may be especially valuable.

What matters most is that you are interested in creating an audio podcast and are willing to give honest, thoughtful feedback.

If you’d like to be considered for one of the 5 tester places, just reply to this email and tell me, in a few lines:

- Why this course interests you

- What kind of podcast you might like to create

- Whether you can work through the course within 14 days

I’ll choose the 5 testers from the replies I receive and then send access details directly.

Thank you, as always, for following along as this develops.

Warmly,

David

Just a short midweek note to let you know that this week’s audio episode is now available.

As a result of COUNTLESS questions I still get about safety in Bosnia and Herzegovina, my latest podcast episode focusses on the threat from landmines still not deactivated, some 31 years after the conflict in BiH 🇧🇦 ended.

YOU CAN LISTEN TO THE EPISODE HERE

Another small corner of life here in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the sort of story that won’t make the headlines, but says something quietly revealing about this country, its people, and what it feels like to live here.

I’ll be back on Sunday with the usual Sunday Sip.

Until then,

Vidimo se opet,

David

Music track for this video ⬆️ courtesy of Tamara’s cousin

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The Sunday Sip.

I haven’t been as regular with these Sunday newsletters as I would have liked, but I’m going to try to sort that out from this week onwards. So, every Sunday morning, UK time, the plan is that you’ll receive a fresh edition of The Sunday Sip from me here in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A little update. A few thoughts. Some links to what I’ve been creating. And, hopefully, a gentle window into life here in this much misunderstood, heart-shaped country in the Western Balkans. Because that is still what this is all about for me

Telling stories from Bosnia and Herzegovina. And who knows? Maybe one day they might even encourage you to come and visit. Because if you do, I honestly think you’ll have great adventures, meet wonderful people, experience something real, and maybe put a little money into the pockets of local people here who very much need and deserve it.

Reset Time

For some time now, I’ve been more than a little inconsistent with creating and publishing my text, audio, and video content.

Not because I’ve stopped caring. Quite the opposite, really. I think I’ve been trying to work out where everything belongs. And I’ve finally realised something important. I really don’t want to be a slave to any algorithm anymore.

I’m not chasing every new social platform that appears. These days, my social platform of choice is really Notes here on Substack, where things feel a little calmer, a little more human, and a little less frantic.

Recently, Tamara and I hosted my 19-year-old granddaughter from England for two weeks. Having her here made me think even more deeply about the idea of legacy. The stories. The memories. The small pieces of a life that might mean something to someone one day.

I’m 73 now. I very much hope I’ll still be around for another 20 years, irritating people with microphones, cameras, walking poles, and cups of coffee. But none of us knows.

And I’ve reached a point where I’d like my stories, videos, podcasts, photographs, and reflections to live somewhere a little more permanent.

My Forever Home Online

So, I’ve rebuilt my website. But this time, I’m thinking of it as my forever home online.

You’ll find it at: anenglishmaninthebalkans.com That is where I’m now bringing everything together. I’m not technical enough to run my own web server, and I don’t have endless money to throw at online tools. So I’ve looked carefully at what I pay for, what I actually need, and what I can do without. Squarespace gives me a place I can manage. It gives me a base. And other domain names I own will point there too.

What This Means for Substack

Well, I’m NOT disappearing from Substack. But I am changing how I use it.

From now on, Substack will mainly be the home of this weekly newsletter, The Sunday Sip, and for the occasional Note or update. I’ll use this newsletter to point you towards the new posts, podcasts, and videos on the website.

Why This Matters to Me

Over the years, I’ve seen platforms come and go. Back in the day, we all thought certain sites would last forever. Like Seesmic (a real favourite of mine) and other various video platforms and tools that seemed permanent at the time. And then they weren’t. I hope Substack is around for a long time. I really do. I like it here. So I want to build something that has a better chance of surviving. Something that my grandchildren, and maybe even my great-grandchildren, might one day be able to visit and say: “Oh, that’s what he was doing out there in Bosnia.”

A Few Practical Bits

Below, you’ll find some links to recent posts and content on the website. Some may appear as images you can click. That’s because Substack doesn’t always allow everything to embed neatly, so if you see an image with a note saying “click above” or “click the image”, that’s what’s going on.

The Updates

From Bosnia This Week

Here in Bosnia, we’re just beginning to move towards the serious heat.The 30s are coming.The 40s will probably follow at some point.And when they do, that’s when I start hiding.

Meanwhile, I believe the United Kingdom is enjoying some decent weather at the moment, which is always nice to hear. Long may that continue.

If you enjoy what I’m doing, please do share this newsletter with someone who might also enjoy stories from Bosnia and Herzegovina, slow travel, later-life creativity, podcasting, or simply the view from a slightly different corner of Europe.

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And if you’d like the more everyday bits of my life, the small observations, and the occasional daily drivel from David, you’ll probably find that over on Substack Notes.

Thanks again.

I’ll catch you next week, here on The Sunday Sip.

An Englishman in the Balkans is an audio journey into the heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina, seen through the eyes of an Englishman who has made this place his home.

Thanks so much in advance.

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In this episode of An Englishman in the Balkans, I step away from the usual travel stories and personal reflections to look at something that says a great deal about Bosnia and Herzegovina today.

The damaged bridge at the Gradiška border crossing, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, is not just a story about traffic, customs, lorries, and delays. It is also a story about politics, frustration, missed opportunities, and the way ordinary people and businesses so often pay the price when practical problems become political arguments.

Gradiška is one of the most important crossings for those of us living in the Banja Luka region. It connects northern Bosnia with Croatia, the European Union, Zagreb, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, and beyond. When traffic was suspended after damage to the old bridge over the Sava River, long queues quickly followed, with freight and passenger traffic diverted to already busy crossings.

Reports described truck delays of up to 16 hours at Jasenovac/Donja Gradina.

But the bigger question is this: why was a new crossing, already built and ready, not fully solving the problem before the crisis happened?

This is a reflection on Gradiška, Banja Luka, Sarajevo, Croatia, bureaucracy, political point scoring, and the real economic cost of delay in a country that cannot afford to keep losing time.

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Thank You

Thank you for listening to these little slices of my life. If you’d like to get more stories, you can subscribe to my Substack, it’s free, and if you ever want to upgrade to paid but can’t afford it, just email me. I’ll sort it out, no questions asked.

Here are 3 questions I have.

• What would make you hit “play” on an audio post instead of just reading?

• What makes a podcast episode feel personal or meaningful to you?

• Would you like me to add audio versions of my blog posts so you can choose how to enjoy them?

LEAVE YOUR ANSWERS HERE PLEASE

I’ll give a complimentary subscription to Coffee and Rakija for life for taking the time to answer.

In this episode, I visit Tito’s Bunker near Konjic, one of the most secretive Cold War sites in the former Yugoslavia.

Hidden beneath a mountain in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ARK D-0 was designed as an underground command centre for Tito and Yugoslav leaders in the event of nuclear war.

What began as a short stop on a road trip became a journey into a hidden world of tunnels, offices, communications rooms, and Cold War history.

This is a story about secrecy, memory, Yugoslavia, Bosnia, and the layers of history beneath the surface.

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Thank You

Thank you for listening to these little slices of my life. If you’d like to get more stories, you can subscribe to my Substack, it’s free, and if you ever want to upgrade to paid but can’t afford it, just email me. I’ll sort it out, no questions asked.

Here are 3 questions I have.

• What would make you hit “play” on an audio post instead of just reading?

• What makes a podcast episode feel personal or meaningful to you?

• Would you like me to add audio versions of my blog posts so you can choose how to enjoy them?

LEAVE YOUR ANSWERS HERE PLEASE

I hope this Sunday finds you well, with something warm in your cup and a little bit of quiet in your day.

This week’s video comes from the hills above Zenica, where Tamara and I joined PSD Pošta Zenica for a hike from Kakanj railway station across the countryside towards Dom Jedinci, the club’s mountain house.

On paper, it sounded simple enough.

Thirteen and a half kilometres. Fresh air. Beautiful views. A chance to record the sights, sounds, and little moments along the way.

But Bosnia had other ideas.

Within the first climb, I realised I had made a few mistakes. The wrong trousers. Too much in the rucksack. And perhaps a little too much confidence from a younger version of myself who forgot to remind me that I am now 73.

Walking every day is one thing.

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Hiking in Bosnia is quite another.

There were children running ahead with endless energy, views towards Vlašić still touched with snow, green hills, open fields, cattle grazing, and that wonderful Bosnian hiking club atmosphere waiting for us at the end.

But for me, this became less of a scenic hiking video and more of a small lesson in humility.

A reminder that getting older does not mean stopping.

But it does mean listening.

To your body.
To the terrain.
And sometimes, to the hills.

So this week’s video is not the elegant walking postcard I planned to make.

It is something more honest.

A story about ageing, pride, preparation, sore knees, Bosnian hills, and eventually reaching the end.

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Listen to the Audio Only Episode Below

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I had planned to make a simple hiking story from the hills above Kakanj in central Bosnia. A scenic walk with our hiking club, a few thoughtful voice notes, some views towards Vlašić, and the sounds of boots, birdsong, and conversation along the way.

Bosnia had other ideas.

This episode is about a 13.5 kilometre hike that quickly became something much more personal: a lesson in preparation, aging, stubbornness, and humility. From a too-heavy rucksack and the wrong trousers to unforgiving hills, aching knees, and schoolchildren who seemed to float up the climbs, it reminded me that walking every day is not quite the same as hiking in Bosnia.

It is also a story about community, kindness, and the strange satisfaction of reaching the end when, somewhere along the route, you quietly wondered whether you would.

Thank You

Thank you for listening to these little slices of my life. If you’d like to get more stories, you can subscribe to my Substack, it’s free, and if you ever want to upgrade to paid but can’t afford it, just email me. I’ll sort it out, no questions asked.

Here are 3 questions I have.

• What would make you hit “play” on an audio post instead of just reading?

• What makes a podcast episode feel personal or meaningful to you?

• Would you like me to add audio versions of my blog posts so you can choose how to enjoy them?

LEAVE YOUR ANSWERS HERE PLEASE

I’ll give a complimentary subscription to Coffee and Rakija for life for taking the time to answer.

I hope this Sunday finds you well. The weather here in the village is starting to give me blue skies and increasingly (albeit warmer) temperatures.

This week’s Sunday Sip is a slightly different one, because I wanted to share a small (well not really small) change in how things will work from now on.

Don’t worry, it really isn’t anything dramatic. Just a gentle reshuffle.

For some time now, Substack has been the main home for my writing, podcast episodes, videos, and occasional thoughts from life here in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I’ve mentioned quite a bit in the past about where my work actually lives and what I could do to provide a better base for that, as well as maybe an archive too for my grandchildren

So, from now on, I’ll be using Substack mainly as a way of keeping in touch with you through this newsletter, a note if you will, in your inbox, and letting you know what I’ve recently published.

The main home for my stories, videos, podcasts, photographs etc, and of course those reflections I keep having, will now be my own website.

The Latest Post on the Blog

It’s still very much a work in progress, and it will probably remain that way for a while. I have quite a lot of older material to move across manually from Substack, and that won’t happen overnight. Some posts may appear gradually, some may be refreshed, and some may be given a slightly better home than they had before.

It also gives me a place on the web that feels a little safer.

Nothing online ever is. But a personal website feels more “me” and I wont have to worry about platform changes, or developments I may not be entirely comfortable with.

You’ll still receive the Sunday Sip. I’ll still send updates. I’ll still use it to stay connected with you directly. But rather than trying to make Substack be everything for me, I’m simplifying things.

So, over the coming weeks and months, the Sunday Sip will see me gently pointing more towards the website.

For now, I’d simply be grateful if you had a look around:

My Retired Life in Bosnia

Whether you first found me through typing “Bosnia” into a search bar, through podcasting, through YouTube, through here on Substack, or simply through one of those strange online paths that none of us can quite explain, I appreciate it enormously.

So, thats the update. “Vidimo se opet” (I’ll see you again soon).

Warmest wishes from Bosnia,

David

There’s something quietly unsettling about time when you stop and really look at it.

In a few weeks’ time, my granddaughter Alice is coming to stay with us here in northern Bosnia. She’s 19 now. The last time she was here, she was four.

Thats fifteen years.

That’s not a gap you bridge with a cup of coffee and a quick chat. That’s a lifetime, really, hers just beginning, mine already well into its later chapters.

And I’ve found myself wondering… how do you start again?

I was sitting in my little studio this morning, looking out at grey skies that haven’t quite decided whether they belong to winter or spring. The kind of weather that slows everything down. And it was in that stillness that the thought landed.

Am I going to be able to pull this off?

It sounds like a simple visit. Granddaughter comes to see her grandfather. Two weeks together. Some travel, a lot of food, some photos?

But it doesn’t feel like that. It feels like something more delicate.

Life here in Bosnia and Herzegovina has its own rhythm. It’s not something you can explain easily to be honest. You have to feel it. The slower pace. The small routines. The way a day unfolds without much urgency.

It’s taken me years to settle into that rhythm. Years to understand it, and more importantly, to stop resisting it.

But how do you show that to someone who’s 19?

Someone whose life has been shaped somewhere else. In a different country, a different culture, a different speed entirely.

What I do know is this:

• I don’t want to overwhelm her.

• I don’t want to underwhelm her either.

• I just want her to leave with a feeling.

That this quiet, often misunderstood corner of the world, has something real about it.

If you were in my position… what would you do?

Would you plan everything?

Or would you let it unfold, slowly, the way life tends to do here?

I’d be genuinely interested in your thoughts on this.

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Paid members get access to everything I create, including exclusive podcasts, behind-the-scenes reflections, photo essays, and more that I only share with my inner circle ☕✨

Thanks so much in advance.

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In this episode, I sit down in the studio for a more reflective, radio-style conversation about life here in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It’s Orthodox Easter weekend here, and as always, it brings with it food, family, tradition… and a reminder of how different life can be when you choose to live in a country far from where you were born.

I talk about:

• The difference between Easter in the UK and Bosnia

• Village life and traditions (including roast pig and “death by food”)

• The recent flooding here in northern Bosnia

• Getting back into walking at 73, and feeling it!

• A chance encounter with a badger on a quiet country road

• Why I’ve removed browsers from my phone

• Slowing down, meditation, and the pressure we put on ourselves in later life

• Plans for hiking in Zenica next week

• And why I’m beginning to think more seriously about legacy, storytelling, and building my own website

This is a slower, more personal episode, less about information, more about reflection.

If you’ve ever thought about living abroad, slowing down, or simply making sense of life as you get older, you might find something here.

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Thank You

Thank you for listening to these little slices of my life. If you’d like to get more stories, you can subscribe to my Substack, it’s free, and if you ever want to upgrade to paid but can’t afford it, just email me. I’ll sort it out, no questions asked.

Here are 3 questions I have.

• What would make you hit “play” on an audio post instead of just reading?

• What makes a podcast episode feel personal or meaningful to you?

• Would you like me to add audio versions of my blog posts so you can choose how to enjoy them?

LEAVE YOUR ANSWERS HERE PLEASE

I’ll give a complimentary subscription to Coffee and Rakija for life for taking the time to answer.

Paid members get access to everything I create, including exclusive podcasts, behind-the-scenes reflections, photo essays, and more that I only share with my inner circle ☕✨

Thanks so much in advance.

Subscribe now

In this episode, I talk about something I’ve been asked many times over the years, what healthcare is actually like here in Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially as you get older and healthcare becomes a more important part of everyday life.

This is not an official guide and I’m certainly not an expert on the healthcare system or immigration law, but I wanted to share my own personal experiences of using the healthcare system here as a resident in Republika Srpska, what I pay into the system each month, and what I receive in return.

I talk about how I went from temporary residence to permanent residence, how the healthcare insurance system works, and what happens if you are working, self-employed, retired, or just staying in the country for part of the year. I also explain the difference between public healthcare and private clinics here, because Bosnia really operates on what I would call a hybrid system.

I also share a very personal story about breaking my ankle here in the village, the ambulance arriving, being taken through the system, surgery, rehabilitation, and what that whole experience was actually like. Along the way, I compare some of this with experiences in the UK, because many people listening are from Britain and often ask how the two systems compare.

Healthcare here is not completely free, it is an insurance-based system, but if you are a resident and you contribute to the health fund, you can access doctors, specialists, hospitals, emergency care and subsidised medication. Many people also use private clinics for speed and specialist consultations because private healthcare here is still very affordable compared to the UK and many other countries.

This episode is really just an honest conversation about healthcare, retirement, living abroad, and the practical realities of life in Bosnia and Herzegovina as an older person.

If you have questions about living here, residency, daily life, or healthcare, feel free to leave a comment or get in touch, and I’ll try to cover those topics in future episodes.

Leave a comment

Thank You

Thank you for listening to these little slices of my life. If you’d like to get more stories, you can subscribe to my Substack, it’s free, and if you ever want to upgrade to paid but can’t afford it, just email me. I’ll sort it out, no questions asked.

Here are 3 questions I have.

• What would make you hit “play” on an audio post instead of just reading?

• What makes a podcast episode feel personal or meaningful to you?

• Would you like me to add audio versions of my blog posts so you can choose how to enjoy them?

LEAVE YOUR ANSWERS HERE PLEASE

I’ll give a complimentary subscription to Coffee and Rakija for life for taking the time to answer.