We’re off on our travels again – this time to South America, starting in Rio de Janeiro. It’s a long journey; our first day, having already spent 2 hours on a coach, consists of 13 hours of flying plus 4 hours at various airports, finishing with an hour taxi ride. I have a heavy cold. I can think of better ways to spend the day, like tucked up in bed with a mansize box of tissues watching daytime TV. But at least everything is punctual and I get the chance the read the Tattooist of Auschwitz in one sitting. We fly via Madrid with less than an hour between flights. After landing, I see the old man get my bag out of the overhead locker, then we get separated by a crazy lady who decides to ... read more

It’s our last day before dropping the hire car in Skopje. We are breaking the journey in Nis, mainly because it’s half way between Belgrade and Skopje. Nis has 3 very diverse tourist attractions; the 4th century Roman palace of Constantine the Great, an 18th century Turkish fortress and a 20th century Nazi Concentration Camp. It’s pouring with rain and takes almost an hour to fight our way out of Belgrade through the rush hour traffic, despite the old man going native and driving through red lights, in bus lanes, over pedestrian crossings etc. Eventually the rain clears and by the time we reach Nis it’s 20 degrees and sunny. After Novi Sad and Belgrade, we aren’t expecting to like Nis, but it’s actually quite nice. We walk through the pedestrian precinct to the fortress which ... read more

Today we are going to the Serbian capital, Belgrade. Things I know about Belgrade; (1) it was the capital of Yugoslavia, (2) Tito is buried here – you can visit his mausoleum at the Museum of Yugoslavia and (3) you can visit Nikola Tesla’s remains in a gold casket in the Tesla Museum. First, breakfast. In Serbia, everyone smokes. All the time. Breakfast is no exception; it’s like being stuck in the 1980s. I half expect Michael J Fox to turn up in a DeLorean. We are offered the hotel’s signature breakfast - the waitress says it’s a bit of everything. She means meat. Lots and lots of meat – sausage, bacon, salami, 2 types of ham. Filled to the top with pig products, and smelling of a combination of stale cigarettes and strawberry shower gel, ... read more

We have reached the farthest point of our journey. Now to start the 1000 km drive southeast to Skopje. Today is our third and final visit to Croatia, to the capital city of Zagreb. It’s all motorway so progress is rapid but dull. After days of yearning for a decent motorway as we picked our way along Bosnian goat tracks and Albanian roadworks, I’m bored of motorways now. The old man alleviates the the boredom briefly by taking a wrong turn and accidentally heading for Austria. We find our way back onto the Zagreb road, cross the border and reach our destination by 10.30. Lonely Planet doesn’t have much to say about Zagreb, which is fine as I am out of clean underwear. So, first port of call is the laundrette. Armed with clean pants, we ... read more

Today, another country, we are going to Ljubljana in Slovenia. Things I know about Ljubljana; it’s the capital of Slovenia. First, I go for a run along the service road from the village to the National Park. It’s very pretty running through the forest as the sun rises behind the mountains, but it’s minus 1 degrees and I didn’t pack a hat or gloves. Once I’ve showered/defrosted we set off for Ljubljana. As we head north, we pass dozens upon dozens of coaches taking tour groups to Plitvice to play sardines on a boardwalk. When we reach the Slovenian border, we have to queue for 20 minutes. This is a surprise, as both countries are in the EU and a disappointment, as it was my last chance to exercise my freedom of movement as a EU ... read more