No need to stay at home because you’re single, female and the wrong side of 60. And you can be a bit disabled too. Love travelling, meeting new people, seeing places and experiencing different cultures and societies, but I am all of the above and, while I do need to plan and research my itinerary, it’s all possible. Serbia was one stopover on an almost 6 month trip designed to avoid the current weather in Canberra Australia. So it’s humidity and heatwave instead of almost snowing!!

To me Europe is astonishing, bearing in mind that if a map of Australia is superimposed over Europe we’re about the same size! The idea that I could hop, and I use the term loosely, it’s more of a stagger with a bit of groaning, on trains and travel from London to the Black Sea is just astonishing. There are also currencies, in a few days I spent in Crowns, Forints, Euros, Dinars, Leva and whatever they use in Romania. At home we have one country, one currency (the pacific peso) with three time zones, Europe is different and it’s a challenge, so don’t stay home.

Also don’t believe everything you read on the internet.Except for my blog of course. And the blog’s just my experience, it may or may not work for others.A least check the currency of information and maybe take a risk or two. Be sensible, I keep a low profile, and tend to dress like I’m too poor to rob and too old for sex! Generally, combined with the walking stick, it usually works. I tend to operate on a mix of short and longer stays and this year Serbia was a ”tasting menu “stay of three or four days. Don’t believe in 4 hours anywhere, unless it’s a really good restaurant!

Serbia was beautiful, eye-poppingly beautiful scenery, and with a long and complicated history. My tours went into the country side, to the Iron Gates and Lepensky Vir, through the city including the cathedral and also to the fortress /citadel which overlooks Belgrade. Wonderful memories especially of the beauty of the mist rolling back and forth across the Danube as we watched a storm rise and abate. And the totally strange sensation of looking at the other bank and realising it’s another country. Romania, actually it’s mostly Romania. Given most of my experience of Serbia was from the nightly news of decades ago, I had done some reading before arrival, that helped. I really want to experience more of the communal life, theatre, music and history. No country deserves to be defined solely by politics and history. And my next visit will be longer and more in depth.

Tour guides are important when you have no local language, and especially if you are disabled. Finding the right guide is imperative. Checkout my TripAdvisor reviews, (doneworkingaustralia), for the good people I have met and why I continue to keep in touch and recommend their services. And sometimes just listen to the locals, It seems to me foolish when you have no local knowledge ‘, not to be a bit trusting of your guide. I often ask what should I see or what am I missing and the results can be the best part of the trip. Local knowledge is invaluable. My guides on this trip helped and encouraged, they informed and were informative, had a wide knowledge of history and respected the limits of disability. I wouldn’t visit Serbia without them!