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.

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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

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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.

Leave a comment

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.

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.

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.

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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 openly and honestly about something that has been on my mind recently, what it means to live between two countries, between two identities, and sometimes between other people’s opinions.

After a recent visit back to the United Kingdom, I found myself thinking about where I really belong. Am I British? Am I Bosnian? Or am I something in between?

I also talk about the reaction to one of my recent videos, the criticism of living abroad while receiving a UK pension, and why retirement, wherever you choose to live, should be about building the best final chapter of your life that you can.

This episode is very much a stream of consciousness, thoughts about retirement, immigration, identity, healthcare, lifestyle, and why I believe people should live where they feel happiest, not where others think they should live.

If you’ve ever lived abroad, thought about retiring abroad, or wondered what life is really like living in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this episode is for you.

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.

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 relaunch episode of the Life in Bosnia podcast, I reflect on turning 73, restarting my creative projects, and what it really means to live between two countries.

After a recent trip back to the UK, I talk about feeling like an “in-betweener” — not fully belonging in Britain anymore, but also not originally from Bosnia, the country I have called home for more than 20 years.

This episode also explains the future of the Life in Bosnia podcast, the YouTube channel, and the return of the "An Englishman in the Balkans" interviews.

Expect stories from daily life, travel around Bosnia and Herzegovina, retirement reflections, hiking adventures, culture, food, and honest observations about life in Southeast Europe.

If you have ever wondered what it’s really like to retire abroad, live in Bosnia, or start again later in life, this podcast is for you.

🙋‍♂️ Let’s Stay Connected

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Every spring something simple, and that I find quite wonderful happens.

A neighbour arrives with a tractor.

In about thirty minutes the vegetable garden is turned over, ready for another growing season. It’s one of those small rural rituals that reminds me how different life is here compared to the city life I grew up with in London.

In this video you’ll see how the garden is prepared for planting and hear a little about the way villages still work here, where skills, tools and time are shared between neighbours.

Over the coming months this patch of soil will produce potatoes, peppers, cabbages, aubergines and more. Much of it feeds us through the summer, and whatever is left becomes “zimnica”, the jars of preserved food that keep Bosnian kitchens stocked through the winter.

I still know very little about gardening. I’m learning as I go, but I love watching the process.

If you enjoy seeing real everyday life in Bosnia, let me know in the comments and I’ll show you more of these little village moments.

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People often ask me what the village where I live in Bosnia and Herzegovina actually looks like.

Most of the time you see me walking the lanes, talking about retirement, daily life, and the small things that make living here special.

But in this post, I thought I’d show you something a little different.

This is Čardačani, the village where Tamara and I have been living for more than two decades.

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If you are a regular reader, you’ll know that over 10 days ago I was completely knocked flat by a pretty unpleasant bout of flu. At seventy-three you quickly discover that recovery takes a little longer than it used to. Thankfully I’m finally starting to feel human again.

In this video I share another snapshot of my everyday life here in the village.

Earlier today we attended the funeral of a neighbour, something that really shows how strong community traditions still are across the whole of Bosnia. When someone dies, the news travels fast, by word of mouth but more often than not, phone.

The whole village pauses. That is so true and people come together in a very respectful and solemn way. It’s quite different from what many of us may be used to in places like the UK.

I live in a Serbian Orthodox village, by the way, and the Serbs bury within 24 hours (of course there are exceptions). That alone fascinates me. How they get a burial, service, wake etc all sorted in such a short time. It’s amazing to be honest.

That sad new aside, spring is quietly waking up around us. Tamara’s parents and family have been pruning the fruit trees and bushes in the garden. Apples, plums, grapes and blackberries, all getting ready for the new growing season (and eventually a little rakija as well).

And in the middle of all this I’m also planning a short trip back to the United Kingdom to visit my daughter and my ninety-seven-year-old mum. It will be my first time flying with Ryanair and the journey itself will be a bit of an adventure.

I’m nervous.

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If you’re new here, I’m David. I moved to Bosnia over twenty-six years ago and never really left. This Substack is about my retirement, daily life, culture and what it’s actually like living in this often misunderstood country.

Thanks for being here and for following the journey.

I’ve got flu 🤧

Normally by this time in the morning I’d be out walking four kilometres through the village lanes here in northern Bosnia. But today that simply isn’t happening.

My temperature is up, everything aches, and I’m feeling more out of breath than usual. At 73, that’s something I can’t just brush aside.

It’s not pleasant thats for sure.

Long ago I probably would have pushed through this, after all, I spent nearly thirty years in the army, and back then the mindset was simple: keep going, going, going.

Also thinking back, when I was in my twenties I’d have ignored something like this completely. Even into my forties or fifties I might have tried to power through and keep working.

But getting older forces me to rethink that approach.

Recovery takes longer. The body doesn’t bounce back the way it once did. And somewhere along the line I’m finally realising that listening to my body isn’t weakness, it’s common sense.

So today the walk is cancelled.

Instead, I’m sitting at home drinking English tea (milk with two sugars, and which we used to call “NATO Standard”), and trying to ride this thing out.

To be fair, I’m not the only one. This flu has been sweeping through this part of northern Bosnia and Herzegovina. Much of the extended family has had it as well.

As people say here:

Šta je tu je.

It is what it is.

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