2009 Newsletter

Silver treetops in Salzburg, Austria – my employer’s 2009 Christmas card cover

unemployed in Greece, with that life-long holiday concept slightly worn off. I welcomed 2009 in Vienna, Austria, amid the exploding street poppers, fried sausages and gluhwein. My Austrian tour focused on the country’s three main gateways – the capital, Salzburg and Innsbruck. Every one was special in its own way; if I had to choose one, however, Innsbruck would have been my immediate choice. “The Sound of Music” seemed to permeate the whole atmosphere, the Alps were rising up majestically towards the brilliantly clear skies, the food was gloriously delicious – I will come again!

From Austria, I headed home to Latvia and Lithuania for a 10-day life-realignment session. I had for a while been brooding on hopes of returning into quality employment, which Greece, sadly, could not provide. After a long thinking process, it became clear that retuning to London was indeed my best option. It was not easy to decide and even harder to implement. My preliminary interviews were truly disastrous. The crisis-stricken financial sector of London was saturated with freshly unemployed, highly qualified professionals knocking on all doors they could reach. And I clearly could not compete with the majority of them. Devastated, I fled the UK for brief visits to Brussels and Paris. It was fantastic to see some of the people I had not seen for 6+ years. Many thanks to everyone who had time to meet me.

London double-decker bus, my January visit to London

increasingly estranged to what once was the country of my dreams. I fled again – this time to the neighbouring Republic of Macedonia. The trip involved a 12-hour train ride from Athens to Skopje via Thessaloniki, which was wonderfully worth it – many thanks to my Macedonian friends for the most amazing time. The city with unique character, Skopje has a very special place in my heart, and I can hardly wait to revisit.

Big Prespa Lake, from Greek Macedonia to the Republic to Macedonia

May was a busy month travel-wise. I started it by crossing the Strait of Gibraltar on a ferry route between Spain and Morocco. I will never forget watching that multicolour sunset over the Atlantic Ocean. The month went on, and I flew to Norway to pay a regular visit to my “Norwegian family” and celebrate Alexander Rybak’s Eurovision success – which just happened to coincide with Norway’s National Day. In mid-May, I was sent on my first work-related mission in Slovenia. The contrast with Macedonia could not have been more pronounced. I seriously could not believe the two nations co-existed as one at some point in the past. Finally, I have revisited Greece – Athens and the island of Andros – at the dusk of May for some final arrangements. I am not sure when I will be emotionally ready to visit Greece again.

Feasting on the Greek island of Andros

The summer rushed by rather quickly. From its onset, I made a vow to focus my exploratory efforts on my regained country of residence, England. It is often tempting – and cheaper – for us Londoners to fly abroad instead of get to know the rest of the country. During the summer and also the rest of the year, I finally visited the counties of Suffolk and Norfolk, as well as Bath, Birmingham, Brighton, Cambridge, Hastings and Windsor. England is wonderfully full of tradition and is a picturesque place to live. Too bad we capital buddies so often choose to neglect it.

After I had safely left my previous demographic group (18-25 years) and revisited Slovenia on a second business mission in July, the end of the summer began looming ahead. My main holiday of the year was yet to come. It kicked off in style with the U2 concert at London’s Wembley Stadium. I will not exaggerate if I say that that particular event was my full-year highlight. The experience was truly unforgettable. Every note hit a hidden chord in my mind. My longest-term dream to see live my favourite band, whose music I have found a great source of inspiration for years, was finally fulfilled.

Energised by U2, I set off on a 2-week holiday trip to the Western Balkans. After making my way down Croatia’s Adriatic coast with stops in Zadar, Split, Hvar, Korčula and Dubrovnik, I went on to see Montenegro’s Kotor Bay and Bosnia & Herzegovina’s amazing cities of Mostar and Sarajevo. It was the best holiday of my eventful life so far – and I have pretty high standards from holidaying in Greece for eight months! Many thanks to the people I have met and visited along the way. It would not have been the same without you.

Korčula Town on Croatia’s Korčula island, minutes before sunset

Belgrade and Novi Sad provided that essential anti-depressant. Many thanks to the people I saw there. While the controversial pocket of land known as Kosovo is yet to be covered, I have finally visited all core ex-Yugoslavian countries.

The amount of work steadily went up during the autumn. My sole moments of entertainment were sporadic trips to Latvia, Spain and Hungary, as well as – of course! – the unforgettable wedding of my good friend Wani. Dancing to funky Nigerian tunes was an experience my memory would struggle to erase. Dear Wani, I wish you and Ayo many happy years ahead!

Wani and Ayo’s wedding, 19 September 2009