What I Learned, Looking Forward, Looking Back: August 2025

Yup, I am going to say it: I can't believe that it is September already. Happy Labor Day! In most years in the past, I took my two week vacation on this and next week so that I could only use 9 days of PTO and take 16 total days away, and I would usually go for a long hike somewhere. This year I will not be on a multiday hike today, but I am heading somewhere where there will be plenty of hiking! Stay tuned! 

Please copy and paste the questions at the end and add your answers to the mix! 

Where was I? Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania

1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? 

January: Baguettes and Many Steps

February: In Like Minnesota; Out Like Hawaii

March: Wet and Wild

April: My Life is in Ruins, and Beaches Too

May: Al Fresco 

June: Tales as Old as Time: The Christianity and Wine Versions

July: Quick and Dirty: the Baltics and the Balkans Adventure

August: The Dark Tourist

2. What did you learn last month? 

I learned too much to go over here, but to put it in a nutshell, I learned a lot more about the influence of the Ottoman and the Austro-Hungarian empires over the areas of the Balkans (and Romania) over the years. There was lot of fighting over these lands, mostly due to the fact that they were on important trade routes (you should look at the map of Bosnia & Herzegovina, as you will see they still have a TINY piece of coast) and especially the Danube, which goes through Belgrade, and was a crucial part of trading. 

However, what is especially interesting is how each place is different now because of this. In Bosnia & Herzegovina, there is still a lot of Ottoman influence, with mosques, food, and even language. For example, I already knew how to say "let's go" because it's the same word in Turkish! Also, each country has their own version of the kofte, which I enjoyed in Turkiye, but in some places it is called ćevapčići or ćevapi and in Romania it is mici or mititei. In all cases, it is meat, minced, and grilled; think hamburger in tube form (I am probably offending all kinds of people here). 

Top: Romania mici/mititei
Bottom: Bosnia ćevapi, Montenegro ćevapi

3. What was the weather like where you are? 

It was pretty hot sometimes but all in all, it didn't rain much, which is a blessing, as I was hiking a few times and also rainy days < sunny days! 

4. What event last month was your favorite?

I don't want to say that I "enjoyed" learning more about the Sarajevo siege, but I am fascinated by the history, and it was also very interesting to go to Sarajevo, hear their story, and then go to Serbia and hear theirs and see how they did or did not match up. Every side has a story, don't they? 

5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month?  

Book: The Nine by Gwen Strauss. This is a true story about nine resistance fighter women who escaped a German forced labor camp during WWII and attempted to cross the front lines to get to safety. 

Movie/Show: In my last lodging, I had a TV with English channels and I did put Frasier on in the background from time to time. I find more and more though that I like to work in silence, so I rarely even use the TVs in any of my rooms. 

Podcast: Are you still paying more than $50 a month for your cell phone? If so, this episode of All The Hacks is great; he breaks down all of the phone plans and carriers so that you can decide if switching is something that may work for you. *one that he does not cover is Tello, which has a top plan (35GB) for about $25 per month. 

6. Tell us one funny recent story. 

I took a train in Romania that must have been the local, because it stopped about 40 times on a 145 km / 90 mile route. However, that is not the funny part. Because it was the local, it was not fancy, and most of the seats were in sets of four where you face two other people. About three rows in front of me, there was a lady facing me; she was probably in her early 60s, and she was GOING TO TOWN on her nostrils, really looking for some gold. I never saw her pull anything out or wipe it on her pants or anything but I kept waiting for her to hit pay dirt. 

It kind of reminded me of the Shel Silverstein poem, The Sharp Toothed Snail: 

Inside of everybody's nose

There lives a sharp-toothed snail

So, if you stick your finger in, he may bite off your nail

If you stick it further in, he might bite your ring off

Stick it further in, and he might bite the whole damn thing off

7. What are you looking forward to this month?

After several weeks of faster travel, I will be in the same place for an entire month. This will give me a nice opportunity to get some things done without feeling like I have to rush to do them before I change locations again. 

Your turn! To copy/paste, highlight the text below and click CTRL-C, then put the cursor in the comment box and click CTRL-V.

AUGUST:

1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? 

2. What did you learn last month? 

3. What was the weather like where you are? 

4. What event last month was your favorite?

5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month?  

6. Tell us one funny recent story. 

SEPTEMBER: 

7. What are you looking forward to this month?

Bonus question! What is your favorite Silverstein poem?