An Englishman in the Balkans

Welcome to this special throwback episode of the podcast, celebrating 10 years of “An Englishman in the Balkans”.The journey began in 2007 in Canada, and after a brief hiatus, it was relaunched in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2013.Over the years, the podcast has evolved, even changing titles a couple of times. This episode revisits the very first one from 2013, featuring a conversation with Kev Shann...

Hello, this episode is a bit different from normal, because I’m replaying a podcast episode thats not mine. Back in may I was a guest on a fantastic podcast hosted by Slavenka Vuković- Bryan called Two Worlds, One Me . I think the podcast title is pretty explanatory, but basically my two world have been and are, the UK and my now adopted home of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is a public episode. If...

In this special episode, I delve into the captivating world of the Sarajevo Haggadah, one of the world's rarest and most significant historical documents. Join me as i unravel the mysteries and stories surrounding this ancient manuscript, which resides in the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to b...

In This Episode of the podcast I have the pleasure of speaking with Nermin Numić, the co-owner and founder of a travel agency in Sarajevo called Ćejf, which is based on this very concept. “Numa” (thats his nickname) explained that the word Ćejf is derived from the Arabic word kayf, which means pleasure. It's a way of life that is all about finding pleasure in the small things. What's unique about...

In This Episode. In this episode of the podcast I talk to Ramajana Mabita, originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina but presently living in Harare in Zimbabwe. I find out what, if any, similarities there are between the two countries, Ramajana’s culture shocks, her love of Zimbabwean fashion and also hear one of her favourite music tracks from this African nation, plus much more. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 An English...

In This Episode. In this episode of the podcast, I sit down with Martine McNee, a former British military Public Affairs officer, to hear about her 8-month deployment in Bosnia and Herzegovina from late 1997 to mid 1998. Martine shares her experiences during this time, giving us insight into the work she did and the challenges she faced. She also discusses how her time in Bosnia has stayed with he...

In This Episode. In this episode of the podcast I get to know Bella Dominković and to find out so much I never knew about the wines of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It really is a fascinating insight into the wine culture of this country and how Bella is trying to put Bosnia on the world wine map as a high quality boutique wine area. Get full access to 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 An Englishman in the Balkans 🇧🇦 at www.ane...

In This Episode Join me as I chat with Kathrin Numić, a German tourism entrepreneur based in Sarajevo. Hear her inspiring story of her journey from Germany to Cape Town and finally to Sarajevo where she has established a small tourist agency with her husband. Discover her experiences of living in a new culture and find out what her future plans are for her business. Get a behind-the-scenes look at...



In this episode I go to a coffee bar in the centre of Banja Luka, the country's second city to talk to Danilo Bosnić.

 Danilo is a tour guide.

 We discuss the difficulties and negative perceptions this country has, but also how a focussed slow tourism plan can really improve how Bosnia and Herzegovina is viewed as a Top travel destination.

 Get full access to 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 An Englishman in the Bal...

Welcome to 'An Englishman in the Balkans,' the podcast that will introduce you to Bosnia and Herzegovina, that heart shaped, but much misunderstood country in the western balkans. I'm David Pejčinović-Bailey, and I’m inviting you to join me as we explore this beautiful country from a unique perspective. In each episode, I'll share my personal experiences and insights as an immigrant living in Bosn...

In this episode Tamara and I visit “Chiquita”, a Mexican restaurant in Hanište, Banja Luka. Chiquita is the only venue that serves Authentic Mexican cuisine in the city. Yes, there are Mexican recipes featured on our restaurants menus, but to be honest they really don’t “ cut the mustard ”. Adriana, who co-owns this small restaurant, tells us about the influences she has brought to Banja Luka as w...

This interview was recorded with a few hiccups due to buffering across our feed 😞 In this episode I get to talk to Peter Korchnak, Podcaster and Writer, about the “Remembering Yugoslavia” Podcast . The Remembering Yugoslavia podcast explores the memory of the country that no longer exists. How do people of the former Yugoslav republics remember and imagine their former homeland? “I was born in a...

This interview was recorded with a few hiccups due to buffering across our feed 😞 In this episode I get to talk to Biljana Lipić , a resident of Cornwall in the United Kingdom but originally from Sarajevo. Biljana lives on a boat anchored on a Cornish river. I first found out about Biljana from a story that I stumbled across online. I have to admit that I have always had an interest in narrow boa...

In this episode I’m out and about enjoying coffee in the early evening on the outskirts of Banja Luka. Catching up for a coffee on the banks of the River Vrbas and talking to Vanja Mišić, an accomplished singer and songwriter from Banja Luka.  We’ll listen to some of her songs, plus find out about what the music industry is like in this part of the world, her musical journey, mental health and her...

In this episode I talk to David Harmes, a Canadian, who at the age of 22, was a Documentary Photographer for the Red Cross in 1993’s war torn Croatia, experiencing the effects of conflict and Dodging Mines. He came back to the region some 16 years later and this time was thrown out of one of them. It ’s quite the story. Osijek - Croatia -1993. Just a few of the images from David’s time in Osijek i...

Hello and welcome to this week's post, which is audio based. Why? Well this 13th February is World Radio Day. As you will know from following the blog, plus my content on social platforms, I have always been passionate about radio. In fact, I came to Bosnia and Herzegovina back in 1998, to launch a radio station! Back to this post. My initial plan was to write about the history of this UN launched...

Between 2002 and 2004, a successful Club in Leeds UK, called SpeedQueen, temporarily set up in the north west of Bosnia and Herzegovina to bring a new experience to the youth of the area. NATO at that time had a byline for their operation. It was “Mir i Tolerancija”, or “Peace and Tolerance”SpeedQueen however, really hit the mark with youth audiences with their “Harmonija I Fantazija” or “Harmony...

In this episode of the podcast David and Tamara explain the 90 days in any 180 rule for people visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina and also what you will require to do if you wish to apply for long term residency. For more information please visit the Service for Foreigners Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina. You can also ask us any questions regarding visiting the country, especially slow tourism by l...

Banja Luka is the birthplace of Nataša Konjević a female muralist. At the time of writing this post, Nataša is the only female muralist in Bosnia and Herzegovina, doing big scale murals on buildings. Yes, there are more women and men doing murals, (but none of the other girls paint on a large scale of 10 or 15 meters high In my opinion, Nataša is a Unique, Trail Blazing person. In the following po...

In this episode of the podcast David and Tamara talk about Zimnica - Winter Food. If you enjoy the podcast please subscribe/follow and share with a friend! If you would like to support our podcast you can, by maybe buying us a coffee or a sandwich? https://buymeacoffee.com/davidbailey Read Our Blog at Living in Bosnia and Herzegovina Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/lifeinbosniaandherzegovin...

In this episode of the podcast David talks to Martin Gannon about his experiences working in Jugoslavija. How an Englishman found himself working in the Jugoslavijan Tourism Industry, developing projects and experiencing the heydays of JAT, the state run airline. And how like so many others, he has the deepest affection for the western Balkans and its people. The piece of music in this podcast is:...

In this episode of the podcast Tamara and I catch up with whats been happening recently to us. We talk about vaccinations here, our new video format for vlogs, Tamara’s recipes, visiting local towns and why people are returning to live in Bosnia and Herzegovina after being abroad for decades. If you enjoy the podcast please subscribe/follow and share with a friend! If you would like to support our...

Zoran Matić is a journalist, passionate about his home country of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). He's recently published the definitive guide for travellers to BiH, not only in his native language but already English and others which will follow in the near future. When a foreigner looks for things to do in Bosnia and Herzegovina their first stop is Brandts Tour Guide. Zoran tells us how that is. U...

Jonathan Groubert has a connection to Banja Luka. I found him some years ago through an amazing podcast (docucast), that Radio Netherlands had produced. With his Balkan connection, I wanted to find out about his views and feelings towards the region and more importantly Bosnia and Herzegovina. We also talked about the power of narrative journalism and how podcasting has developed. To find out more...

Some time ago, I recorded a short interview for a future podcast, with Elizabeth O’Neill, an Australian lady, who with her husband Gerard, were currently visiting the Western Balkans. She told me that they “Work Away” . They get themselves to their chosen destination country, and then work for a maximum of 20 hours a week in return for accommodation and food. I was intrigued as to how they found w...