Dr Martin James

Summer in Serbia does not exactly sound like paradise but it was a great experience. It’s been a political hotbed for decades; they have a penchant for overthrowing governments and it was the command centre for the Yugoslav war. I expected an austere militaristic vibe in Belgrade, but I found a relaxed café culture and…

It’s a variety of perfection and its reputation is entirely deserved. I stayed in Maiori but got to know the whole coast, including Positano and mythical, mysterious Capri. My favourite memory was a walk from Maiori to Ravello along the Lemon Trail through the hills. Those hills were steep, the staircases were exhausting and I…

When I was in Brazil in ’22 the locals couldn’t believe I hadn’t been to Portugal. They had a point, it’s a cheap 2 hour flight and I was 4 decades old at the time. For many Brazilians it’s the only place they have been outside Brazil so they were baffled. My parents were obsessed…

The siege of Sarajevo is carved into my memory, apparently it was the longest siege of a modern city since WWII. For years snipers watched the streets, and for years people in Sarajevo had to run from building to building to avoid snipers’ bullets. Can you imagine? Before the civil war Serbs, Muslims and Croats…