Celebrating Christmas whilst travelling can be fraught. Christmas in Sarajevo was a bit like Dirwali in Australia, it doesn’t really have that much of an effect on the majority of the local population. In other cultures, symbols we take for granted can be misinterpreted (my all-time favourite is the shopping centre in Tokyo that had a 60 foot Santa nailed to a cross.) Shopping hours can catch you by surprise if you need something at the last moment, and all public transport around Christmas can be a challenge.

We have a tradition when overseas of the Christmas tree being replaced by the Christmas Chair, however this year it has been the Christmas Sill. Church services, because of language limitations, tend to be ‘follow the leader’- this year we were again with Margie’s people for a midday mass and took our cues from others – without offending the locals too much I hope.

Lunch was a Tuscan affair; corn-fed chicken with a rice and herb stuffing, stuffed capsicums, potato bake and a beautiful salad. We will join the locals in their promenade of the medieval walls of the town before dessert this evening. We have also been in touch with kith and kin (or autocorrect’s ‘Keith and Ken’), made increasingly easy by the miracle of modern technology and social media.

There has been no cricket, no swim at the beach, no prawns and no sunburn – but you can’t have it all Remington, you can’t have it all. I guess we’ll just have to soldier on..

So to my 4 faithful followers –

Buon Natal da Lucca!

From

The Cunnington-Smythes and their dear companions.