- I spent a few days this week with a small group visiting the team in our Belgrade office. We had arranged workshops and breakout sessions, but as expected, the most valuable time spent together was during dinners and lunches.
- I ate a lot of meat and potatoes and each meal began with mandatory Rakija, a plum brandy that is the national drink. It’s not for me, but it was at least drinkable and it was polite to join in. The Serbian Lav beer was better. Restaurant highlights were local hero Novak Djokovic’s and the Barrel House.
- We stayed in the Hyatt in the ‘new’ part of Belgrade, a short walk from our office. The architecture is very Soviet/Stalinist, although our office is shiny and brand new. It felt safe walking around, although we didn’t venture far off the main streets.
- Back home it was time to wrap up work for the year. I had an unpleasant volume of expenses to process (as the most senior traveller I paid for everything) and a few last gasp interviews. But after a mixed working year I ended Friday feeling positive for 2024.
- Christmas is next: I’ve wrapped my presents, collected the turkey from the butchers and I’m ready for my 24-hour cooking odyssey.
