This fictional account is an intense war story and often reads like reality. The book follows Lucas Martin, an experienced war time veteran and retired agent of the US government. He is ‘retired’ in Thailand when he receives a call to return to service to serve his country in and around Sarajevo, just before the siege of this historic city during the war that devastated this part of the world in the early and mid 1990’s. He is hired to gain necessary intelligence for both the United States and the […]

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John M. Edwards chows down on subpar “Vulgarian” grub and survives a dangerous dispute over a restaurant bill in the Balkans. Oh well, there is always the region’s lip-smacking yogurt. . . . Bulgaria has by far the best yogurt in the world, partly because they invented it. They also are (supposedly) responsible for the regional cuisine shared by many of its neighbors: Bulgar wheat, stuffed grape leaves, baklava, kebabs, goat cheese, and “Bulgarian coffee” (the thick syrupy brew also known as “Greek” or “Turkish”). Indeed, an ethnic-eats expert such […]

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In Plovdiv, Bulgaria, John M. Edwards snitches on the mystery-shrouded Balkans’ best-kept secret: an ancient (and enduring) heresy I was on the way slow train from Budapest through the Balkans, on my way to Bulgaria, chainsmoking and guzzling Egri Bikavier (Bull’s Blood) wine, when the train came to a juddering halt and was boarded by heavily armed Serbian soldiers. A Serb with an impressive handlebar moustache and an assault rifle demanded my passport. “Americansky!” The Serb spat. “You must get off train!” Knobby knees buckling, I asked, “The train won’t […]

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This was Richard’s Keynote to The European Travel Commission, presented on May 9, 2013. This also took first place in our 2013 travel writing competition. I once ran with the bulls of Pamplona….by mistake, involuntarily. I was at Microsoft, where we were developing a new travel product that would become Expedia, and we had the idea to use a new web technology called Live Chat to convey from the field the adventure of travel. I had the idea that I would cover the running of the bulls by standing in […]

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A big thanks to everyone who submitted their journals and travel writings for our annual travel writing contest. We had a lot of great submissions. Also thanks for our great sponsors: Motorola Mobility, Lock-A-Bye and the Allegany National Forest. The winners are listed directly below. We look forward to holding this again next year 🙂 Congratulations to Kelly, our first place winner of our annual travel writing contest! Tongue-Tied Congratulations to Leslie, our second place winner of our annual travel writing contest! Romancing the Past Congratulations to Maureen, our third […]

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The sweat dripped down my face as I gyrated to the throbbing techno trying to keep up with a six-foot Serbian bombshell that had taken a keen interest in me, or at least my obvious American appearance. We walked out to the deck of the club, docked on the banks of the river Danube in downtown Belgrade to escape the heat of the nightclub and catch a breath of fresh air. As I took a sip of Jelen Pivo, the standard Serbian beer, my mind was fighting an epic battle […]

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