I'm not entirely sure if I've mentioned it before, but I'm hardly the type who spends a lot of my time in bars and drinks. As it is, I probably drink at a rate of 2 alcoholic drinks every 3-4 weeks, and the only time that would increase significantly would be during Eurovision. I just don't see the point of consuming something that is just going to make you feel gross the next morning, that's damaging for your health, and that has the ability to change your behaviour in a negative way. I don't need it to have a good time, unlike many other people, the behaviour of which I was witness to on a number of occasions in my old job at the Convention Centre in Perth. The minute people hear the words 'Open Bar' they have a certain crazy look in their eye, that they need to get every last drop of booze out of the building, mouth over the beer taps to suck it dry. I guess in comparison to working on an aircraft serving (virtually) unlimited booze there, it's far more civil in the skies. Don't get me wrong, people still have the capacity to take things a bit far, and you can easily find news reports supporting it, but I still think people are more civil in the air. I guess flyers understand that they still have to be conscious enough to identify their luggage at the baggage carousel when they arrive. 

Anyway, a few months ago I had annual leave, and I decided to spend it in the Balkans. Four days in Sarajevo, four days in Belgrade. I fully intended not to have a drink, but the Balkans are so ridiculously cheap, and after receiving a fantastic recommendation, I couldn't resist. 

The beauty about being involved in Eurovision is that you wind up with a massive network of friends spread all around the continent. Even if you're travelling to a city where you're not familiar with any locals, chances are there will be someone in this vast network who has been to the city you're headed to and they'll be more than willing to offer some tips. One of these friends was Roy, who runs the most amazing Eurovision blog here and if you have the tiniest interest in the contest then I encourage you to go there because 99% of the posts are hilarious and amazing. Anyway, Roy told me I needed to see this bar called Zlatna Ribica, just a short walk from Sarajevo's Eternal Flame, and he made a point of it, "You MUST visit the toilets!". Okay then!