I have lived in the UK for 27 years without ever seeing a car accident. I have lived in the US for four years without ever seeing a car accident. This morning, in Hungary, it only took half an hour, walking around near my hotel, for me to see a car accident - a car drove straight into the back of a stationary bus.

In the airport, waiting for the plane for Sarajevo, I noted that they chose to board the planes for Belgrade (Serbia), Sarajevo (Bosnia), and Pristina (Kosovo) at the same time, from adjacent gates, with the result that we had a crowd of Serbs being forced to mingle with a crowd of Bosnians and a crowd of Kosovans. This seemed like strange planning.

The plane to Sarajevo was a small turbo-prop, and I found that I had the seat right next to the propeller. There is nothing quite like giant whirring blades inches from your face to help one relax during a flight.