Hello all. First things first. It's been a hectic few weeks since I last found the time to write to this page. Also, life is just too short to spend too much time in internet cafés. But I will try to pick out some highlights of what I've seen in the last couple of weeks.

I did a little more sightseeing around Ireland with Lisa, including a visit to see Margit & Denis and their bilingual boys. Their house is in an idyllic area of countryside not too far from Kilkenny. The sunset was delicious! Lots of oranges and reds, and scenery straight out of a child's picture of hills, streams & houses.

My visit to two abandoned monasteries was most memorable. I thought the first one at the Rock of Cashel was going to be unbeatable, with its hilltop setting, its views across the Golden Vale and its sense of peace despite all the tourists. But then we drove due north to Clonmacnois and I was blown away. This time a riverside setting, with flatlands, farm animals and a complete absence of tourists (it helped that we got there too late to go in, but a kindly member of staff told us to just go ahead and wander around anyway). I hope the photos do the place justice - especially the one of a cow's head framed by a romanesque arch.

Belgrade was a revelation. I didn't really know what to expect, and I had (for me) hesitant feelings upon landing at the airport. That my luggage hadn't made it was something of a worry, but to be honest it was more the fact that I don't speak Serb and no-one in the airport spoke much English that got me. Luckily, there were three of us whose luggage hadn't made the tight connection in Vienna, and one of the others had been an aid worker in Serbia last year so she spoke some srpski (no really, there are that few vowels).

Just as I thought things couldn't get any worse, I discovered that my hosts had the day before found out about the death of a very close family friend! This threatened to take the edge off a reunion with two sisters I hadn't seen in over nine years. But luckily everyone was keen to see the bright side, and my visit was viewed as a welcome excuse not to dwell on sad thoughts.

Belgrade the city is quite a treasure. Its mix of Habsburg architecture, creaky trams and Soviet era concrete do not prepare you for the upbeat nature of the people, the wild nightlife and conflict between obvious Europeanness & essential otherness that I have otherwise only ever experienced in Russia. But you don't find bombed-out husks of government buildings in Moscow or St Petersburg. Indeed, I have to admit that I hadn't given any thought to the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 before arriving. I suppose, like the majority of Europeans today, I can't imagine living in a war zone. I was worried that there might be some resentment towards me, as a representative of a NATO country, but thankfully it seems the Serbs are much more forgiving than that.

It was hot hot hot in Belgrade! The food was great (mostly grown in people's gardens; Serbs have not lost the taste for real food like we have in much of western Europe) and the café culture was admirable. Possibly the best thing about the nightlife was that much of it is to be found in floating bars and clubs that are moored on the Sava or Danube rivers. And there wasn't a mosquito in sight - apparently they have a general spraying programme which sees to them.

Arguably the most interesting site to visit in Belgrade is the Kalemegdan Fort. This vast series of walls and turrets commands the view over the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, and has been the site of fortifications since at least Roman times. But aside from towering stone and brick constructions, the complex houses a huge park, many sports facilities (including the home grounds of Belgrade's two bastketball teams) and several wonderful cafés.

But the thing that I most enjoyed in Kalemegdan was the two churches that are nestled in folds of the steep outer cliff face. In one, all the decorations are made of used ammunition - this sounds bizarre, and in fact it is bizarre, but it's also fitting, given this is an army church and it is housed in the old armoury of the fort. There must be hundreds of bullet cases in the chandelier alone.

In the other church, I was able to experience for myself the depth of belief held by Orthodox Christians in Serbia. Although it was only small, the intensity of spirit in the chapel was palpable as people moved silently from icon to icon, kissing their frames and leaving donations. And this spirit was given physical expression just outside: In a small, dark, semicircular memorial building, you enter to stand on the straight side. Facing you, arranged on two levels (the upper for the living, the lower for the dead) right across the wall, people light candles and say a prayer for their loved ones. Not only do these candles produce intense heat and light - which, thanks to the shape of the building, is focused onto you until you think you are standing inside a blast furnace. In addition, they give rise to a sound which I can only describe as being like firecrackers going off in quick succession, or like the crackle of those exploding sweets that you can hear in your mouth, only amplified a million times. It is very moving and unforgettable.

In conclusion on Belgrade, I have to thank once again most profusely my friends Mikica and Svetlana for looking after me and translating for me, and their dear mother for making sure there wasn't a moment of any of my days there where I went hungry!

And so on to Wedding Number Three of the year. What a wedding! What a setting! What lovely people! What memories! What a dearth of superlatives to describe the time I've been having recently in Spain! Pascale & Pepe's wedding was sublime. They crafted their very own bilingual ceremony for the chapel, and the finca (country house) that was the setting for the reception was simply splendid. The music played on into the night, and the fun didn't stop.

Much of Pascale's family came down from France to be at the wedding, and we spent a few days all together after the event to do some sightseeing in the area. Aranjuez lies south of Madrid, within easy reach of the capital and other interesting places. Toledo has in my opinion rightfully earned its reputation as a historic and architectural treasure. The mediaeval heart of the city is largely untouched by the ravaging hands of modernity, something which is apparent both close-up as you wander around its tiny winding hilly streets and from afar, as you take in the views from the back of the (slightly tacky but really worthwhile) mini train tour bus thing.

The cathedral in Toledo is like none other. It's somehow like a coral reef, with so many constituent parts differing in style one from the other and yet the sum of them having an overall grace and charm. Built across six centuries, it has no beginning and no end, no central focus, but it leaves you with a feeling of completion and wonder. I must have walked around the inside at least three times, noticing new and exciting details on each circuit.

Once Pascale & Pepe had gone away on their honeymoon, my plan had been to do some more sightseeing around Castile - La Mancha (the region south of Madrid). But I was having such a fantastic time just chilling out with Pepe's brother Eduardo (who I was staying with) that the furthest we ended up travelling was the out-of-town hypermarket! This, however, was a most worthwhile trip because it brought me together with a mind-blowingly tasty manchego. Like some of the best things in life, this communion with cheese will probably turn out to be a one-off because I didn't remember to ask what it was called so I could buy it again.

I could be accused of being economical with the truth if I didn't admit that one of the reasons we didn't get our arses in gear and travel around more was Civilisation III: Play The World. This latest incarnation of the computer game I have been addicted to since I was 17 has retained its predecessors' grip on my imagination. We are talking sore mouse finger, boggle-eyes from staring at the screen, and sleepless nights compensated for by sleepy mornings/lunchtimes.

I am very happy to say that I have been adopted as a third son by Mari Trini, Pepe's mother. I couldn't wish for a lovelier family!! So watch out guys, I will be back...

And now I am in Barcelona, staying with my lovely friend Olga. Last night over sushi, we worked out that we have seen each other once every three years since we first met on a train from Salzburg to Munich in 1991. So, I guess after Friday, we will have to make plans for 2006!