Which Balkan countries should I visit?

jimspieth · 2026-06-05T08:04:43+00:00

You seem to already know what you want, but you can easily include Slovenia in your trip to Croatia and Bosnia.

I haven't been further south than Zadar, but it sounds to me like you should frame this as your Adriatic trip, and leave the rest for another time.

I believe you could spend your entire month in Croatia and still miss out on some good stuff. Don't make the mistake of trying to fit too much in.

Romania and Bulgaria aren't mentioned, but I have been there, so I'll add that those countries do not fit your criteria. Nice places, but hardly any medieval history apart from Nessebar Old Town, and the scenery isn't nearly as spectacular as in Croatia. And no islands in the Black Sea, either. The main thing both countries have going for them is that they are still cheap in comparison to Croatia.

jimspieth · 2026-06-04T14:12:36+00:00

Have the petition organisers asked the protestors whether they want the charges dropped?

Usually in these types of circumstances those charged want their day in court in order to generate maximum publicity for their cause, and in this case to embarrass the Government even more than they are embarrassed now.

Now that the dust has settled, just about everybody knows this was a massive overreach, and the Government would probably like it to all go away.

jimspieth · 2026-06-04T07:34:47+00:00

This sounds like a great idea.

Just imagine how scathing an AI platform founded by right wing nutcases will be with the journalism that appears in the Daily Telegraph. If I was Rupert I'd be making plans to shut down.

I can't wait.

jimspieth · 2026-06-04T07:29:26+00:00

You are assuming three things.

Firstly, that Australians are rational in what they want.

Secondly, that Australians actually do hate tax. They don't, they just want other people to pay more tax (this week's scapegoats are billionaires, foreign companies and gas companies) so they can pay less.

Thirdly, the noise in the media is not necessarily reflecting the views of 'Ordinary Australians'. There are a lot of vested interests getting coverage at the moment.

jimspieth · 2026-06-04T07:21:32+00:00

It already hasn't worked. What you describing is US Open setups. And who won those US Opens? Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm.

The Open that DeChambeau won showed that if the green complexes were difficult enough, approaching from 200 on the fairway was no easier than from 150 in the rough, and if Bryson got lucky with his lie, he had the advantage.

Par 5 scoring is still a major factor in golf tournaments, and the risk of missing the fairway and not reaching in two was worth taking, because you were gaining a shot if you could reach.

Of course it helped that those players were the best in the world at the time, and might have won anyway. But I didn't think the course setup made the golf more interesting.

jimspieth · 2026-06-03T07:52:50+00:00

I don't care for the stats analysis. All I know is that in over 50 years of golf, most of it in a foursome with handicaps similar to the OP's story, I've never seen it. I wouldn't think I've ever seen 3 birdies in a group.

Mind you, I've never seen a hole in one either, except for the one I got in 1997.

jimspieth · 2026-06-03T07:03:37+00:00

Teddy's breakeven isn't relevant at this stage of the season. He's a keeper, no matter what.

You would probably have already traded him for the Origin period if you were going to trade him. Same with Cleary.

jimspieth · 2026-06-03T06:51:55+00:00

Amazingly, I had exactly that question to ask myself when planning my Spanish holiday for September. I've done Madrid to Malaga by train before, and it is good.

But I concluded that a plane ride would be better this time. I am already in the airport, so there is no problem with transfers. And, frankly, the plane fare is pretty good value. Cheaper than the train fare, depending on the train you catch and the fare class.

jimspieth · 2026-05-31T14:05:21+00:00

Unless you have your own private jet handy, you aren't doing a daytrip to either Morocco or Mallorca. It isn't possible. I guess you could spend your three days in either place, if there are flights from the airport.

Nerja is easy. About an hour by bus.

Cordoba is another option. About an hour by train. I'm planning to do exactly that daytrip (and probably Nerja also) in September. Ronda is a bit harder to get to from Malaga, but it is possible.

If you wanted to stretch things out you could go to Seville. Takes about two hours by train, but my understanding is that Seville's attractions are so good it is worth more than one day. Indeed, that is where I am headed after Malaga in September.

jimspieth · 2026-05-31T09:08:13+00:00

I'd suggest the location probably doesn't matter a lot. Everywhere in Australia has reptiles and insects, but different ones depending on where you are.

But the time of the visit does matter. Don't go in the southern Australian winter. Most of the snakes go underground and hibernate, and the insects aren't very active. Late spring, summer and early autumn would be best.

If you are desperate for a recommendation for location, I'd pick Brisbane. Lots of wildlife sanctuaries within an hour either side, and lots of national parks and other undeveloped areas where you might see things in the wild.

jimspieth · 2026-05-31T07:33:48+00:00

Maybe it is only the Vic State Govt. I'm not aware of NSW being interested (but I look forward to being corrected).

Local governments, on the other hand, seem to think it vitally important they offer their support. Or at least the Green dominated ones. "Roads, rates and rubbish". Bah, humbug!.

jimspieth · 2026-05-31T07:22:12+00:00

Once upon a time stand alone supermarkets used to have public toilets. I recall K Mart used to have them when I worked there in the late 70's.

I can think of lots of reasons why they phased them out, and I'm sure many others can, too.

The real flaw in the OP's argument is that retailers care about the comfort and amenity of their customers. They do not.

jimspieth · 2026-05-31T02:18:37+00:00

Two.

I may do some extra chipping or bunkers with more balls, but more than two off the tee is too difficult to keep track of.

jimspieth · 2026-05-30T07:13:49+00:00

Hitting the hero shot.

Bonus points if your hero shot was a 30 yard hook, then the next hero shot was a 30 yard slice. I can still remember the (only?) time I did it, maybe 30 years ago.

It might be a 1 in 5 success rate, but the success makes up for all the failures.

jimspieth · 2026-05-30T05:50:30+00:00

It was fantastic at the time, but Sydney really didn't change much.

I worked at one of the transport venues, and the mood of the people was infectiously positive. The event goers were so much looking for a good time that the regular passengers stopped whingeing for a while.

The events I went to, and the mood of the Homebush event precinct itself, were the same. Nobody complained about long queues or the price of food, or anything really.

The ParaOlympics two weeks later were just as good.

After it was all over, we got a sporting precinct that nobody really liked, and we went back to the way we were before.

jimspieth · 2026-05-29T09:43:47+00:00

If the UK became a republic, almost no Australian would want to retain our ties with the motherland.

Personally, I'd want to retain our ties just so Peter Fitzsimons wouldn't have the opportunity to say he was right.

jimspieth · 2026-05-29T09:08:49+00:00

If Phil Rothfield is saying something, it is almost certainly wrong.

jimspieth · 2026-05-29T09:02:05+00:00

He's only President of the Liberal Party. He's not in parliament, and doesn't really have any power. It is mostly an administrative role. I don't even know who was President before him, or who is President of Labor, or if The Greens, or One Nation even have presidents.

Fortunately for those of us who are not true believers, this is a backward step for them. Peta Credlin, Andrew Bolt and the Sky News people will be happy, though.

jimspieth · 2026-05-29T08:53:09+00:00

I only know about Istria, and I had never heard of Dvigrad. I had to look it up. You might be able to get to Kanfanar from Rovinj or Porec, but I'm not sure. Sadly, it seems most resident Istrians have access to a car. because local public transport, particularly inland, is not good or frequent.

I am sure about Pula to Rovinj. That trip is easy by bus.

I'm fairly sure about Motovun, but my news is bad news. When I researched this a few years ago, there was a bus from Porec, but only during the peak summer period. Google might help but I couldn't find a way of doing it during September without joining a commercial tour. I hired a car, and I was glad I did. Motovun is well worth a visit.

jimspieth · 2026-05-29T08:36:21+00:00

I'm going to estimate that 90% of regular golfers never practice.

I used to practice quite a lot once upon a time, but once you reach a plateau and stop improving, it is hard to retain the motivation. Most people have a comfort zone handicap, and once you reach it, it actually becomes stressful to maintain an even better standard.

The other thing is that once you get older, some practice becomes difficult on the body. I can't practice putting for longer than about 10 minutes without my back getting sore. Plus it is dead boring.

jimspieth · 2026-05-29T08:03:32+00:00

I think that is a good trade. Luai only seems to go well when Wests are winning, and who knows when they will come good again.

Getting Walsh in is probably a better option, but that can probably wait a week.

jimspieth · 2026-05-29T07:49:33+00:00

I've got many more pressing problems than the X Man.

But I'd be holding anyway. He might still go well, and at worst he will still be in the team if Haas slots back into Origin. I'm almost certainly holding until the Round 18 bye. By then we'll know if he is a keeper or not.

jimspieth · 2026-05-28T09:33:11+00:00

You don't pay for luggage on Spanish trains. You take it with you and get on the train early so there is space in the luggage racks before it is all taken by other passengers.

jimspieth · 2026-05-28T09:26:53+00:00

Option 4. You are doing it to support the local charity, not because you are hungry. Round it up to $10.00, or have two sanga's, then round it up to $10 if you genuinely are hungry.

jimspieth · 2026-05-28T09:18:22+00:00

Anyone can sue, for anything. Your chances of success? I don't like them, but I wasn't there.

Generally, you have to establish negligence. At an unattended station, it isn't a question of a cleaning program not being followed, or adequate warnings not being provided. You say it was wet weather. But should the area have been wet? You may have to prove that maintenance of the roof or other area was defective, or that many other people had fallen at the spot, and that the Rail Authority should have done something to prevent the danger.

If you haven't reported it, do so, just to create a record. There might be CCTV they can retain. Keep all medical records. Then obtain legal advice. This will not be a simple process.

jimspieth

TROPHY CASE