#rakia

4 - underrated mission(s)

Maybe the Rakia mission the the ISS which happened back in 2022 but I only found out about earlier this year. Admittedly not too much novel about it, but there was Hebrew language on the ISS.

8 - fave space book

For nonfiction, I'll have to go with Cosmos by Carl Sagan, outdated as it is, because it left a big impression on me when I was 12 and I think it's at least part of the reason I got degrees in physics.

For fiction, I'm going with the Martian by Andy Weir because I just loved it and when asked I often list it as my favorite book even though I could never pick just one favorite book.

(Some runner-ups for favorite fiction space book are Artemis by Andy Weir, The Lady Astronaut books by Mary Robinette Kowal, and War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells.)

9 - fave space movie

I'm thinking The Martian. One of the few book-to-movie adaptations that satisfied me.

(I also really liked Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, but that mostly takes place on Earth and doesn't really feel like a "space movie".

12 - what got you into space?

You want the long story? I guess I've always been drawn to knowing things no one else knows, and space is pretty unknown. When I was 5 I had a special interest in space (there was a time in my childhood when every year of my life could be defined by whatever my special interest at the time was) that went away after some time like my special interests at the time did.

So, I need him in this collection too ♥  I tried to imitate Himaruya’s style

(BTW, he’s drinking Rakia, I guess they’re having a sort of “typical drink” from their respective countries)

Bulgaria & Style © Himaruya

Our mantra at the start of this trip was simple: say yes to everything. Our mantra now halfway through the trip is: say yes to everything, except rakia.⁣

We cannot fault the hospitality of the Balkan people, for wherever we go our glasses are always full, whether you call it rakia or palinká or brandy, it is customary to have a shot or two with a coffee when you are the guest at somebody’s house.⁣

No is simply not an answer, they will pour you a glass anyway, and refill your glass continuously even if you take only a sip at a time, even if you tell them you have to drive.⁣

As an elderly Serbian man told us:⁣

“One rakia- problem⁣

Two rakia- small problem⁣

Theee rakia- no problems”.⁣

It is customary to drink Turkish coffee (or “Serbian coffee”, or “Bosnian coffee” as each country proudly calls it its own) with a glass of water and light conversation. Rivalry ensues over which nation’s goulash recipe is the best, or the origins of Ottoman foods such as Turkish delight and bürek, when really the origins are all the same.⁣

These are just a few of the quirks we love about the Balkans, the faultless hospitality, the passionate rivalry between each country, the unpaved roads, the crazy driving. It keeps things interesting, it livens up your day, and it evokes in us a sense of freedom and lack of regulation than we cannot find at home in the UK. Each country is so unique yet so united in their very Balkanness.⁣

We have found this sense of freedom so tangibly in Serbia, a country where you need only drive ten minutes out of a city to be totally in the wild. It has no coastline and barely any tourism, but an identity and culture that is strong and proud, and landscapes that stretch wild and untouched for miles.