Mostar and Bijeljina — another reminder that judo opens doors through hospitality alone, no federation contact needed.

Trieste, Udine, Tamai, Jesi, Modena, Rome, Torre del Greco, Naples — and a quick unofficial detour through the Vatican for good measure.

Training at Albania’s very first judo club — a small community with a big heart.

The bridge between Bosnia and Montenegro — and the place where a promise got made that led straight to Kotor.

A judoka I barely knew, Dejan, said “come to my home” in Croatia — and meant it. Kotor’s amphitheatre dojo, the national team in Podgorica carried by one coach doing everything alone, and a closing seminar in Tivat with fifty judokas of every age.

A stop back home — the Paris Grand Slam, Pôle France Strasbourg, and the “Why France Is So Strong in Judo?” mini-series filmed in Asnières.

The country where it all began — Spain was the pre-launch beta test during COVID. This time: Castellón, Bilbao, Gijón, the Canaries, Tenerife, Madrid. Two classes at Koi Judo Castellón, a first conversation entirely in Spanish, and homemade paella with the team.

Braga, Aveiro, Lisbon, Albufeira, Porto — three weeks of clubs and clinics across Portugal, “A Portuguese Judo Journey,” plus a quick return to Slovenia along the way.

No reply from the federation, so the trip got organized directly with Daniel Zodian — hosted by Bronx People in Bacău, a club for at-risk youth, plus a seminar with Nova BJJ. “You Must Fall to Raise: A Judo Lesson From Romania.”

An extension of the Romania trip — organized by Konstantin Kotov across two clubs, M.S. Champions and Judo Lider Team, and the very first Moldovan supporter on Patreon.

Underway right now. Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas — the whole leg organized with Jonathan Cotté of Griffin Performance Judo.

Next up — Montreal, Trois-Rivières, Quebec City. On the wishlist: sit-downs with Nicholas Gill