Montenegro – small but very pretty

Miles on trip: 10223 miles

Countries: 21 (+ Montenegro)

Days on trip: 98

On leaving Dubrovnik, we had our first proper border awaiting us – Montenegro. As with most borders, it started with a queue – and being stuck behind a bus, we weren’t going to move anytime soon! Entertainment was limited, but nearby there were some Defenders used by the Montenegran border police. We love our Baloo to bits but he would not make a good vehicle for a car chase or to get to an emergency quickly. Anyway, we are sure the Montenegran police know why they picked their cars.

As we made it to the front of the queue they checked our passports and then asked for our green card, which proves vehicle insurance. However, since we are not insured in non EU countries (except for a few like Norway and Switzerland) we opted to buy third party insurance at the border, which at 15EUR for a week wasn’t too bad. By this point our phone companies also told us that we either couldn’t make any calls whilst in Montenegro (Andi) or it was prohibitedly expensive (Martin). Anyway, time to head to our first destination: Kotor Bay.

Kotor Bay is a bay that goes into the Adriatic Sea and has mountains all around it. It’s very picturesque and has a nice road going along it. At one end of the bay is the city of Kotor, which like Dubrovnik, is a well preserved walled city.  We walked along one edge of the wall (you can’t walk all the way around like in Dubrovnik), and had a lovely view over the bay. Kotor also has a wall going up the mountain to a fort, but at about a 45min climb, Martin was less keen in the heat. So he opted for some pub time, whilst Andi decided to trek. There were great views over the bay, the city, different parts of the wall and the fort, but the climb definitely counted as doing exercise.

After an ice cream we decided to leave and find a camp site somewhere. We had seen a few pretty ones right by the bay on the way to Kotor, but they were quite far away now. So we kept going the other way in the hope we’d find something nice – the internet had promised us at least one camp site. As we left Kotor, the road (whilst pretty and along the bay) got very narrow and definitely didn’t feel like a road that you should be allowed to drive both ways (but it was!). So when a bus came the other way, Martin crept right to the edge of the road, and any further and we would have been swimming with the fishes!

When we got to the campsite google had promised us, we found it closed for the season. Great. Andi tried to ask whether there was another one nearby – using sign language because of the limited English, and luckily just a 100m further was another nice one right by the bay. It was basic but open(!), and had all we needed. So we enjoyed a BBQ, a lovely view over the bay and then decided to start our lectures – we had decided to do an online course on machine learning and it was time for our first set of video lectures.

The next morning we headed to Skadar lake via Budva. It’s the largest lake in the Balkans, but the area fluctuates between 370km^2 and 530km^2 depending on the season. Because the lake also changes in water level between 4.7m and 9.8m above sea level, there isn’t a nice path right along the lake, so in an attempt to learn more about how we can explore the area better, we stopped at a tourist information centre. Generally we’ve found them to be very good, especially in Norway, but here all they wanted to do was to sell us expensive boat tours, with apparently no room to negotiate. So we left and figured we’ll find some other way. From a map, it looked like next to the border with Albania, the road got pretty close to the lake. So we headed that way, passed a few interesting villages and got some nice views indeed. We were also hoping to find a camp site with a view but unfortunately they were all across the border in Albania. Nevermind, so we abandoned the plan and headed to Podgorica, the capital. There isn’t much in the capital at all, but it was the closest campsite and it’s also at the start of the Moraca River canyon, which was the plan for the next day.

At the campsite we saw Tom and Ann who we first met in Budapest. They had shipped their caravan from Australia and like us, were touring Europe. Having also caught up with them briefly in Dubrovnik, we now took the time to have a proper chat, enjoy some drinks, and have a relaxing evening.

One of the nicest drives is supposed to be from the start of the Moraca river up north to Durmitor national park. There are several routes but the recommended one is via Kolasin as that way you drive past the Moraca river canyon and the Tara river canyon. We heard before that the road isn’t supposed to be very good but we thought if it gets too bad we can always turn around.

The drive was indeed spectacular: lovely views over the river, steep drops down the canyon, rocks, trees and beautiful valleys. When we got to the Tara river canyon there was also the famous concrete bridge with arches and a common activity is to get a zip wire across or bungee jump off it. The route did not disappoint and the road was actually pretty good – tarmac all the way through and in reasonable condition. No idea what others were complaining about.

That night we stayed in Zabljac national park. There we found a basic (cheap) campsite, pretty high up at 1470m, and with its own resident cows. Andi was hoping Martin’s farming experience would be useful in case of attack by the boisterous bull – the tip was: if he charges at you, just run and hide behind the land rover. Hmm. Anyway, after that excitement we went for a short walk around a “black lake” (crno jezero), which is a pretty glacial lake in the national park – and after all the driving, it felt good to walk a little.

This was our last stop in Montenegro. It may be a small country but the scenery is absolutely beautiful! It has a lot to offer and the distances aren’t too long.

Warm weather in Croatia – ignore the rain

Miles on trip: 9959 miles

Countries: 20 (+ Croatia)

Days on trip: 95

Number of time we got the tool box out: 3

Dashing through central Europe meant we would still make it to Croatia when it was nice and warm. And with highs of just under 30, we think we achieved that! Anything much higher would make camping pretty uncomfortable, and since Baloo doesn’t have air con, driving would also be a bit sweaty.

Our first stop in Croatia was on the Istria peninsular. We found quite a big camp site near the beach, relaxed a bit and then it was time to jump in to the water. Unfortunately, like most of Croatia, there are mainly pebble beaches. Not ideal but at least the water was nice and refreshing and we enjoyed a little swim – until it started to rain. It might still be warm but it was our first day in Croatia and the clouds opened on us. Luckily it didn’t last very long and whilst it kicked us out of the sea, by the time we were back at the car, the heat had pretty much dried us again.

The plan was to stay mainly along the coast, however, we heard great things about the Plitvica Lakes further inland. The road there was scenic, however, it was also quite narrow and windy so we started to wonder whether that trip inland to the lakes was really worth it. And yes, it totally was! The lakes were amazing! Granted, there were loads of tourists, but the blue and green colours were beautiful and the scenery was absolutely stunning. We had a lovely walk there, crossed part of the lake by boat and took the panorama bus. Since we had some time left we enjoyed a bottle of wine (hiding under our umbrella from the rain for a brief period) before taking the bus back to the campsite.

Next, we were heading to the island of Pag – back at the coast. This time it was bigger roads again leading us past some rocky cliffs, olive trees and pretty views. In the evening we enjoyed the sunset at the beach and discussed our route down from here. The aim was to get to Dubrovnik. However, that involves crossing the Neum corridor which is part of Bosnia & Herzegovina. The problem is that our car insurance isn’t valid for that section and whilst you can generally buy insurance at the borders, we would have to drive to a different border and pay for a week of insurance when we only need it for 20 minutes. A different option was to take the ferry  to Peljesac, which is a Croatian peninsular that connects to Dubrovnik.

Since we thought it would be nice to see more of Croatia, we opted for the ferry and drove down to Kravica the next day. From here it was about 1h to the ferry and it was supposedly a place with a sandy beach. The drive down there was very pretty, along the Dalmatian coast. We got lovely coastal views and passed some pretty Croatian villages. However, when we got to the campsite in Kravica, there was no sandy beach. There was a nice pebble beach and a harbour but no sand. 😦 Nevermind, we made some dinner and then heard some music from the marina. Keen to find out what was going on, we headed back down to the harbour where we saw a Croatian band performing. With beers from our fridge we decided to crash the party and enjoy a mix of Croatian and English songs.

The next day we left it slightly late to get to the ferry. So instead of continuing along the coastal route we went inland, which was slightly faster but also more expensive with the toll. Turns out in the end, you didn’t have to get to the ferry any earlier than just before it leaves and the coastal route would have been fine but we really enjoyed some more inland scenery of mountains and forests.

The peninsula we were going to didn’t have many roads, which made it easy to choose the route. We drove up to the tip which led us past stunning views over Croatia on one side and the sea and on the other side. We also passed plenty of wine and cheese places, which this area is known for. As we got near to the end of the tip the road went uphill and we had an amazing view over the peninsula, and coming down an incredible view over the tip of the peninsula and the sea in the background. Unfortunately there was a lack of good places to stop to take photos but the view was more like what you might expect from a birds eye view.

On our way back along the peninsula we decided to stop just before Ston and who would believe it, we finally found a sandy beach and Martin raced to the water as soon as Baloo was parked.

We had a specific date when we had to be in Dubrovnik. Martin’s mum, June, booked flights to spend a lovely few days with us down there. So, as she got an early morning flight, we also got up early to finish the last few km to Dubrovnik to pick her up at the airport. Driving through Ston, we saw their city wall, and then driving past the coast we saw Dubrovnik from afar slowly getting closer and closer.

All safely arrived in Dubrovnik we checked out our air bnb. Close to the old town, but most notably, it had a Jacuzzi which we made the most of! Unfortunately, no washing machine, which we had been banking on. So first task was to find a launderette and have lunch.

With the essentials finished and wearing nice fresh clothes we headed back into town. It was sunny but the weather forecast for the next few days was thunder and rain. So we had to make the most whilst the sun was out. To start with we took the cable car to the top of Srd hill. From there we enjoyed a view over Dubrovnik but also all the nearby islands, giving a great overview of where we are, how the city is surrounded by the city wall and what else there is outside of the walls.

After taking the cable car back down we wandered around town along the cobble streets, through some narrow alleys and up and down steps. A few scenes of Game of Thrones were filmed here and we could certainly see why this city is such a fantastic place to film medieval films / series. Everything is kept to the old architecture style but in great condition and the city centre is simply charming.

As it got later and we enjoyed some dinner the first few rain drops appeared. However, given that we were under an umbrella at the restaurant, it didn’t bother us and we enjoyed our meal of lovely fish and sea food.

The next day, after a late start and June checking out the pomegranate tree outside the apartment,  we went into town for some lunch and wandered around trying to find the way to the fortress. Unfortunately it wasn’t quite as obvious as we hoped and we ended up elsewhere with a nice view, but no fort. And then the rain came back. First a few drops but soon it was pouring it down. So we decided to run back to the apartment.

Andi went via a supermarket to find some Croatian cheese and meat for dinner. Whilst the lady at the cheese counter spoke no English and was not interested in trying to serve anybody, the guy at the bread counter was quite the opposite: very friendly, chatty and although he didn’t know lots about cheese, he was very interested in helping Andi find Croatian cheese. And not just cheese, he checked everything in the shopping basket as to whether it was Crotian. It was nice but slightly over the top when he questioned Andi’s choice of milka chocolate. Anyway, Andi finally got the cheese and also some burek, a local Balkan pastry – essentially a very nice sausage roll.

At the same time Martin put his mechanic hat on. After our light issues in Slovakia he figured out that the problem was that the master light switch has all the current going through it and therefore melted the connection. So he ordered a new switch and used the rainy weather to fit it. Taking off the cover under the steering wheel, exposing all the electric and swapping the switches all might sound easy but doing it for the first time still is a challenge. However, with the tool box out, some patience and a little swearing he successfully managed to get the lights to work again. Proud mechanic.

All back at the apartment, we dried out, relaxed and enjoyed a nice dinner of cheese, cheese, more cheese, oh and meats, burek, bread and some fruit, along with some lovely wine.

The next day, whilst still forecasted to have some rain, looked much brighter and we decided to go to Lukrum Island. The island is very close to the main land: A boat ride takes 10 minutes and almost gets you to the point furthest away from Dubrovnik. On the island there are nice walks along its cliffs, some beaches, a fort (although not the best preserved fort), a dead sea (which apparently is slightly saltier than the ocean), a Game of Thrones visitor centre (including a replica throne from Game of Thrones), a botanic garden and lots and lots of cute bunnies.

So far we had seen quite a lot of Dubrovnik and kept going in and out of the city through the city wall gates. However, we hadn’t been up the wall yet and so on our final day we decided to climb up the steep steps of the wall and walk around it. The wall was very well preserved (slash repaired), gave a beautiful view over the city and had a few nice turrets with more lookout points. After that we briefly went to the fort for another (although quite similar) view.

After a drink at an Irish pub (June’s first ever visit to an Irish pub!) and a nice last meal, this was almost the end of our time here with June. June got a flight back to the UK the following morning and we continued along the road attempting our first proper border – to Montenegro.

Ticking off countries

Miles on trip: 9197 miles

Countries: 19 (+ Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Slovenia, Italy)

Days on trip: 85

Number of car issues on this trip: 3

In this section, any country that we stay in for longer than one night should be very happy. As we were leaving Katowice, Poland, towards Slovakia, there was a little bit of road to navigate in the Czech Republic. Since we didn’t want to buy a vignette, we drove right along the border with Poland through a bunch of little Czech villages. So winner (loser?) of shortest time in a country was the Czech Republic, at about an hour.

Our aim for driving that day was Stiavnicke vrchy, a Slovakian national park with a volcanic mountain range and a UNESCO World Heritage town. It was quite a drive but started well: nice little villages, beautiful scenery and for the first time in quite a while, we saw mountains again. We definitely missed those! However, as we continued to drive it started to get dark. Given that we didn’t want to drive in the dark it didn’t make us too happy but we decided to continue to the camp site we had found online. It was getting darker and darker and then our luck ran out. The master light switch started to become a little temperamental, making driving a little more difficult, but decidedly more hazardous.  Luckily at that point the camp site wasn’t too far off, and the stray dog with no sense of self preservation was just avoided.

Next problem arose when we got to the campsite. There was definitely a campsite there, but nobody was around – there were no other cars, and all facilities were locked. Maybe they had closed for the season? Luckily the gate was open so we drove in, parked up, and stayed there anyway.

After all the excitement we thought we should have a little bit to eat and watch an episode of Billions, a new series we started. But soon we had thunder, lightning, rain and a fair amount of wind coming our way and noticed that Baloo wasn’t leaking just a little bit, but we had an entire water fall coming down the passenger door. We tried to fill it with toilet paper but, unsurprisingly, that was only a very short term solution, and we spent a good amount of time funnelling water away.

The next day we headed towards Budapest. We drove through the Slovakian national park and enjoyed the scenery. After settling in at Budapest city camping we took the metro into town for a short walk around, some drinks and burgers. It was Martin’s second time in Budapest, although given how much he remembered we might as well say it was his first. So together we enjoyed the views over the Danube and of the castle on the other side of the river in Pest and, predictably, a few bars. It seemed like there were a lot of themed hostelries but the only one we tried was the ‘for sale’ pub, which later we discovered not only looked pretty spectacular, but had bargainus and tasty goulash.

The next day we had a busy sightseeing programme. First we went to the baths which is a collection of pools (of varying temperatures) and some saunas and steam rooms. As we were about to buy the tickets when a friendly British couple offered us theirs since they decided against going in after having bought them. Thanks a lot! So we had a relaxing morning / early afternoon swimming and soaking in water. All pampered we were ready to tackle our sightseeing programme: old town, the parliament and off to the other side to Pest to see the castle. It was fantastic. The old town was very vibrant, the parliament was absolutely beautiful (and would beat Westminster [ed, controversial]) and the castle was very pretty with some fantastic views over Buda. So all in all a very successful day, rounded off by some spicy Hungarian goulash. Yummy.

From Budapest we headed to Lake Balaton, the largest lake in central Europe. We had a nice drive along the lake and found a campsite right by the lake – so Andi could go in and swim and we could both enjoy dinner right next to the lake. Lovely views, lovely water and on the way out we drove through some very Mediterranean looking countryside with olive trees. It almost felt like we were in Greece already.

3 days in Hungary – this is the winner in this section. From here on we realised we were very close to Austria and thought “why not add Austria to our list as well?”. Or as Martin said: “A visit to Hungary is not complete without going to Austria.” So off we went to Graz. We arrived not too late, found the city campsite and jumped straight on a bus to the centre. We walked around the Herrengasse, up to the clock tower and the castle, down to the other side of the river and to the Murinsel, some arty building / island in the river. It was a very picturesque town. And especially up on the hill we had some amazing views, which made up for the steep climb up there. (Or at least for some of us the views made up for that.)

Next stop: Lake Bled – Slovenia. It is a small lake with a castle on an island in the middle and also a castle on a cliff at one end of the lake. We went for a short walk around the lake and Andi also went up a steep climb to get a stunning view. It’s really a very pretty, peaceful and romantic place although also quite busy and especially busy with Harley Davidson motor bikers when we were there.

The next day we headed off to Postojnska jama, a beautiful cave. It was a very touristy place and the people there were not just trying to sell the cave to you but also a castle, museum and some other part of the cave with little animals but we just went for the standard (yet still expensive) 90minute tour through a few of the halls in the cave. It was very impressive in there with different stalagmites and stalactites – different shapes, different colours, different compositions, …That, as well as the huge size of the cave made it a unique experience.

In the evening, rather than staying at the campsite near the cave we thought we’d stay in the wine region in Slovenia. So we found a small but very busy private camp in the countryside. They just had harvest that weekend, so we saw lots of tractors with grapes and there was a wine festival in the village. The camp site made their own wine as well, so we could see tractors of grapes come in and being squeezed into grape juice – yummy grape juice which Martin got to try. As a welcome drink we each got a glass of their own wine and then went on to buy a bottle. After dinner we felt like a dessert wine, so Martin went to ask them about dessert wine. They didn’t have any themselves but recommended their neighbour next door. So Martin went over to buy a bottle. An hour later he came back (quite jollily) – not because the next door neighbour was so far away but because Martin got a full wine tasting and tour of their facilities. At least he also bought a few bottles so that at some point Andi can also try the wine.

Since Martin had his treat with wine, the next day was Andi’s turn for a little treat. We drove to the Lipica stud farm where they breed and train the white horses. Andi got a tour, whilst Martin was cleaning the car – should do that more often. But at the end of the tour Andi found a place where we could both see the horses without the bothersome issue of paying entry.

At this point we were about a couple km away from the Italian border and Martin was craving pizza and coast. So we drove over to Trieste and then down along the coast to find a camp site 250m away from the Slovenian border. We stayed there for the night, briefly went to the beach, had some pizza and the owner explained a bit about what it’s like being so close to the Slovenian border – today and before open borders – and where the name of the region (Lazzaretto) came from – quarantine station for sea travellers with leprosy.

From here on we’ll drive once more through Slovenia to get to our next stop: Croatia.