5. Montenegro.

Montenegro, Utejha.

July 7th - 10th

The border crossing took ages, worst so far... Sitting in the car in the baking sun with a family of beggars tapping us, not a pleasant experience, I will give to most but when they and you know you can't move on its not a good place to be. Glad to be across the border and on the road to the coast,  the GPS (google maps) said just over half hour, great we thought!! One hour later we were pretty much stuck on the 'higher' coast road which was very narrow and all of the roads taking us down were even narrower, stressful situation, anyway we took a break at a shop for an ice cream and asked a local if he thought we could get down a certain road and he said the he does it in his minibus, so we went for it and although it was single lane luckily it had a good run off on either side, we finally made it to the E851!!!

The up side is the crystal clear sea.

Looking forward to a cool off in the sea we arrived at Camp Oliva in Maslina Bay, Utejha which was just opposite the ram packed beach... towel to towel and brolly to brolly, until now we had space and freedom which had been lovely, not complaining though it is very beautiful...

Very very old olive tree.

We drove on to the site and despite emailing to book it was pretty much the same as the beach and just about managed to get squeezed in but didn't have room to get the sun canopy up, luckily we were surrounded by the most beautiful olive trees I have ever seen which offered some welcome shade.

Making good use of the stones :)

An essential cool one...

With the essentials done in the caravan; power and beds, we went off to the beach. The beach was stones so not at all comfortable but the sea was just what we needed, crystal clear and extremely refreshing closely followed by a beer, pizza and bed, an early night was in order for us.

The next day we decided to take a look around Bar and book our ferry to Italy, other than some nice restaurants along the harbour not much to see here so we headed for the old town of Bar, we parked and despite being parked in a free parking space a guy was insisting we paid and in the end we gave him a Euro. 

Coffee and homemade biscuits.

Bar old town.

Half way up the hill.

The old town of Bar.

The old towns narrow cobbled streets were lined with shops and cafes, it was very traditional and a lovely place to relax and look around. We sat and had a Turkish coffee that came with some totally divine homemade cookies, after a second helping we set of for the top of the hill to the castle, it was huge and very well preserved so we were excitedly spurred on, feeling a little like the Famous Four we looked at as much as we could, investigating as many towers, nooks and crannies and dungeons as we possibly could, the boys were bored first I shall add.

Unusual door?!

Famous Four!!

Looking around.

Pretty in Pink :)

The street below.

Lemonade place.

On the way back to the car we had a zesty chilled homemade lemonade and thought what a lovely time we were having despite what we felt was not a relaxing start but low and behold when we got back to the car a different guy was telling us that we had to pay, the area was a free parking zone (we had checked in the tourist info office) and we felt a little disappointed as these people were intimidating and very persistent, Neil at this point has had quite enough and was now telling other tourists it was a free parking zone and not to pay...




We set off back to the campsite and within a few minutes Matty said his tablet had gone from the back of the car, to cut a long story short it had and it seemed likely that the guys asking for parking money opened the window and stole it, Matty was gutted!! We decided to do the right thing and report the theft to the police and also let them know about the tricksters at the parking area, the Police in Montenegro are similar to the Police in Bulgaria, chocolate tea pot springs to mind, they were all sat around smoking and smirking at us and told us to go back in an hour - it was already quite late and to be honest thought it would be fruitless so didn't bother, unfortunately we were feeling pretty low at this point and went to bed looking forward to getting the ferry in two days time.

The next morning we felt a bit better, not much though, for some reason we were not 'feeling' Montenegro, the camp site was more than 60% occupied by permanent camping pitches, when this happens people who live in them can sometimes become a little territorial (naturally) and it kind of feels like you have pitched in someones garden without invitation, here their feelings were almost palpable.

Huge cruise ship in Kotor Bay.

City wall.

We had wanted to drive further north to the Bay of Kotor to camp but felt it was just too long of a journey to then have to back track for the ferry so we decide just to go for the day,  it was a long drive but well worth it, the harbor had the biggest cruise ship docked that I had ever seen and few luxury if not super yachts.






The old town is a UNESCO world heritage site and its clear why the Lonely Planet had awarded it the title of No 1 city 2016, the old town wall snaked to the top of the mountain, the medieval narrow streets were full of shops, eataries, museums, churches and impressive architecture, totally loved it!! We had lunch and walked along the edge of the waterfront had a swim, a nap :) and an ice cream in the mountain encircled Ria (submerged river bed) that is Kotor bay - dreamy!! 

More cool and crystal clear water.

Bay of Kotor

Time to head back but on the way back to the car I realised I had lost the camera... OMG what else can happen, my heart sank, I had now lost all of my photos, after an hour of retracing my steps I found it, a lovely young Serbian man running boat trips picked it up and put it to one side, filled with gratitude we left the spectacular Bay of Kotor.

Outside the city walls.

Lovely benches.

Kotor humor :)

Departure day! We could board the ferry from 8pm in which case our plan was to swim and leisurely pack up for 5pm, however at 3pm the site owners asked us when we were leaving and told us we were causing them a problem as we should have left at 12, this was disappointing as they had not objected when we told them we would leave in the afternoon when we paid our bill in the morning. Should have know it was all going too well, at this point there was not a lot we could do but get cracking and leave, we arrived in Bar early enough to relax and eat, the WiFi at the restaurant was great so the boys called their friends, it was lovely to see their faces when they heard the familiar voices, I shed a tear or two at this point...

Goodnight Montenegro!!

Dockside.

The plan was to get on the ferry as early as possible, get a shower in the cabin and watch the final, Portugal and France. We were instructed to park at the dock side and it was at this point panic set in with Neil as it was clear that he had to reverse the car and caravan in, the boys and I boarded and headed for the cabin. 

Not the cabin we had hoped for.

It was a couple of hours before Neil joined us and the match was already on. The boat was very dated and the dream of us cooling off in our air conditioned cabin was soon shattered, it was stuffy and hot, and the bathroom floor was soaked which was worrying as none of us at this point had showered and the WC pan was loose... To top it all the outside cabin we paid extra for had a window so old and dirty we could not see out of it!!

The match was on and off due to the poor signal but we saw the goal and the final whistle, very good result!! The boys both have Portugal tops which I actually found in second hand shops in BG last year which at the time I thought was definitely a sign that we were on the right path.

On board entertainment.

Dont let the bed bugs bite...

Neil and I took the top bunks, usually the boys would like them but we were afraid they would fall off during the night, it wasnt the cool and restful night we needed and we woke up in Italy tired and hot.

Sporting the winners.

Good morning Napoli!!

Happy traveler :)

4. Albania.

Albania, Durres.

July 4th - 7th   

This border crossing was the quickest so far - great!

Albanian emblem.

I'd be interested to know what comes to your mind when you think of Albania, for me (not sure why) war springs to mind, poverty,  run down communities and even desperation I guess, well, how wrong was I, it is lovely!! The more rural areas are similar to BG and Macedonia with self sufficient but new modern homes mainly on three stories, the towns and cities that we passed through are packed with large houses,  historical buildings, ruins and some very grand architecture indeed plus plenty of Palm trees and Oleander bushes in full bloom. I have remembered though many moons ago when in Corfu we were told by a bunch of people who had hired boats that if you get too close to the Albanian border they will shoot at you... Hmmmm... I guess that might have done it. With my curiosity fueled I found out these interesting nuggets among other things, Albania was the most devastated country during WW2 and they were declared the world's first atheist country under communist rule between 1967 an 1991.

Our site is south of Durres and our pitch is on the beach, the site itself is terraced and the reception and restaurant is a log cabin, you know, a real one made from HUGE logs its a well built site in a stunning location!!

The view from our pitch.

The sea is so shallow that even the boys are not getting water much higher than their thighs... But, its like bath water :0)

Football in the surf.

The bridge across to a small harbor island made quite a bike ride, I suggested this but soon realised it may have been a crazy idea, the boys rode across and we rode back just to save us the shear panic while watching them.

Hairy scary bridge ride.

The blogging spot for Albania.

We had a drive to Tirana, it was an enjoyable day but not a great deal there to be honest and the one place we wanted to visit was mount Dajti by cable car, piss poor planning on that one as it is closed on Tuesdays for servicing and it was Tuesday.

Close to Tirana.

After a few hours looking around the City full of colour and a lovely lunch.

We then drove back via Durres which in comparison was very impressive, the Amphitheater was incredible and is said to be one of the most important monuments of the period. Quite a busy place with a coffee culture really going on, lots of sea front restaurants and streets lined with cafes and bars, we shall return to enjoy this place before we move on.

Wall art in Durres.

Durres Amphitheater.

Amphitheater

Ping Pong bunker.

A day by the sea in order to get some washing done and catch up with internet stuff, while hanging around the site we came across some interesting items and a ping pong table in an unusual location.

Indonesian chairs.

Then an evening in Durres, we had a delicious Pizza, a stroll around and spent an hour on the sea front amusements, it was full of life, buzzing in fact and it was actually the night of the Portugal and Wales match and all of the bars and restaurants had screens or TV's out on the streets, the result was great for the boys as we promised them they can watch the final wearing their Portugal tops. Well done to Wales though, great job!!

Fun time.

Centre 

Bunkers are everywhere in Albania and there were some hiding behind some sunflowers just along the road from our site, different thats for sure.

Bunkers in the garden.

Old and the new.

There was plenty more to see but alas it was time to move on, packing up seems to be getting faster thankfully but a new Defender with a roof tent had pitched up near to us which was definitely a reason to hang around and have a chat :)

Interesting trailer type thing.

The drive to Lake Schoder and the border was painless with plenty of lovely scenery, we passed a Mosque and a Church almost next to each other, the pictures not bad as it was taken from the car, for me it shouts to the world how these two religions can actually live harmoniously together if they are allowed to do so, with love and respect on both sides, which is what any faith promotes.

Living in harmony... <3

I guess Albania is not on your bucket list but do not rule it out, its cheap, friendly and clean with lovely sea and beaches...

Kisses from Albania now on to Montenegro!!

3. Macedonia.

Skopje and Lake Ohrid    

June 28th -  July 4th

Love this!!

Crossing the border was emotive, probably as we will not be crossing back into Bulgaria to go home, it really did feel like the end for me, the border experience (in Eastern Europe) makes me a little nervous full stop after a traumatic border crossing into Russia back in 2004, lets put it this way from here on they can only get easier.  

The first thing that struck us in Macedonia was the flag, its everywhere and its beautiful, the second was the Mosques as they stretch elegantly above the roof tops. The drive to Skopje was pretty trouble free and we found the camp site relatively easy too, the Trip Advisor reviews of Camping Bellevue were not great but it was the only one near the city, we have been to some pretty 'basic' sites over the years and it turned out to be in the grounds of a dated but very nice Best Western hotel with a lovely lake and garden area, the site itself could be fantastic, lots of relatively new but unmaintained facilities, it was certainly not the worst we have used but we are coming from Eastern Europe where accommodation on the whole is a few 'stars' below Western standards and at 25E per night all in not bad especially as access to the city was easy from here.

Lovely and cool :)

Camping Bellevue, Skopje.

Skopje was amazing!! We took a day to look around the center and the old town, they are investing so much money we have actually been wondered where its all coming from...  Amazing Opera and Ballet theater, bridges to rival Prague and riverside developments underway.  The recent 'colourful revolution' was evident, many buildings and monuments had been paint bombed by demonstrators following the wiretapping scandal of thousands of politicians.

Colourful revolution.

Fun water feature in the square.

This wonderful monument is a lovely tribute to Motherhood.

Just one on the many bridges.

The Millenum Cross overlooks the city, a short and enjoyable cable car ride took us there. The Alexander the Great fountain and nearby water feature was great fun and the old town beautiful, we had a meal in a Turkish restaurant/hostel called Nargile, took a while to get food as it was so busy and we were all staving so it felt much longer and when I ordered a beer they told me they dont sell alcohol... refreshing change if you ask me, the boys were fascinated by the group of youngsters next to us enjoying a smoking pipe - fun to watch them observing something new with joy and interest :)

The captivating old town.

Our Second day took us to Matak Canyon, Lake and caves. Lunch then a boat ride to the caves - very enjoyable.

Matak Canyon

Loving the river.

Lake side dinning.

After such a lovely relaxing day it was later than planned when we packed up ABI (the caravan) and whilst doing so we found ourselves pretty much surrounded by riot police, quite a few Defenders, an armored vehicle and two coach loads of football fans - what on earth...

Interesting...

I am sure we could have spent at least another 2 or 3 days in the wonderful city, may have to visit again!!

Arrived at Camping Rino at around 10pm, much later than planned, its never good arriving in the dark when you are not sure where you are going. Once set up it was pretty much time for bed, we were right at the edge of the lake and to be honest I was quite excited about what we would have right outside our door in the morning.

7am and this is what greeted me as I opened the door...

Feeling very lucky :)

I managed to log on and get the blog up to date and was served fresh complimentary coffee - what could be better!?

We had a lovely few days looking around the town of Ohrid and the surrounding area, swimming and just relaxing. 

The Bay of Bones a 'Museum on Water' was well worth the visit.

A reconstruction of a village built on the lake.

Nice Melon.

Old Town gates in Ohrid.

Streets similar to Veliko Tarnovo

Our bed has been collapsing so Neil purchased some lathes to fit to the edge of where the slats sit to prevent us finding ourselves on the floor in the morning, this is a bit of a worry as it used to all fit perfectly we are still finding screws on the floor every time we  stay somewhere and have no idea where they are from,  I am sure we shall make it to Portugal in one piece...

As usual we meet wonderful people and on this occasion a lovely young British couple Ellie and Paul who have traded life in London for a cycle around Europe, they are organising Marathons around the world and planning not to get back into the 'rat race', I shall be sharing more about their projects and hopefully we can assist them in organising a marathon in Veliko Tarnovo, I think the town is ready for such a thing :)

Our last evening with a stunning sunset over Ohrid.

Following days of early morning dips in the cool and refreshing lake and fresh coffee has truly been wonderful, now we are ready for Albania...