A 2-month Ruby Wedding Tour in the Spring of 2012

England - France - Germany - Austria - Slovenia - Croatia - Montenegro -  Albania -

Rosemary Newteon

Updated 5 June 2012

Rosemary and Andy travel in a Rapido 746F, which they have had since the untimely death of their previous motorhome, Tilly, in Bulgaria in 2005. The dramatic and laconic account of the drowning of Tilly after 11 years of faithful service, and the subsequent bureaucratic battles with the Bulgarian Customs and UK Insurance Companies, is well told at: http://www.pippins.me.uk/2005/2005_bulgaria.htm.

Since 2001 the Newtons have motorhomed in France, Turkey, Bosnia, Croatia, Greece and now the Balkans, as well as travels within the UK, covered in their own website. Andy now has his own website. 'Pippins', by the way, refers both to the apples they would like to grow and the name of their house in England.

Since 2007 they have aimed to travel for 2 months in May and June, and again in September and October. We are all fortunate to be able to look over their shoulders, in words and pictures, and thereby experience Europe afresh.

See their Travel Logs on this website: Pippins in the Peloponnese in 2010 and Switzerland and Beyond by Motorhome Summer 2011

Here is Rosemary's Travel Log for the Balkans:

INTO FRANCE 

Tuesday 1 May. We left Shaftesbury in the rain. Is this a good omen, at the start of a trip that will eventually hopefully reach Bulgaria? The weather gradually improved as we went east, and after crossing the Channel we found bright sunshine. We drove south and stopped at Blaton, near Cambrai, beside a large Romanesque church.

INTO GERMANY 

Wednesday 2 May. A lovely bright morning that soon gave way to heavy rain. Looking at the fields I don't think we are alone in having lots of rain. The SatNav took our route further north than I had expected via Kaiserslautern and we eventually decided that we fancied going over the Grossglockner, which meant a dive south to an aire at Aalen, a leafy spot.

I have purchased a ipod touch to make it easier to keep in touch abroad, and tonight tried the voice activated app. This resulted in someone singing who I just could not stop - while Andy was having trouble with his computer and thought it had broken!

I've bought so many things to do I could sit in the van for the next two months and not be bored. Generally however we are travelling much lighter as I had a good sort out and was amazed to find how often we were carrying 2 of things! Must have cleared out at least a quarter of what we usually carry.

INTO AUSTRIA

Thursday 3 May. A shorter drive today. Round Munich in indifferent weather, then we had the usual anguish whether we needed a vignette at the Austrian border. The trouble is that not only motor ways need them, so in the end we bought one, though on reflection I don't think we needed to! Always an annoying worry. On to a very pleasant site mid-afternoon at Neunbrunnen. Interesting to notice how many cowslips we have seen but no sign of bluebells at all.

We went for a local walk through fields and a village. It's always amazing how old some of the houses are - these were dated 1600-ish and looked almost identical to some of the new ones.

Tonight I had my first go at messaging and face-to-face calling, similar to Skype. Isn't it sad - old ladies with young people's technology! It must be the biggest time waster ever! However tonight I started baby knitting, so there is competition.

Friday 4 May. We were up early as wanted to spend the whole day on the Grossglockner pass. In case you have not visited, this Austrian pass was built as a tourist route in the 1930's to provide employment during the Depression. It is very spectacular with many hairpin bands and viewpoints, which we used to our advantage today. It had only opened on May 1^st, and had very high snowdrifts either side as we got higher. As we approached we were amused to see a flock of cyclists in lederhosen and Tyrolean hats, on old-fashioned bikes, who looked charming.

We had a walk up a side road with even wider views, closed at present to traffic - a good job we did as subsequent foot paths were under many feet of snow. Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Elizabeth had hiked to the glacier and much is named after them. After dinner overlooking the glacier, we dropped down, with smelling brakes, to the valley and a site at Oberdrauburg near Lienz, which is very pleasant and quiet but also has internet access so I must make sure I don't waste another evening. Mind you it was nice to read some Oscar Wilde while I stirred the dinner - but I could have done that with a real book.

The site is in a very useful position on the road to the Plockenpass on the route to Italy, as well as Istria and beyond. The views are excellent and the usual rather sad static caravans that fill sites in Switzerland and Austria do not mar the site.

VIA ITALY AND SLOVENIA INTO CROATIA 

Saturday 5 May. We drove along the Gail valley and then took the motorway south briefly into Italy before turning into Slovenia along the Dolinka Valley. It was very attractive but the road surface was appalling, (and it was only along the motorway that the surface improved). The Soca Valley joined us, an area we have explored before. It was the site of a great deal of fighting and massive loss of life during WW1.

The impressive motorway  swept us round Ljubljana (which we have visited before and would recommend for a city break), then on another poor road to the border with Croatia at Merkita. Here the road improved a bit and we drove around Karlovac, having yet another argument with the satnav before eventually finding our site, Slapic Camping near Duga Resa.

The site is pleasant enough but there is very little to do here. It is near a pleasant slow river but with no footpaths alongside to enjoy it, surrounded by pleasant but unremarkable scenery and scattered habitation.

Sunday 6 May. We woke to sunshine, which had given way to showers before we had even got the breakfast on to the table. We had considered revisiting the Plitvice Park, which has most spectacular tufa limestone waterfalls, but the weather did not seem inspiring and as we later had heavy rain, we were right. We decided to move on down to the coast, using the motorways after all the poor roads yesterday! It was £15 well spent as we swept easily southeast.

Inland the houses are scattered throughout the countryside; it is interesting how countries vary. We noticed previously that Poland was the same but at the border with the Czech Republic most houses were in villages, as they are in Romania and largely in England. There were also many unfinished houses built largely of breezeblocks, as well as a few old 'wild west' style houses built of tree trunks. There was no sign of the bullet holes we had seen on our first visit to Croatia ten years ago.

There were lots of well-marked cycle tracks throughout.

I think that most of Europe has had bad weather this weekend. It was certainly promised for the Alps and we drove through torrential rain today, though the temperature did rise from 12 to 20 degrees as we approached the coast. The vegetation turned to low scrub and habitation almost died out as the motorway swept out towards Pag, although there were still traces of snow on the tops of the surrounding mountains.

We found the site recommended by Sue and Ian on the attached island of Murter (south of Zadar) called Camping Plitka Vala and found a spot right beside the sea in time for a late lunch. We camped on the landward side of the island and were quite protected. However there was a strong breeze blowing and it was very grey and overcast

So many of the campsites are pleasant enough but there is nothing to do from the site. Here however there are walks along beside the sea to neighbouring towns in both directions, which suits us admirably. I had a wander in the afternoon and got to the outskirts, promising to return when rain did not threaten, hopefully tomorrow. During dinner it came on to rain quite hard; the Med does not look very blue as I write - more battleship grey!

Monday 7 May. A tremendous storm early morning with torrential rain. It was gradually getting better by the time we got up and after jobs we wandered along the shore into Betina. It is a quiet unspoilt little village. On the way we crossed lots of little bridges across tiny slipways; the village was known for boat building and this is still carried on, giving the village a good atmosphere. I am amazed how few people are about; there were a few more yesterday, getting their houses ready for the season, but today everywhere is almost deserted. The campsite has about a dozen resident Germans with motorhomes and encampments, who have probably spent all winter here; otherwise it is quiet.

We wandered further into the adjacent town of Murter, which I did not feel was as nice, and bought a picnic in the supermarket to eat on the sea front, whilst the clouds gathered and started to look threatening. However the dark clouds swept passed us and went inland, so we wandered back to Betina where we had a beer and I sketched before returning to the van. It is very warm and pleasant in the sunshine but not so good when it goes in.

Tuesday 8 May. After rain in the night, it dawned bright and warm and I was able to eat my breakfast outside at last. We then followed the coast path round, a lovely old road, which I think was previously the main road before it was superseded. The smells and flowers were really lovely, as were the views. Eventually we walked through a much larger and more organised site than ours, where there was one enormous encampment - about 8 posh gazebos, including lounges, a dining room and even an exercise room with table football and exercise bike, all topped with a German flag. I'd have been too embarrassed.

We reached the pleasant town of Tisno and walked along the lovely path beyond - just what Croatia does best - promenades and beaches shaded by pines! After lunch on the beach we watched a fishing boat put out what I think is called a Seine Purse net (I've remembered that from lessons 50 years ago!) The fishing boat sent away a smaller boat, which kept the line, then went in a large circle paying out the line and eventually a net. The boats then hauled in the line and eventually came together to haul in the net, which as far as we could see only held one very large black fish!

After wandering round the little town and buying ices, we wandered back along the path which was now often in the shade. We relaxed back at the site, which was lovely till a strong and rather chilly wind got up once more, I managed to finish my painting, but we had to eat dinner indoors and it was too cold to sit out even when the wind dropped later.

Wednesday 9 May. We had an uneventful day driving south through pleasant coastal scenery to Rozac AutoCamp, beside the historic Venetian town of Trogir. We visited the town on our last visit but it was very rushed because the parking was very expensive; today we were well positioned on a good site. After a leisurely lunch, we decided to catch up with ourselves and found the washing machine. We were parked beside the sea, which was lovely at first until the usual mistral wind got up and it was really breezy, but chilly when sitting out of the wind and sun! At least the washing dried in no time! The site has many of the sweet smelling bushes I have seen in so many gardens - can anyone identify it?

Thursday 10 May. We were up in good time and, rather than wait for the bus, we walked into town along a rather busy road to start with, then down a very interesting lane through old houses, look out on your right!

We came out onto the waterfront and the view over the town, straight onto the bridge. We had an extremely happy day wandering round and round the little streets, full of interesting old Venetian houses, coffee in the Cathedral Square where we caught up with our emails and I sketched the cathedral. We continued to stroll up and down the quay and had lunch there trying a mixed plate of meats, which was an experience but we can't manage it again! We visited the excellent market, buying lovely strawberries, asparagus and cherries - there are piles of them everywhere! We went back to a café in the square, where I tried iced tea and found it surprisingly drinkable. It's often difficult to find something if I don't want coffee or freshly squeezed orange juice. We then walked back uphill to the site.

We spent a very pleasant evening with two other English couples from the site, swapping experiences.

Friday 11 May. A rather frustrating day!!  We were up as usual for a good start and set off for a site we enjoy at Baska Polja, near Makarska. (We have visited twice before - once 10 years ago, when it still showed signs of its communist glory days, and 3 years ago, when it was faded but full of happy ghosts!) We swept in but were very disappointed to find it closed. We had visited in later May before and did not think there would be a problem. We tried 2 other sites in the area: one we did not like and the other was closed. There were interesting ships of traditional design in many of the tiny harbours down the coast. We had lunch with a view and then went for the ferry at Ploce over to the isthmus of Leljesac.

The 2.30 pm ferry was there waiting but as Andy crossed the road to buy the ticket it sailed - next one 7.30 pm! Rude words! And a big discussion - did we wait, drive round (no) or just head on to get to Montenegro early. But will any sites be open, as we seem to be early, despite all the books saying May is best! Would it be nice to have a few more days of rest before we move on to something more challenging?

In the end we decided just to wait, which is where I write this! We do have a lovely view and I'm just about to go out to see if I can walk round the wooded peninsula opposite.

Saturday 12 May. We got pretty fed up with the wind, I don't know how the locals put up with it all the time but it died down later and we boarded the ferry without problems. However it was almost dark by the time we disembarked after the hour's crossing, which seemed to be a very long time for just a short hop! We decided to stop on the quay at Trpan rather than find a site in the dark. In the morning we went shopping for bread and then took a delightful path beside the sea, full of flowers and flowering shrubs; the honeysuckle was a pale yellow/pink.

We set off or so we thought for Orebic across the island, only to find the entire road dug up with no other route offered. We retraced our steps with difficulty and then found a new road, which was obviously the new route but without signposts to tell us! We then reached Orebic, only to find another planned campsite closed and a very difficult backing up! I had wanted to visit the town as it sounded interesting but we were much put off by crowds and road works, so when we did not find the second planned site called Nevio, we decided to press onto Loviste, to Camping Denka which we knew was open – it did not disappoint.

Loviste is a quiet remote seaside village, undeveloped and charming, with a lovely campsite where we were warmly welcomed. I had emailed before to check they were open so I was greeted with kisses and sat chatting to the owners over a welcoming glass of wine. We discussed the wild boar that had been digging up the garden, the cost of sending children to university, being a 'pensionaire' as they called it, Tito, politics, Bosnia and the Serbs plans for a greater Serbia, the Euro crisis, and our plans including Albania. We were warned about all the rubbish (I had heard about this and the fact it washes up on Croatian shores, which are generally so very clean); and much else! Most interesting. We left them for a late lunch with armfuls of salad, feeling rather light headed as breakfast had been quite early!

We had a leisurely stroll round the bay this afternoon; everything was much as it had been when we visited here 3 years ago; it felt like coming home! The site is well protected from the winds and we are just a tiny road's width away from the sea.

Sunday 13 May. We woke to milky sunshine and I collected bread from the local shop round the bay, then went for a walk along the shore away from the village, then over the top to a bay on the opposite side. There were many flowering shrubs including dog roses, cistus and honeysuckle, and butterflies: one blue one and a larger black with white spots. The wind was blowing straight into the bay and the end was so full of the rubbish that had been spoken of yesterday. There was also a collection of fisherman' s tackle, and above it a memorial to 5 partisans who died in 1942 and mention of the Italian fascists. It was interesting that the hammer and sickle had been erased from the monument. We have seen memorials all over Croatia, in streets and beside the road. We had noticed that the hammer and sickle had featured on several of the gravestones in the graveyard we saw yesterday. But as our owner said yesterday, by and large Tito's times had been good times for the people of Yugoslavia, or so they remember.

We returned for lunch and too much of the excellent bread. I was horrified to see a large snake - a yard long - slithering along beside the wall beside him. Biggest I've seen outside captivity. I was quite sure he was a grass snake but it was a bit much all the same! After a sit we were about to have another walk when Vladimir, the owner, said we had to come now for more wine and we were ushered into their cabin beside the informal veranda bar. He insisted we had some of their dinner - lamb and vegetables, cooked by putting into a covered pan and covering with hot ashes in a large open oven, and then being left. When this was dished up, they put in bread. It was delicious but difficult to do justice to. We then sat and drank more wine and the cider we bought and talked to their neighbour, whose husband had fought with the partisans and had been body guard to Winston Churchill's son, when he was in Croatia.

Later the sky darkened and Vladimir hoped for rain to help his garden.

Monday 14 May. A very wet night, followed by a chilly and damp day! The view remains nice but often blotted out by rain. I can see those large traditional boats sailing past the mouth of the inlet, presumably on their way to Korcula.

I managed a short walk round the bay to the shop for bread this morning. They were kind enough to let me pay for things I got yesterday, when I discovered I had not brought enough money! Imagine that in Shaftesbury!

The palm tree we are parked beside, and whose shade we were so grateful for when we arrived, make a rustling noise in the wind and rain. It has geraniums and even a fig growing in the folds of its trunk - have these been planted or does that occur naturally?

Hoping for better weather tomorrow as we are aiming to cross into Montenegro - to pastures new and out of our comfort zone!

INTO MONENEGRO 

Tuesday 15 May. We woke to milky sunshine and I wandered round the bay again for bread and a top up of supplies in the little shop. A posh yacht had arrived in the bay but the rusty dredger, which dominates the central harbour, had gone. We said our goodbyes to Camping Dinka and Loviste and headed off south down the peninsula. We drove through a wine growing area; the vines were kept very short indeed, new growth on a basic trunk only about a foot tall, and no wires or training. We also noticed abandoned villages on the hillsides.

We drove past Ston with its saltpans and enormous walls, which we visited on our last visit, then on past Dubrovnik, which we have also visited before. We had lunch overlooking the city. We then drove on to the border over a road, which was being rebuilt by taking it up completely! When we reached the border the gentleman who looked at our passport could not understand why we were going to Montenegro. He only let us go when we listed the places we had camped in Croatia and we emphasised how much we liked it!

We entered Montenegro with no problem. The official's first words were 'no EU'. He proceeded to look at everything, saying it was taking so long due to trouble with his computer, but in fact took no time at all. There was nothing extra to pay and we drove on. First impressions were that it was much like Croatia but with more petrol stations, which were more expensive, and more large supermarkets!

Second impressions were that the ribbon development went on for a very long time. However we reached the Bay of Tivat, a noted bay which in its turn gives access to the bay of Kotor: amazing views all the way round, steep-sided cliffs with the road and occasional villages clinging to the edge.

There were so many ladies of all ages wearing black - just ordinary clothes. We had heard of the terrible driving though so far have no evidence, except that in a car coming towards us as we waited at traffic lights was a child aged about 3 sitting on his driving father's lap.

We noted a campsite at Bijela but drove on past a shipyard and a ferry cutting off the long drive round. We passed several attractive villages before reaching the campsite we were aiming for, Autocamp Naluka, which was closed. As we could not find Camping Morinj, we returned to Camping Zlotkovic and a very welcoming owner. The site has many ancient caravans in various states of repair, and a few damp pitches for tourers that are well supplied with electricity and water (15 euros). Already here are a Swiss, a French and a German van, with Czech campers. The owner has helpfully supplied us with a list of Montenegrin campsites, promised to find bus times for tomorrow and reassured me about a road we were hoping to take.

We took a stroll along the promenade, where everyone was getting ready for the season, whilst the busy shipyard towered over all.

Wednesday 16 May. We woke to find more grey skies and rain, still very chilly! The Swiss couple next door were very helpful in telling us where they had been in Albania, which I guess would be roughly our route, now we know it works! We waited for the 9.30 bus for quite a long while and, when it did arrive, proved to be old and in quite a poor state, though nothing like as bad as that we had travelled in Romania! The chair rested back at an alarming angle and nothing I could do would make it sit up. We reached Perast easily, to find ample parking where we could have put the van or even spent the night! We live and learn.

The town was a delight - beautiful faded Venetian mansions set beside the sea with a lovely promenade in front. Perast was a seafaring town, which was taken by the Venetians and became a major sea port. The Perastians fought so bravely at the battle of Lapanto that they had the right to guard the Venetian standard. Peter the Great sent his captains here to be trained. Now the mansions that stand along the waterside are gradually being done up. We visited the Bujovic Palace, which now houses the town museum, with many ship models, portraits of sea captains and Venetian lions, including an emotional picture – saying farewell to the Venetian Standard. One hand-written book listed the rights and responsibilities of the town in 1590.

We found a friendly café with Wifi for coffee, where we also had lunch. Then we caught a boat over to the island of 'Our Lady of the Rock', a manmade island from the 1630's on which a church and piazza has been built in memory of seamen. Great views all round of the bays and narrow waterway that leads to them.

When we arrived to catch the bus back we failed to recognise the first one and it drove straight past us. As we waited, Andy swore we would stick to our own 4 wheels. However we were Ok on our third attempt to get on a bus, which inexplicably cost 2 euros more on the way back. The driver insisted on dropping us back just outside our campsite!

During the evening we experienced one of the worst storms we have ever had: lightning and thunder and unbelievably heavy rain. At least we were beside sea and not a river!

Thursday 17 May. Before we left the site the couple in the German van kindly supplied us with a lot more information about Albania. I went shopping along the rather busy road, avoiding puddles, while Andy managed to get the van off the site without too much trouble. We drove round the Bay of Risan, past Perast, then the Bay of Kotor to reach the town of Kotor, which is a World Heritage site. We were amazed to see a very large cruise ship drawn up alongside, with 2 more anchored off.

Kotor was another Venetian town and had been an important influential town before that. Its most famous building is St Tryphon's cathedral, dating from the 9th century but rebuilt following several earthquakes. The building is held up by rose coloured columns, which are rough hewn and most attractive, as is the domed structure over the altar telling the life of the saint. We also went into the tiny church of St Luke, where an Orthodox priest was conducting a service for 3 ladies, which involved cutting some of the central lady's hair. Interesting.

Generally however the attractive little town was totally and utterly swamped by all the parties from ship and shore that were visiting. It was impossible to move easily round the town and in the end we gave up and returned to the van, where the chap tried to charge us for 4 hours when we had stayed 3, becoming very agitated when he realised we had discovered his ploy!

As we left a terrific wind came up and there were even large white horses on the bay.

We decided to take the new road we had heard about, from Morinj to Nikaic - an excellent road - then north on the no 18 to Jasenovo Polje and Savrik. On the way we passed through most spectacular mountain scenery. It was amazing that when we went over an enormous brow of about 1500m the vegetation changed from sparse scrub with many rocks to luxurious spring green deciduous woodland, with many beech trees clothing the steep hillsides. We reached a lovely pasture area around Mokro where it would have been nice to camp, then right down to the town of Savnak in a deep valley. After that there was a new road up to our destination of Zabljak, which is the centre of the Durmitor National Park. As we got higher we began to notice a dusting of snow and by the time we reached Zabljak at 1500 metres, there was at least 2 inches of snow everywhere except on the roads! We eventually found a site, Autocamp Kod Boce (9 euros), being very unwilling to pull off the road anywhere not paved, and settled beside a group of Swiss on an organised tour.

The view out of the window is unbelievable! We have the heating on full and are hoping it does not snow more in the night! Not for the first time I just wish I had brought winter clothes. We are not going to be able to go further into the National Park tomorrow, as planned. At least we have an internet connection in the van, so if we are stuck here we can keep in touch.

Friday 18 May. We woke to a cold dawn but not more snow. Sadly there wasn't any sun to make it look pretty. It smelt just like snow and cold and Christmas, most confusing! I went shopping in the supermarket at Zabljak, where the fruit and veg were very sad and I could not work out how to weigh the oranges; nobody looked as if they might help.

Almost as soon as we had dropped a bit the snow disappeared and there was an attractive plain dotted with houses with amazingly steep roofs - even steeper than Switzerland! We dropped much further into the Tara Gorge and stopped at the Tara Bridge, a concrete structure which has seen better days but is interesting. The bridge was constructed in 1941 and the following year the engineer blew up one span and himself to stop it being used by the Germans, which enabled it to be recompleted after the war. There is a tremendous drop down to the bottom, like the Bristol Suspension Bridge.

We left the road to visit the Manastir of St George at Dobroilovina ; in turning the van, Andy caught our underslung toilet cassette and had to fix it whilst a young nun eventually emerged to unlock the church. I love Orthodox churches, though sadly this one had been much knocked about over the years since its foundation in the 1600's. Despite modest trousers I was asked to don a long skirt. There was confusion as I left, having taken off the skirt, when I wanted to give money to the church. The nun indicated she did not want to take it and wanted me to put the skirt back on again to take 3 steps to the offertory box! In the end she held the money and put it in.  

We then followed the gorge, which is reputed to be the deepest in Europe, and found our campsite, Tara Eco Oaza Camping at Dobroilovina (10 euros), down at 800 metres but high above the river in an attractive meadow. There are cabins, sheep and cows for company, and we have been invited for a drink later. The owner said there had been 2 metres of snow this winter and 3 metres where we had come from! I can see snow on the mountains at the top of the gorge and at last the clouds have lifted and the peaks are bathed in sunshine. I'm wearing two jumpers and will never travel without warm trousers again!

We tried a walk that we thought would lead us to the river but it started to get very difficult, so we left it after discovering that the river is flowing in the opposite direction to what I expected, away from the sea! I think it joins the Drina, then the Danube. Over a glass of plum brandy, we had a lovely chat with the daughter of the household who spoke wonderful English, while her mother looked on proudly! She spoke of being stuck at the home of her Aunt in February, in the town where she goes to school, then once she returned home she could not leave for the rest of the month due to the snow. I now remember seeing snow in Serbia (which is only a short distance away) mentioned repeatedly on the news.

Saturday 19 May. We were reluctant to leave such a beautiful site but there was a limit to what we could do there, apart from walk up the road, so we drove down the ravine. Only looking back could I appreciate how special a spot the site had been.

We stopped in the crossroad town of Mojkovac, mainly to stock up on fruit and vegetables. There were so many little general stores, all with bakery and meat departments, and one new large one with hardly any stock, but all they all had to offer was very little poor quality fruit and veg. All I bought worth having were bananas, oranges and carrots. Most disappointing! I could have bought any Nivea product I could have wished for - and as for washing powder ...!

We then drove the short distance to the Biogradska Gora National Park (entrance 3 euros each ). The park has been a protected area since 1879 and 30% claims to be primeval forest, though I am unsure exactly what that means! The Wohnmobilstellplatz Kraljevo Kolo at the entrance was closed but we camped in the park beside the lake, all set up with electricity for 13 euros, with lovely walks just to hand.

After lunch we walked round the lake, which has some amazingly tall common trees - beech and wych elm reaching 50 metres. We saw a large toad beside the path and all the slopes were covered in wild garlic, which seemed larger but not as pungent as at home. We then took a rowing boat out on the lake, which was very pleasant. We had expected to have the park to ourselves after dusk but people kept arriving, some for a night hike.  

Sunday 20 May. We walked up the path beside the van, hoping to reach the primeval forest. It was a long walk up, taking 2 hours before we came out onto an open meadow full of wild flowers - buttercups, dark purple pansies, dark yellow cowslips, grape hyacinths, forget-me-nots - and a lovely view to the snow covered mountains in the distance. We carried on climbing to a second pasture with summer huts, then a little further, edging our way past snow drifts blocking the road up into the primeval forest which was mostly conifers and elders. We ate our lunch with a snow drift on one side and a host of crocuses on the other!

We tried to go further but higher up the road we crossed one patch of virgin snow and shortly afterwards came across a more serious patch, so decided that was far enough. We had reached 1811 metres, from a starting point of 1107metres. It took an amazingly long time to retrace our steps back to the van, having walked 9 miles in total!

Monday 21 May. We had intended to have a last walk around the lake but as it was raining we decided against it. We drove south alongside the Tara initially (it rises only 70 km from the sea, then flows inland all the way to the Black Sea), then through other most spectacular gorges. We also passed some charcoal burners with their typical beehive constructions - I think this was the first time I had actually seen it being done. Some of the most amazing 'road scenery' I have ever seen and also some of the most alarming, as the tunnels were often unlit rough-hewn rock. We reached Podgorica, the capital, now with a new bypass funded by EU money. The other side of the coin is a gypsy encampment on the outskirts, scavenging from rubbish tips. I usually like to shop in small local shops but today was very glad to find a Waitrose equivalent, 'Voli', which had an excellent stock of fresh fruit and vegetables, so now my fridge and cupboards are full again. Nivea are definitely doing a big promotion in Montenegro!

We drove on to Cetinje, the old royal capital of Montenegro during its heyday in the 19thcentury. I found the place charming and full of atmosphere but I have to record that Andy did not like it. There are many old embassies built in the 19th century that reflect their country's taste, most easily recognisable even if it is long since they were used for their original purpose. For example the Russian one is pure St Petersburg. There is a magnificent powder blue palace built by Prince Danilo, who inspired 'The Merry Widow'. Also the palace of King Nikola Petrovic, the last king of Montenegro, who reigned for much of the 19th century and whose children married into so many of the other royal houses that he became known as the father-in-law of Europe. I enjoyed the tour I had round the palace, most atmospheric and full of interesting photos and paintings of the family. There was also an interesting monument, 'The Spirit of Lovcen', which remembered Montenegrin émigrés in the US who volunteered to come back in 1914 only to die in a shipwreck off the coast.

My visit was rather confused by the map in my Bradt Guide, which was basically quite wrong in places. 200-year-old buildings cannot have moved! I met a French couple who were having trouble with their map in another guidebook.

We had intended to stay the night in the car park next to a gym, which initially seemed quiet. Then I found that the town had a pop concert that evening and already things were beginning to liven up at 5 o'clock, with young lads full of excitement dashing about with flags, so we decided to move on.

It was already a lot warmer, still up at 690m, but we had a long way to go down as we saw from high above the coast. We avoided Budva and headed for Camping Crevna Glavica 1 km east of Sveti Stefan. It was recommended in my Bradt guide but, although the setting is great and we have a magnificent private spot overlooking the sea, the facilities are really poor. I won't be using the toilets, and the showers are outside and probably cold. We actually managed a meal sitting outside - the first for quite some time! We went for a stroll and found the beach was a long way below us. It looks as if the old coast road extended on south, which might be a nice walk.

Tuesday 22 May. A lot of heavy rain in the night. We had a walk along the road once more, past loads of flowers and wonderful views over the coast, before diving down to a beach. There had been a beach bar here but all the facilities are in a terrible state, with no sign of being done up for the season: most sad. The whole campsite should be really lovely but the facilities look even worse in the morning light and it's expensive for here - 10 euros without electricity! Cannot think why Bradt guide recommended it.

We looked at Camping Maslina at Petrovac but found it very claustrophobic, so drove on. The weather is still overcast and not very warm: not what I was expecting. Wish I could wear something other than my warm jumper, which I have been wearing for most of the time since we set off!

We drove on down the coast road, past many developing resorts, to Stari Bar, the old city of the port of Bar, high on the hill top behind. There had been a settlement here since the 5th century BC, though the Romans chose not to use the site and most of the building were medieval. A really impregnable site with wonderful views.

We then drove to Camp Oliva at Utjeha, a really beautiful little site with wonderful facilities. We share the site, which in reality is a back garden, with 2000-year-old olive trees planted by the Romans! The site and facilities are lovely and I am so excited about the trees, which really feel old just looking at them. All for 11.50 euros including electricity.

Wednesday 23 May. A working sort of day. For most of it we could not have got out anyway, because of the road works), with an impossible muddy hill in one direction and a pile of wet cement in the other! Not a lot to do at Utjeha, which the Bradt guide describes as a fishing village. I have no idea why, as there is not a fishing boat in sight, nor any old buildings. It's just a cove that is turning into a little resort, though they seem to be really late in getting ready for the season, which must be so short here.

However we used the washing machine for a fortnight's washing, and it actually dried! I drew a couple of pictures and we went for a short walk and found a couple of pleasant beaches and coves. It came on to rain again at about 5 o'clock, so we are very envious of the weather at home! I did dip my toes in the sea, to ease some mozzie bites, and it was really chilly. It did the trick but I won't be swimming!

INTO ALBANIA 

Thursday 24 May. We left Camping Oliva early to avoid the road works and reached the town of Ulcinj in good time. I had hoped to visit the old town and market but the town was very hectic indeed and we could find nowhere to park. We drove towards the beach and sandspit, crossing a river where they were practising an interesting form of fishing involving dipping the nets into the water, but the whole area was very commercialised so we drove on.

I had wanted to visit the Skadarsko lake and the road started off as fine. We reached the watershed of a hillside with far reaching views: over the coast and Albania one way, the lake and surrounding mountains the other. The road then dived into the valley and became similar to a wandering Devon lane, through chestnut forests and remote villages. Eventually it popped out way above the lake and dived down a single-track road clinging onto the hillside with battered crash barriers. Our nerves were sorely tested and when we found a place to turn we gingerly did so and retraced our steps.

We then headed for the border, along a main road that resembled one of our poorer B roads. Suddenly, in the middle of nowhere stood a brand new bright red supermarket - who were their customers going to be? We went inside - fruit and veg sparse again - while the girls hovered over us. Customers were a novelty! It also had a huge posh ice cream parlour/coffee shop.

We got to the border and were greeted by a very cheerful Montenegrin official, who took just the passports and vehicle registration and passed them through to the Albanian who worked in an adjoining office. They were handed back in a few moments and we drove on - one of the fastest borders ever!

First impressions were that it was very similar to Montenegro- similar houses and scenery. We only had a few miles to drive to get to Camping Albania, near Barbulish south of Shkoder, all on good roads. The campsite is run by a Dutch couple and is very clean and tidy. We took a walk round the lanes, very impressed by the friendliness of everyone. It reminds us in lots of ways of Romania, the houses with big plots all well planted, chickens everywhere. One chicken on the site fluttered up and took a piece of bread from Andy's plate during dinner! Our first impressions are very positive.

Friday 25 May. A quiet day. We went to use the washing machine for our sheets but it appeared to be taking so long with someone else's that I got on and did it by hand and it dried easily. We took the van into the nearby town of Bushat to find a bank to change money; they spoke flawless English.

During lunch one of the resident hens again jumped up to the table and took one of Andy's pieces of bread. The hens and 2 beautiful cockerels proceeded to fight over the bread. Eating outside became a bit perilous, as the chickens always arrived and pecked round our feet.

After lunch we went for another local wander but at last it was getting a bit hot! It was the first time I had not had to wear the thick jumper at some time of day! However, the heat did trigger a thunderstorm at 6 o'clock.

It was a bit noisy outside the van as they had the generator on, as there had been no power since 10 o'clock, which meant no showers as I discovered later! We then found that the meal tonight is a special one as the parents are celebrating their 23rd wedding anniversary.

I now realise why Mother Teresa always wore that distinctive headdress, as lots of the older ladies around here are wearing it. They also wear white pantaloons under a knee length skirt and a white apron, sometimes with an embroidered bib. There are only a few of the older houses round here, as so many have been recently built. I wonder how this is going to be in the rest of the country. However, there are still plenty of horse and donkey carts; as we sat on the veranda of the campsite we watched several go past. I saw with interest a couple of older ladies in traditional dress sitting cross-legged on the veranda of a modern house, which looked most incongruous! You cannot but wonder about the changes they have seen in their lives and what they make of life now. In the village there were also some graves from 1944, of partisans who fought to drive back the Germans out of the country.

At 7 o'clock we went over to the restaurant to be told they were working on Albanian time and we would be told when the guests arrived. There were about 24 Albanian guests and 6 campers, as well as the family, and a live band which included several very good singers and a master of ceremonies. The happy couple spent most of the evening in the kitchen, which seemed a shame. We ate chicken, many of which were put on the tables, and the rest of the meal of rice, meatballs and salad was a buffet. When we had eaten rather a lot, some delicious steaks were produced.

After dinner the dancing started, which we were very actively encouraged to join. A favourite was the circle dance, with couples taking turns in the middle. When our turn came we joined arms round and round, then brought in the hosts. It was interesting that we found it very difficult to dance to the local rhythm but when there was a tune which we and the Dutch could easily dance to, the locals sat down!

Eventually it was time for toasts. I had foolishly mentioned that we were celebrating our Ruby wedding anniversary this year. However, last month became next week as we were announced and Andy had to do some quick thinking when asked the date, as that was not the moment to point out the mistake.

The dancing and drinking became livelier as the evening wore on but everything had to stop at midnight when the generator went off! We were rather tired and glad to go but had not wanted to let the side down by leaving earlier.

Saturday 26 May. We felt rather tired this morning, after eating rather too much rather late last night. We looked at their museum, which charts how the family have worked in the locality for quite some time, initially as aid workers when they worked on the local maternity hospital, school and with the older people. They now work at encouraging tourism and providing local employment. They also did a lot during local floods, which does not surprise us as the water table is only a couple of feet below the level of the land.

We then drove the van towards the Koman Gorge, driving through lots of little towns, very busy on Saturday morning with markets and shoppers. It is noticeable how few women there are about. We drove on to some very remote scenery and, as the road deteriorated, stopped for lunch. A gentleman on a motorcycle we had overtaken dropped by for a chat, really wanting to talk to us and shake our hands. We gave him our leaflet about Shaftesbury, to show where we live, then he spent some time going through our phrase book commenting on words that were similar and chortling at something before finding goodbye and shaking hands again.

We returned to the same campsite, where I tried to paint the chickens and had a short walk, everyone saying hello as I passed. One lady came out and asked if I was English, then said she was on her way to church. I won't be writing about all the churches and mosques we visit in Albania, because they were almost all destroyed in 1967, with the encouragement of the Chinese, as Albania was turned into the world's first atheist state. The mosque in the village looked very sad and neglected and yet I had heard the call to prayer from the campsite

We ate our evening meal in the restaurant, along with most of the other campers. Several campers wished us all the best for tomorrow –'our big day'. It's amazing when you start on a pretence how very complicated it gets and you have to keep it up!

Sunday 27 May. Heavy rain almost from the word go this morning and lots of cows were out for a walk, with their owners under brollies. We rejoined the main road and drove south on a very good road. We saw 2 police checks within a few miles and have seen so many policemen since entering Albania. There were so many fuel stations as well and later on the road seemed like a continuous development of car repairers, garages, tyre depots and petrol filling stations. I really don't think you ever get a true picture of a country by driving down its main road!

With so much rain we have started looking at rivers and definitely don't want to pull off onto grass without a good look!

We left the main road at Fushe Kruja, which was very busy and difficult to drive through. After the hill we were surprised to see such a large town, equally difficult to drive through and also on a slope in the heavy rain. After almost giving up, we came upon a patch of ground that turned out to belong to a tyre depot. We asked if we might stop and the young man said yes.

I set off for the castle, a steep walk through the town, while Andy stayed with the van somewhat exhausted by the drive and rain, which stopped shortly afterwards. I was initially disappointed by the castle, which appeared to have little to offer apart from lots of new restaurants built in the middle. However, the view from the top was magnificent. I did not bother with the Historical Museum, built as a homage to Skanderbeg, an Albanian hero who led the stand against the Ottoman invasion in the 15th century and whose strong hold this was.

I was desperate for some small change, as I only had a large denomination note, so went first to the Ethnographic Museum, where I was told there was no charge! It was in a traditional Ottoman house, laid out with traditional furniture. I was most amused to see the painting of Istanbul in a frieze in the women's room. The men's quarters were highly decorated and the whole museum very well done. Just a shame I could not take pictures and there were no postcards.

I then made for the Castle Teqe: a type of mosque for the Bektashi, which is a branch of Sufi Muslim belief from the 13th century and largely confined to Albania. This mosque escaped the destruction of 1967 because the bulldozers could not get through the streets! There were also three men looking round but the gate was padlocked. However, as I walked back up the narrow street/alley they were coming back with an elderly gentleman who let us in. One of the men offered to interpret in excellent English. It was built in 1789, the dome is most beautifully decorated and the walls have Islamic script, although rather damaged. An adjoining room is set up for pilgrims to the shrine.

On the roof was a tremendous view to the town and countryside beyond. I asked where my interpreter came from and was surprised to hear him say Kosovo! We then had a most interesting chat about travel, as he quietly bemoaned the difficulties. I said that the Internet helped. He replied that he was a telephone communications engineer but felt you had to see places and meet people to really understand and I had to agree with him over that. I've spent years telling people how amazing Romania is but still hear about orphans and thieves. We agreed you can mend buildings and roads but people take longer. A fascinating chat.

The town had really quietened down and the shops closed as I walked back. We then drove south, past Camping Nordpark which looked good, generally on good roads, turning right to Durres and avoiding Tirane, which we had heard was bad for traffic. We thought it would be good to visit Durres on a Sunday afternoon with little traffic and indeed it was. We parked easily, just beyond the bus station beside the road, and walked towards the sea.

It was a most pleasant and interesting town, with wide streets and a pleasant shopping area. The town has been in existence for 3,000 years and was very important in Roman times as a gateway tothe east. The Egnatia Way, built on an ancient route, reached to Constantinople. We visited the amphitheatre, where the Romans used an interesting technique to guard against earthquakes by sandwiching layers of building stone with layers of smaller stones. It evidently worked as the amphitheatre is still standing.

We then walked down to the sea front, past monuments to Albanians who fought against the Italian invasion of 1939 and a splendid strong monument to the partisans, much decorated with graffiti (probably associated with communism). We had a coffee on the top of a Venetian tower that was part of their 15th century defences, then walked along the spacious seafront, which was so like a typical British promenade , with candy floss and a fun fair going up for the season and even a pier being constructed! It was a shame the seashore was  covered with seaweed.

We made our way back to the van, then set off to find a campsite, missed the main road out and went along some interesting road under construction before finding the excellent main road and eventually our exit to Camping Mali i Robit. It's a small site set behind a hotel and really only intended for tents, with difficult access and many tall trees. We have squeezed in and being rather tired have stayed. The hotel, where we used the internet, is totally empty but that is not surprising as there are hotels all the way into Durres. It must be awful in July and August and so quiet for the rest of the time.

Monday 28 May. Blue sky this morning through the tightly packed trees. We squeezed ourselves out of Camping Mali I Robit, which is only suitable for tents and very small vans and then really only for a night halt! There were road works on the road south of Kavaje but road building continues apace everywhere, although you have to be very aware all the time of sudden potholes or enormous cracks in the road. There were so many petrol filling stations, great big grand ones and they were building still more. I've never seen so many. Few lorries but very many mini buses.

Throughout the country so many of the hillsides have been terraced. I don't think I have ever seen so much, though sadly a lot of it is not now in use - was this during collectivisation perhaps? At last we were out of the ribbon development and into countyside.

The dual carriageway stopped before Fier and we had to struggle over poor surfaces through the town and for several miles afterwards until we were put onto a brand new motorway that last to just before Vlore. There were very few exits off the motorways and often they were not signed. Before Vlore there were vast saline works and piles of salt.

We knew of a terrible low tunnel we had to avoid going south in Vlore, so when we saw a road indicating lorries right we took it. This took us along an unmade road at 10 miles per hour for some distance. However, when we came upon the tunnel, which was closed anyway, it was at the other end of the town. We realised the original diversion had just been to keep lorries out of the town.

5 miles south of Vlore, at lunchtime, we came upon Rezidenca Cekodhima, Radhime, with a sign offering motorhome parking. This took us down to a small holiday development, deserted, on a small promontory, which was very well done with a pleasant beach. We spent a pleasant afternoon reading. Later the owner told Andy he had a lot to thank the British for, as he had been an asylum seeker in 1996 and lived in London. We could stop here for free and he was hoping next year to develop it into a small site for motorhomes, which judging by everything else will be very well done. Albano said he was missing London and the smoked salmon!

Tuesday 29 May. We set off down what is now the Ionian Highway, the road surface still good, which to our delight was to continue for most of the day, apart from the odd landslide that no one can help! We drove through a variety of resorts, then started the climb up to the Llogoraja Pass, the road rising to 1000m, past the Flag Pine, which is supposed to look like the national flag of a double-headed eagle. We had coffee here and saw a goatherd on a mobile phone, then an extremely spectacular descent with wide zigzags down the hillside. The traffic throughout was light, with very few lorries apart from some construction ones.

The road then continued up hill and down dale, sometimes dipping down to the sea. We had lunch beside the sea at Himare, where we may wild camp on our way back up, at other times through villages higher up on the hillside. We passed a loaded donkey with a CD disk attached to his forehead - to detract the evil eye? There were some old Mediterranean houses, not just the modern ones that seem to be everywhere. At sea level we saw a cave where Russian submarines used to hide, amongst a now ruined military base. The cacti had flower spikes over 2 metres tall.

There must have been a drive to put up signs and street names, as I had read they were in short supply but most streets seem to have new signs! We also found road directions when we wanted them.

At last we reached Sarande, a resort with more hotels than I have had hot dinners. Where are all these people supposed to come from, when there is no easy access to this town? That pass was a serious business and we have heard that the other road is not good.

We drove through and headed for Butrint , along a road that was 7/8 finished and only gave way to a rough unmetalled finish in about 3 places. We found the car park at the end with the intention of wild camping later. It was then about 3 o'clock.

A most wonderful spot, entrance to the archeological site for the morning and a fascinating ferry and fisherman to watch. The ferry is across the Vivari Channel, which links a large inlet with the sea and is a platform on floats. Immediately on the other side is a Venetian castle and in the distance villages. Across the low hill opposite is Greece. This is the furthest south we are going.

We crossed on the ferry as foot passengers - no charge - then looked round the castle and tried to see the line of the aqueduct without luck. We then strolled down beside the inlet for some distance, always aware we were the wrong side of the water, though as I write at 8pm the ferry is still going. We then had a drink in the Livia Hotel, hoping without luck that they had Internet, before coming back to the van for dinner and that wonderful view.

Wednesday 30 May. Half way through the tour and at the southern most point!

Heavy rain in the night but we woke to a bright dawn, after having been very disturbed by a dog in the night barking at every car that approached the ferry, which continued to work until very late.

The site at Butrint has been a town for many centuries, long before the Romans who developed the city, then it was used extensively by the Byzantines and later the Venetians who rebuilt the fortifications. I am yet to find out why it was finally abandoned but the water level of the site has risen considerably.

The site is one of the most atmospheric I have ever visited, with trees and bird song throughout. A layer of silt 2 metres thick has covered the whole site and only a fraction has so far been excavated. The 2 real highlights for me were the lovely little theatre, quite small, the orchestra area now flooded and the water quite green with algae. In it frogs and terrapins were quite clear to see.

There was also a baptistry, the best and largest one after the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, its lovely floor protected by gravel as the whole site regularly floods due to the changing levels of the lagoon. I am sure that is why the site is no longer occupied.

After a most atmospheric wander we went across the ferry once more and had a walk along the shore, past Ali Pasha's castle.

We have camped in a tiny but pleasant campsite, in a garden at Ksamil, where the owner cannot do enough for us. Access is along a small road and the shower is a little primitive but the owner has tried so hard and is so willing.

(to be continued)