1. And We Are Off Again - Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kotor, Montenegro; to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

A Trip to the Balkans

Friday, June 9, 2023

After several weeks at home, we have set off on another adventure, this time to the Balkans in Eastern Europe. We have decided that 2023 is a year of major travel, this being the second of hopefully three adventures. What we did not expect was to have to develop a whole new way of travel into our plans. You see, my knees have given out and I now have limited walking ability. Knee surgery lies in the future. So we are now travelling with a wheelchair. We are determined to integrate this new tool into the kind of travel that we enjoy. As we move along, we will find out how best to adapt to this extra set of wheels.

Our first stop was London, England with an extended wait in Heathrow as we missed the connection for our next flight. As pleasant as that was, we would he preferred to be on our way to Dubrovnik, Croatia as that is really where our adventure will begin. Only two hours to wait for that flight.

We arrived in Dubrovnik about 8 pm Saturday evening, picked up our rental car and headed out on dark, winding, narrow, hilly roads to find our hotel. I was at the wheel and Jim was the navigator. I assured the rental agent that I drive much better than I walk. It was a slow trip with loads of traffic from the airport to our hotel, Royal Blue. This area of Croatia is very mountainous with cliffs that fell a long way to the sea. At times, the road felt so narrow that we thought we might end up in the sea.We made it without mishap but we were relieved when we arrived (about 10 pm). We were also thrilled with our room, a very large and well appointed room with a large private patio overlooking one of the pools and the Adriatic Sea. Soon after our arrival, it was time to sleep. Thirty hours had passed since we got up Friday morning in Waterloo. We were very tired and the bed was very comfortable.

Sunday, June 11, 2023

So, it was Sunday morning when we got up. (What happened to Saturday?) Refreshed, we set out to fond breakfast (a delicious buffet on a seaside patio in our hotel, followed by some time enjoying our patio in the late morning sun. It was a beautiful summer day and a great place to catch our breath. An earl afternoon nap reenergized us and we set out to see the city.

In the afternoon, we explored Dubrovnik by day. The streets were narrow and heavily trafficked. It took some time to gain confidence for driving. City streets were confusing, roundabouts everywhere and little time to choose which way to go. But we did see a lot of Dubrovnik. Then we headed out of town and enjoyed beautiful vistas as the road rose and fell along the shore of the Adriatic Sea. It was a spectacular day.

We spent a little time at the harbour admiring the vast array of private yachts and sailboats alongside the commercial tour boats and a vast Celebrity cruise ship that was in port for the day. Tomorrow, we plan to take an evening cruise on the water. We are looking forward to that.

Dinner was a feast of seafood topped off with a share piece of hazelnut/chocolate cake. Delicious!Then back to our room for a quiet evening and good night's sleep.

Monday, June 12, 2023

Our plan to spend the morning poolside has been dashed by a thunderstorm. Plan B was to wait it out and do some more trip planning in the meantime. As it was also only day 2 of our adventure, jetlag was  still a part of our reality. We took advantage of the morning rain to catch some extra sleep. By noon, the rain had dissipated and we were able to have a lovely lunch poolside. The pool was inviting so, of course, we had to go for a swim. We also took advantage of the time to explore the rest of this very large seaside resort. Several restaurants, a spa, several hotels, a roof bar with a swimming pool that has glass sides. A bit like swimming in an aquarium. It was a great day to settle into our new time zone and gear up for an outing tomorrow.

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

The sun rose high in clear blue sky and remained that way all day. It was a great day for a road trip. A sumptuous breakfast at our hotel fortified us for our travels.

Our first stop was the Red History Museum which focusses on Croatian history since second world war; emphasizing political changes (communism to democracy) and culture and household belongings during that period. The museum explores how people lived in Communist Croatia - how life felt under the communist regime of Yugoslavia; why homeland war occurred and led to change; art/design; politics; secret agencies; greatest hits of the time. Here, at this museum you can witness history come to life including real life stories of people living under the communist party

We left the city and followed a precarious coastal highway to Mount SRD. Mount T  412 m. Fort Imperial on top of Mount SRD was built during the Napoleonic Wars. A large white stone cross was raised at the top. The views of the walled city of Dubrovnik and the Adriatic Sea, also cruise ships and islands.

There is only one main road in this part of Croatia because of its narrow boundaries and rugged mountains. Just a few kilometres to the east is the border of Montenegro where we will go tomorrow. The road followed the coastline high above the water. It was a well built road with no margin for error; no shoulders; just a straight drop to the water. Scary at times but beautiful.

Spring and early summer flowers were in full bloom, bursting with a wide array of colours all along the roadsides.

We visited Cavtat, a charming village with a variety of shops, cafes and restaurants. Having dropped down to sea level again, we enjoyed the rolling hills and lush green of the countryside. We were also able to observe a busy harbour. 

From Cavtat, we entered the Konvalve Valley, a rich agricultural area, hosting several different crops including many vineyards. It was in this valley that we reached  the Konavoski Dvori Eco and Green Restaurant. Set alongside a quickly flowing river, this restaurant offered a beautiful setting - a running stream with many cascading waterfalls, colourful flowers in bloom, and an array birds.  

We had the choice of indoor or outdoor seating. Of course we chose the lush garden out of doors where we enjoyed local cuisine, traditional Croatian menus - frog legs, cheese dumplings. Other choices included fish, lamb, beef, octopus, exceptional bread wth oil and balsamic vinegar to dip. Dessert was creme brulee with berries and apple pie with local cheese.

The setting for this restaurant was down several steps in a sunken garden. We were concerned about how I would get down and then back up the irregular steps. But we should not have worried. There was a wheelchair conveyor beside the steps and a very helpful owner to operate it. 

A silk embroidery shop was our next stop. There were silk worms on site from which the silk was produced. A wide range of products, all hand embroidered with home spun silk, filled the shop. We enjoyed our visit and reluctantly left the shop empty-handed.

We retraced our route back to Dubrovnik (the road was less scary this time) and stopped at the gate to old city (no cars allowed). Jim will take a walking tour tomorrow morning to see the highlights inside the old walled city.

We picked up sausage rolls from local bakery for dinner ... no need another meal today. I will say that the sausage rolls, while small in volume, were terrible in flavour. It's a good thing we only got one each.

We retired to our room, enjoyed the evening sun and sunset and planned for tomorrow. Off to another destination - Kotor, Montenegro.  All in all it was a wonderful day!

Our day began a bit earlier today (our final sumptuous breakfast overlooking the Adriatic Sea) because Jim was heading into the centre of Dubrovnik for a walking tour of the old walled city. I remained at the resort to catch up on some reading and writing ... and, I admit, a short nap.

We checked out of our resort about noon, bid a farewell to the ocean view we had from our deck and set off on the next phase of our adventure. We travelled along roads we had explored yesterday. The driving was more comfortable today since we had successfully navigated the steep climbs and the long descents. The narrow road was still a bit daunting, especially in the places where the road wound along the cliff and all we could see far below were rocks and water. The traffic was fairly light and the threatening rain held off for most of the afternoon. 

Because we were more relaxed in the car, we were able to take in the variety of vegetation along the road. Many kinds of flowers in full bloom, several varieties of trees, some growing independently and some growing in places where they had been deliberately planted. We enjoyed the drive along the edge of the broad valley where the grapes were growing. We also took the time to drive through some of the villages that were just off the highway. Old stone buildings with bright orange tile roofs were the architectural style historically and even now in the many new subdivisions springing to life.

As we drove further inland, the vegetation became denser and actual forests flanked the sides of the highway. Many varieties of trees coexisted; various colours of green, short and tall trees side by side, deciduous and evergreen co-existing.

We were getting closer and closer to our second country on this trip - Montenegro. The border crossing was very gentle; the officials barely looked at our documents. First impressions were that Montenegro was a very clean, reasonably prosperous country. It has not yet achieved status to be part of the European Union. It stands alone as a country although it has met several of the requirements for inclusion in the union and is working toward that goal. As a country, it is trying hard to attract investors (real estate remains reasonably priced for the moment. Expectations are that land will increase in price once they achieve EU status.) Also, while Croatia seems to exclusively use the roman alphabet, Montenegro has signs in both roman and cyrillic. It is all part of the transition to membership in the Eu. 

We travelled through two cities; the first was a border city, Kumbor (population 1000), with a large service industry along the main highway to meet the needs of travellers as they pass through the border. The roads were busy with many transport trucks delivering goods to various places. By this time, we were in need of a break. We had not had lunch so we decided that we would go into a roadside restaurant for a late afternoon meal and call it dinner. We stopped at a restaurant, Restaurant Aurora, that appeared to be open and, frankly, we hit the jackpot. 

It was clean, not busy and the menu featured several local dishes. After much deliberation, Jim chose a local dish consisting of ham, cheese and veal served with vegetables and a salad. He like it so well that I only got a sliver of a bite. I ordered a plate of squid, shrimp and tiny octopi. Like Jim's meal, mine was also delicious and beautifully arranged on the plate. Happy and satisfied, we continued on our journey.

Soon we arrived in Kamenari (population 150). It really is a tiny service town where a ferry plies the waters of Kotor Bay every 15 minutes or so. It takes about 10 minutes to reach the other side whereas to drive around on land takes about an hour. We were impressed with the efficiency of the loading and unloading of the ferry. Not a minute was wasted.

The next piece of road travelled along the shore of Kotor Bay. The shore was peppered with cottages, boat launches, eating establishments, people fishing, people walking, many riding bicycles. And, of course, the many cars trying to make their way to a destination. As pretty as it was, I was certainly glad when we had passed by most of the chaos.

A few kilometres down the road we entered slightly larger town, Tivat (population 10,000). It was a lively place with loads of traffic and going every which way. By this time, it was raining, making the drive more difficult. And, truthfully, we were not clear about directions to our accommodation, which was still down the road a bit in the next town. We stopped to get directions, ended up going the wrong way on a one way street and having to back into a busy roundabout. Yikes!!

And, finally we made it to Kotor, the town where we are staying for the next couple of days. We were able to follow the directions this time and arrived at the bottom of a very steep and narrow country road. Up we went!! There was no space to meet another vehicle so each time a car came in the opposite direction, we both had to stop and jockey around one another, hopefully not making contact. So far so good. But the 'piece de resistance' came at the end fo the trip. Jim told me to turn left into a narrow driveway (we are staying out in the country). What neither of knew was that this narrow driveway was about 200 metres long, almost straight up! It took my breath away. And remember, the pavement was wet ... Our first attempt did not go well. Our wheels spun on the wet pavement and we actually slid backwards. So I backed up to a relatively flat area and tried again. Fortunately, the wheels cooperated this time and we made it up the incline. We had reached our destination, a delightful, if tiny, apartment with a magnificent view of Kotor Bay. I am still recovering from the drive up the hill and at the moment, I think I may just stay 'at home' for the next couple of days.

Thursday, June 15, 2023

It was raining hard this morning, (our first day in Montenegro) not a great omen for the day. We started our day with breakfast on the rooftop patio. We were the only people there. What we had not expected was an open air dining area. The tables and chairs were soaked and the staff would have been happy to deliver our breakfast to our room. But we came up with a different and far more pleasant solution. There was an overhang due to third floor balconies. We asked the staff to set up a table for us under the overhang. That way we could enjoy an outdoor breakfast without getting too wet. The staff were quite intrigued with this idea and went above and beyond the cal of duty to ensure we were dry and comfortable. They even brought over a patio umbrellas so that none of the drips from the roof could reach us.

Breakfast was sumptuous - fruit, a vegetable salad, delicious fresh bread and butter with 3 types of jam, yogurt, cheese, fruit juice and coffee. Oh, did I mention that there was also a large and delicious omelette served on a platter in the middle of the table? No need for lunch today!!

We returned to our room and watched the pouring rain through our large window. we could also see the Kotor airport and in the distance, the city itself. Also visible was the Bay of Kotor, a large meandering bay that leads out to the Adriatic Sea. It is visible from many directions in Kotor.

Not too be beaten by the rain, we decided to go for a drive to Budva, a city of beaches along the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Budva was described as a city of about 10,000 people (the size of Elmira) but there must have been 50,000 tourists there along with us. The streets and highways were totally congested, especially the routes to the beaches. We were determined to make it to the sea. Patience was a critical attribute as we poked along in a long line of traffic. At one point, we thought we had seen a less congested route and turned left into a relatively quiet street. There was a reason it was quiet. A locked gate prevented the traffic from accessing the beach road. We wended our way back through town and took the highway along with everyone else. 

The Adriatic Sea is known for its beaches. 

They are mostly pebble beaches, very little sand, but the clearest waters you can imagine. We went Jaz Beach and Becici Beach. The summer season is not in full swing yet so many of the of the shops and food stalls were not yet open. There were hundreds of beach chairs lined up in tidy rows all along the beaches, no doubt available for rent when the season opens. At Jaz Beach there was a very scruffy camping area, mainly of interest to RV's. The grass was not cut; the sites were not clearly marked and there was no evidence of bathrooms, showers or water sources. Certainly not what we have learned to expect in North America.

From Becici Beach we carried on to visit the Budva Riviera. Sadly, the traffic was a such a standstill that we finally gave up and enjoyed a leisurely drive through the mountainous and forested countryside back to our hotel near Kotor.

By the time we got back to our hotel, I knew I was under the weather. A bout of 24 hour flu had set in. I went to bed and Jim spent the evening doing more planning for the next components of our adventure. He also went to the rooftop restaurant and enjoyed a delicious dinner. I was restless and uncomfortable the whole night long which meant that neither one of us got a good night's sleep.

Friday, June 16, 2023

I awoke this morning feeling much better. It was still raining so again we went to the rooftop foe breakfast and again, the staff set up table for us under the shelter of the balconies above. We did not get an omelette this time but enjoyed the bread, the salads, cheese and yogurt. Back to the room and within minutes I was fast asleep in bed again. I slept off and on throughout the day and, unknown tome, I told Jim many stories based on my dreams. He was intrigued by some of the wacky tales I told him.

Finally, as the afternoon wore on, I felt good enough to go for a drive. We headed to Kotor to explore the town. It was very crowded and traffic was moving extremely slowly. That gave us chance to look at shops, churches, schools as we crept past. The market was an especially lively place, filled with 

vendors, tourists and a wide variety of fruits and vegetable.

 Kotor is a long, narrow town, hugging the water's edge. There is really only one main street to go from one end to the other end of town. And it was very congested. There were two cruise ships in the port and numerous white busses taking the passengers on various outings. The cruise we will be on has a stop in Kotor but we may have seen all of the sights as we passed through. this time.

Back to our hotel ... the steep narrow road is becoming less intimidating as time goes on. In many places, the road is so narrow that two vehicles cannot meet and pass by one another. We are getting better at being a part of the problem solving and less of a problem. There are many places to pull over and allow traffic to flow smoothly. 

Home again, we made a plan to go out to a local restaurant for dinner and I went to bed again Still tired, I guess but no more stories for Jim. After a refreshing nap, we headed out, further up the hill, to a quaint restaurant called Pecenjara Gostiona Nadoveza. It was nestled in a steep forested area and it was absolutely packed with diners. We got the last parking spot in the lot. 

The building was exactly what one might expect in the Balkans - rustic furniture, open fires for grilling, fresh local vegetables ... and more. Jim chose a lamb chop (no surprise there) and I chose a pork chop. Both came on a shared tray with a salad and crispy french fries. Each of was astonished to find two pieces of meat on the platter, far more than either of us could eat. We ate what we could and washed it down with  Montenegro wine, Vranac, made with locally grown grapes. The staff were friendly and very accommodating and packed up the rest of our meal in foil wrappers.

Driving after dark was a new experience. Fortunately, headlights let us know when a car was approaching so we could find a place to get off the road. We were glad when we reached our hotel.

Time to write this blog and organize photographs. And, hopefully, get a good night's sleep. One more day in Montenegro. Maybe tomorrow it will not rain.

Saturday, June 17, 2023

We set off this morning on our longest drive yet. We left Kotor about 11 am and arrived Sarajevo at 6 pm. We only stopped for fuel, the bathroom and a top up of water to drink. We even skipped lunch. 

Steady driving through Montenegro and into Bosnia/Hertzegovina (country number 3). The landscape changed many times as we travelled. It was mountainous in Montenegro but the mountain slopes tended to be rocky or covered with grass. Although there were warning signs along the highway about wild boars and cattle, we did not encounter any of these. There was still some rain along the way but the day was generally clear and a bit chilly. According to the local people, concurrent days of rain is unusual and by this time in the season, the daytime temperatures rise to between 40C and 45C. Happily for us, although we did not appreciate all the rain, we were grateful to have avoided such high temperatures.

When we reached Bosnia and Hertegovina, the landscape changes quite abruptly. The mountains were much higher and very rocky. The slopes were covered with full forests, many different kinds of trees. And all were verdant green with their new spring growth. At the road level, the fields were filled with an abundance of wild flowers, multicoloured, creating a rainbow on the ground. 

The land at the base of the mountains was arable with fields for grazing cattle and sheep. We saw herds of both filling the road and blocking the traffic. 

Some herds had dogs to guide them but especially the cattle seemed to be on their own. As we travelled along, we passed through one town and a few small villages. We also saw many rural churches and some cemeteries beside them. There were also memorials place along the highway where someone had died in a traffic accident. Other than that, it was us and the mountains, the forests and the road. 

The driving was challenging as the roads climbed high and plunged low. The path was circuitous and the speed limit shifted from 30 to 40 to 30 to 50 to 60 to 30. 

Several mountain tunnels had been built along this route. Thankfully, our headlights came on automatically when we entered each tunnel. I will say that in general the roads were well maintained. We encountered several groups of motorcycles. No doubt, the bikers were more excited about the driving than we were.

There was evidence of agriculture along the way. Small plots of crops, fields of hay that were being harvested. But most impressive were the vegetable gardens that had sprouted at each household we passed. The season here is a bit earlier than at home and it showed in the growth of the gardens. Elderberry trees were prolific along the roadway and they were already in full bloom. There is going to be a huge crop at the end of the summer (if the birds do not get them first).

It was interesting to encounter signs that we did not understand. Not only is the language foreign to us, many of the signs used the Cyrillic alphabet. We found that very few people spoke English, except in hotels.

Shortly before we arrive in Sarajevo, we travelled through a National Park. The sign labelled it along the road but there was no development in terms of displays, trails, picnic areas or an information centre. Clearly, there is work to be done.The good news is that the government recognized the importance of setting aside tracts of land for public use.

It had clearly rained hard and long earlier in the day. A stream that flanked the highway showed to results of the rain. It was boiling like a pot on the stove as it swept the muddy water downstream. It really was a sight to see.

Shortly before we arrive in Sarajevo, we travelled through a National Park. The sign labelled it along the road but there was no development in terms of displays, trails, picnic areas or an information centre. Clearly, there is work to be done.The good news is that the government recognized the importance of setting aside tracts of land for public use.

It had clearly rained hard and long earlier in the day. A stream that flanked the highway showed to results of the rain. It was boiling like a pot on the stove as it swept the muddy water downstream. It really was a sight to see.

For now, it is bedtime. A much needed sleep.