Day 254

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The ferry ride from Brindisi Italy to Albania took 6 hours, we boarded the ferry and around 10 in the evening. We were so lucky to score 4 seats each and bunked down, I feel asleep straight away although Glen said it was 12 before the ferry left port. I woke around 5am just in time for the sunrise over the Adriatic Sea as we sailed into Albania.
We had read that it was best to get a cabin as not to be harassed or leered at by strange men however we found the family's were in the same area and once the kids had settled from the excitement we were comfortable. Our next obstacle was that once you had disembarked from the ferry you were then harassed by Albanians for car insurance. But our first obstacle was neither of these as we past through customs we were asked for our car papers. We had agreed to play the stupid card here by saying were Australian we don't understand. When in fact they were asking for original car papers. We told them this is a hire car and showed the rental agreement. In pure frustration having probably never delt with two Aussie before who knew exactly what they were doing, not even paying any bribes he just said go go.We then gunned it through the mob of insurance men who ran after the car and we left Velore in a cloud of dust. Destination Sarande a couple hours south of Velore and to drive one of the most spectacular drives up and down mountains which took in the Adriatic Sea undoubtable one of our most beautiful drives yet. Breathtakingly beautiful views on brand new roads. We had to slow down a couple of times for herds of goats but all was good. We arrived in Sarande a mix of newly built concrete jungle and building sites built on top of each other humm this ain't going to be good. Shown to our room looking out of the window only to see a building site. Room clean and new view of ocean, but everything look so unsafe ie balcony. Now do not go thinking am a princess, not the case I have slept in worse if need be. But this was a unsafe structure even though it was new. Then we thought ok only for a night we can do this, but no lock on the door and no WiWf was the last straw. I put my foot down and said well I'm not staying here. So we drove inland to a place that was going to be our next stop, a couple of hours north to Elbasen I know what your thinking and yes a very patient husband I do have.We enjoyed our day driving quite good roads inland passing through communist old towns and driving past bunkers that were left behind from the Russian era.Not much money in these old towns but everyone who passed us on the highway were driving BMW and Porsche 4wd Mercedes all Albanian number plates a few with Greek plates too but as it was the main road through to Greece that wasn't unusual.Arriving in Elbasen the town was nothing too flash but hotel ticked all the boxes and even had a swimming pool and beautiful out side dining garden were locals also came to drink coffee and eat. We arrived just as the Elbasen football team was playing the Tirana Capitol City team so lots of footballers and team members were being ushered into coaches and wished well.We spent a few days relaxing and people watching. We gathered from the patrons who visited the motel that we were right in the middle of Mafia dealings men drinking coffee doing deals driving the most expensive cars Bentleys and Land Rovers Porsches it's just not right if you ask me driving a Bentley in Albania. Hehe and all spotlessly cleaned, which we couldn't work out until you realise that when your driving along the roads their are hundreds of car washers. We had to try also, so for €2 euros $3 you get a full car wash and I mean washed perfectly and chamois and tyres polished also. Took 1/2 hour but well worth the experience. The Albanian people which we met were lovely just normal folks trying to get by, unlike the few that are corrupt and don't give a hoot as in the their driving skills it's like they have a death wish even with a car full of people, children too they have to overtake you and speed past, countless shrines line the roads were people have lost their life's and still regardless of these they are really speedy drivers.On wards traveling south east to Memelisht which is a small town on lake Orhrid we wanted to drive around the lake and enter Macedonia, we found a small hotel on the banks of the lake very basic but welcoming, which a young family run. Only a few family's from different parts of European were staying enjoying the swimming and the fish dinners. The couple had a little boy who swam most of the day he went to bed exhausted and made so many foreign friends he was only 5 and wore his grandma out also sweet little boy he was. The owner of the hotel had spent years in England and told us that Albania was trying to attract tourist.he said it was difficult as the people around the lake were very poor and only knew farming he was trying to convince the local to embrace tourism. We told him we thought Albania had a lot to offer overseas tourists. He told us that his country had been so very corput for so long, but now with the right government they seem to be forging ahead. We agree that it's such a spectacular country but travellers still must take care. It's very cheap as a bottle of Gordan Gin cost us $16 we worked it out with tonic litre bottle of gin 60 cents a drink. I also had my five weekly hair do at the price of 13.60 cut, permanent colour not bad lady's what that cost in Australia around $60 to $120 lol it was a tad short but still when in Albania. A few days staying by the lake we drove to the border of Albania got through the customs with our well rehearsed act successful on to the Macedonian boarder were we found a well spoken English, Macedonian who just wouldn't let us pass not with out the original car papers. Not that we offered him a bribe. So we turned back to Albania "I said that s..t what if they don't let us back in" Just to let you know I wasn't taking one for the team, and he looked liked he fancied Glen anyways hehe.So we returned to Albania and thought well let's try on the other boarder right the way around the other side of the lake. However by the time we had got to the top we more or less decided that it was best if we drive into Montenegro.So again we left the Albanian boarder and then drove to the Montenegro control, but once again stopped and told that we couldn't bring in the car because we hadn't got the original papers, explaining once again that the car rental place had only given us copies. We spent the good part of a hour until someone with a bit of common-sense allowed us to travel into the country we said we would travel straight through to Croatia but by then a worn down customs officer said no need enjoy some time in Montenegro so we did. We travel to The Bay of Kotor a Fjord which lies off the Adriatic Sea. Stress from a little adventure from our ordeal of boarder controls, theirs never a dull moment while traveling with Glen Cherry. We enjoyed swimming in the Adriatic Sea pristine and salty we stayed at well equipped apartment enjoy our own cooking and company. Catching up on reading and news.movies and vegging out.Traveling further up the coast and staying at the luxurious St Stevens for one night seeing how the other half live, luxury yachts and expensive penthouse and condos,casinos the Riviera of the Adriatic for the young and the rich sunbathing on the beach here can cost you €30 euros for the day with towel umbrella and cold water. Although the posh beach it's €75 euros who knows what you get for that. I was so shocked I told the young man who looked after the patrons of this beach in "Australia you don't pay anything to go on the beach and no one else is on the beach most days". And their is sand too he just laughed at me. But you can get cheaper launch lounges €15 euro back end of the beach plastic chair and no water or towel and no parasol. And then it gets cheaper we just stripped off and throw our clothes on the rocks dived in and swam then dried off on a rock hahaha. Europeans if you want to experience some of the most beautiful sandy free beaches in the world head to Australia. Were we have the most beautiful beaches in the world most of them remote and untouched. As they say in Aussie "were the bloody hell are you".come and visit our beautiful country.Well getting back to The Adriatic Sea it is indeed very beautiful also, so salty that you can float their all day and watch the fish swimming around your legs. It's rocky coast line is beautiful no waves just a rise and fall of the ocean and currents that flow in and out of the sea. Next stop was out of Montenegro and into Croatia to Palt just a few Klm out of Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik were Glen has wanted to visit for so long finally we're ared here. We found again a small apartment that was owned by a family who wife from Austria and husband Croatian lovely family who when the war happen fled the then Yugoslavia and returned to Austria two rise their children but return to run their small apartments for 8 months of the year. We arrived when all the apartment were full with their children's family's so we were very much welcomed into the fold. We felt comfortable to ask questions about the war and try and better understand. We found out that many of the large hotels lay abandoned which were owned by the communist government and they have now have to repair so now they lay abandoned huge hotels just disappearing into nature. although Patricia our landlady was telling us that slowly independent company's are now getting interested and buying and rebirth of these magnificent dinosaurs are being fitted out again. We had the most perfect pebbled beach and the most beautiful inlet a few luxury cruisers and I had it on good advise that Henry Kissinger the retired American politician was aboard one of the cruisers and a couple of days before Michael Douglas the actor had been moored there also "Well excuse me" if it's good enough for Michael then it's alright for us. Well swimming in the same seas that is.We spent a day exploring Dubrovnik and visiting many of the spots were they had filmed The Game of Thrones. Wandering up and down the walled city of old Dubrovnik. Watching the cat woman of Dubrovnik sit fishing for small fish to feed live to the the well fed cats of Dubrovnik. We had caught a ferry into Dubrovnik from Plat and returned the same way enjoying a cruise around the coastline. But it was nice to return to our quite pretty little cove away from all the tourists of Dubrovnik.Next stop Mostar in Bosnia Herzegovina, Mostar a medieval town where the old bridge of 445 years old was blown up in the war just absolutely terrible. That this poor bridge should suffer such conflict but in the scheme of things the war left terrible scars on this small town not just the people of this region terrible for the country's that it divided, by its ethnic cleansing. Everyone suffered with rape and torture of innocents and it's peace loving people. Again why do these things happen in this world still.Well the bridge has been rebuilt young men visit the bridge to dive off some just as a right of passage to their manhood and overseas visitors also pick up courage also to jump or dive off the bridge. The day we arrived finally we were in time for a event which somehow we always manage to miss by days but today The Red Bull Monstar Bridge dive. We were in high spirits as this is a world wide bridge dive they had come as far as Columbia. 23 mitres and they add another 4 mitres diving platform. We watch them do such elaborate dives crazy people.The next few days we visited small villages and national parks. We were going to head to Sarajevo but felt that we had seen as much as we wanted to. To be quite honest we had been treated quite lovely at our hotel, but the locals were not quite the same quite. We felt quite uncomfortable as if we were being watched not feeling quite safe. But we listened to what we felt, we had met a lovely family in Montenegro who were holidaying, who were from Sarajevo and we had met the very lovely Yeree in Austria who worked in Sarajevo. We are so sorry guys for not visiting your city maybe another time.Returning back into Croatia and traveling Plitvice National Park Unesco listed pristine waterfalls that are breathtakingly beautiful. The terrine is quite rocky and the rocky terrine are white so the water is very Aqua turquoise colour as is the Adariactic sea, the waterfalls cascade all around the two lakes. We walk around both of the lakes took us about 6 hours but well worth the hike, you can however visit the lake and cruise in a boat and their is also buses that you can catch if your not a walker so it very accessible to all sorts of tourists and sightseers. In the evening you can sample the roasted piglet and baby lambs which are prepared by many of the restaurants in the small towns were their is also accommodation but the accomadation it's quite expensive. We arrived at the park quite early and had finished. We met a young couple who we past on our tickets too so hopefully they used them and saved their money for dinner.We enjoyed the rest of our time Plitvice National Park. The National Park is opened all year round and visited in the winter months also were the waterfalls are frozen. Which would also be wonderful to see. The Park is home to Lynx and Bears no camping in the Park or swimming in the lakes. Onwards to Istria in Croatia and a coast line that I am very familiar with as I spent most of my teenage days holidaying with my family each year. First stop Vingerik a very small fishing village not that I had ever visited here we kind of just stuck a pin on the map and were overjoyed when we arrived just a picturesque little village and a small amount of tourists mainly family's but just a dream. We are so glad we have a car as we can just please our selfs. It's been a great decision that we made when we landed in London that we wanted to see what we wanted to experience.Rabac a holiday destination for my parents and my family for many years old places we hung out when we were kids still unchanged and the motel we stayed in the same although the it's quite old it was like the twilight zone, called the Girandella which is soon to be upgraded to a five star resort which the rest of the town is like new hotels and the town So I was lucky to have seen it and stay before it was up graded it didn't bother us at all we laughed so much as I told the young staff about the fact is was exactly the same after 35 years. I have you know it was very flash when we stayed here lol. Of Rabac has grown a little more touristy from when I came here but it's still very pretty and I loved it so much, felt very melancholy and sad that my Mum and Dad aren't here anymore to share it with us. I felt like phoning mum up and telling her about all the changes but....... On to Pula were we visited the Roman coliseum I have mentioned that the first time I saw this arena I thought it was spectacular and years later when visiting Rome compared the two and in my opinion I favour Pula. We spent a few days traveling up the coast and to towns I knew Rovinj Porec swimming most days chatting to local as we do. Asking inquiring meeting new and interesting people. Croatia is inviting and friendly everyone chills let's it all hang out no worries. We ate pig,fish and now we are getting towards the end of our summer spent in Europe we look forward to a more simpler diet. Perhaps not eating anymore we have been good but not that good you have to try the local cuisine me thinks.So goodbye Croatia your stunning coastline and country you are beautiful and we enjoyed our time in the Baltic coastline from Albania to Croatia it's well worth the visit. We have driven to date over 30.000 with only a few more days of rental left but that's another blog. I have my Face book to keep in touch with friends most of all your news, we love hearing about your adventures and what happening in your life's so keep us posted write your news on our blog also share or keep it private we love to hear all your news too. We miss you all our friends but we are having the time of our life's also. We wish Donna and Kevin a wonderful holiday and hope we see some spectacular photos and adventure stories. To Melanie and family good luck on your new life directions. For some of you who are experiencing difficulties and stressful times you are in our thoughts. We think of you all and wish everyone the best. Tracey we hope your having the most wonderful holiday also.To my darling children I love you every single minute and my darling grandchildren xxxxxx

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Photos

Adriatic Sea
Ferry ride to Albania

Albania
Drive from Velore to Sandiern

Albania
Elbasen

Albania
At the car wash

Albania
Russian bunker

Albania
Lake Ohrid

Montenegro
St Stevens

Montenegro
Bay of Kotor

Croatia
Plat, Dubrovnik

Croatia
Dubrovnik

Comments

[Adam Cherry]

Creepy Penguin
Where did you find that thing its creepy as.

[Cherries]

Pingo
Pingo the penguin, lives in Rabac in Croatia. I thought he was cute, he sits outside a ice cream parlour.