Departing Sarajevo for the coast involved a rather slow bus ride and numerous boarder crossings so we were pleased to arrive in Dubrovnik while the sun was still shining. Dubrovnik was hectic, with plenty of tourists and touts about – I’d hate to see it in the middle of summer! Navigating through the small streets we managed to find our hostel which due to its location inside the old town, now famous for being the setting of the Game of Thrones tv series, was twice the price of any other hostel in Croatia.
After heavy morning rain the sun broke through and it was a glorious day. We climbed up onto the walls which were very impressive and offered great views over the city and sea below. In the afternoon we escaped the city and headed to a nearby beach (slab of rock) to soak up some rays and have a cool dip before we walked to the top of the mountain where the cable car goes. The views from the top were choice and we had earned our beer. There is a great recollection of the Serb’s attack on Dubrovnik at the top which was worth the visit, though we missed most of the sun set. We did catch the last bit as we hightailed it back down before it got too dark.
We had a relaxing day swimming off the rocks at the port before eating a picnic lunch in the sun on our way to the bus station. The bus trip down along the coast to Kotor in Montenegro was really scenic especially going around the huge flooded river valley. Travelling always exposes you to new experiences and on this bus trip our driver decided halfway through the journey to stop and power wash his bus for 20min while all the passengers sat on the bus and waited! Kotor is a very old walled city on the coast surrounded by huge steep mountains. Our hostel was great and situated in one of the very old buildings and provided a good communal dinner which was a nice change from eating out.
Unfortunately the sun was replaced with heavy rain as we set off for a wander around the old town. Nick decided to go for a little explore which ended up in climbing to the top of one of the mountains on the old pack track returning about 4 hours later. He did manage to find a few large snails and catch a frog… In between showers we also climbed up to the old monastery which is surrounded by a huge wall. God only knows how they lugged all the rock up the cliff faces to build the walls.
The rain was still falling as we headed for Zabjlik a town in the mountainous Durmitor National Park. The hostel manager Alex was awesome and gave us plenty of info on walks and bikes in the area as well as recommending a great restaurant where we ate a huge helping of meat washed down with red wine. Waking early ready for a big day exploring the park we were greeted with fresh snow which continued to fall on and off all day. We did have a good walk around the lakes and decided to stay an extra night hoping the weather would improve… You guessed it, it didn't. Luckily we still had some of our ski gear as we needed it for our bike ride. The scenery was beautiful though especially the rolling hills and little farms.
Departing the grey mountains for Albania early in the morning we were pleased to see some blue skies once we had wound our way down through some great gorges. Arriving in Tirana, the capital of Albania, was a bit of a shock as the traffic was hectic with every other car being a Mercedes, no one working and people everywhere. Thankfully our hostel was very laid back with a great court yard and lounge and even home brew beer on tap!
We only had one night in Tirana so made the most of the morning by taking part in the free walking tour. Although the buildings (other than a few communists style “shockers”) were not terribly exciting the history the guide provided was very interesting. The communist style in Albania was certainly very extreme and quite a contrast to Yugoslavia. We also had time to visit the newly opened Bunk-art museum. Only recently discovered the nuclear bunker built by the communist regime was huge with 105 rooms split over 5 levels underground complete with an assembly hall and performing stage. The afternoon was spent taking a bus through picturesque fields of wheat and flowering Poppy's to the town of Berat.
Our hostel here was a very cool old house built during the Ottoman Empire. After an evening stroll along the bustling esplanade we treated ourselves to a feast to celebrate a year on the road, 22 countries, 14 international flights and still enjoying each other's company. For all of about 7 euro we had a whole chicken, roast potatoes, grilled veggies, bread, sausages washed down with a cold beer!
After a quick explore through the hilltop castle we set off for the coast. Not sure how exactly we would get to our planned destination we were pleasantly surprised to arrive without too much drama and even more surprised to find a fellow kiwi (who went to the same primary school as Lucy) trying to hitchhike further south. After a brief chat it was decided to hit the beach for a swim and then find somewhere to stay. The water was refreshing and the weather was calm so we opted to camp on the beach. We couldn't have found a better spot with a secluded beach complete with a perfect sized cave to sleep in.
The evening was slightly chilly given we had no sleeping bags but we survived and after a morning dip headed back up the big hill to the main road to look for a ride to Sarande, our final port of call before heading to Corfu to go sailing. We hitched a ride with an inspiring Swiss couple and their 3 month old baby who were using their maternity leave to tour around in their campervan. We were the only 3 guests in the 8th story hostel with amazing panoramic views over to Corfu.
Squishing into a minivan we headed early the next morning to Gijorkaster to visit the old town and hilltop castle. The steep cobbled streets leading up to the castle got the heart rate up. There was an impressive collection of WW11 artillery inside the castle and a downed US jet. We had worked up an appetite so got stuck into plates of lamb, meatballs, rice cakes and grilled veggies provided by a cute old couple. Needing to cool off we stopped in on the famed blue-eye springs which were great to swim in but had nothing on NZ’s Pupu springs.
Up early again we headed for Butrint, an old Roman settlement. It took us a couple of hours to walk around the ruins which were in reasonably good nick given their age. Luckily the info center was all out of English guides so Lucy couldn't give a full commentary (though she did recall a few classic lessons). The ruins and museum were pretty impressive and it seemed the turtles hanging in all the water features thought so too. On our way back we stopped in at Ksimal Beach where got tucked into a hearty lunch before hitting the quaint but very developed little beaches. The water was a great refreshing temperature. We shared a couple of beers with Dan our kiwi friend as the sun set on our last day in Albania. In the morning we headed to Corfu on a hydrofoil ferry for a spot of sailing.
Where the ocean meets the sky we will be sailing.
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