Overnight ferry on a Croatian Jadrolinija ferry to Dubrovnik in Croatia. Thinking we’d dine on the boat before we retired to our cabin we were disappointed with our dining experience. The waiter had to be the most surly waiter that ever served food on the seven seas. Not only did he lack any customer service skills, he got both our orders completely wrong despite repeating the order back to us and conspicuously jotting everything down in his order book.
Our surly waiter on the Jadrolinija ferry to Dubrovnik.
Arrival in Dubrovnik.
First impressions on leaving the ferry was that Dubrovnik was a beautiful city, the hills sloping down to the port with white houses with terracotta roofs interspersed with cypress trees. It was unfortunate that we wouldn’t have much time to spend here as the plan was to get to Greece to meet our daughter Catherine who was arriving in Thessaloniki on the 8th. We did manage a brief visit to the medieval walled city which was truly amazing and was ‘King’s Landing’ in Game of Thrones – indeed tour operators were offering Game of Thrones tours around the city where the series was made. They have even reconstructed an ‘Iron Throne’. The walls, encircling the city for almost two kilometres, were at some points six metres wide. The place was very busy with tourists and we kept our visit quite short.
View of Dubrovnik’s medieval walled city from the outside.
Inside Dubrovnik’s medieval city.
A very popular tourist attraction, made more popular by ‘Game of Thrones’.
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According to Wikipedia, Dubrovnik is one of the most prominent tourist attractions in the Mediterranean, which began with the construction of the Hotel Imperial in 1897. Sadly, considerable damage was inflicted on Dubrovnik by the forces from Serbia and Montenegro during the breakup of Yugoslavia.
The imposing Hotel Imperial in Dubrovnik, built in 1897.
Our original plan included a drive through Bosnia and Macedonia (FYRM) so we left Croatia and drove into Bosnia. The border guards were so unpleasant and the purchase of a green card so prohibitive that we decided to turn around and go via Montenegro and Albania instead. However, we can claim to have at least crossed into Bosnia for all of 200 meters or so.
The queue of cars waiting to cross into Bosnia and Herzegovina (or Ivanica as it is called locally).
We turn round and head for Montenegro instead.
Following Montenegro’s beautiful coastline, we stopped at the picturesque seaside village of Tivat at a small hotel for lunch. The Carruba Eco Hotel (www.septemberhotels.com) and restaurant overlooking the sea were lovely, the food excellent and the waiters kind and helpful and in marked contrast to our experience on the overnight ferry the night before! Many Brits are buying second homes in Montenegro and we could see why – the north coast is quite stunning.
The charming small village and hotel where we stopped for lunch.
Delicious grilled squid Montenegran-style.
Moving further south we arrive at a town called ‘Bar’ which is of no specific interest and looks quite nondescript, until that is we spot a most magnificent church, newly-built and standing out like the crown jewels in a jumble sale. We stop to take photos and find out what it’s called. Everything is in Montenegran and the only other people there admiring it are Polish and unable to help. We ask an attendant at the petrol station across the road and she has to go inside to ask what it’s called! “Sveti Yohan Vladimir” she comes back saying. We assume ‘Sveti’ to mean ‘Saint’.
Sveti Yohan Vladimir cathedral in Bar, Montenegro.
Another view of the amazing cathedral in Bar.
Heading further south after leaving Bar, the beaches become more crowded and ‘seaside-like’. It seemed common for men to walk around bare chested, often in their speedos, walking with a strut which was slightly intimidating. We spent a long time looking for a campsite without success and decided to find a hotel, also without success. Lots of signs advertised rooms to let and this is what we did. Our initial very positive impressions very quickly faded as we were shown to our room which was made even worse as, at that moment, the heavens opened and torrential rain poured down.
As we move further south in Montenegro, evidence of the changing ethnic mix becomes more apparent.
Distinctive river fishing method, reminiscent of the overhanging wooden structures we saw on the Italian side of the Adriatic.
It was a ground floor room which contained two beds, an area that could loosely be described as a kitchenette and a bathroom. It was dirty, neglected, had broken fittings and no curtains at the windows. When the people upstairs used their bathroom it resonated in ours! It also cost €50s which was nothing short of robbery. We got some things from Brenda, put a sheet up to cover the window, ate a supper of peanuts and drank half a bottle of grappa!
The Euro 50 ‘room’ with no curtains, dirty bathroom and dodgy plumbing we were obliged to spend a night in.
A supper of peanuts and half a bottle of grappa to make it bearable.
Next morning we left as quickly as possible. The owner came to say goodbye and had the cheek to ask if we had liked the room!
Our next destination was Albania and we were excited and curious to see if much had changed since the demise of Enva Hocker (not that we’d seen it before!).
The road to Albania.
The Albanian border.
An old Eastern-block era car for sale.
Travels with our van 