Balkan Trip from Germany to Albania - Return journey to Germany

The Return Journey: A Sweet Farewell and Unexpected Discoveries in the Balkans

After an unforgettable time in Albania, it was time to say goodbye. Our friendly host, who wanted to treat us to one last espresso in the morning – which we, given the ridiculous price of 80 cents, paid for anyway – bid us farewell with warm words. His willingness to help knew no bounds, and so we set off, excited for the journey back.

Surprisingly, this time our navigation led us along the main route, which turned out to be much better developed than the route we took on the way there. However, caution was still advised, as the driving skills of Albanians remain unpredictable. After some time, we reached the Montenegrin border, where the control was straightforward: show ID, and off we went towards Bosnia. Here too, the quality of the roads was clearly improved, making the journey more pleasant.

Several hours later, we crossed the Bosnian border after a brief check. Around 2 PM, we reached our destination for the day: the charming restaurant “Old Mill”. What a view! We sat right by the water, with a small but enchanting waterfall behind us, and the water was crystal clear. Unfortunately, my wish for Bosnian stew went unfulfilled – yet again, a hearty Balkan platter landed on my plate. But one thing must be said: The food in Bosnia is simply fabulous!

Croatia: GPS Adventure and a Dreamy Sunset

After this refreshing break, we continued towards Croatia. Here too, crossing the border was child's play. Since we had been on the road for a while, my better half quickly searched for accommodation near Zadar – and found it. Filled with anticipation, we entered the address into the GPS and set off. The address itself was easy to find thanks to the GPS, but not the accommodation! We stood in front of a littered, abandoned bus stop, and the GPS dryly announced, “You have reached your destination.” Had we accidentally rented a bus stop? After much back and forth, we found a nearly identical address about 30 minutes away.

This time, the GPS led us through picturesque villages, further and further away from the highway, to Starigrad-Paklenica. Our host was already waiting for us. Our room was small but cozy and equipped with a private bathroom – once again, lucky us! After we stowed our things, we immediately headed to the beach. With a few cool drinks, we enjoyed the sunset and let the day wind down relaxed.

The Second Day of the Return Journey: Expensive Breakfast and a Giant Schnitzel in Slovenia

The second day of our return journey began at 8 AM. Into the car and off to the highway! Along the way, we made a breakfast stop at a highway rest area in Croatia. Here we discovered: Even in Croatia, rest area prices are quite high. For two coffees and two croissants per person, we spent a whopping 20 euros. But well, we don’t do this every day.

Fortified, we continued on. After a while, we reached the border with Slovenia, where the transition went smoothly as well. Around noon, we passed by Dvor – do you remember the second day of our trip when I mentioned I would come hungry next time because everything looked so delicious? This time I was hungry! I was determined to try the delicious-looking soup or stew from the way there. But unfortunately, fate played a trick on me: I was told that this stew was only available at breakfast and that breakfast time had already passed by half an hour. Frustrated, I ordered a Wiener Schnitzel.

But as often happens, I was pleasantly surprised. Luckily, Bianca had only ordered a soup and salad because when the plate of schnitzels was brought out, I thought the waiter had misunderstood us and prepared two portions! Three giant schnitzels with extra fries! Bianca had to take a schnitzel from me; otherwise, I would have never finished it. I was more than full. I eagerly awaited the bill to see whether there would be two schnitzels listed – but no, only one! Kudos, so delicious and yet so affordable!

The Final Leg: Relaxation and the Realization that Home is the Best Place

Satisfied and content, we set off on the last half of our journey. The rest of the drive went without much excitement, except for a ten-minute traffic jam in Austria. Upon arriving in Germany, I could finally drive at my comfort speed of about 150 km/h again. Around 7 PM, we were home.

What we both noted – and this is always the case when we return from vacation – is that home is simply the best. We always love to return to our own four walls.

If you want us to take you along on our travels again, please subscribe to our page. We want to conceal nothing, but rather report everything as we feel and experience it.

See you soon, your Eddy and Bianca.

Türkçe

Return Journey:

A Sweet Farewell and Unexpected Discoveries in the Balkans

After an unforgettable time in Albania, it was time to say goodbye. Our friendly host, who wanted to treat us to one last espresso in the morning – which we, given the ridiculous price of 80 cents, paid for anyway – bid us farewell with warm words. His willingness to help knew no bounds, and so we set off, excited for the journey back.

Surprisingly, our GPS led us this time to the main route, which turned out to be much better maintained than the outbound route. However, caution was still necessary as the Albanian driving skills were unpredictable. After a while, we reached the Montenegrin border, where the control was simple: show your ID and continue towards Bosnia. Again here, the road quality was significantly improved, making the journey more pleasant.

After a few hours, we crossed the Bosnian border after a brief control. Around 2 PM, we arrived at our destination for the day: the charming restaurant 'Old Mill.' What a view! We were sitting right by the water, with a small but magical waterfall behind us, and the water was crystal clear. Unfortunately, my desire for Bosnian stew was unfulfilled - once again, a hearty Balkan platter appeared on my plate. But it must be said: The food in Bosnia is, simply put, fantastic!

Croatia: GPS Adventure and a Dreamy Sunset

After this invigorating break, we continued on to Croatia. Here too, crossing the border was child's play. After we had been on the road for a while, my partner looked for accommodation near Zadar - and found one. Excited, we entered the address into the GPS and set off. The address was easy to find thanks to the GPS, but the accommodation was not! We stopped in front of a littered, abandoned bus stop, and the GPS dryly announced, 'You have reached your destination.' Did we rent a bus stop? After a lot of back and forth, we found a nearly identical address about 30 minutes away.

This time, the GPS guided us through picturesque villages, further and further away from the highway, to Starigrad-Paklenica. Our landlady was already waiting for us. Our room was small but cozy and equipped with a private bathroom – once again, lucky us! After we had unpacked our things, we immediately headed to the beach. We enjoyed the sunset with a few cool drinks and wound down the day peacefully.

The second day of the return journey: An expensive breakfast and a giant schnitzel in Slovenia

The second day of our return journey began at 8 AM. We hopped in the car and headed onto the highway! Along the way, we made a breakfast stop at a rest area in Croatia. Here we discovered that even in Croatia the prices at rest areas are steep. We spent a whopping 20 euros on two coffees and two croissants per person. But well, you don’t do that every day.

Refueled, we continued on. After a while, we reached the border with Slovenia, where the transition went smoothly. Around noon, we passed by Dvor - do you remember my mentioning on the second day of our trip that I would come hungry next time because everything looked so delicious? This time I was hungry! I was determined to try the delicious-looking soup or stew we saw from the way there. But unfortunately, fate played a trick on me: I was told that this stew was only available at breakfast and that breakfast time had already passed by half an hour. Frustrated, I ordered a Wiener Schnitzel.

But as so often happens, I was pleasantly surprised. Luckily, Bianca had only ordered a soup and salad because when the plate with the schnitzels was brought, I thought the waiter had misunderstood us and prepared two portions! Three gigantic schnitzels with extra fries! Bianca had to take a schnitzel from me; otherwise, I would have never been able to finish it. I was more than full. I eagerly awaited the bill to see if there would be two schnitzels or not – but no, just one! Wow, so delicious and yet so affordable!

The final leg: Relaxation and realizing that home is the best

Satisfied and content, we set off on the last half of our journey. The rest of the drive went without major incidents, aside from a ten-minute traffic jam in Austria. Upon arriving in Germany, I could finally drive at my comfortable speed of about 150 km/h again. Around 7 PM, we were home.

What we both noticed – and this is true every time we return from a holiday – is that home is truly the best place. We always love returning to our own four walls.

If you want us to take you along on our travels again, subscribe to our page. We don’t want to sugarcoat anything; rather, we want to report everything as we experience and feel it.

See you soon, your Eddy and Bianca.