beautiful Montenegro

Montenegro: We cross the border into Montenegro. It's like a gateway back to real life. The roads are great - and everything is clean. We feel right at home. The landscape reminds us a lot of Croatia.

We drive to the capital Podgorica. As always, we need cash (Euros!) and a SIM card. Podgorica is ultra-modern. Futuristic buildings, modern bars and cafes. The people are dressed in ultra-modern fashion. We see Bogner, Gucci, and other priceless fashion shops. What a contrast to the past few weeks in the Albanian mountains! And we actually have 26 degrees Celsius (grinning). In the Albanian mountains, it was only 4 degrees. We can handle this. There are also big supermarkets here where you can buy everything (including delicious black bread). But the city is huge and crowded, and we've been in the solitude of Albania for the past few weeks... a slight stress level builds up... let's get out of here as soon as possible.

We spend the night at a nearby lake and then continue to the Rijeka Crnojecicta river. There we find a dreamlike camping meadow (yes, really a meadow) and we're happy. We're alone here and our dogs can run freely. They're ecstatic with joy. We've only been on rocky paths for the past few weeks, so the dogs enjoy the soft grass. We park right by the water and pay the owner 10 Euros for the night. Gladly... for this beautiful spot. The dogs disappear into the water and start hunting frogs and fish - they're taken care of for the rest of the day. We quickly set up the boat and an hour later we're paddling on the crystal clear river. We pass under ancient stone bridges and end up in a tourist village. There are many waterfront restaurants and we go for a drink.

In the afternoon, I hike up with the dogs and my laptop towards the internet router (which is located in an abandoned trailer under the trees, grinning). I want to finish the blog post about Albania. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Lucy jump back in horror and I think, oh God!! What is that? There's a big snake rising... and another one next to it... and aaahhhh, scream, there's another one between my feet. Horrified, I pull the dogs back and jump away in a huge leap. Uuuughhh, really? Snakes?? Kilian comes and we try to scare them away. But they don't seem to mind. Yuck, yuck - really? And I'm supposed to sit down at the laptop here. Kilian takes the dogs to the car and I sit on the bench (with my feet up) and write the blog. I can't really relax... I have to keep an eye on the snakes. But they stay away from me. Locals come by and I ask if they are venomous. No, no, just a little bit, they answer - well, that's a relief.

We keep encountering snakes. By the shore, in the water, in the grass... we call this place 'Snake Paradise'. The next day, we go on a big paddling tour upstream on the river. In the marshland with millions of aquatic plants, it feels a bit like the Danube Delta in Romania - or the Amazon? The tour is fun. Large parts of the shore are underwater. Trees and bushes have 'wet feet'. We also see snakes swimming in the water. Tourist boats pass us by, waving.

After three days, we drive up into the mountains to the Lovcen National Park. Our plan: hiking!! (as usual!!). Once we arrive, park the bus, and pay 4 Euros for admission, we set off with the dogs. It's freezing cold and we're at the snow line. Dense fog sets in. A beautiful mountain landscape surrounds us - or so we believe - because we can't see our hand in front of our face due to the thick fog. It's really frustrating!! Our hiking ambitions are constantly thwarted by the weather or something else. In any case, after an hour of wandering aimlessly in the fog, we've had enough. We want to get off the mountain - off we go towards Kotor.

High up - above the stunning Bay of Kotor - we spend the night at a huge old decommissioned bunker. We park the bus, grab our flashlights, and we're already inside - in the winding corridors of the huge bunker. Stairs lead deep down into the dark black cellar to remote rooms and basements. Everything has been empty for years, and it seems that some parties have been celebrated here. We see graffiti on the walls and empty bottles. We wander around for a bit. At some point, I see a giant spider!! Yuck!! ... I jump behind Kilian!! Yes, really. It jumps towards Kilian in huge leaps. Yuck. Snakes are not a problem... big spiders: Big problem!!! I just want to get out. Enough hiding in the bunker. Back in daylight, we sit in the sun and enjoy the spectacular view of the Bay of Kotor. In the evening, we get a neighbor. A young guy from Hamburg is traveling alone - to Siberia!! Wow!! That's what I call a travel destination. We chat in the evening and the next morning we set off early. We want to visit the old town of Kotor.

Today is Orthodox Easter. The Easter festival. The Orthodox celebrate Easter one week later than Christians. We arrive in the old town of Kotor. At the harbor, we pass through a gate into the old town - and bam - we're in the Middle Ages. The narrow winding cobblestone streets lead through the old town. There are cafes, restaurants, and souvenir shops everywhere. There are large squares buzzing with activity. Many Chinese tourists are there. I'm absolutely thrilled with this wonderful little town. The stone houses lead through the town, up and down stairs. I could keep going forever. After two hours, we've had enough and continue on the beautiful coastal road towards Croatia. We pass by beautiful towns right by the sea. The houses - a dream in stone. Everything is well-kept and maintained. After every curve, there are new spectacular views of beautiful Montenegro.

After a overnight stay right by the sea, we decide to cross the border into Croatia earlier than expected. Many of the sights here in Montenegro are in the mountains. It's a long way up there and our time is slowly running out. We also read on the internet that we actually need a rabies antibody test in the blood of our fur babies from an official veterinarian to re-enter the EU. (gulp gulp)... this takes over two weeks!! They are vaccinated against rabies, of course... but apparently that's not enough. We can't and don't want to stay here for that long anymore, so we decide to leave the mountains behind and take the step across the border (without the antibody test). I'm sweating profusely as the border comes into sight. We make our dogs sit and hope that the customs officers don't want to check the bus. Smuggling dogs at its finest, grinning. But our dogs behave calmly... as if they know... and after passport control, we are allowed to enter... the EU. Croatia, here we are. Phew :):)

Conclusion about Montenegro: We felt extremely comfortable here when crossing the border from Albania into Montenegro. The country is beautiful. Unfortunately, the coast is very narrow and short. Most of the country extends up into the mountains. We're sure that we will visit Montenegro again someday and explore the entire country... because it's too beautiful here to only stay for 10 days. The people are friendly and the area is simply stunning.