The last few days in Croatia: From Dubrovnik to Montenegro

After a successful Skype marathon with our loved ones, we were able to sleep very well that night. Skype is really a good way to communicate with home and find out how everyone is doing.

Day 54: The next day, we wanted to explore Dubrovnik. In the evening, another camper from France parked next to us, and we met its occupants in the morning. Silva and his dog Marvel also want to explore the Balkans and travel back through Italy. However, Silva had encountered a small, or possibly larger, problem because he had lost his vehicle documents in Split and could not get new ones. Therefore, he wanted to continue trying to cross the borders, even though he was unsuccessful in Bosnia. We wish him the best of luck!

So the four of us set off that morning to explore Dubrovnik. After a 1-hour walk in over 20 degrees, we reached the city wall of the beautiful old town and were amazed to see the Christmas decorations and the Christmas tree that were just being installed in the city. It really feels like you lose track of the seasons when it's so warm in November!

We were really delighted by the winding old town with its many cute and narrow streets, the harbor, and the numerous Game of Thrones filming locations. Following Silva's advice, we decided to climb the city wall that surrounds the old town. The entrance fee of 20 euros was quite steep, but the view of the city and the sea on the other side, as well as the nearby island, was really amazing and worth it. The wall itself was also fascinating and lined with towers at every corner.

Afterwards, we enjoyed a huge chocolate ice cream before visiting Fort Lovrijenac, from where we also had a great view. Since Tobi had been complaining about knee pain since noon, which was getting worse, we decided to start heading back.

We cooked and spent the rest of the evening comfortably in the bus, so that Tobi could rest his knee, which had already affected his circulation. We watched a movie and went to bed early.

Day 55: Unfortunately, the pain still hadn't gone away the next day, so we decided to stay at the same spot for another day and night and enjoy it here.

While Tobi rested, Leni went to get some water. The first stop was the closed camping site located above. The initial feeling of luck diminished when it turned out that the water from the tap was probably just the last bit from the plumbing. So off to the next supermarket, which was not the fastest but was beautifully located right along the beach towards the harbor.

Another task of the day was to create an approximate route plan for Montenegro, as it is a country outside the EU and therefore outside of mobile data coverage. What surprised us the most was that they still use the euro as their currency and that the previous currency was the Deutsche Mark :D

Day 56: The next morning, Tobi's knee was already much better, and we decided to move on. However, a body cleaning session was once again necessary, so we went to the indoor pool in Dubrovnik. After some wandering, we found out that the pool is only accessible to the public at limited times, and unfortunately, we missed those. So we left Dubrovnik unwashed.

We did find a refreshing shower shortly after at a small camping site, where the friendly owners allowed us to use their facilities free of charge, as long as we promised not to take lengthy showers. As a small thank you, we left a chocolate bar behind.

We wanted to stay in Croatia for another night, and since Tobi regularly exchanged messages with Karl, we knew that our two favorite Swedes were not far from us, parked in a beautiful spot. Shortly afterwards, we arrived at the place and Karl and Elina were getting ready to go to the beach. We followed them a little later to a beautiful beach in a bay, which we had all to ourselves. The sun was scorching, and Tobi actually decided to jump into the sea.

Unfortunately, a little later, the first clouds appeared and the temperature dropped accordingly. Back at the bus, another camper arrived a bit later, a Norwegian couple. So we sat together and exchanged experiences until it got too cold and everyone retreated to their rolling homes.

Day 57: In our conversations with Karl and Elina, it turned out that we all had the desire for a proper accommodation, especially since rain was forecasted in Montenegro for the following days. We quickly decided to rent an apartment together in Kotor (Montenegro) for a few days. So we went to a café with WiFi to book something suitable. When we left the café, we had booked an apartment for 31 euros per night, including a washing machine, which is actually not more expensive than a campsite for two vans and much more comfortable.

The border to Montenegro was just a stone's throw away, and we said goodbye to Croatia and welcomed Montenegro.