Day 23: Montenegro / Payday

29.03.23

In Croatia, I had a really beautiful and eventful time. More about that in a separate post tomorrow as a summary.

Anyway, today it was time to get back on the road and continue traveling. Ahead of me are some unique countries that I'm really looking forward to. Montenegro is one of them. This small country, with the lowest population density in the Balkans, is characterized by its steep canyons, rugged mountains, and dense forests. The country's name derives from this characteristic, which means 'wooded mountain'. Just slightly over 2,000,000 people live in the country, which is not even as big as Schleswig-Holstein. However, the manageable coastal towns that I passed through today also seem to be somewhat touristy. There's already a bit of action here.

However, my personal start in this country was not the best, as shortly after the border, a speed control was carried out and I had to pay a fine of 40 EUR for going 1 km/h over the limit, after subtracting the tolerance. But it was also quite exciting to see how it works here. The police officer stood there on the side of the road with an 'Laserpistole' like in the good old days. Then, in a classic manner, he raised his hand to signal to the traffic participant: Stop, pull over. In Montenegrin, he briefly explained the situation. The radar gun showed 61 km/h. Then there was a lot of paperwork, which was done by the colleague sitting in the car, and it took a lot of time. Apparently, the card reader's battery was empty. But with the right cable, payment was still possible, eventually, hours later. Slowlife Balkans. I will have to take Bürsti's reins a little tighter from now on.

The route stretched on for a long time around a bay. Getting from A to B quickly doesn't seem possible here, between the small villages and the steep mountain passes. While I was lost in thought somewhere along the way, I suddenly noticed the billboards again. I had already forgotten, but apparently Montenegro loves them too.

Financially, today went really well. The fine was annoying, but later I realized that there are charges for internet here. Montenegro and Albania are not included in the flatrate. Thanks for nothing. At this moment, it's completely unclear how life will be without mobile internet in the next few days. A disaster for me as a blogger. Posts may even be delayed by a few days. I also don't know how long I can live without Spotify. Challenges that can only be experienced while traveling. A story I will tell my grandchildren.

Today, I will make full use of the already paid 500mb and enjoy it to the last MB.

Jessica and I reached our destination for today in the afternoon. A former campsite with a view of the sea. A place just to our liking. Bürsti is peacefully parked here in the green under beautiful, old olive trees. Perfect for setting up a slackline too. Sunset like in a picture book. Quiet evening, early bedtime.

I hope to have more impressions of the country and its people tomorrow....