Dubrovnik 2009

We finished the formalities at Montenegro's border with Croatia and again drove into the very distinct 'no-mans land', ~2kms long before reaching Croatia and re-gaining entry.  

We were searching for an apartment located somewhere in a labyrinth of small roads tangled amongst the building's.  It took awhile as we searched down narrow roadways, curious onlookers wondering where on earth we thought we were going, especially since they knew most were dead ends.  

Some even waved to us as we reversed back out again, most roads too narrow for us to turn around.

Well we did eventually find the apartment, located outside of the walled city of Dubrovnik but we did have teasing views of part of the city and the Adriatic sea beyond it.

Dubrovnik

Exploring the alleys of Dubrovnik

Everyone was keen to start exploring this very famous city, believed to have been founded during the 7th century. 

It took a bit of a trek down about 200+ steps before reaching pathways taking us toward a bridge and the big open timber gates welcoming us into this stunning city.

Whilst internally much like Kotor, Dubrovnik has limestone paved roads, alleys and laneways and these are 'polished' as a result of the masses of tourists visiting it every year, and yes there are famous brand shops everywhere.  

This is a true world tourist destination!

Dubrovnik's famous massive surrounding wall was completed during the 16th century and has for centuries protected its residents and the many baroque style buildings within it, a fountain built in the 15th century and the elegant St Blaise's Church built during the 18th century.

The wall dominates this city so it was up this structure we climbed to take a 3 hour stroll around its bounds, an excellent way to see the whole city and enjoy it.

Walking the wall above Dubrovnik

As you walk the wall you see first hand some of the recent history of Dubrovnik in the form of new tiles on any roofs.  "History?" I hear you ask.  

On 23rd Oct, 1991 the bombing of the UNESCO listed old town of Dubrovnik and the shelling finally died down, ending in June 1992. 

At least 43 people lost their lives and the Old Town suffered serious damage, with 68% of the 824 buildings in the old town having been struck by shells.  

The wall sustained 111 direct hits and there were 314 other hits on the buildings and streets within the old town... hence the many new tiles on roofs.

The city is now a place of pleasure, beauty and awe, which includes the ability to walk through the wall at ground level to either enjoy a cool drink or a swim in the clear ocean as ocean liners glide past.

But Dubrovnik is not all about shopping and strolling the streets, its also a destination to enjoy very good Croatian food in any of the many cafes and restaurants like...

One of many small restaurants

or to enjoy a beer...

Now that's a beer!

We also went exploring outside of the city and visited a few small surrounding towns with their own gorgeous views and sights.

But our time in Dubrovnik had come to end as we enjoyed our final sunset and it was time to visit and experience more of the world on this long trip... so till next time, go well!

Montenegro 2009

Our brief trips overseas over the years prior to 2009 we now consider as 'practice' and stimulation for a growing self awareness that travelling, whether to any number of amazing international destinations or within Australia, is what we truly love doing.

2009 was a watershed travel year for us because it was the first time we planned to be away visiting multiple destinations in the northern hemisphere over 2 months.  it was also the start of using previous lessons and refining new skills, quite often honed through mistakes, of how to plan much longer trips.

This was the year when we fully utilised the benefits and power of the internet, to research, plan, refine and book what follows in the posts covering 2009.

So 2009 was the start of some forays through parts of the world which took us out of our previous comfort zone.

For awhile, all 3 of our children had been living in the UK, and before returning to Australia, Callan had been travelling extensively throughout Europe.  He knew we were heading to the UK and during a Skype call, suggested that his other 2 siblings still in the UK, our daughter in law to be, and ourselves all meet somewhere.

"Where, what would you suggest?" we asked and Montenegro was the reply.  "Sure" we replied, talked a little more and then finished the call.  "Where the ^&%$ is Montenegro" I asked Rob as we scrambled for Google maps.  Well this was going to make our planning interesting.

Montenegro is a very small Balkan country of only 600,000+ people and is sandwiched between Croatia, Serbia and Albania, and was really part of Serbia until 2006 when it gained true independence.

Getting to Montenegro was relatively easy by flying from London to Dubrovnik in Croatia and then hiring a car and driving into Montenegro, all seemingly straightforward but as we learnt later... not so easy.

Our route whilst in Montenegro

Key to our planning was securing accomodation for 6 people in various locations so after deciding on the town of Bar as a base for a few days, the search was on for an apartment to stay in.

Rob found a promising website describing an apartment available when we required it and as importantly, where English was spoken, so she contacted the host to get further details and to confirm prices.  Whilst the hosts written English in emails was humorously interesting, after a little negotiation a booking was made and deposit paid.

As our trip to Montenegro got closer, we started thinking about how to find our accomodation using a GPS so we went looking for the actual detailed address as the website simply had what seemed like a general address.

The family in Montenegro

Our host replied to Rob's request for a detailed address saying there are no street names for most smaller streets and hoped the attached mud map she had hand drawn would help.  

It showed some key landmarks like a railway crossing, a corner store and some other notable buildings, but didn't even tell us where to get off the main road from Dubrovnik.

The only way we could find our accomodation before we left Australia, was to open Google Earth in satellite mode and literally follow the main road from a distance outside Bar literally looking for a road leading off with the same characteristics as the mud map.  

We did find a combination of visible sites which looked very similar, so decided this must be it and printed out some maps.  If we became lost, we did have a mobile no. for the host.

After arriving into Dubrovnik which will be discussed in another post and collecting the hire car before crossing through no-mans land at the border, the rest of the drive was very straightforward apart from other drivers.  They are a bit haphazard in their style and we were very surprised at the number of memorials along the roadside, adorned with photographs of people killed in road accidents.

Our research efforts paid off and we found the apartment, met our host who spoke very little English and settled in before doing some initial exploration of the area. Callan was arriving by train from Serbia the next day but the rest of our family would be driving to Bar at night, so we had arranged to wait for them on the highway and guide them from there.

Rach (daughter in-law) complimenting a 2,000+ yr old olive tree

Next day after Callan had joined us we started to explore Bar and the surrounding areas in earnest and the first thing we learned was the absence of English anywhere.  

This became very evident when searching for a local landmark, a 2,000+ year old olive tree.  

The GPS was useless so we had to 'ask' people, and the only way we did that was to show them a picture off a brochure and wait for them to point, then drive a little and repeat the process.  It worked!

We really enjoyed Montenegro because at the time it was an 'innocent' tourist destination in the world.  They weren't really set up for it, with a serious lack of signs tourists could use to find the many beautiful sights they have available like these...

Stefan, Montenegro

or this...

The coastal town of Budva, Montenegro

Part of the beauty of Montenegro was our ability to immerse ourselves into their day to day way of life as we roamed throughout parts of the country.  Their villages were old and authentic, without all the brand stores you typically see in so many other locations these days.

Stari Bar Old Town, Montenegro

Tenielle with her new found friends

During one drive into the mountainous countryside towards the border with Albania, we had to stop whilst an old farmer herded his sheep across the narrow road.  

Tenielle thought it would be a great photo opportunity, so got out with camera in hand.

Little did she know she would become the photo opportunity after the farmer handed her a lamb to hold, a friendly but wry smile beaming across his face.

Montenegro's beauty is in its authenticity no matter where we went, including the people who whilst a little cautious about our presence, were still very welcoming and warm.

Walking through one of many old towns

One of our favourite destinations in Montenegro was visited as we all drove back towards Dubrovnik.  

It came in the form of the town of Kotor, hemmed between mountains on the Adriatic coast of the country.

Kotor was first mentioned in 168 BC when settled during ancient Roman times and is located in the Bay of Kotor, sometimes referred to as the southernmost fjord in Europe.  



It isn't a fjord but is instead a submerged river canyon.

Looking down the 'fjord' from above Kotor

Kotor viewed from its fortress wall

Small part of the rock wall of Kotor

Kotor is a very old fortress town with its rock walls snaking its way almost miraculously up and across the tall mountains and is a living city not a tourist city.

The cobblestone paths throughout the town were not 'polished' as a result of hundreds of thousands of tourists visiting it.  

There were none of the famous brand stores to be seen but there were lots of washed clothes hanging precariously out of apartment windows.

Throughout the little alley ways could be found small restaurants or cafes to eat in, or coffee shops, bakeries of little supermarkets.  

The local population were going about their business as we enjoyed this very beautiful old town before heading off towards the border.

Montenegro had been a great choice by Callan as a place for us all to meet, not just because it was so unaffected by throngs of tourists... yet, but because it took us all out of our comfort zone... just a little, which is a good thing.

Go well!