Our Round-the-World adventure

[tacototheworld]

Northern France

After a spectacular four weeks in Iceland, we returned to continental Europe, mapping a somewhat chaotic zig zagging path from west to east and back, gradually working our way south (forever chasing the sun).
As always, our route combined a heightened awareness of time when we were in the Schengen zone, with a desire to see and take in as much as possible. All this as a caveat to say that we did not cover nearly enough of Northern France and sadly left a lot unseen. Northern France was a super surprise for us, pastoral, beautiful, filled with culture, historic chateaus, soaring cathedrals, cider, wine, champagne and idyllic villages filled with half timber houses.

12 day route through Northern France, 1,300 miles

Normandy
Our first real stop was Rouen. Despite some scaffolding (ever present across historic buildings worldwide, ruining the authentic charm for photos) Rouen Cathedral was one of the most extraordinarily carved cathedrals we have ever seen.

Rouen Cathedral

Next, out to the coast to the magnificent cliffs at Étretat. Enjoyed a stunning evening walk which made up for the deplorable camping site.

When in France, tasting food and drink is a requirement and our first venture was the cider route, a 25 mile sign posted route that winds through Normandy’s picturesque countryside

Tasting at Pierre Huet - most informative and welcoming bartender ever. Tasted everything from cider to calvados

With two bottles of cider in our mini fridge, we made our way along the coast to Bayeaux and the beaches of Normandy. Not being tapestry fans, we were on the fence about going to view the famous Bayeaux tapestry. An excellent audio tour guides you section by section through the 11th century masterpiece, panels detailing the story of the Duke of Normandy (William the Conqueror) successfully winning the battle of Hastings and conquering England in 1066.

Bayeaux Cathedral

Bayeaux Tapestry, 11th century storytelling in pictures

We combined our admission to the Bayeaux Tapestry in a package deal with admission to the excellent Battle of Normandy museum. Jumping forward almost nine centuries to another successful invasion, this museum gave an excellent overview as we prepared for our visits to the beaches of Normandy.

Almost 10,000 crosses at the American Cemetery for those who lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations.

Sobered with the enormity of the sacrifice brave people made to fight the horror of the Nazis, we left the beaches and made our way to an extraordinary historical and archeological site, Mont Saint Michel.

First awe inspiring view on the horizon

We could not believe that we had not repeatedly heard of this place as a destination, it was so amazing. An abbey and village built on a rock in the ocean starting in the 8th century, wow. You can walk out the bridge and visit the village below the abbey anytime. But we chose to book admission and a tour at the abbey which was absolutely worth it - a fascinating history lesson through the ages of France.

Walking out on the tidal flats that separate the commune from the main land

Since we travel full time, we are learning the rhythms of tourism across the globe and how to cope with crowds, which tend to make us grumpy. We knew that August in popular European destinations would be tough but decided to suck it up and stay anyway since it worked for our route. But it was rough for a couple of weeks as most of the year we have been accustomed to a lot of space and freedom to wander quiet streets.

Brittany
Growing up in the US, the charm of the villages and the ancient half timbered architecture never got old for us. The chaotic leaning of the houses, the decaying wood, the colorful colors, we loved it all. Each village had its own character.

Vannes, central square

Loire Valley
No visit to the Loire Valley is complete without taking in some of the extravagant chateaus with their fabulous design and long histories. We picked a couple to explore completely, paying for the admission to the building and grounds.

Château d'Azay-le-Rideau Built between 1518 and 1527, this château is considered one of the foremost examples of early French renaissance architecture.

Exploring Tours, another extraordinarily appealing village

The sun goes down on the Loire River, again

Wandering the streets of Amboise

As we were driving Northern France our Audible book was a historical novel describing the French revolution and the rise of Napolean.

Our next stop really pulled a lot of the history together for us - the Palace of Versailles. Built by Louis the XIV as his personal palace it is over the top on lavish and indulgent spending.

It was not our best historical site visit with a cascade of circumstances mostly due to our own fault. Despite having booked a tour, we arrived late due to traffic, were confused about where to find our tour guide, so started off feeling hot and frustrated. And it was still August at a major European tourist attraction. The crowds were off the charts.

Phew - made it, beautiful chapel

Entrance to the famous hall of mirrors, just a few folks

We survived the tour, agreeing that the palace was splendid but the experience just too chaotic for us.

As an aside, we did also spend two days wandering around Paris. We had been before but couldn’t just drive by. We parked the truck at a budget Ibis hotel and took the metro in for a couple of days to see the sights. We have no photos because Andy left his phone on a train and Dawn’s was pickpocketed. A few days without media until we figured out a plan B (cheap broken phone we kept as an emergency back up with French sim card), before we could access new phones.

Grand Est
Our highlights for this region were the gorgeous medieval city of Troyes and the Champagne valley.

Having built and remodeled several houses, Andy always fascinated by construction through the ages

We made our way to Epernay, the heart of champagne country. We looked forward to tasting the real thing at its source.

Unfortunately (August) we didn’t plan ahead so many of the larger champagne houses were booked out. But fortunately, this allowed us to explore a couple of smaller more intimate operations. The champagne houses line the streets of the town, surrounded by a backdrop of hills covered in grape vines. You can choose your own adventure from cellar tours to winery tours to tastings.

Felt like the opposite of life in a truck

Reims Cathedral - famous for over 2300 statues

Larger than Notre Dame

Next stop, Germany to visit some family and friends and then on to the Czech Republic. The journey continues and life on the road never gets old for us - luckily! Always something new to learn

 

[tacototheworld]

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic was an architectural smorgasbord. Towns and buildings were picturesque, full of character and history. We spent our time wandering the streets of some of the most iconic cities and villages. It was a country we loved exploring but not one that highlights the advantages of living in a camper truck. However, basic camping sites were readily available and allowed us to take advantage of the sights and culture of this magnificent place. We were glad to be over the hump of being on vacation with the rest of Europe as the bulk of the fellow travelers vanished from the roads and backstreets.

Our six day route working our way north

HIghlights:
Český Krumlov - beautiful architecture on the river bend in Bohemia- including a castle and medieval cobbled streets.
Telč - colorful and ornate Italian Renaissance architecture
Karlštejn Castle - excellent guided tour included with admission, founded in the 14th century
Prague - elegant city

Český Krumlov, founded in the 13th century, UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its well-preserved Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture. Unfortunately the light was not with us on our day to visit, it was grey and drizzly.

Český Krumlov, tucked along the bend of the Vltava River

We did a variety of free walking tours and reading on the history of the Czech Republic and absorbed the basics of occupation and division from the Holy Roman Empire in 1002, to a brief occupation by the Ottomons in the 17th century and then over to Austria and the Habsburg family in 1806. Nazi Germany took control of what was then Czechoslovakia during WWII and finally the Soviet Union occupied following the war. Czechoslovakia separated from the Soviet Union in the Velvet Revolution of 1989 (because it was so smooth), then the Czech Republic and Slovakia separated from each other in the Velvet Divorce (same reasoning for the name) and the Czech Republic was formed in 1993 under the leadership of revered first president, Vaclav Havel. A new country but with a lot of history.

Telč central square - known for its Italian Renaissance architecture

Andy inspecting the restoration in progress

Apparently we took no pictures of campsites as none of them were memorable or interesting. But the architecture along the way more than made up for it.
It was interesting to us that despite the ever present beautiful churches and religious monuments, the Czech population is currently one of the least religious peoples in the world - with 80% claiming not to believe in any religion. One of our guides speculated that this was likely in part to enforced religious changes through the millennium. The country was converted to Christianity in the 9th and 20th centuries, initially adopting Catholicism. However, one of the first protestant reformists to go against the Catholic Church, Jan Hus (he took issue with the church accepting payments to absolve wealthy constituents of their sins) was from the Czech Republic and his followers started the Hussite wars in the 15th centuries. The 17th century brought the 30 years war against Catholic and Austrian control but eventually the Austrian Habsburgs won and forced the country back to mandated Catholicism. When the Soviet Union moved in religious believers were oppressed.

Central square in Olomouc with the Holy Trinity Column

Statues along the walkway to St. Barbara’s church in Kutná Hora

Our final stop on our quick Czech Republic tour was Prague. We had magical memories of the city when we visited shortly after the Berlin wall fell in 1989. Back then tourists were scarce on the streets and we crossed the Charles Bridge with a few locals. People were still lining up on street corners for fresh fruits and vegetables and shopping was limited to a few tourist centered stores. Newly married and with stars in our eyes, we bought some crystal champagne glasses, most of which we have broken through the years. But we enjoyed using them and thought of Prague every time.

Despite the crowds in the squares and on the bridges, the city still retained much of its fascination for us. We booked into a campground on the outskirts, figured out the public transportation system (Google maps is fantastic with giving specific bus, tram and train routes to a given destination), and spent a couple of days wandering the sights. As elsewhere in the Czech Republic, the architecture reigned supreme.

Central square in Prague

Amazing buildings everywhere you look

Charles River runs through Prague

View across the Charles River to Prague Castle, built over the years starting in the 9th century

It doesn’t always work out to visit a favorite place 33 years later, but Prague still brought the twinkle

Exploring the complex at Prague Castle

Interior courtyard at Prague Castle

St. Vitus Cathedral
.

The famous John Lennon wall, focus for artistic resistance to the Soviet occupation, now with an art exhibit focused on support for the Ukranian people.

It was a gorgeous visit, next stop Berlin then into Poland. The journey continues, we feel like we are living a history lesson! Thank you for reading. As always questions or advice is always welcome.

 

[alanymarce]

... next stop Berlin then into Poland. The journey continues, we feel like we are living a history lesson! Thank you for reading. As always questions or advice is always welcome.

Keep up the posts - thank you for the photos.

I hope your Poland plans include Krakow.

It occurred to me to make sure that you're aware of the requirement for a vignette in most of Central Europe - easy to buy online (we made a brief trip recently - Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and back to Prague - and found the vignette acquisition online easy).

Have fun!

 

[tacototheworld]

Keep up the posts - thank you for the photos.

I hope your Poland plans include Krakow.

It occurred to me to make sure that you're aware of the requirement for a vignette in most of Central Europe - easy to buy online (we made a brief trip recently - Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and back to Prague - and found the vignette acquisition online easy).

Have fun!

Thank you for the advice! Yes, we did find out about a vignette, something that’s unheard of in the US. Last year we drove through Hungary and never realized we needed one, but luckily made it without a problem. We’ve found that most countries use license plate scanners for vignette compliance while others have random police stops.

Krakow, yes! We loved it’s beautiful buildings and atmosphere. I’ll post our write up when we finish it and find Wi-Fi.

 

[littletires]

Thank you for posting your travels. I am truly enjoying this thread!

 

[tacototheworld]

Thank you for posting your travels. I am truly enjoying this thread!

Thank you (and everyone else) for liking enough to respond. Doing these posts is a challenge, both technology-wise and to just find Wi-Fi and knowing that people are interested inspires me.

We are enjoying ourselve and like to spread the word that long-term travel is easier to do than you think.

 

[tacototheworld]

Poland

One week driving route through Poland

Poland, for us, was the right blend of natural beauty, easy wild camping and beautiful architectural cities. We loved both Kraków, and Wrocław with their iconic old city centers. We had visited Warsaw on a quick pass through Poland last year so did not re-visit it this time, but hold fond memories of wandering its ancient and elegant old town.
Highlights:

• Wroclaw - as Polish people say "everyone loves Wroclaw” - colorful and beautiful
• Kraków - well preserved medieval core and Jewish quarter
• Auschwitz-Birkenau -although it feels odd to mention this as a “highlight” the emotional impact of visiting this site was so enormous for us we can only recommend it as a place to go when visiting Poland
• Tatra Mountains gorgeous mountains, glacial lakes and waterfalls

Taking a moment to celebrate 2 plus years on the road full time

Freshly updated hood map

First stop on our Poland cultural and architectural tour was Poznań. A gorgeous town, we walked the streets, following the recommended walking tour provided on free maps from the tourist office. Unfortunately the central square was undergoing a huge construction project, but we could still see the beauty. Our only regret, we found out later that it is famous for almond croissants (who knew?? should have researched more) so we did not sample them.

Poznań, colorful and vibrant

Poznań Cathedral

Next, onto the UNESCO World Heritage site, Toruń, filled with Medieval buildings and renowned for gingerbread.

Birthplace of Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus who first developed the model of the universe with the sun at the center instead of the earth

Tucked away along the river

With its busy central square, green paths along rivers and lively atmosphere, Wroclaw, our next stop, was one of our favorite places in Poland. We booked our favorite, the free walking tour and learned about the troubled history of the city as it transferred ownership between Poland, Bohemia, Prussia and eventually in 1871 to Germany. A historically important trading route, the city had a significant Jewish population until WWII. Today the old Jewish quarter is a lively area of the city filled with cafes and boutiques. We had a fantastic lunch with some kind local young people translating the menu for us and making some food recommendations. I think it was painful for them to watch us stumble along with Google translate on our phones

Our last urban stop in Poland was Kraków. We found a great campground just outside the city and took the bus in to explore. Kraków felt like the great aunt to Wroclaw. It also had a medieval core with colorful buildings and a vibrant old Jewish quarter, but felt older and more distinguished somehow.

Medieval city center

Central market square, reputed to be one of the largest in Europe

Wawel Royal Castle, for centuries home to the kings of Poland

After leaving the bustle of Kraków, we made our way south to Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp. This was one of our all time most impactful travel experiences. We spent a day trying to comprehend the horror that humans are capable of. The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.

Pile of children’s shoes, victims of the gas chambers

Prisoner’s barracks, for those selected to live and work

Cattle car used to transport human beings

Women’s barracks

We left sobered and heavy. But also feeling the importance that we continue to visit these sights and bear witness to the atrocities. Other places that have effected us in the same way are the Killing Fields in Cambodia and the Apartheid museum in Johannesburg. We are committed to travel which pushes us to feel and learn. Auschwitz Museum is incredibly well done and the tours are impactful, well thought out and respectfully done without shirking the horror.

Another beautiful wild camping spot

Our last stop in Poland was the Tatra Mountains. Using the tourist town of Zakopane as a base we found several great hikes. The iconic 10 miles Lake Morskie Oko hike was crowded but worth the views.

Hiking in Tatry National Park, not great weather but fantastic scenery


Tatry National Park, beautiful hike to Lake Morskie Oko, 5 miles each way

So long Poland, next stop, Slovakia. Thank you for reading and please let us know if we can answer any questions!

 

[tacototheworld]

Hungary

Hungary was another architectural feast. Similar to the Czech Republic, we found the architecture and urban settings to be fascinating, beautiful and haunting with their history. But Hungary also was not a country that highlights the best features of living in a camper truck. Wild camping sites were available and practical, but mostly they were not sites that filled our nature loving souls. Much of the country felt agricultural and green, pleasant to drive through.

As we continued our history lessons, we appreciated learning the past of this complicated country, from the Ottoman invasions, the rule of the Austrian Habsburgs emperors, to the creation of the Austria-Hungarian empire in 1867. Following WWI, Hungary lost much of its territory to surrounding powers (Czechoslovakia, Romania, Austria, and Poland to name a few). In WWII, Hungary fought on the side of Germany and was eventually occupied by the Soviet Union, becoming a socialist People’s Republic from 1949 until the end of communism in Hungary and most other Eastern European nations in 1989.

With the war in the Ukraine forefront in our minds, speaking to people from countries who had been formerly occupied by the Soviet Union took on a whole new meaning. Hearing the stories of intellectual, religious and social oppression struck a chord. Most of our interactions were with younger people who were clear that communism as mandated by the Soviet Union had deprived their countries of economic growth and opportunity. They could see the poverty gap between their country and western EU countries. However, there was also a theme of hearing from some of their grandparents who had been previously living in poverty without access to education who received significant benefit from free housing and social programs under communism. In Hungary there was a failed peoples’ revolt against the communist regime in 1956. In general, the proud and independent Hungarian people resented outside control. In Budapest, The House of Terror museum details the more horrific details of the communist era and what became of people who tried to resist it.

Our one week route through Hungary

Highlights:
Budapest : Now our favorite major European city! Architectural surprises around every corner but still with a modern atmosphere.
Wild camping on the Danube: We found some great sites, appreciating the fun combination of hiding away in nature while viewing the boat traffic from huge barges to small fishing boats.
Eating Goulash: we fell in love with this flavorful, paprika seasoned stew, one of the best budget options -filling comfort food.

Our first stop on our tour of Hungary was the stately town of Eger. We aimlessly wandered the streets and made our way up to the castle to enjoy the views. The castle itself was a hodgepodge of architecture through the ages, much of it recently renovated.

View from the Eger Castle walls

Next stop, Visegrád, a small town on Danube Bend crowned by a castle.

Visegrád on the Danube river

Wild camping on the Danube, beautiful!

Next stop, also on the Danube was Esztergom, one of the oldest cities in Hungary and formerly the capital from the 10th-13th centuries.

Esztergom Basilica, largest church and tallest building in Hungary

Bus on the Danube. Didn’t think our snorkel was up to the task

Finally, our most looked forward to stop, Budapest. Actually two areas, Buda and Pest, separated by the Danube, we decided to take a “rest” and booked an Airbnb on the Buda side for two nights. The promise of free parking with the accommodations was a little exaggerated on the hills of Buda, but we were able to find a safe place a third of a mile from our house. As we learned, Buda is the stately side with the old money houses and green space. The castle is on the Buda side. Pest houses the economic center of the city, including the government buildings and pedestrian shopping streets.
We spent three days wandering the streets, walking 10 miles a day, taking free walking tours, photographing buildings and sampling the food. In the evenings we luxuriated in access to easy hot showers and laundry machines

View across the Danube from Buda to Pest

There really is Hungarian goulash and loving it

Fisherman’s Bastion

View of the parliament building from the Buda side of the Danube

Vajdahunyad Castle. Built in 1896 for the 1000th birthday of the Hungarian State

Jaki Chapel, is actually a building imitating a church

Szechenyi Thermal Bath. The largest bath complex in Europe

Dawn is always happy when she finds Shakespeare

Filled with culture, and food, we sadly left Budapest for our last days in Hungary as we made our way towards Croatia.

Cathedral square in Szeged, spent an afternoon wandering here, also along the Danube

Lovely free camping spot along a tributary of the Danube, it rained overnight and it actually challenged our worn tires on our 4x4 getting out the muddy road

Then our final stop was beautiful Pécs. An ancient city founded by the Romans, it was beautiful and interesting to explore.

So there is the story of our trek across Hungary. We are looking forward to some time with family and friends in Croatia - staying in one place for a week, unheard of! Thank you for reading

 

[TripLeader]

Fantastic section on Hungary!

 

[tacototheworld]

Croatia

Our Croatia story is largely different than our others to date as it is dominated by time off from truck life to enjoy family and friends. Our decision to sell our house, buy a camper truck and go on the road was a scary leap. We could never have done it without the encouragement and support of our adult children and our assorted family and friends. We miss them on the road. The opportunity to meet up with a few of our nearest and dearest in Croatia was something we fell into and then embraced. It started with our oldest son,

Highlights:
Plitvice Lakes National Park - exploring on our own off season, beautiful pools and waterfalls
Split - fantastic old town dominated by Diocletian Palace
Island of Hvar - beautiful turquoise ocean, white rocks, exploring nearby coastlines and caves
Dubrovnik - picture perfect ancient walled city

Our route through Croatia, not as much camping as usual!

We started on our own, entering the country from Hungary, first stop Zagreb. It was cold and dreary but we still managed to tour the city and appreciate its elegance.

Cobbled streets of old town Zagreb

Then, on to the most famous national park in Croatia, Plitvice Lakes National Park. Cascading pools and waterfalls with boardwalk trails, it felt magical. We had the fall light, many of the canyons and lakes hidden in shadow, but on the upside the crowds typical of the summer were absent which made it more enjoyable for us.

Plitvice Lakes National Park

As one of only two Catholic nations in the region, almost 80% of the population is Catholic and the churches that survived the communist era are beautiful.
The Balkans have a fascinating and complex history and are a region haunted with recent wars among neighbors, religious conflict and communist suppression. Following WWI, Yugoslavia was formed joining six ethnic groups and regions. Following WWII, the six republics were held together by communist dictator Tito. After his death, things started to fall apart, leading to Yugoslavia breaking apart in 1991. That year Croatia and Slovenia declared independence. Fighting ensued in Croatia when the minority Serbian population (Orthodox in a Catholic country) wanted to create their own state. The Croatian war of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 against the Serb-controlled Yugoslavian army. In the end the Serbs were unsuccessful and mostly pushed out of the country. In 1992, Macedonia peacefully created its own state. Bosnia and Herzegovina then declared its independence leading to a three year war as the Bosnian Serbs wanted to remain in what was left of the Yugoslav Republic. They were also unsuccessful. The two remaining republics, Serbia and Montenegro finally split off from eachother in 2006. Fighting continued between the Serbians (Orthodox) and the Kosovans (Muslim) Most recently, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

Split is a beautiful city. The old town is dominated by Diocletian’s Palace, built in the 4th century AD. The palace walls are enormous and now house shops, cafes, homes and Game of Thrones tourist attractions. Split has a long history of changing occupation along the lines of the whole country.
In the past few centuries, the area of Croatia bounced back and forth from Venice to the Austrian Habsburgs, back to Italy and to France then back to Austria. In WW2, Croatia was occupied by Italy and Germany then after the war became part of communist Yugoslavia. Croatia is now a parliamentary republic that holds free elections. From our perspective, Croatia’s tourism infrastructure felt more developed than the other Balkan nations. Which wasn’t necessarily a good thing for us, we like to have to work a little harder to figure things out and develop a communication strategy. Throughout Croatia, English was widely spoken.

Split harbor with the mountain backdrop

Inside the old town palace - people living and working amongst the ruins

Now back to our adventures in Split. We had no problem filling the days with beaches, historical sites and food.

View of Split from the ramparts of Klis Fortress

Day trip to Kils Fortress, 20 minutes from town. An imposing medieval fortress, it was home to many Croatian kings and a key defense point in the wars with the Ottomans

Another beautiful harbor with the obligatory fort on the hill

Somehow the scenic narrow hilly street pictures never got old

We hired a boat for a day and set off to explore the famous caves nearby. Although clearly set up for streams of tourists, the caves were still beautiful to be in.

Frighteningly small entrance to the blue cave, one boat exiting as our driver times our entrance. Heads down!

Inside the Blue Cave, no photoshop

Dubrovnik was the last main stop in our time in Croatia. An architectural feat, the walled city is still mostly intact from the 16th century. We were glad to be there after the main tourist crush, but there were still plenty of us outsiders wandering around. We later found out from our walking tour guide that the city has mostly transformed into a tourist shell. Locals have moved out, renting their places on Airbnb and the traditional butchers, bakers and fruit sellers have left, replaced by t-shirt vendors and a variety of souvenir shops, bars and cafes. It all felt lively, but false somehow. The city becomes a ghost town after October. The architecture and the history still made it one of our favorite places, but the results of tourism success were disturbing to see and feel. It was one of the places in the Balkans where we felt that the main language being spoken was English.

View down on Dubrovnik

City walls along the cliffs to the sea

Marble floored streets in Dubrovnik

We left Dubrovnik, said goodbye to the last of our family and friends, loaded all our clean laundry and groceries into the truck and set off. One last leg stretching stop in Cavtat, because you really can never get enough of turquoise ocean, narrow steep streets and white and red architecture.

A final night in Croatia on a hill top overlooking the Adriatic

Back in our own bed

And we are both agreed. Airbnb’s have their benefits and are awesome when shared with people we love, but our truck bed is really the best. Back on the road! Thank you for reading and for being patient with our interlude from standard overlanding life.

 

[tacototheworld]

Montenegro

Montenegro was fanstastic. We entered coming down the coast from Croatia, and immediately felt just a little more relaxed. Montenegro shares gorgeous turquoise coast line with Croatia, ancient walled cities and forts and stunning national parks. But it is less crowded and developed for tourism, which makes for some fun challenges.
One of the last Balkan nations to become independent, Montenegro finally split from its union with Serbia as part of the Federal Republic Yugoslavia in 2006. (Serbia and Montenegro were the last two regions united under the Yugoslavian name). The predominant religion is Orthodox, the people have adopted the latin alphabet alongside the cyrillic, the official currency is the Euro and they are actively seeking EU membership.

Our route through Montenegro, (with a little bit of in and out with surrounding countries).

Highlights:
Kotor -16th century fortified town with medieval architecture and winding cobbled streets
Budva - idyllic walled town built on the Adriatic ocean, medieval streets to wander and clear turquoise ocean coast
Durmitor National Park - so much variety, stunning highland mountains, deep river gorge and glacial lakes
After filling up on meat, we made our way to Perast, a captivating little village on the Bay of Kotor. It featured steep mountains right down to the blue water, with stone houses and churches built on the narrow swath of flattish land in between. The scenery and the setting made it feel like a chic European destination, yet it had a quiet and homey Montenegrin feel.

Then continuing along the Bay of Kotor we stopped off to explore the intriguing fortified town of Kotor.

Walls of the ancient town of Kotor coming down to an inlet from the bay

Small cobbed alleys within the walls

Walls going all the way up the cliff

That night we camped at the ruins of a Austro-Hungarian fort above town

One of our favorite sites with the evening light

The next day we made our way inland to Cetinje for some history lessons.

The switchbacks on the coastal mountain routes in Montenegro are no joke, cliff hugging crazy turns - view on our Garmin Overlander route

As a forester, Andy loved the views with the tall cypress trees peeping out of the low level shrubs.

In Cetinje, we spent a full afternoon at the National Museum of Montenegro. Informative exhibits with information in English (helpful as we speak no Montenegran) took us through time from the stone ages to modern day. We have found that each country we visit in the Balkans has a unique idenity and past despite shared experiences during WW2 and as part of Yugoslavia. Montenegro is known for its July 13th uprising in 1941, during WW2 against the Italian fascist occupation. Rural villagers attacked the Axis powers and regained ground. French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre said “The July 13th uprising in Montenegro is one of the greatest achievements of the libertarian tradition of the twentieth century.” Unfortunately it was not all a success story, the country suffered enormous losses in WW2, with 10% of its population being killed.

Our camping spot after a day in Cetinje - on a hill above town

With the odd bonus of an open cave to explore - with crumbling walkways and staircases.

And if that wasn’t enough, an exploration up hill led us to a small bell tower where Andy was thrilled to actually be able to ring the bell. Dawn shook her head and pretended it wasn’t happening

From Cetinje we went back to the Adriatic coast to explore Budva, oroginally built by the Venetians.

Drive down from the hills into Budva

Old city walls along the water

Then on to our final destination in Montenegro, one of the most stunning national parks we have visited in the Balkans, Durmitor National Park (alongside the Accursed Mountains in Albania).

Some nights you just make do. Luckily road traffic goes way down after dusk.

Stopping along the way to refill our water at a public well, common throughout the Balkans. Running it through our UV system just in case

Heading into Durmitor National Park, with the Tara river below

Tara River Gorge

Hiking into glacial lakes - Crno Jezero

Then into the highland mountain area.

Our all time favorite camping spot in Montenegro

Another week well spent in the Balkans. As always, thank you for reading and safe travels out there!

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

Thanks. One of our favorite countries.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[Tucsontom]

Made it with family to Croatia and Montenegro this summer (car and Airbnb version) - loved both really loved Kotor and we were a bit ahead of the big tourist season. Wanted to go to Durmitor (not enough time) and so glad yo did -especially in the fall - looks spectacular! I bet the small villages were great! Albania - hope to get there someday.

 

[tacototheworld]

Made it with family to Croatia and Montenegro this summer (car and Airbnb version) - loved both really loved Kotor and we were a bit ahead of the big tourist season. Wanted to go to Durmitor (not enough time) and so glad yo did -especially in the fall - looks spectacular! I bet the small villages were great! Albania - hope to get there someday.

Funny, we also met family in Croatia and did the airbnb thing.
Dormitor was indeed wonderful.

We get asked alot what our favorite places to visit and Albania was definitely one of top two (out of 20) countries we’ve visited this year, the other being Iceland. Would highly recommend putting on anyones short list of countries to visit.

 

[tacototheworld]

Albania

Making our way to a wild camping spot outside of Theth, in the background, the Accursed Mountains

We had no idea what to expect of Albania but were outstandingly and positively surprised on every front. It may have helped that we arrived in fall after the travel season, but the wild camping was extraordinary - scenic mountain sites, private ocean beaches, rivers and lakefront all easily available. The cultural sites were intriguing, varied and ancient and the people genuinely warm and hospitable to travelers. Although English was not widely spoken, people smiled and worked with our awkward sign language and Google Translate was our friend. The food was flavorful, filling and inexpensive. Hands down, it was one of our two favorite countries this year.

HIghlights:
Accursed Mountains: what a name! otherwise known as “The Albanian Alps,” gorgeous peaks, outstanding hiking and views
Rozafa Castle: majestic ruins of an Illyrian castle with spectacular valley views
Apollonia: a spontaneous exit from the freeway led us to an unexpected treasure trove of greek and roman ruins and art work
Albanian Riviera: wild camping along the southern coast, turquoise ocean, white sand beaches
Berat: ancient Ottoman town built onto a mountainside with a castle perched above

Our one week route through Albania

Logistically, entering the Balkans from the EU came with some additional requirements for us. Our EU based auto insurance (German company Tour Insure) does not cover our USA-registered truck out of the EU so we needed to buy country specific insurance at each border. Dawn’s phone is set up on Google Voice and sim cards for data so she needed to purchase a Balkans sim card and swap that out with the EU one. Then there is the currency issue, although we have found that Euros are widely accepted for touristy purchases throughout the Balkans, economies are much more cash based. We found the insurance office and purchased 15 days of insurance for 15 euros. Sim card swapped out (gas station purchase) and ATM found for local currency withdrawal and we were good to go.

Our paper work was all in order and Andy was careful to keep to the speed limit and we were glad as there were more police check points in Albania than anywhere else we had seen. We were not sure of the purpose but two policemen at the side of the road with the infamous red paddle ready to pull someone over was a regular site. They never bothered with us.

Our first stop was Shkodër, one of the oldest cities in Albania. We made our way to Rozafa Castle, a stunning complex built 4,000 years ago on a rocky hill above the city. It was the right combination of restoration and ruin for us. We could feel the history and understand the structure and use of the various buildings but it didn’t feel too new and perfect.

View of Rozafa Castle from a neighboring hill

Andy climbing the walls

Wandering the grounds, mostly on our own except for a bride and groom doing a photo shoot

Being in the mountains is always the happiest place for both of us and our next stop was the mountain range with the intimidating name “Accursed Mountains.”

Mountain pass at 6,000 ft

We met our free walking tour guide and did a deep dive into history over the next few hours. He explained that Albanians have four unifiers : love of Skanderberg, drinking rakia, driving Mercedez Benz and their language. We had been wondering about the proliferation of Mercedes on the streets.

Our guide gave us a quick tour through the communist regime from his perspective as a 30-something born just as it was ending. In 1944 Albania was free and unoccupied but technically still a monarchy. What followed was a “free” election with one party and leader to choose from, Hoxha. Guess who won.

From 1945 to 1991 Albania was cut off from the west. When Hoxha died in 1985, the new leader allowed some connection to the outside world. When the Berlin wall fell in 1889, Albanian students felt empowered to protest and in 1991 the first opposition party was formed and eventually they won the election.

Currently Albania’s economy is ranked 30th among the the 45 countries in the European region, below the regional average but above the world average.

One of the 175,000 bunkers that cover the country - built during Hoxha’s time to defend against foreign aggression

Inside the primary Orthodox church in Tirana. We did notice that our guide took us to each of the three main religious buildings - Muslim, Catholic and Orthodox, representing the three religions in the Balkans. (Croatia mainly Catholic, Serbia, Montenegro and N. Macedonia mainly Orthodox and Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia predominantly Muslim

Our next stop was unplanned and one of our favorites. It was one of those moments when we were driving down the freeway, feeling like a break to stretch our legs, and saw a historic sign saying “Apollonia” with a picture of some Roman columns. So we pulled off and it ended up being an amazing place. Founded by the Greeks in 600 BC as a trading colony, later it flourished under the Romans. Most of the time we were the only ones there - incredible.

Wandering the museum of carvings

Dawn’s favorite - Artemis

Andy’s favorite. No comment

We continued our way down the coast of the Adriatic ocean, driving the hairpin turns of the mountain to sea roads and eyeing the turquoise blue ocean the “Albanian Riviera” is known for

Found our favorite campsite in Albania - private beach, no one around

And on further exploration found an old submarine bunker built into the cliff, extraordinary and eerie

Water was easy to find in Albania, most communities having a free spring with water on continuous flow. Andy is using our hose to run it through our UV system - just in case there is something our non-Albanian bodies are not used to

Our next stop was another historic site - Butrint National Park on the strait of Corfu. It has been the site of Greek and Roman colonies. Once again, we were allowed to wander freely among the ruins, often no one else around. Entrance fee was $3.

Dawn is waiting for the show to begin

A word on wild camping in Albania. Although not technically allowed as in many countries, it was readily available if you used common sense - avoiding what was obviously private land or land being farmed and staying out of sight of peoples’ houses.

We next found our way to Gjirokastër to see the old town, a UNESCO site known for being a well preserved ancient Ottoman town.

Gjirokastër old town

Repairing the stone roof

Our final stop in Albania was a rest night - time for a private bathroom, dinner out, laundry, all the good stuff. We booked into a guest house for $25 in Berat with our favorite scenario, view down on the truck parked in front.
Berat was beautiful, an ancient Ottoman city built up a hill, with the mandatory castle at the top.

Berat castle

So long Albania. We leave with fond memories and deep appreciation