Hotel Dvori Balsica Ulcinj

Hallo zusammen,

um 16 Uhr waren wir wieder an der Kueste und ich habe noch einen kurzen Ausflug zur Postkartenstadt Sveti Stefan unternommen. Die Stadt liegt auf einer Insel die durch eine kleine Landzunge mit der Kueste verbunden ist. Es war Jahrhunderte lang ein verschlafenes Fischerdorf, in der 50ern wurde es dann Luxushotel ...

Hallo zusammen,

habe mir ein Taxi von Albanien nach Montenegro gegoennt, es hatte auch einen Bus gegeben (obwohl die locals in Shkoder das bestritten haben), aber die 12 Euro konnte ich mir leisten. Die Grenze war recht verschlafen, es gab nur einen Kontrollpunkt, habe nicht ganz begriffen, ob es der albanische oder montenegrische war, oder ...

When I arrived in Ulcinj, I was told by the woman working at the bus station that there was only one daily bus to Shkodra, Albania, the closest town over the border, and it was at 6am every day. Obviously I had already missed that bus, so I was spending the night in Ulcinj. At the bus station I met an Australian guy who had also just arrived in Ulcinj headed to Albania. We headed into ...

... sleep and was there before I knew it, sacrificing the gorgeous Lake Skadar view from the Albanian side and little villages. Got ripped off with a 10 euro border entry fee when I learned from James the Aussie later that it was supposed to be one euro. No visa needed though (gotta love USA).Then we caught the last bus to Tirana, Albania. On the bus ride, we were surrounded by a group of students coming home from a Skodhra university. They conversed to us in Spanish, Italian, and ...

... view with a nice patio under a canopy of grape and kiwi vines. The sea looked beautiful. The apartment was up an unpaved road which is not all that unusual here. The apartment would be fine although it was missing a window in the bathroom which provided open access to thiefs. I unpacked and walked in to see the town. It was a short walk but all along the way I saw plenty of litter. People seem to treat the cities in Montenegro as their own personal garbage ...

... down some (pretty crummy) band-aids at a local market. All fixed . . . well, basically. There quite conveniently happened to be a pretty cheap hotel located right by the bus station, so it didn't take too much slogging about in the heat to get situated. Judging from the people hanging around in some of the rooms, it seems like a popular place for transient locals. In any case, the room has AC and a private shower, so that's all I need. At €20 for ...

... refused. She didn't seem to know the bus times or the best way to get out to Stari Bar though, so it was essentially a waste of time going there. So instead I went to the supermarket to buy some water and a snack and then caught a taxi onwards for a mere €3. The former old town sits up on a rocky bluff about 5km outside of Bar - far enough away that you don't have to look at the place. It's hemmed in by sweeping, rough mountains, with sheer cliff drops ...

... both of us very content to be here. We both feel like the adventure is finally about to begin on this trip. Even better, everything here is CHEAPER and thrifty Pete is on his second Espresso today and will probably be on his third soon....why not? when they cost less that 1 Euro and are delicious to boot. I'm still searching for the best cake in the Western Balkans...Kotor's bakeries look promising. I'll report back later on what ...

... it made up for in character. Still, it went in 30 minutes and I'd heard there is a good hostel in Budva, saving the need to find accommodation after arriving late at night. I'd been on worse in Asia so bring it on! Most of the trip had been traversing the alps at the borders of Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia. With mountains higher and more jagged ...

Ah the beauty of this historic site. A natural harbor at the south end of 1200 islands along the Dalmation coast. Calm, sunny weather in the 70's. The whole area is open for tourists May-August. And clean, immaculate! Our guide told us the story of the many tragedies which have befallen the small ancient city. Earthquakes and wars always occurred on Sundays or holidays. If you go, the ...