Slovenska Plaza Budva

... smoker-friendly than the USA in general, but Montenegro was even more extreme than the other European countries we’d been to. Employees were smoking while working (including the train ticket lady), people would light up a cigarette right next to you without even thinking about consideration, and people on the train were even smoking (ignoring the no-smoking symbols). It was so weird and so terrible. I’m sure we smelt ...

Somehow we make it of course, and soon we're down in the Montenegrin coastal city of Ulcinj at 5am. From here I'll go on to the town of Pudva, the center of the Macdedonian 'Riviera'. But first I enlist one of the local dogs to take me on a tour of downtown Ulcinj in the early morning hours to see what I'm missing- not much. At 7:00 my bus takes off up the coastline, through Bar toward Pudva ...

... civilian targets in Serbia and Montenegro in 1999. I have a film of when NATO bombed a newborn baby hospital unit in Beograd; disgraceful! Mladic seemed impressed with my viewpoints on war and peace. He was very warm friendly man; very relaxed and laid back. He smiled the entirety we were chilling out just enjoying each other's company and drink. Hanging out with Mladic was no different than chilling with my other friends back in America. I ordered another drink with Darko's ...

There was a glimmer of sun today and decided to relax in Budva after last two days of productive sightseeing. Enjoyed sitting out on the deck staring out at the Adriatic Sea and little island "Sveti Nikola" in front of me and Old Town walls to the right. Ate my beef jerky from Taiwan, the best of both worlds or at least of both countries.

... time. I am the type who never secures reservations, I usually just show up somewhere and hope for the best) and booked a double room, but when we arrived we were told that they had overlooked an online reservation that had been placed before us. At first we were a little disappointed, even after they told us they would set us up with a room in the apartment building across the street for the same price. We were sure we were going to end up ...

I got up at 5 to walk to the bus stop for my bus to Kotor, Montenegro. Expecting a big coach, I was somewhat surprised to see a regular minibus, and to hear that I was the only passenger! It was basically a private taxi for 5 1/2 hours for 20 pounds. Unfortunately the driver didnt really speak any English, so after we'd passed through Skodra (the castle looked really interesting), and we stopped for coffee just before the Albanian/Montenegrin border, we ...

Leap of Faith There had been some talk the day before among Daniel, the owner of the hostel, and others staying there about a great cliff to jump off of. It was decided that the next day we'd head out to the island and check this cliff out. And so I found myself the next morning, standing in the heat on a beach in Budva, Montenegro. Daniel was negotiating the cost of the kayaks for our trip out to the St. Nicholas, the large island off of the coast of ...

... but Kotor's old city has only about fifteen streets. When we finally found the Hotel R-, the "good deal" (25 Euro for a double, the quotes are from our conversation while looking in the book). and heard their updated price list, Bro let some steam go. Their list price went from E 25 for a double room to E 40 in mere months. Is it perhaps an inevitable curse of the Hotel when it is newly listed in a guidebook for tourists? There was some cursing and ...

... a visual journey into the heart of Budva, the mutli-faceted, multi-faced, multipersonalitied. Beginning on the south side, the beach is carpeted in human flesh; waves of paunchy bellies, boobs and butts ebb, flow and surge in a subtle struggle to control precious square inches of what we'd already deemed uncomfortable and therefore undesirable beach real estate. Naked children cavort in grey pools of a municipal waterslide, and others nearby play on the rusting playground ...

... same menu, which is getting a bit redundant. We're hopeful that we'll find a little more variety in Zagreb). We have been extremely lucky with the weather. Although I have been known to complain about the chilly and cloudy weather that we found in Europe, we have had a little bit of sun nearly every day and there hasn't been a day when it's rained constantly. I was disappointed when we arrived in Dubronik yesterday to have pouring rain arrive shortly after. Today, however, was ...