Romance at last

Day 17

Slovenia to Italy, lake Isao via Venice

When Steve announced that today allowed time for a diversion into Venice our jaws dropped. We hadn't expected this or even considered it. Of course there was no doubt in our minds that a few hours in Venice was a must. We had chosen an odd honeymoon with little of the usual honeymoon romance so Steve had given us the perfect destination to rectify things in the most romantic of cities. 

We had a stow away with us and had traded our tent and kitchen kit for one of team Trigger (Tash). Neither Nik, I, Craig or Tash had been to Venice. Sam and Robin, Tash's parents and owners of Trigger had been to Venice before so a plan had been hatched the evening before for Tash to become an honorary member of Team Newlywed. While Sam and Robin headed up to the lakes.

The top tip was to park at the airport and jump on a water bus. €28 for an open return, can't be bad. Nothing like a bus back home. Nice wooden cabin with comfy seats and all to ourselves. The "bus" lane was busy. Boats shuttling backwards and forwards of all sorts with some nice speed boats tearing through the water. It was a great way to see Venice as we approached. We were all armed with cameras taking pictures as we headed along the main canal as  Katy, Nik's sis and our personal travel advisor had suggested. The architecture was beautiful and had a feel of real history and although many tourists flock to Venice  the impact seemed to almost blend in. The old sat snugly alongside the new. I loved the shapes and lines of the windows. The buildings differed in colour and from the canal you could see branches off under low bridges to narrow waterways between the tall buildings. Water buses, water taxis, speed boats and Gondolas wound past each other along the main canal. We jumped off at the bus stop at the Rialto bridge which was lined with hoards of tourists. Along the canal were cafe's and pizzerias with people sat waterside enjoying the whole Venice experience. Both Katy and Lucy had given us suggestions of where to head to get a feel for Venice in the limited time we had. Saint Marks square was a must. Kate had said that we would need a mortgage to have lunch anywhere surrounding Saint Marks square so we knew to look else where. It didn't take long in our meandering to have our first Gelato. We were not disappointed, they were gorgeous. We all swapped flavours and none were a disappointment. 

It was strange in the sense that there were many tourists and there was almost a feeling of being in an interactive "museum" but with real life intertwined amongst it. There were shops selling masks and Gondolas alongside hard wear shops. Tourists with their cameras clicking amongst business men in suits. Saint Marks square wasn't as busy as I had expected and was a large open space compared to the narrow lanes over shadowed by the tall buildings. We could see day light. Lots of pictures were taken but some of the beautiful architecture was masked by subtle swathes of hanging advertisements to cover some restoration work. We headed off to find some lunch, wanting to of course taste the Italian pizza from Venice. 

We had spotted some reasonable priced places and hunted for one off the main drag where we could eat without people shuttling past. We found a lovely place and considering where we were €60 between 4 was not bad including wine and beer. Just past the restaurant we stood and watched the coming and going of the Gondolas,exactly as you would expect them to be. A Gondola trip for 30 mins was €30 but we decided to save this for another time when we were not rushing about as much. There was still some time to sneak in a little shopping and one more Gelato before we left, 4 new flavours to try between us. that's 8 Gelato flavours in 3 hours, not bad going! 

We took the river bus back and found the cost of our parking only to be €9. All in all not as expensive as we thought today might be especially as we were in Venice although the €1.50 to use the wc nearly broke the bank.

We camped on lake Iseo in the same area as the more famous Lake Garda and Lake Como. The sight was compact and not all the teams had managed to get a space but Team trigger had pitched our tent. We ran into the lake for a late swim and we were not sure this was a good move as it was not so warm!

On our adventure the opportunity to visit one of the most romantic cities reminded us that  this was in fact our honeymoon. We made a great choice choosing the Windy 500 over 2 weeks sat on a beach. Camping on a mountain in the eye of a storm, photographing an stunningly beautiful national park, visiting an evocative example of our history and visiting the most romantic of cities and there are still 6 more days to go!

Tomorrow we head to.......................

An photographers dream morning

Day 16

Croatia - Plitvice to Slovenia - Predjama

Our morning was spent walking around the Plitvice National Park. Stunning. As we walked in the view and the thunderous noise of water was jaw dropping. Luckily we had left early, for once. We're usually last to leave camp but not I may add always the last to arrive. The bus loads of tourists had not arrived yet so we had unspoilt views of what lay in front of us. Standing high up looking down were striking aqua pools of water with wooden walk ways between them. Scattered around were different shapes and sizes of waterfalls from small trickling falls to huge cascading waterfalls. For me this was a photographic dream. For the boys they knew this would then mean lots of hanging about while I composed my shots.

We followed the path down and across the lake, with the depth of the water changing so did the depth of the aqua tone. We headed to the foot of the huge waterfall and the noise was deafening. The force of the water was 

We enjoyed a boat across a lake time to reflect on the beauty before jumping back in the car. 

We arrived late at the campsite because of our "tourist stop" . We haven't done much of this so it was refreshing to stop and be a tourist for once.  Tim-Tom Satnav got us to our camp site but at the locked rear gate down a very narrow track. Once again we trusted Tim - Tom, we were there but just not at the point of entry. Lots of rain and the camping plots were on hard ground. Mission replacement airbed had failed once again so being a caring and loving wife I gave up my air bed for Nik. My ulterior motive was to sleep in the back Olly, where It would be warmer than it was last night and much dryer. Result it worked + brownie points added!

Where to tomorrow...................... 

Camping in the National Park

Day 15

Debvrovnik, Croatia to Croatia via Bosnia

From the southerly point of Croatia to the northern National park which necessitated a pop into Bosnia! The map wasn't clear but as it turned out Bosnia has a tiny bit of the coast line on the Adriatic so we nipped through to head north within Croatia. A subtle change in the architecture of Croatia which appeared less shabby in comparison to Bosnia which looked tired and in need of some TLC. I suppose that's to be expected in light of their recent history. 

A fair days drive which took us up into the National park Plitvicka Jezera. The aqua lagoons and jaw dropping waterfalls where waiting for us. We arrived late afternoon and decided to chill out with a BBQ at camp. Not everyone had made it with some teams choosing a coastal campsite. We were joined by Trigger and the "Manns", Team Kia, Ralf and Deno, The Swed's , Team Milly, Lucy and James and the Mowlems Chris and Steve. Mowlem Mob had visited the Plitvice falls and after seeing their pictures and hearing how amazing their experience had been our minds were made up. We were going tomorrow. All but Team Kia couldn't resist either. Sadly Deno has developed gout so walking for a couple of hours was not going to be an option. 

Being in the hills in a lush green National Park meant a very cold night. I struggled to sleep and just couldn't get warm and stay warm even with socks, trousers, hoodie and additional blanket. We still hadn't found a replacement air bed for Nik so thanks to Lucy and James he borrowed their foam seat's from their van again.

A chilled night with Tash and I sampling local Peach snaps and after James had been on a hunt team Milly enjoyed a Cherry Brandy or 2. The boys all enjoying their new found beer from what typically looks like a coke bottle. The Swed's were having exhaust problems and spent most of the evening with their car jacked up and supported by a bench made out of logs! Craig was more than a little concerned. Ralf had found himself an ice cream which just had to be bought. I know it's the small things but by being called "Bum" the ice cream gave us all a good laugh.

Tomorrow we're on to................

Stunning scenery, Epic even!

Day 14

Albania to Dubrovnik in Croatia via Montenegro

On route out of Albania the randomness continued, baby cow spotted in the back of a hatchback car!!!

€15 for insurance to skim through Montenegro but we soon realised it was money well spent. Initially I was reminded of Turkey but soon the landscape changed and became greener with large mountains and winding roads. We headed through and over the mountains. Crossing a large lake along a road with water either side, stunning( a word I will use a lot in today's blog. We were heading for the southern tip of Croatia and there was an option to dip into Montenegro via a motor way route. We all agreed that although longer we would take the coastal road. The right decision! 

The view that greeted us as we came over the brow of the winding road was EPIC, stunning, awesome and unbelievable. We felt privileged to be able to drive along this coastal route.  Nik wove round twists and bends hugging the rock while the coves lay out before us. I could have jumped out the car at every turn to take pictures but we had to press on to make it to camp before dark. We had had a late start after chatting with Joseph at our campsite in Albania. Camera in hand I tried to capture some of the views but from a moving car they will not be great. The pictures in my mind will have to suffice. 

The sea was crystal blue with the sun shimmering on the water and bouncing off the cliff's descending into the sea. Along the shore line and stretching up into the cliff's were clusters of houses. Some looked as they had stood the test of time and nestled there over the years. Some looked much newer and had sprung up to meet the demands of the tourist's coming to explore the stunning vista. A friend is heading to Montenegro a week today and she will not be disappointed by what she finds. We even came across a Vineyard, she'll like that! We decided that our journey along the coast line had given us a taste of somewhere we would like to return to. Another to add to the growing bucket list! 

I suppose that part of what our journey has given us is the opportunity to explore places we would not normally consider for an annual 2 week holiday. Although it's a whistle stop tour there are some definite's so far and some others that I am glad to have experienced but I'm not in a rush to return to. Swapping stories at camp in the evenings as we compare each others experience's is interesting as we get to see what impact a place had had on each of us.  Some have really challenged the stereotypes we had formed before we arrived in the area. Some lived up to these and some completely blew these out of the water. Albania was one. If anything, experience it for yourself before making a judgement you might be surprised by what you find. 

We crossed the border from Montenegro into Croatia at which point we were unsure on the position with our car insurance and comes to think of it now our travel insurance. Nik phoned the car Insurance company who were also uncertain. Croatia is currently a non EU country but from Monday it joins the EU. Our travel insurance is an annual European cover so we are presuming that Croatia is covered as it doesn't distinguish between EU and non EU. So we press on as there is nowhere obvious to buy insurance cover as there has been at other non EU borders. Thus far we have had to produce car registration documents and insurance bought in the registered keepers name. Craig hasn't been able to drive. At the border on leaving the non EU country we have had to show our insurance or face paying a fine. Steve had said there would be some non EU countries on route and it all adds to the experience but check your documents to bring in you decide to drive in non EU countries. 

We continued along the Croatian coastline, Nik tired by now. It was looking like a 7 hour driving day. Made challenging because of the winding roads and the need to nurse the breaks. However, it was well worth it because it definitely wasn't a monotonous drive along a bland motorway. We drove along towards Dubrovnik which lay out before us as a cluster of peach coloured buildings with the original old town encased in the city walls.  It was nestled within an outcrop of land surrounded on three sides by the sea but tethered to the mainland. The new buildings were in keeping with the old town and from the road above it looked stunning. We would have liked to have descended to explore but the streets didn't look Olly friendly. Not a place to explore with a 23 year old Limousine. Another one to add to the bucket list, although some who had walked within the city walls said it had been spoilt by tourism and was busy and commercialised. I suppose that that's the price paid when somewhere of beauty and historical significance is exploited but on the other hand with it comes a boost to the economy to keep such areas alive. 

Our camp site was nestled in the hill side of the cliff's along the shore line 20 minutes north of Dubrovnik. Due to it's location it was built in grassed areas stepping up the hill side. The Mowlems warned us that the incline and turns where steep and we would have trouble getting Olly up there. Camp was made lining the road entering the site, almost like a welcome party! We had found a nice supermarket along the way so a great BBQ dinner was enjoyed, cooked by Craig. He was craving a meaty beef burger and we found some.

 They were tasty and fuelled our empty stomach's, once again we had forgotten to stop for lunch. The Albanian twist on a cooked breakfast had set the boys up for the days long drive.

Tomorrow we're off to .... ........

A destination which truly surprised and taught us not to judge somewhere without experiencing it

Day13

Macedonia  to  Barbullush in Albania - non EU

Awoke to rain and a chill in the air, welcomed after some of the recent hot and humid countries. Felt like a British summer morning! Nik and I swiftly decided to head back to the comfort of the tent. We had agreed last night to meet at the border with others approx 10.30 ish. We slept in till 9 and woke to the banging on the tent, Mark wanted his ham stored in our cool box overnight. What I hadn't expected was the quiet and un assuming Richard, grabbing some ice leaning into the tent and shove it down my back. That was a wake up call. Right game on Richard, sleep with one eye open!

A couple of local Albanians at the border were really intrested in our vehicles and came over to have a good luck at us all. They were keen to know what we were doing but our Albanian was not up to much and their English was limited to identifying our country and asking if we all came from London. So frustrating,as they were so interested. 

A Hidden gem of stunning scenery as you came over the crest of the hill from the border crossing point. Gun turrets, which were designed to resist the strongest of artilary fire. The designer was so confident in his design that he apparantly sat in there under fire from a tank and survived, so The Lonely  Planet guide says. Laying before us was organised and cultivated agricultural land nestled between villages. Who would have thought it, we certainly didn't expect it and were more than a little uncertain in today's choice of country and destination. We had even considered missing it out. Because of the state of Olly and the fear of breaking down with no recovery as Albania is a non EU country and thus not covered by our insurance policy. Once again we purchased insurance at the border at €30, cheaper than Macedonia. 

Lots of new building going on and the properties were beautiful and well looked after. People clearly took pride in where they lived. There was a Mediterranean feel. The common car was the Mercedes and so far the roads were good, just what Olly needed.  The Mercedes was apparently so common as their was an influz of smugled in vehicles and part at a point in political unrest. Winding mountain roads initially all going down, at some point we must go up! We journey in convoy but team Lotus who were driving behind us pulled out and opened up their engine. Much to Nik's admiration, he would have loved to have been driving the Lotus ( Nik's dream car). 

We soon headed in different directions after unsuccessfully trying to get to the beach to have some lunch. 5 Windy vehicles trying to navigate down small chaotic side streets just wasn't working and after causing a traffic jam we accepted defeat. We did see the Albania equivalent of Weymouth though. Off to find the campsite then.

Not so easy we found. We made our way along some very bumpy tracks which were not Olly friendly and came across The Morris Minor boys, Harvey and Martin. A local lady pointed us in the direction of the camp site so we continued. What we didn't know was that this led us to a dirt track barely wide enough for a car and with no turning space. The pot holes were worse than any we had experienced, small children could disappear in them. Followed by the Morris Minor we pushed on. Craig's heart was in his mouth at every bump and lump. Despair set in, where was this camp site ? We heard shouting a Craig said the locals are coming for us. They were coming to help. Lots of frustrated Albanian and English conversation with neither parties understanding each other.  The Mowlams had tackled the track from the other end and we were now nose to nose. The solution had to be turn around however, at  this point how we would actually achieve this was the question on everyone's lips.

 Dorris started first, inching around slowly. Harvey behind the steering wheel with an anxious face and Martin trying to shout directions. By this point it had become hilariously funny for me, like the Clarkson moment in Italy when he had to take a Ferrari down a narrow Italian side street and turn it round. If Top Gear had this on camera we would  beat his on difficulty and hilarity hands down.  I stayed with The Morris Minor boys and Steve set off reversing so they could find a place where they could turn Olly. I didn't see this but on all accounts it was on the edge of us loosing Olly off the side of a small bridge leading into the rear of someone's property. I was in need of a loo stop and debated how to go especially knowing the bumpy roads we were returning to. I thought it may be a step too far to ask the family to use their toilet but decided to give it ago. After gesticulating, the mother took me to the family home. The grandmother leapt up to kiss and cuddle me and squeezed me to the point where I couldn't breath. The mother and grandmother were keen to marry me off with their son, I don't think they understood that I was on my Honeymoon.  The family were so friendly and couldn't have done more for us. We did get back on the "road" having kidnaped their son who squeezed in the back of the limo with us sat on my lap. 

We got back to the junction we had turned off from and bottomed Olly out in a major way. Worse than all previously traveled road's, I spoke too soon earlier. We see soared and the belly of Olly took a hammering. Craig was out trying to negotiate Nik off the mound. Bearing in mind Craig had already worked on the rear diff and exhaust. A friendly local fella came along on his moped and wanted to use his best English and have a chat. Not great timing as the boys just were not in the mood especially as he was telling us to keep going.  Not sure what state the belly of Olly was in the boys decided not to look and pressed on. The Mowlams and Dorris carried on with the local lad now in one of their cars, the Mowlams we assumed as there would be no room in Dorris. We waved good bye and suddenly felt very alone with no idea of where to go next. A hotel may have to be the option!

Steve and team Jezebel were some where on a mountain track only suitable for 4 x 4, so not a rattley old camper van held together by gaffer tape and cable ties. It was good to know it wasn't just us. Steve had decided that Eileen and his Satnav where not the best combination in Albania. A compass may have been better.

We decided to head on to another camp site after a text from Steve to say where he was now heading for. With no directions and Satnav to guide us Ralf had said to head through the Shkodra and out to the lake. We drove round and round through Shkoder and suddenly came across Team 46 with Trigger and they had directions on the Satnav. We traveled to a real gem. The camp site -Shkodra Resort, what a surprise. 

Set by a lake and owned by an Albanian & English husband and with and run with their family. On arrival we were greeted by a couple of English people Fay and Joseph. They had a guy from Northampton Joseph who was working for board and lodgings over the summer. He filled us in on the set up, what he knew about Albania and his experiences so far.He lucked out on a beautiful lake side location with a lovely family for a 3 month summer working holiday.  

We were so glad that we dismissed the idea of a Hotel, pushed on to find a campsite and ran into Trigger. We had lucked out too. Fantastic Meze dinner watching the sun set over the mountains with a beer and listening to the sounds of the frogs ( they were loud). This was bliss We're glad we're getting to explore the Baltics, we probably wouldn't have come here before now. Apparently Albania is the most economically sound Baltic country, fact for the day (according to Joseph). We all agreed without doubt this up there with the Transfagarasan day as one of the best days. This is what an un planned exploration in a 23 year old Limo was all about and we were living the dream!  A truly un expected delight, really welcoming and friendly people who are proud of their country , stunning landscape and a real adventure for us. We left with plans to return and spend more time exploring, we can get at flight for approx £280!!!! 

Tomorrow we're off to...............

Non EU country today

Day 12

Mount Olympus, Greece to Lake Ohrid, Macedonia

Today's journey didn't take long and I was keen to stay where we were and have a morning swim but the see was choppy and I thought better of it. The boys were not keen to come either. Richard had been for his swim ( I have since found out he was a triathlete)  and swims daily at Weymouth. 

Today's destination was very much an unknown destination so Nik didn't want to delay our departure by too much and some teams were trying to meet at the border. The border was soon upon us and we managed to arrive with Team Trauma and Team Nightmare. The Lexus boys were also there. As this was a non Eu country our insurance didn't cover us so we had to buy it at the border €50, steep for a 1 night stop over. 

Not dissimilar in many ways to Romania and Bulgaria in the feel and look of the country. Alongside falling down properties on their last legs were newer properties which looked abandoned mid way  through their build. There were of course completed new builds all of. A similar boxy looking style, lacking character I felt. 

We were headed for a camp site on the edge of lake Ohrid. As we arrived towards the local area Trauma and Nightmare pulled off in preferences for a hotel stay as apposed to camping. On a budget camping was going to be our accommodation for this evening. What would Macedonian camping be like???????  

Our Satnav struggled to find our camp site, hotel Drim & camping was lake side. However Hotel and campsite were an hours walk apart so once with Deno and Ralf in their Kia we wound round the streets trying to keep lake side to find it. Eventually we did. The welcome sign said "No smoking" followed by a sight with a gun and a cross,we assumed me and no guns! The site looks like it has a wire fence. Not sure if that's to keep people in or us out. We were told to leave our passports and come back in 1 hour, time to forge new ones maybe! €9 though so we thought we would give it a go. Safety in numbers because some others were already there. We had hot water at designated times and were surrounded by very old style 70's caravans with mettle grills on the windows. It says a lot when caravans past their sell buy date are so heavily secured.The lake looked calm and I did dip my toes, wee more than I planned as my flip flop floated out across the lake. Luckily I caught it just before I was thigh deep. Richard was already doing his lengths and said it was cold but bearable once you got going. I thought about it but favoured playing with my camera instead. 

Lake Ohrid is 34km long and 300 metres deep, it's Macedonia's most popular destination and was full in the busy end of the town with children swimming and families soaking up the sun. Like Weymouth in Macedonia! We ventured into town in search of supplies and a replacement mug for Martin ( Dolly the Morris Minor co pilot). Martin had used his for a fuel vessel for Dolly so advisable not having his cuppa from it. 

The Son of Habatchi made an appearance for a BBQ and Richard and Mark joined us with their BBQ food. Time for a chilled evening swapping stories around the Mosie coils!!!! We were joined by Martin and Harvey from Dorris, Robin and his wife from Trigger along with their daughter and relative newbie Tash, Steve and Chris from The Mowlam Mob and Jonas from team Swede. We were reassured that we were in a safe campsite when the night security gaurd came and advised us through gesticulation that we should make sure all our possessions were packed away. The many campsite dogs  kept him alert of unwanted visitors by barking. We managed to finish off the Jack Daniels and Archers with a little help from friends and will now have to find some dodgy foreign fire water, not a problem where we're going......

Tomorrow we're off to...................

Sand castles any one?

Day 11

Banksy, Bulgaria to the sea shore below Mount Olympus, Greece

Yesterday Craig had noticed Oil dripping from the Diff????  So after a lovely breakfast he pulled on his overalls and complete with saddles he headed under Olly to check her belly. If it's not the bonnet he is under the next place to look for Craig is under the car! He also found the exhaust had problems too. This is all not surprising considering the state of some of the roads in the last few countries, we're also very low to the ground! After full consultation with the bible, in our case the Haynes manual and text advice from home the decision was to get hold of some Diff oil and see if topping up caused more leaking after a tweak from Craig. Craig secured the exhaust with his coat hanger, whose purpose on our adventurer campsite and  I now understand. Back in shorts and T-shirt we headed down the mountain.  Once again lovely mountain scenery with snow caped peaks and dark sheer drops encased in alpine Forrest.

 

The drive to Greece was not particularly interesting but on arrival Steve had really pulled this one out of the bag. Really lovely campsite with great facilities but most importantly steps leading straight down and into the sea. Sun loungers, no sand which I think is the best and beer brought to you so you don't have to move. First thing was to dive in. As it was shingle it's not great under foot but there were smooth steps out into the. Water to a point where you can swim from. How civilised! The water was warm, crystal clear and mainly occupied the Windy crew's. Chilled music played by the sea view bar above us, what more could we need after days on the road. To to pit off Steve had said that for the next few days we would only have 180 ish miles per day, time for the boys to chill.

  

Our evening was spent in the restaurant over looking the see trying the local delights. Baked Octopus was not quite the calamari Nik had hoped for but we all had a taste, lets just say we won't be ordering that again.

 We sat and chatted with Mark and Richard from team 19 with the Proton. Richard is a keen Photographer and had shot a lot of footage from our Transfagarasan run's and had some amazing shots from the lightening storms. I was keen to learn from Richard and had earlier picked his brain while sat by the see. This time armed with my camera I had some hands on opportunity to learn. I was really pleased with the results. Nothing like Richards but a good start working with the available light. We talked kit and some investment in lens and filters is the next step in kit and getting to grips with the effects of depth of field and exposure is now my mission. I'll have to have some more Richard lessons, with 11 days left that should be a good masterclass! Judging by his website -  Richard Anders Photography I could learn a lot. Go Check  out his work and blog, it's a must.