Podgorica

Another beautiful drive this morning from our hotel in the mountains back down to almost sea level.

Once down in altitude we visited a lovely lake that was just starting to fill with water lillies. In a couple of months it will look spectacular.

We took a boat trip which was nice, but to be honest, not really any better than viewing the lake from the shore.

Our destination for the night was Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro.

Olsi, our guide told us no to expect to see very much in Podgorica. It had been very badly bombed in the second world war, and had not been resurrected like Mostar, but rebuilt with modern buildings.

We were surprised to learn that less than 1,000,000 people live in the whole of Montenegro, and currently around 177,000 in the capital. 

Contrast that with 813,000 in Nottingham.

It had an attractive old clock tower and a nice, busy town centre that in the evening was full of local people promenading and enjoying the outdoor restaurants.

However, probably the thing that I will remember most about Podgorica in a couple of years time will be our hotel room.

It has a full height glass wall into the bathroom so that you can have a shower with a view.

Back to Montenegro

Mostly on the coach today, but the scenery was spectacular. It took us about three hours to reach the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, and it was like travelling around Austria, but with very few people.

Beautiful mountains and forests with rivers running along the valley.

We stopped at the Djurdjevica bridge over the Tara river. It was built just before WW2 and then during the war they dynamited part of it to try to stop the Nazi's from crossing it.

This is the view from one side...

and the other.

After crossing the border we eventually reached the Durmitor National Park and caught a little train to the Black Lake.

The lake was so peaceful, and the mountains so spectacular.

We went for a stroll through a forest of enormous pine trees.

And then just before it started to rain torrentially we found a raft.

It was all a bit unstable, and Darren took loads of photos just in case I fell in, but he was out of luck.

Sarajevo

Our day started underground, with a visit to President Tito's secret bunker.

Obviously not so secret now though. He was president of Yugoslavia for many years and in the 1960s and 70s he was extremely worried about invasion from Russia, so ordered his soldiers to build a massive bunker in the mountains.

It took 26 years to build, could withstand a nuclear attack and would house at least 350 senior politicians and military leaders for six months. 

It was enormous and the entrance was hidden under an average looking house, but the garage led straight into the tunnels and was wide enough for military vehicles to drive straight in.

It was completed in 1979, cost the equivalent of ten billion dollars and Tito died aged 88 in 1980.

As you have already guessed, it was never used, but it was kept in working order for many years and is now open to tourists.

Next it was on to a much smaller tunnel that was built very quickly in 1993 under the airport. Sarajevo was under siege in the Balkans war and the tunnel was the only route for supplies and ammunition. The UN peacekeepers held the airport and so the attackers could not bomb it.

They did shoot at the entrance that again was under an average looking house, and by the time the war ended over 11,000 people had been killed.

Lots of information today, and loads of beautiful mountain scenery to enjoy along the way.

Finally to Sarajevo itself, which has mostly been rebuilt since then, and a walking tour around the city.

Its really modern and filled with cafés, shops and many tourists.

Sorry then to keep with the war theme, but Sarajevo was the catalyst for the World War One as in 1914, Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated here.

This was the exact spot where a sniper stood and shot him from very close range as his carriage unexpectedly got stuck in traffic right in front of him.

It is on a corner right next to the river and a monument was built in 1917 to honour the Archduke. However, the history of this country is so extremely complicated that it was taken down in 1919 as he was no longer popular. So all that remains is a photo on a glass panel.

The Rest is History podcast recently did a brilliant series about the build up to WW1 and so I was very moved to see it.

Bosnian countryside road Mostar

It's quite early in the season and our guide hadn't done all of our route before. Therefore when we got to Pocétilj, he was very surprised to find an old castle at the top of a hill, rather than an old church on the flat that he had described to us.

He asked if we wanted to look at it, and everyone said yes, so we set off up very steep and uneven steps.

At the top we found a ruined castle and we all clambered around the ruins and up into the tower.

People kept popping up everywhere and waving out of the top windows, and there was some very big drops, but luckily we all made it back down, with only one minor accident that just needed a plaster.

Then on to an ancient Ottoman building in a beautiful location by a fast flowing river.

And finally to Mostar, a 500 year old city that was completely destroyed in the Balkan conflicts in the early 1990's, and has been faithfully rebuilt.

It is most famous for the divers who dive off the bridge that is 25 metres above the river.

Apparently, they are often on the bridge and once tourists have donated a minimum of 50 euros then they will jump. There was no one jumping there today, and I am guessing that the torrential rain yesterday might have made the river a bit too treacherous.

We had lovely drinks and dinner there tonight and at sunset heard the call to prayer from the many minarets scattered around the town.

Dubrovnik and Medjugorje

Across the border into Croatia today for a trip to Dubrovnik. Our tour guide said that today we would also get a local guide, but that he would not speak as slowly as the one from yes-ter-day!

He was actually very good, although he took the instruction to speed it along quite seriously, and so some of his anecdotes got a bit confusing.

We stopped at a statue where there was a queue of tourists waiting to hold the nose of a statue.

He said that from 2008 people started doing this, and he had no idea why. He seemed very disappointed with the tourist's conduct and even showed us a photo of the statue before it had a shiny nose.

We waited until after he had finished and went back to take our own photo.

He also told us about a great almost secret viewpoint, and pointed down an alleyway, so we went back to find it and he wasn't wrong.

And a final panorama on the way up to the bus.

Then across another border into Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to the little town of Medjugorje.

This is where we stayed the night, and in 1981 an apparition of the Virgin Mary appeared to six school children on a nearby hill.

Our hotel appeared to be in the middle of a field, but we walked for about five minutes into the town, and suddenly there was thousands of people walking around. 

The high street was as busy as Oxford Street in the run up to Christmas, and all of the shops were full of religious souvenirs and millions rosary beads.

Amid the throng were nuns and monks and inside the church it was completely rammed with people. All of the pews were full and people standing in the aisles.

Astonished, we left and headed to one of the many restaurants which was also full. We grabbed one of the last tables by the door and watched as many, many pilgrims headed to the church in the pouring rain.

Budva, Kotor and Perast

Budva, Kotor and Perast.

Three places in Montenegro that don't trip off my tongue, although many years ago we did enjoy a cruise around Kotor Bay without ever stepping ashore.

First stop was Budva and a visit to the old town. 

It has an old walled town built by the Venetians and is very picturesque. Our guide was a very pleasant lady, but unfortunately she spoke very slowly and I lost the thread of what she said as I was instead really looking forward to a cappuccino break.

Next was on to the old walled town of Kotor. It was also extremely picturesque too, and much more crowded than Budva.

Our slow walking and speaking guide was still with us and my favourite view was of a pretend stork and it's family just in front of the ancient entrance into the city.

Finally, our last destination of the day was Perast, a beautiful and peaceful town on Kotor Bay.

Fortunately we had left behind our Montenegran guide and went on a boat trip to a lovely island in the middle of the bay.

Yet again the Venetians had been here first and had built a church on the island where they would stop and throw stones into the water in honour of the Madonna and child.

Next to it was another island where the monks who used to look after the church were buried. It's forbidden to visit this island, and it stands quietly alone.

Montenegro

On another trip, this time landing in Albania, staying overnight and then we were off on a bus trip towards the border. We stopped at the little town of Lezhë to see a monument to Skanderbeg, a hugely famous Albanian military commander from the 15th century.

He looks an amazingly impressive figure with a giant golden headdress in the shape of a goat on the top. However, our guide assured us that he didn't wear it during battles as it was too heavy.

Then we crossed the border and in to Montenegro, where we stopped at a small seaside town for lunch.

It's still low season so it was quite quiet and we just wandered around the seafront and harbour.

Then it was on to the town of Bar, and our hotel. We are just around the corner from a fantastic church that appears to have partly been covered in Christmas wrapping paper.

It was only completed in 2016 and the inside is incredible.

It was almost empty inside but somehow I still managed to get told off for saying 'wow' too loudly.

Then of course, we managed to find the compulsory 'I ❤️' installation.

We have moved!

What a stress!! I must have checked my phone 100 times every day in Portugal in the hope that we would exchange contracts, but there was nothing.

Then I checked it constantly when we got back, then lots of emails and phone calls with the solicitor, but still nothing.

On the 26th we got up, the removal men arrived and finished packing, but still nothing definite. At 10.30am I spoke to the solicitor and she said it should happen, but she couldn't guarantee it.

So an hour later there we were, unloading all of our belongings on to the driveway of the house that we hoped to buy.

Then the solicitor rang and said that we had sold our house, and to go and wait at the estate agents in Oxford. After about an hour of sitting there Darren rang and said that there was no more room on the drive and that they would soon have to unload on to the street.

Stress, stressed and more stressed, then the phone call came through to the estate agents. The paperwork was exchanged, the money had arrived and they gave me the keys and a bottle of fizz.

I set off running, then rang Darren, and a few minutes later the removal men started taking our stuff inside.

What a relief, as I started to worry that we might have had to put a tent up on the street and guard our things all night.

We're in, it's lovely and lots of work to do.

Chapel of Bones

We had booked on to an optional extra tour to Evora, which is a town about 140 kilometres east of Lisbon. It was advertised as a tour with a wine tasting session and I have to say that as wine tastings go, this was a particularly good one.

It was to a vineyard called Ervideira, and it might have been the beautiful location in the middle of the vineyards, or just the atmosphere, but I think that they were the best wines that I have ever tasted.

However, by far the most interesting part of the day was not really mentioned on the itinerary. It was to the Chapel of Bones.

I was so shocked that I only took this one photo and then wandered around in a daze.

The Chapel is part of a large and magnificent convent and church of San Francisco in Evora, and the Chapel was built in the 17th century. 

It was a large and pleasant looking building, until you looked at it more closely.

Skulls and bones covered all of the walls, pillars and were decorations on the ceiling. They were brought from 44 local graveyards that were associated with the Convent.

Apparently the style was popular at the time and was built 'in order to encourage reflection on the transitory nature of human life and the consequent commitment to living a constant Christian life'.

I am shocked all over again writing this, so will stop now, apart from one final thing.

Our guide says that there is a quote written over the doorway that is translated to something like 'those of us that are already here await you'.

Douro Valley

Today was quite a long driving day as went inland to see where the grapes were grown for the famous port wine.

It is extremely picturesque, and at our lunch stop our guide told us to look at the top of a hill to see a man in a black cape.

She said that it was one of the best advertising symbols in Portugal and they call him 'the man in the black cape'. 

I thought that they could have done better than that and called him 'Gerald', or something similar, but he is the mascot for Sandeman port, and we went to his vineyards.

They were on the steep hillsides on both banks of the Douro river and it was very scenic.

Of course we had another tasting session, then it was goodbye to Gerald and back on the road home.

Porto

We arrived at Porto last night, and had a full day today to explore. We started off with a walking tour of the old town with our guide Maurina. Unfortunately, she has a knack of making everywhere seem very dull and boring, whilst walking very slowly and frequently repeating herself.

She took us to a railway station to enjoy the tiles, and then down a street called Flower Street, but then explained that nowadays the locals don't bother to grow flowers in their large window boxes.

We were feeling a bit underwhelmed, but then we got to the harbour for a boat trip.

This was nice and we cruised up and down the river for an hour enjoying the sights.

Then it got much more interesting as we went on a tour of a port wine warehouse called Calem. This is the biggest Portuguese port producer, and they store it enormous oak barrels.

The one that I am standing in front of had enough port in it to fill 17,235 full sized bottles, and it appeared to have a tap on the front. Fortunately I didn't l turn it, although I was tempted.

Then we had a tasting, and it was absolutely lovely. On the way out we bought a bottle and admired the boats bobbing about on the waterfront.

In the olden days the barrels of port used to be floated down the river to the warehouses, but nowadays they just use big lorries.

On the way back to the hotel we did our own walking tour and walked across this amazing bridge on the low level, then climbed dozens of steps,then walked back on the high route with brilliant views.