The Travelling Buncebury's

  covers 15 - 20 April 2024 cycling into town from our campsite but not all the way From here, south is the onl y way for us to go in Albania. We decided to skip the capital Tirana and head further south.   In very rough terms, Albania has a coastal plain which is very agricultural with mountains inland. So the main N to S roads run through not very interesting looking country (at 50-60mph anyway) but there are always mountains off to our left adding some variety. Usually but not always off the main roads there were lots of those small tractors I mentioned in the last blog especially in the vicinity of a wetland reserve we called in to see briefly. We all use terms which are not defined and understood in our own countries but we still make assumptions and get caught out. Shopping has been quite awkward at times because we’ve had difficulty finding the variety of produce we want. Supermarkets here are more like large corner shops and a Hypermarket is like a small

  covers 12 - 14 April 2024 can you think why anyone would want half a pedestrian crossing ? Montenegro and Albania very sensibly have a single crossing point with the two booths barely ten feet apart instead of the two miles or so which we experienced between the Croatia exit and Montenegro entry buildings. Of course we didn’t know there was only one crossing point when leaving Montenegro so on clearing the first checkpoint we accelerated past the Albanian desk and had to be called back. The vehicle documents passed muster though and we were through with no difficulty. How pleasant. After only a few miles we drove into the city of Shkoder looking for somewhere to park and have a coffee. First impressions weren’t great, parking was along all the roads but it was jam-packed. We’d seen lots of cafes, all with older men sat outside smoking and watching the world go by. We finally found one towards the northern edge of the city with parking opposite so we stopped there. O

  covers 7 - 12 April 2024 Lovcen, with the masoleum of Petar II on top We skirt Budva as quickly as we can because it is a horrible blot on the landscape. Holiday apartment blocks are spreading across a hilly bowl facing the sea like a rash and as we turn inland and begin to climb, the stunning landscape before us suits us much better. We drive straight through a place called Cetinje because we’re heading into the Lovcen National Park and then we begin twisting and turning up the hairpins. Much of the tree cover is beech, still leafless and with lichen encrusted trunks looking beautiful in the sunshine. Once above the treeline we stopped for lunch. We were at 4,400 feet and it was still very warm in the sun. In the woods coming up we’d seen primroses and anemone blanda, 2 inch wide sky blue flowers and very pretty. These are related to the white flowered and more delicate Wood Anemone which we see on the edge of woods in England. There had been Early-spider Orchids too