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We arrived in Palermo, Sicily just before midnight after two full days of travel. Needless to say, we were exhausted. After collecting our bags, we rented a tiny car and made the short drive to Van’s Bed and Breakfast. Upon our arrival we were greeted by a very friendly gentlemen, who we learned owned the property. He escorted us to our very large two bedroom suite with a balcony. We were thrilled and ready for a good night’s rest. We woke up the next morning feeling revived and ready to explore the city of Palermo.

Venturing into the city center in a rental car was quite and experience. The traffic there is CRAZY! It was also very clear that Italian drivers are not like those in the rest of the world. It’s every man for himself.  After surviving the chaos, we parked the car.

The city of Palermo is a great size to explore on foot. We went into several Cathedrals, toured the palace and enjoyed the lively streets.

We stopped for a wonderful salad and pizza lunch. I was so happy to finally get a great tasting pizza (we have had many not so good ones along the way).

 

 

 

 

Sicily is the birthplace of the cannoli. So we went on a quest to find the perfect cannoli. After a little research, we chose some of the suggested top places in the cities. We tried 4 different shops in one day. The winner is… Caffetteria del Corso. The unique difference was a thin layer of chocolate inside the cannoli shell. Caffetteria del Corso is a small little shop, so look closely or you will pass it up.

The following day we made the 2 hour drive to the southern coast of Sicily to see the Greek Temple Ruins in the Valley of Temples. There are 5 temple ruins that stretch out over 2 kilometers. From the top of the hill you can see a beautiful view of the ocean. The parking lot is at the end of the 2 kilometers at the bottom of the hill. For 6 Euros you can take a taxi to the top of the hill and then make the walk down through the Valley of the Temples, ending at your car. We opted for this option and were glad we did. It allowed us more time to wander through the ruins. Here are some of our favorite pictures from our visit.

We took the coastal route west before heading north for our drive back to Palermo. We enjoyed the view along the coast even though it made the drive a bit longer.

Before leaving for the day, we made plans with our bed and breakfast hosts to order dinner for that evening. When we came back to the house to find the hostess already cooking for our dinner that would be served 4 hours later. While relaxing in our room upstairs, we could smell the heavenly aromas coming from the kitchen. When we walked into the dining room, everything was set for a romantic dinner for two. Our hosts immediately greeted us with wine to compliment our dinner.

The first course consisted of seven appetizers; Sicilian Pizza, Sardines, Sundried Tomatoes in Olive Oil, Eggplant Caponata, Seafood Salad (with Octopus, Squid and Shrimp), Olives and Toasted Bread.

 

 

Our second course was the pasta course. The “envelope of pasta” was best pasta dish I have ever had.

The third course was our meat dish and it was impressive.

Our wonderful meal ended with a very interesting fruit that neither of us had ever had before, Figs of India. This fruit has a very vivid color. Both the yellow and red colored fruit have the same flavor. There are small hard seeds inside that you just swallow as you enjoy the fruit. They were served with a compliment of pomegranate seeds.

We both agree that this was one of the best meals we have every had. The flavors of the food were amazing. We would love to go back to Sicily just to enjoy more Sicilian food.

Our wonderful weekend in Sicily had to come to an end. We really enjoyed our time and would love to return to explore more the island. We would encourage others to make the trip to Sicily if ever given the chance.

We continue the Allen World Tour at the Amalfi Coast. Can’t wait to share our Amalfi highlights with you!

After saying goodbye to all of our new friends from the Nomad Adventure Tour, we ventured out on our own in Cape Town. We rented a car and checked into a wonderful B&B in Seaside. The owners were super sweet and welcoming to us. The property was beautiful and right across from the beach. We would recommend Villa Costa Rose for a stay in Cape Town.  We chose to stay one night there for the specific reason of returning to one of our very favorite restaurants, Hussar Grill. We went there three times on our last trip to South Africa and could not wait to return. It’s a fabulous place for aged steaks,  delicious sides and excellent service at a price you cannot get in the States. It lived up to everything we remembered.

The morning after our amazing dinner we drove to another part of Cape Town to pick up two of our friends that we met on our African Tour.  We spent the day with Davey and Antoinette. We drove south from about an hour stopping several times along the way to take pictures and enjoy the view.  We saw tons of sea lions sun bathing on rocks along the coast and stopped in Hout Bay to take in the beautiful landscape. We reached Boulder Beach after about an hour and half.  I absolutely LOVE penguins and Boulder Beach is a great place to see hundreds of African Penguins in one place. I enjoy watching them waddle along the beach, swim in the water and groom each other.

I had to say goodbye to the penguins. We continued our drive south to reach Cape Point (Southern  Tip of Africa). Along the way we had to make an unplanned stop in the road due to a family of ostriches. The chicks were so cute!

A short time later we reached Cape Point and made the hike up to the top of the cliffs. The wind speed was incredible so we only spent a short time enjoying the lookout point.

Our time with our friends was coming to an end but before we took them to the airport, we had to take them to Hussar Grill. We love it so much we wanted to share it with them. The meal ended with the very best part, a Godiva chocolate martini. Yum!

The next several days were spent at a chalet in a vineyard in Stellenbosch. We visited 10 wineries over 4 days. The very best was a six course food and wine pairing at Leopard’s Leap. Our two hour lunch was presented by the vineyards executive chef and the sommelier.  My favorite dish was a parmesan cheese custard with a toasted parmesan cheese crust and fresh grated parmesan on top. It was paired with a crisp Chenin Blanc white wine. The food was amazing, the wines were a perfect pairing and the experience was one we would not forget.

The experience of going to the Stellenbosch wine region is as beautiful as visiting Tuscany or Napa Valley. The mountains surrounding the area provide a breathtaking backdrop for the wine estates. The tasting of five to eight wines range from $4 – $8 depending on the winery. The vineyards also offer a variety of pairings including food, cheese, chocolate and even cupcakes.

We were sad for our month long adventure in South Africa to end but we were excited to return to a place we enjoyed so much last year… Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. While we only had a few days to enjoy this beautiful area, we made the most of it. On our one full day in Zimbabwe, we took a 6 hour canoe trip down the upper Zambezi River. It was a exciting float trip as we passed several groups of hippos and rode four sets of category 2 rapids. We also had a chance to swim in the Zambezi. The toughest part of the day was the 108 degree temperature.

At the end of the trip, we were dropped off at the entrance to Victoria Falls. We wanted to see the falls and paid the $30 per person entrance ticket (Ouch!).  We walked the trails and took in the amazing views of the falls.

Our next stop is Italy! We took five flights to get from Victoria Falls to Palermo, Sicily. After two full days of travel including a 6 hour layover in Amsterdam, we made it to Palermo. We will share some of our highlights as soon as we can.

 

The last few days of our Nomad Adventure Tour took us along the southern coast of South Africa. This area is called “The Garden Route.” Once we arrived we knew why. It was beautiful, lush and amazing place to enjoy some outdoor activities. We hiked to the suspension bridge in the Tsitsikamma National Park in the morning and did a kayak trip in the afternoon. The one kilometer trail into the mountains takes you to a suspension bridge that goes over the Stone River leading to the sea. It was perfect weather to take in the view.

Our kayaking trip into the canyon also included a lilo experience.  We weren’t sure what that was until we got there.  Turns out, it’s a flat raft like a heavy duty pool float. We had a blast. We hiked 1 kilometer to our departure point, then kayaked 1 kilometer into the canyon and floated another kilometer. After playing around in the water we made the same trek back.

Leaving Tsitsikamma, we went to Plettenburg Bay. It is a city on the southern coast of Africa. Our highlight of this stop was a whale watching cruise.  We saw many dolphins, a sea lion and a Southern Right Whale with a calf. A cool part of the cruise was the launch and docking of the boat. We climbed into the boat from the beach, then a tractor pushed us into the water. The captain started the engine and pushed the engine as hard as possible to get us afloat. Then to dock, the captain pointed the boat toward the beach, put it on full speed and ran the boat up on the beach. I have seen it done with small boats but never one holding 50 people. It was really interesting.

We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying a fresh seafood lunch and hanging out at the beach with our travels friends. From right: Natasha, Kota, Davey, Robert, Missy, Antoinette and Nicole.

 

Our next stop along the Garden Route was the village of Oudtshoorn. One of the activities was a visit to an ostrich farm. We learned about the animals and their importance to Africa through the years, including the feather and leather trade as well the meat. We also had a chance to feed them. That was experience I won’t forget.

Our last stop of our Nomad Adventure Tour was Paarl. It is a wine region outside of Cape Town. On our last day, we did a Cape Town Township Tour with a guide. They took us into the Langa township and showed us what daily life is for the citizens living there. It was a heart wrenching experience. Here are some photos that try to capture what we saw.

Ending our tour on a high note, we went to a vineyard in Paarl for a wine and cheese tasting. It was so much fun to go with our whole group. The wine was good but the balsamic they gave us was on a whole different level of amazing.

Our tour ended when they dropped us off at the Cape Town Airport so we could pick up our rental car. It was sad to say goodbye to all of the awesome people we met and the friends we made that we will have for the rest of our lives. Thanks for an amazing tour!

A long day of driving took us along the roads with amazing views, some rain, a picnic lunch and a crazy border crossing. We arrived at the border to the Kingdom of Lesotho in the early afternoon with huge rain clouds looming overhead. The line was extremely long. We were lucky to wait inside as a storm started raging as we waited. A few hours drive into the mountains and we arrived at the village of Malealea. We spent two nights in a lodge near the village and loved our entire experience there.

Our first morning in Lesotho we did a guided walk with a local through the village. We had the opportunity to see everyday life in Africa. The houses had no water and no electricity. One of our stops on the walk was at the home of the local beer maker. Robert even got a chance to sample it. We also visited the local elementary school and received a tour from one of the teachers. We weren’t able to see any of the students as they were on a week long break. The local people were gracious to share their lives with us.

We spent the afternoon on a five hour horseback ride into the mountains around the village. The five hour ride was a bit more than we needed but our group was excited to make the most of our time there.  We happily went along. My horse had to be in the front of the line which made my ride a bit crazy. She would often start running or get upset if other horses tried to pass her. Our ride took us into the river bed and up to some of the viewpoints. We made two stops during the afternoon to see both the local waterfall and the cave paintings. Needless to say that after five hours on a horse our backsides were very sore!

On our last night in Lesotho, we had a special dinner from a local woman. She made dinner for all 19 of us. We carried our chairs and tables from the adventure truck to her shop in the village. After setting up they served us a dinner of chicken, pop and vegetables. The chicken was delicious!

We had to leave our awesome adventure in Lesotho behind. The drive took us across the border again and back into South Africa. This time the line was very small and no rain! Our destination was a one night stop in the historical town of Graff Reinet. The evening of our arrival, we went to desolation valley. Not much to see as you can imagine except for vast brown landscape and the sunset from the top of the mountain.

The next morning before our departure we took a walking tour through the historical downtown. Graff Reinet has been well preserved from the 1800s and many of the old homes have been turned into museums.

After leaving Graff Reinet we drove to Greater Addo Elephant National Park. We weren’t sure what to expect after we visited two other amazing places for game drives but we were so surprised. It was wonderful. We spent two days doing game drives in the park. The elephants were amazing and there were so many other animals to see as well. Here are a few sightings:

 

African internet is not what we hoped and have gotten a bit behind on our blogging. We will update again very soon with our final week of our African Adventure.

Our journey across Africa continued with our next stop in St. Lucia, South Africa. It was an early morning and then a long drive, mostly in the rain before arriving at our hotel in village of St. Lucia, in the Province of Kwazulu-Natal. After check-in, we joined our travel friends for an evening of learning about the Zulu culture. Our fun included a short lesson in the some Zulu language common phrases, followed by a traditional Zulu

dance (Robert even participated) and a traditional Zulu dinner. The dinner was a thin steak, sausage, pop (African dish of maze meal) with vegetables sauce and fresh vegetables. We enjoyed dinner and went straight to bed with anticipation of events for the next day.

 

 

The next morning started very early leaving the hotel at 5:00am. Our safari guides were there to greet us and take us to Hluhlwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve. It was a very cold and damp  drive. They picked us up in the safari trucks and took us the 1 hour to the reserve. But WOW, it was worth it. Our drive started into the park just after sunrise. The views were spectacular. Hluhlwe offers a completely different landscape than Kruger National Park, with rolling hills and long range of site across the land. The reserve is home to the Big 5 as well as many other animal species. Hluhwe is widely recognized for it’s dedication to the preservation of both White and Black rhinos. Poaching is a huge threat to the animals and at the reserve they work very hard to protect them. So much in fact that the all rhinos found in Kruger National Park have bloodlines connected directly to the rhinos in Hluhwe. We benefited greatly from the number of rhinos in the reserve and saw more of them than we could count.

After an amazing six hour game drive, we were taken back to our hotel for a short break before ending our day with a two hour sunset cruise at the St. Lucia estuary. We were lucky to see both crocodiles and hippos. It was totally incredible to see hippos so close. Our boat captain was great and took us as close as 10 feet. At times the hippos were even interacting with boat. Check out some of our photos below:

Our next stop took us to the coastal city of Durban, South Africa. What a stark difference it was from all of the places we have been so far. The city was crowed and dirty. The people on the street were not happy to see a large truck full of tourists passing through. One pedestrian even flipped us off! We were relieved when we arrived at our beach-side hotel. Our guide was sure to tell us not to venture out of the hotel unless we were in a large group as the city is not all safe for us. We decided to all stick together and head the famous Indian Market. There was 14 of us that crammed into a taxi van. The market was located under an overpass stretching out on both side of the street. Almost everything you can imagine was for sale; clothing, electronics, fruits and veggies, meats, old DVDs, etc. It was interesting but not the best market we have been to in our travels.

That evening we gathered in the hotel lobby and waited for another taxi van to pick us up. While waiting, one of our friends told us that he was walking along the beach and was approached by people impersonating police officers. They tried to get him into their van but he was able to get away and run back to the hotel. He was very shaken up and we were sufficiently scared not go leave without our guide again. The taxi van arrived and took us to Moyo, a restaurant at uShaka Marine World. We have a big group dinner to celebrate the 4 people leaving the tour the next morning.

Before leaving Durban the next morning, a group of us went across the street to the beach for a quick  swim.  Robert was very excited to swim in the Indian Ocean for the first time. Several others joined him, while I stayed on the beach with the girls. I did venture in to get my feet wet.

Our morning drive took us into the Drakensberg Mountains. The drive was great in the morning and filled with rain and lightening in the afternoon. We have been lucky that the rainy days have all been when we are driving in the truck. We made several stops our way. First stop was at Howick Falls and second at Nelson Mandela’s Capture Site. We walked through the temporary museum and walked to the beautiful statue erected in his honor. Then we continued our drive and arrived at the Ukhahlamba Park in the Drakensburg Mountains. /span>

The next day started with a two hour hike to see cave paintings. It was very interesting to see the painting from so many years ago and learn some history of the people who lived there from our guide. Following our morning walk, Robert and I had a wonderful afternoon which included a trip to the resort spa for a couples massage (roughing it in Africa!). Then we had a blast jumping on the trampolines near the pool.

The week ends with a full day of travel, making the 460 kilmoeter drive from Drakensburg Mountains to the Kingdom of Lesotho. We had a picnic lunch along the way and pass through the border crossing. The lines were insane! But we finally made it through and into the Kingdom of Lesotho. Our adventure continues high in the mountains…

After our crazy travels from Orlando to Rome, we were lucky to have a smooth trip to Johannesburg. The overnight flight was packed and on an older plane. Robert got the bummer seat with a TV that didn’t work but we made the most of it and tried to sleep as much as possible. We were thrilled to see the man standing at the airport exit, holding a sign with our name on it. He drove us the short distance to the By Bush Telegraph Hotel, north of Johannesburg. What a beautiful hotel. The owners were wonderful and the food we had both nights was fantastic.

Following two restful days at our hotel we set out at 6:15am for the beginning of our African Adventure Tour. We met our new friends and travel companions and then found a seat on the Nomad Adventure Truck (home for the next 20 days).

Our first three nights were spent in Kruger National Park at a Tented Lodge. We did several game drives and saw so much wildlife. Kruger is such an amazing place. We highly recommend a visit. After the fun filled  game drives, we spend the nights around the campfire talking and eating dinner.

Here are a few of our favorite pictures from our animal sightings in Kruger National Park:

Driving Panorama Route was another of the activities during our stay in Kruger. Our driver and guide took us to Blyde River Canyon to see The Three Randavels, Bourke’s Luck Potholes and God’s Window. The views were spectacular and well worth the drive. A travel tip we can share is that while God’s Window is the most famous of the sites, it’s the least exciting. Make sure not to miss the other two stops.

After three awesome days in Kruger we made the long ride in the Nomad truck to Swaziland. There we stayed at a game reserve and a beautiful lodge (with no electricity). It was a great experience. The chalets offered a very romantic setting.

During our stay we had the opportunity to do a morning bush walk with a guide. It was interesting a different from the normal game drives. We saw lots of birds, learned about the trees and even some insects in the bush. In the afternoon we did a Rhino game drive. It was excellent. Part of the activity was to get out of the game vehicle and walk with the rhinos. We had an opportunity to do it, which was exciting and a little scary too.

One day in Swaziland went quickly but we very much enjoyed it. Our next stop was St. Lucia, South Africa. We are excited to share the next week of our adventure with you soon!

Our travels have continued.  The good and the bad of them.  I like ending on a high note so lets start with the bad.

Our trip out of Orlando started like any other day.  The flight was  delayed by 45 minutes but hey, our layover was 4 hours in Dusseldorf so who cares.  The flight was without incident (which is how I like them).

We landed in Dusseldorf and were both exhausted so we found a quite area for a 1 hour nap.  We got up went through passport control to get ready for our next leg.  The gate was listed as B – yep no number following (not a good sign).  You guessed it the flight was canceled – as we mentioned on the last post, Air Berlin had declared bankruptcy so not too surprising.  We were told to collect our bags and go to customer service for

them to rebook us.  The line was stupid long, Universal Studios at Christmas long, people who I spoke to at the front were already in line for five and a half hours.  Not fun.  After a LONG wait we were rebooked 24 hours later and had to spend the night in Dusseldorf.  Not a terrible thing if you hadn’t prepaid for your room in Rome as well.  We decided to make the most of it. Only challenge was we only planned to be in Rome for 3 nights and this surely put a damper on our Italian plans. We did finally make it into Rome after another 1.5 hour delay on our rebooked flight approximately 27 hours late.

Now for the good – Rome.  Even though we had an abbreviated trip we had a fantastic time.  Missy and I haven’t been to Rome in almost 7 years so we were excited because we love the city.  It did not disappoint.  We made sure to go to the Forum as Missy has wanted to go on each of her 2 previous trips but one thing or another has always gotten in the way.  TIP – even though closing times are posted you are not allowed entry after 1 hour prior to closing.  For the rest of our time we went to some of the Roman highlights.

We are now in Johannesburg, South Africa.  We are leaving for the bush tomorrow morning on our adventure tour though the country.  We will have sporadic internet at best (apparently elephants don’t need Wi-Fi) so we will update when we can.

As noted in our previous post, we made our way back to Orlando, Florida. We landed on Friday, one day prior to the landfall of Hurricane Irma. Upon arrival to Orlando we rented a car and bought the FULL insurance just in case the car incurred damage. It was a weird feeling being back in Orlando. While most things seem to be the same, everything and everyone was completely focused on the approaching hurricane. If stores were open, employees were doing everything they could last minute to protect the property. We went to several stores looking for supplies, water and food to survive for 48 hours while the city was shut down. The stores were insane! The lines were much longer than Black Friday. The store shelves were empty and it was really hard to find bottled water.  We were lucky to find an Aldi that still had what we needed. Thank you Aldi Clermont!

After a quick visit to our extremely packed storage unit, we hunkered down at our rented condo to wait out the storm. We have never watched so much

Weather Channel coverage in our lives. As the storm came in, the windows shook and the trees rattled. The blowing of the wind was so loud. It went on for hours and hours. While the experience was a bit scary, we were some of the lucky ones; we never lost power.

 

Once the storm passed and curfew was lifted, we couldn’t wait to get out of the condo. We checked our rental car and were glad to see no damage (bummer we paid for all the insurance). We walked around the complex to survey what the local area looked like. There were some down trees and high water levels but overall, it was just debris everywhere.

We were very blessed that Orlando did not receive as hard of a hit as expected. Our hearts go out to those in South Florida, the Caribbean and Jacksonville that are dealing with much more devastating circumstances.

During our visit to Orlando we were able to take care of a lot of prep work for our upcoming adventures over the next 90 days. We also had an opportunity meet up with some of our friends. It was so much fun to catch up with them and hear about all the stuff we missed since we have been gone. We shared some of our travel stories as well. Sorry we weren’t able to see everyone!

We are now at the airport waiting for our flight to Dusseldorf and then Rome. Funny thing is, we are flying on Air Berlin, which was supposed to go bankrupt today and stop all flights.  Luckily the German Government stepped in and extended the international flights to proceed until next week.  Fingers crossed we make it to Rome!

After a relaxing few days on the beach in Ulcinj, Montenegro we started our trip to the coastal city of Durres, Albania. We discovered when trying to find transportation from Montenegro (in the European Union) to Albania (non- EU) that a connection is not easy. There are no trains at all that run from one country to the other. The bus route from Ulcinj takes 3 bus changes and 9 hours, plus border crossing time. So, we opted for the most direct route of a taxi. Unfortunately it is NOT cheap and cost us 120 Euros one way. Bummer! In end we both agreed it was worth the convenience and time for the taxi.

The drive was a little under 3 hours. At the border crossing we didn’t even have to show our passports or exit the taxi. The driver just honked the horn, waved and drove straight thru. Arriving in Durres at our beach condo, we were surprised how few people we there. The beach restaurants and bars are set up for mass crowds but it is the end of season and occupancy was low. Which was great for us.  We had much of the beach area to ourselves.

We spent 8 nights in Durres. There is not much to see within the city so we played a lot of cards, did research for upcoming parts of our trip and enjoyed the beach. We also cooked meals each day which was a nice change for us.

 

Here is a fun story to share about and experience                                                         we had was at “The Beach Bar.” We spent one afternoon there playing cards and enjoy a beer on a hot day. They have music playing a fun atmosphere. So, we sat down and ordered a beer. The bartender asked “what type of beer, local?” We said “yes.”  So what does he bring us… Heineken. We asked again for a local beer. He responded, “this is local beer.” I couldn’t help myself in saying “no it’s from Amsterdam.” He said “no it’s Albanian beer.”  So we had a good laugh about enjoying an “Albanian beer” on the beach.

On our daily walks to the market and bakery, we often had to walk around many stray dogs around the street. There are so many of them. Some are tagged by the city and some are not. On our way to the ferry terminal Robert was followed by one for a long distance because the dog liked the smell of his bag. We finally got him to back away. Then near the port we stopped for dinner. At the restaurant there was another dog but one with a tag. I’m a sucker… I know but didn’t finish all my food and asked if I could share some with the dog. The waiter said “Of course. Her name is Lola.” So,  I shared my pizza with Lola and made a new friend.

Here are some photos from our week in Albania:

As I mentioned above the transportation to and from Albania is quite difficult. So in order to leave Eastern Europe we had to take a ferry from  Durres, Albania to Bari,  Italy. It was an overnight ferry that left Durres at 11:00pm. Wow… ever wonder what it would be like to be a crew member on a water vessel? Well, we found out. We rented cabin (if you can call it that). It was a closet with bunk beds and a 2 foot nightstand next to the lower bed. That was it. No facilities, not even enough room for both of us to stand inside the cabin at the same time. The ceiling was low so beds were too close together to sit up on them.  There was just enough room to sleep. An the community bathrooms had non-potable water and half working facilities. It was a very interesting travel experience that we won’t soon forget. Needless to say we made it to the other side of the Adriatic sea. It was a vast difference from our ferry trip from Helsinki to Tallinn.

We are now in Italy for a few days on our way back the USA for a quick stop in Orlando for restocking and taking care of some necessary business. We will be back on the road on Friday Sept.  15.

 

Our thoughts and prayers are with all of our family and friends in Florida who will be dealing with the destruction and aftermath of Hurricane Irma. We will be in Orlando over this time as well. May God keep all of us safe!

Upon our return to Europe we will be in Rome, Italy and then taking a flight to Johannesburg to start our African Adventure!

With our bad experience in Budva behind us, we hired a taxi to take us to the seaside town of Bar. We made a reservation the night before and found a hotel across the street from the beach. While a little more expensive, we were so excited to have a better beach experience. Upon check-in, we were not disappointed. The owner greeted us with enthusiasm about how much we were going to enjoy our stay, walked us to our room and told us about their lovely breakfast the next morning.  We were so relived to find a great place along the Montenegrin coast.

The Casablanca Restaurant across from our hotel has a lovely sun deck with a pool. They rent two beach chairs with an umbrella for 5 Euros. We sent 2 days enjoying the beach at The Casablanca. During the two evenings we spent in Bar, we walked along the beach; stopping to eat at a café and watch the beautiful sunsets.

On our last morning in Bar, we took a taxi to Stari Grad Bar (Old Town Bar). We were so glad we did. The historical center has been preserved and turned into a living museum.  There is an entrance fee of 2 Euros but there are no restaurants, shops or homes in the historical area. Stari Grad Bar is a completely walled city. What remains from centuries before are ruins of a town that once was buzzing with life. Wandering the streets of this ruined city was a huge European highlight for us. It was amazing to see an entire city preserved in that way. Below are some of the pictures from our visit to Stari Grad Bar:

After our lovely visit to Bar, we headed to Ulcinj. Another seaside town in the southern part of Montenegro. It is very well  known for its beautiful coastline and vibrant nightlife. There is a bus route that goes directly from Bar to Ulcinj. We purchased the tickets for 2 Euros each. The ride took about 1.

5 hours through the curvy roads along the coast. We arrived at the Ulcinj bus station in the early afternoon and took a taxi to our Airbnb apartment. Without going Into great detail… it was awful. So we left that place and checked into the hotel next door. It all worked out fine in the end as the hotel we ended up at had a lot better view and was $22 per night less with breakfast.

 

After exploring the Ulcinj Beach area, we discovered two distinct beach experiences within walking distance of our hotel. Along the main corridor there is large beach that is completely packed full of locals and vacationers laying on the beach…yes, I mean LAYING in the sand. And just a quarter mile south is Aquarius Beach which is a cl

ub open to the public offering a totally different experience. As I’m sure you guessed, we chose the Aquarius Beach Club. Chairs with an umbrella can be rented for 5 Euros each or a sunbed for two can be rented for 20 Euros per day. We went for the full luxury experience and it was worth every penny. We spent two days at the beach just chilling. It was amazing. We would recommend that if your are planning a trip to Montenegro, go to Ulcinj and visit one of the beach clubs.

During our 5 night stay in Ulcinj we visited Stari Grad Ulcinj (Old Town Ulcinj) but found out there is nothing there except restaurants and apartments; not even a single shop. The reward for climbing the very tall hill was a beautiful view.

It was a bit of a rollercoaster ride while in Montenegro but in the end we really enjoyed our 12 days here. Next stop is Durres, Albania.