Tuesday 28th to Montenegro

Nothing like familiar food and todays omlette was a beaut.
Then there I was at yet anothe border. This one totally civilised. Big welcome smile. Give me your passport, go to the next office and get a green card, which I did, quickly and simply and there I was back to pick up the passport, welcome and enjoy your visit.........and at the bike was another guard with a country sticker for my pannier. Some places just make you feel good.
And so did their country. Unfortunately it was small and I was able to ride through it with little reason to linger longer. It was very appealing. Steep sided high hills, almost a fjord, towns on the water, evidence of Roman influence everywhere.
This pice of land on the Adriatic had been fought for for hundereds perhaps thousands of years and only recently obtained, so perhaps persistant fighting does yield its rewards.
Unfortunately once away from there and on to the capital it became dirty untidy and providied no desire to stop, so on I went to the border with Albania. If first impressions count I would not have proceeded. The border was confusing and untidy and I was told so many stories about how to get a green card I just carried on, over some very very bad roads, very dirty roads, in fact might be called an open rubbish dump for about 20k. What an eyesore. The other interesting thing was no roadsigns. I was flying blind pretty much. But slowly the roads improved and signposts emerged.
I had miscalculated again so ended up riding in the dark on roads that were not marked but the GPS indicated I was going the right way, and I was and fortunately I found a sign to Duress where I found a Hotel, owned by the Gas station of which there were an abundance. Never seen so many petrol stations.
The waiter at the Hotel was happy to talk and he assured me that after the country opened up there was a lot of crime but then the government got tough and locked them all up. Now he claims people are working and honest and Albania very safe. I took him at his word and so it seemed.
I have to add that after a good breakfast I had a great dinner, roast vegetables in olive oil, then a plate of mixed spring rolls, kidney liver beef with garlic toast, and lots of olive oil, what a feast.
This was a recently built hotel with so much bedroom furniture it wouldn't all fit but it was clean, and had the usual hall mark of hotels in this area, a hole in the sheet !
Footnote. I have not made sufficient reference to beauty of the coastline and the autumn colours, the abundance of grapes all turning red, gold lining the plains and the hills and the forests covering the hillsides, right the way from Slovenia down to Albania.
nzl04