Serbia and Montenegro 2024 Day 4, a wet day in Kotor

Friday 31st May 2024

When I woke up, it was raining heavily outside, I had bought some pastries and biscuits from the local supermarket and I had sachets of instant coffee with milk. So I had breakfast in my apartment room. 

Valentina had organised a walking tour which was due to start at 08.45 in Trg od oruzja (Arms Square) by the Clock. 

We were shown the interesting squares, churches, a palace and we walked on the city walls.

The rain had eased by the time we were on the walking tour. 

However, the boat trip of the harbour and Bay of Kotor was cancelled, so we had a free afternoon. 

Some of us visited the Cat Museum, one of only museums dedicated to cats. Many cats have made Kotor their home, they are fed and well looked after. 

The museum has several rooms showing photos, posters which tell the story about how the cat has become so popular, as a pet as well as a working animal on farms and on ships. 

I then went for another walk, met Andy (Fenwick), Pod Wyatt and their friend and we had a beer together in the terrace of the Ombre Bar.

Our group had our first evening meal in Pescaria-Dekaderon. I had beer, beef soup, meat, salad & potatoes and the Balkan Tres leche cake. 

Serbia and Montenegro 2024 Part 3 Arriving in Montenegro, 30th May 2024

I arrived in Montenegro in the early morning on the 30th of May. I had travelled overnight on the train from Belgrade. We had two border crossings during the journey and our passports were checked and stamped.

The scenery as dawn broken was amazing. The train passed through the mountains of Northern Montenegro. 

We arrived in Podgorica around 7.20am, and I managed to catch the next bus to Kotor at 07.55. The bus and railway stations in Podgorica are next to each other.

The bus stopped in the former capital city, Cetunje on the journey. 

The traffic going to Kotor was heavy and it took a while to arrive in bus station which is on the edge of the city. After a sunny start to the day, the heavens opened just as I arrived in Kotor. However, I met Penelope & Diana from Virtual Tourist and we managed to contact the owner of apartment, where I was staying, thanks to the kind lady in the Tourist information office outside the city wall, by the Sea Gate.

I settled in to my apartment, and stayed in while there was a thunderstorm outside. Kotor is surrounded on three sides by mountains, and the Bay of Kotor is on the fourth side. 

In the afternoon I bought some snacks from the local supermarket. I had a ham roll and coffee for my late lunch. I also explored the streets and the squares of Kotor. 

Valentina had arranged an early registration outside the Hotel Vardar at 6pm. This was the first opportunity to meet the other Virtual Tourist (VT) attendees. We chatted and socialised and enjoyed the local beer, (Nisicka). 

Later on in the evening people separated into small groups and I joined Claus, Aleksandra & Danielle for drinks and a Sopska salad at the Bar Pub in front of St Tryphon Cathedral where we chatted until about 10.30pm.

Serbia and Montenegro, part 2, Wednesday May 29th, 2024

Wednesday, May 29th 2024

I had a full day in Belgrade for sightseeing. I had booked two walking tours through the Guru walking tour app. 

However, I, first, had to sort out a train ticket for the train, to Podgorica, tonight. I took a bus to the Centar train station and bought a ticket for the 20.30 to Podgorica. 

I returned to the city centre and had an omelette with salad, bread and coffee outside the Cafe Mihail in a shady pedestrian street. 

The first walking tour, Downtown Belgrade, started at 12.30. I met the "guru" (leader) by the fountain in Terazije Square.

Our walking tour started and we later walked down Skadarlija street, once the bohemian area, where artists and musicians lived  and were frequently enjoying the coffee, drinks and food in the kafanas. 

We continued through the city streets on our way to Kalemagdan Fortress, we passed by the language school & Bajrakli Mosque, which dates from the 1500s. 

The Fortress is on top of the hill, in the middle of a park. There are areas where we saw the place where the Danube & Sava rivers met. We also saw New Belgrade. 

On our way back to the city we stopped to see the Cathedral of Saint Michael and the kafana next door. This Kafana has the name? (question mark) due the church objecting to the name "kafana by the church". 

Our final stopping place is the Kralj Petar Primary (elementary) school, which has an interesting story. 

After this walking tour I went for a blueberry flavoured beer outside the Black Turtle bar with a guy from the USA and another from Spain. 

We returned to Terazije Square where I joined the second walking tour. 

Belgrade Modern Age walking tour with Nikola. The walking tour involved more walking, as we covered the out of town area. The theme was post Yugoslavia, we passed the National assembly, old and new city halls, the parliament building and then into Tasmajdan Park to look at the monument in memory of lives lost during the bombings of Belgrade in 1999. 

We walked to  Slavija Square which is a modern roundabout which has a large fountain in the middle and many busy roads converging. 

This tour ended in another park with the huge St. Sava Church and the Karadjordje Monument. 

After the walking tour I caught the 36 bus to Beograd Centar station and waited for the 20.30 night train for Bar in Montenegro. 

I had reserved a bunk in a compartment. The bunk was at the top (of 3) and I settled down for the night. There is no bar, buffet or restaurant on this train, passengers are advised to bring their own food and drink. I had brought a yoghurt drink and a burek (a pie made with meat, cheese surrounded with filo pastry). 

Serbia and Montenegro 2024 Part 1, Belgrade, May 28th 2024

Tuesday May 28th 2024

Photo, National Museum, Trg Rupublike 

The Virtual Tourist Euromeet was held in Kotor, Montenegro during the weekend of May 30th to June 2nd 2024.

However as I wanted to have more time to explore the area, I took off two weeks from work and made a plan which included exploring the two capital cities, Belgrade and Podgorica.

The flights were booked by my work colleague Christophe. The price of the flights included the ability to check in a suitcase.

The flight BA0888 LHR to BEG leaves early in the morning at 07.50 but arrives at 11.35, which gave me some time to explore Belgrade. 

I left my home in Calcot around 3.15 am and I travelled by Reading bus route 26 to Reading station. I then caught the 3.50 Railair coach to Heathrow Airport.

I had plenty of time to check in and pass through security before the flight departed. I had some Pret coffee and a almond croissant in the departure lounge.

The flight left on time. I had a window seat. All passengers had a complimentary bottle of water and a biscuit. The flight was very smooth, there was no terbulence.

After landing in Belgrade, Nikola Tesla Airport, I had to collect my case and I caught the A1 shuttle bus to downtown Belgrade. 

I found Belgrade a difficult city to navigate, but I eventually found my apartment, Marcel, Karad'ord'eva 91.

Soon after I settled in to the apartment, I went to get some lunch at nearby Bistro Savska. I had a beer and a Srbska salad for my lunch. 

I returned to the apartment until about 5pm, when the weather was cooler and I met Allan Christensen and Karl Reinecker from Virtual Tourist. 

We explored the city including the Kalamegdan fortress and park. The city was named as White City (Beograd) after this fortress.

We also walked to Trg Rupublike (Republic Square) and found the Flamingo Bar. We had a beer, but as the cuisine was Chinese, we decided to find an alternative bar which served local (Serbian) food.

We had a cevapi in pitta bread with chips and salad in Walter's Bar-Restaurant a few blocks away from the centre.

I returned to the apartment around midnight. 

A few days in Tenerife, March 2024

I had a week off from work in March 2024. My friends Martin and Anderson had already booked a holiday in Los Gingantes on the Canary Island, Tenerife & I was invited to meet up.

I booked my own flights and accommodation two weeks before the holiday was due to start. 

Tenerife is one of the Canary Islands off the west coast of Northern Africa. The islands are volcanic, but Tenerife is the most hilly. Mount Tiede is a volcano in the middle of the island and is the highest peak in all of Spain and her islands. 

Sunday 17th March 2024

The flight EZY8035 was scheduled to take off from London, Gatwick (LGW) at 11.50. In order to allow sufficient time to go through security I had an early start this morning.

The bus left Calcot at 05.21. Due to engineering work on the Reading to Gatwick line, buses replaced trains between Reading and Blackwater. The rail replacement bus left Reading at 06.28 and I travelled to North Camp, from where I caught the 07.46 train to Gatwick Airport. I met Martin at North Camp station and we travelled to Gatwick Airport where we arrived at 08.50.

We passed through to North Terminal Security and we had plenty of time to enjoy a large breakfast at the airport's Wetherspoon pub called The Red Lion.

Although the aeroplane took off virtually on time, our flight was delayed by about an hour. Martin & I were not seated together, but I had downloaded some radio programmes onto my tablet which kept me entertained during the flight. I also had a cup of tea and a shortbread biscuit.

We landed around 5pm and passed through passport control.

The sun was shining outside the Tenerife South (TFS) airport buildings and the temperature was about 22 degrees Celcius.

We left the airport at around 6pm and travelled to Los Gingantes on the shuttle bus. We arrived outside the Globales Hotel at around 8pm. Anderson met us. Martin and Anderson were staying in an apartment opposite the Globales Hotel.

I was staying in a small apartment on Calle Pina which was a 15 minute walk from Martin & Anderson's apartment

We all walked to my apartment and I checked in. Martin and I had our supper on the balcony which overlooked the marina, the open sea and a smaller canary island called La Gomera.

A weekend in Caerphilly (South Wales)

A weekend in Caerphilly July 2023

Caitlin Mae's mother, Helen, invited me to her daughter's 21st birthday party on July 15th 2023. I managed to sort out accommodation in Caerphilly for that Saturday night. 

Caitlin and her family have been living in the Welsh town for several years. Caitlin was now a successful and popular pop-country singer, songwriter and guitarist. I discovered Caitlin's music during the lockdown of 2020, and I have seen Caitlin perform in person at the Ilfracombe festival, in September 2021, and the Country on the coast festival, in April 2023. 

I travelled to Caerphilly from my home, by bus, train and a rail replacement bus. I caught the 10.43 Great Western Railway service from Reading to Cardiff Central. The train was not too full and I was able to have a cup of tea and biscuits while listening to CDs on a portable CD player. Due to planned engineering work, the train passed through Barton on Avon and Bath Spa on route to Bristol Parkway. The train travelled the normal route in to Wales and stopped in Newport. The train arrived in Cardiff just before 1pm. 

There was more engineering work on the Rhymney valley line from Cardiff to Caerphilly and beyond. Instead of a train there was a rail replacement bus which took me to Caerphilly. I arrived about 2pm. 

My check in time for the Ty Castell guest house was 4pm, so I had a couple of hours to explore. However, not long after I had arrived in Caerphilly there was a heavy rain shower and I had to find shelter in a doorway. 

Caerphilly is a small town of around 41,000 and is situated at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley. Caerphilly or Caerffili in Welsh, has a large castle, a shopping centre, several pubs and coffee shops. The name "Caer" means fortress in Welsh. There are many other Welsh cities, which use "caer" in their name, like Caernafon and even Cardiff's Welsh name is "Caerdydd".

I chose, an independent coffee shop opposite the castle and I had a caffe latte and a piece of cake. I also walked around the castle's peremeter and explored Morgan Jones Park, which is dedicated to the town's former MP. 

I checked into the Ty Castell Guest House along St. Martin's Road, and only a short walk from the railway station. I received a warm welcome from the owner, Stephen, and I had a ground floor en-suite bedroom. I had a cup of tea and scone, and I got ready to go out. 

The party was at the village community centre in the small village of Maesycwymmer. The nearest railway station is Hengoed, on the same line from Cardiff and Caerphilly. However, Hengoed is further "up the valley". I travelled to Hengoed station by railway replacememt bus and then I walked to the community centre. The footpath was along a former railway line, and part of the route was across a viaduct. The views of the valleys from the viaduct were stunning. 

I met Caitlin, and her parents as well as several friends of the family and other people involved in the UK country music scene including musicians like Stuart and muso manager, Rachel Sellick. 

During the evening Caitlin and her band played live music on stage, and they included some of Caitlin's original songs as well as a few covers. Someone had made a lovely cake. There was a buffet of snack food and a mobile bar, serving alcoholic and soft drinks. 

When the party was over and the hall cleared, I had a lift back to Ty Castell from Caitlin's father. 

Jonathan Barker

August 2023

A spring break on the Costa Blanca March 2022

Monday March 28th 2022

In late March 2022, my friend, Kevin Smith & I travelled from Birmingham to Alicante. For me, on Monday March 28th, I caught an early bus from my home to Reading and train from Reading to Birmingham International. I met Kevin around 8.30am. We proceeded to the airport, passing through security and settled down in Pret a manger while waiting for our flight. Ryanair FR2152

The flight was delayed by 1 hour, 40 minutes from 12.00 to 13.40. The 'plane, a Boeing 737-800 was full. The plane landed at 17.15 local time (1 hour ahead of British summer time). Alicante airport is named after Miguel Hernandes

After we landed, we passed through passport control, we collected our hire car, a Renault Clio and travelled to our hotel Campanile on the outskirts of Alicate. We checked in and then walked to the town, to have some supper and some drinks. We had a burger & chips from The Good Burger restaurant, and explored the winding streets in Alicante. We returned to our hotel for the night. 

Tuesday March 29th 2022

We woke up quite early, packed the car, and checked out. Kevin booked a walking tour of the castle for us, but the recommended parking lot was not available for motorists, as the entrance to the road leading there was blocked. We decided to proceed to Villajoyosa, about 40 minutes by car. 

I had a family holiday just outside Villajoyosa when I was 17. For me this trip was a trip "down memory lane". 

Villajoyosa (La Vila Joiosa in the local Valencian dialect) is a small town of around 30,000 situated between the city of Alicante & the popular resort, Benidorm. Villajoyosa is very different, as the town has kept its small quiet town image. There are remnents of the city walls in the old town. There are the "high street shops" along the main street, and narrow, winding streets lead down towards the sea. Facing the sea there are colourful houses, shops and bars, cafes & restaurants which serve Spanish & international meals. Some are around the small square & there are more along the "promenade". According to a legend, it was said the houses facing the sea were so colourful so that the fishermen home could find their way home. Villajoyosa also is famous for the manufacture of Valor chocolate and there is a museum dedicated to chocolate. 

 

When I was in Villajoyosa in 1973 there was a harbour where fishing boats arrived with their catches, now there is a yaghting marina. 

We drove to beach in Villajoyosa, parked up the car and had our English breakfast & cup of tea on the terrace of L'escenari tavern. We then walked along the beach promenade towards the yacht marina & we then went to Guadalest, a pretty village in the mountains, where we explored and had a coffee and biscuit outside the Balaguer cafe.

We returned to Villajoyosa in time to check in, we spent the afternoon & evening walking & having some beers in the bars on the promenade. We had pizza for our supper on the L'escentari  terrace. 

Our accommodation was a small apartment with a view of the sea. 

Wednesday 29th March 2022

We checked out of our apartment in Villajoysa in the morning. We bought some pastries from the bakery in town, and had them for breakfast on the beach before we left Villajoyosa. As our accommodation in Benidorm was not going to be available until late afternoon, we decided to go on our excursion to Canelobre caves first. The caves are situated in the mountains close to the small town of Busat. It was a 45 minute drive from Villajoyosa. 

Our route took us along the road along which I had travelled with my family in 1973, and we stopped to explore the ruined palace and observation tower atop the hill. The palace is Villa Giacomina which was built in 1910. The building has two distinctive façades, a Christian Gothic façade and an Arabic façade. The villa was occupied by Dr. Alfonso Esquerdo between 1910 & 1922. Dr Esquerdo's statue is on the promenade & facing the sea in Villajoyosa. During the Spanish Civil War 1936 to 1939 Dr. Bastos, a head of Traumatology at the Military Hospital in Villajoyosa was living in the villa. There is a local group who want to restore the villa. On the top of the hill, the Observation Tower has been repainted and spruced up since 1973, but the entry had been blocked. This tower was the private study for a famous psychiatrist & Head of the Republican party Dr. Jose Maria Esquerdo. 

We then went on our way and we arrived at the Canelobre cave around 11.20. Entry to the cave was by joining a guided tour, the next "slot" at 12 o'clock. While waiting we saw an interesting exhibition about the history of the cave & a short film in the visitor centre. We joined the guided tour which included commentary in English about how the cave, its history, legends & even how it's geological features were created. 

After out tour of the cave we drove to Benidorm. My first impression was how much the town had developed into a metropolis of about 60,000 inhabitants, wide boulevards, and high rise apartment blocks. 

We had trouble finding the accommodation agency office as the satnav directions were out by about a hundred yards but I managed to "suss" out how to use the parking meter. 

We found a little cafe which served a "small fish, chips & mushy peas" lunch for 5 Euros, which we had with a delicious cup of tea. 

We drove to Altea, a pictureque town, recommended as a half day excursion from Benidorm. There is a SEAT Altea car manufactured in Spain. 

In a car Altea is about 20 minutes from Benidorm, but due to a lack of parking spaces we returned to Benidorm, and had a job locating the entry to our apartment block. It had also started to rain heavily which didn't help either. 

After arriving, taking our luggage in the apartment we had a coffee. Then we explored the area near our apartment. There were plenty of bars, many of which had loud music blaring out into the street and those drinking inside were also loud. We found a cafeteria and we had kebab on a plate, and a beer for our supper. We then found live music, firstly an Adele tribute singer and a guy singing Take That songs in the railway themed Explorers Club. We then went to the Western saloon which had a country and western theme where we watched a rock playing duo & a country rock female singer called Kelly. 

We then returned to our apartment for the night. 

Thursday 31st March 2022

Afger all the rain yesterday afternoon & evening, the day turned out to sunny. We planned to stay in Benidorm for the day, and we had a late English breakfast in a cafe-bar. The breakfast was tasty, the price amazing at less than 3 Euros. However there was a group of loud people who were already drinking alcoholic drinks. 

Kevin had discovered there was a bus tour of the town Benidorm Bus Touristic. This a bus is based on the design of the San Francisco cable cars. For about the same price of a single cable car ticket in San Francisco, we had an hour's bus tour of Benidorm with commentary. The bus tour started & finished outside Hotel Pelicanos. The Hotel Pelicanos was one of the filming locations for the TV series Benidorm. The tour covered the 1980s expansion neighbourhoods as well as the Old Town and promenade. 

After the tour we walked towards the Old Town, and stopped by a streetside bar & had a beer. We had a great view of the beach & sea, but unlike the newer neighbourhoods the old town was quieter. 

We found Vincent's bar frequented by locals serving tapas (small savoury snacks) and wine. We had 6 tapas & a bottle of wine for 6 Euros. We found another bar and after another beer we went to a Chinese restaurant in the Old Town, where we had an excellent meal for two, including spicy chicken soup, pork, chicken, rice & ice cream. 

Our evening finished sitting outside Oliver's Bar & a walk back to our apartment. 

Friday 1st April 2022

We needed to check out early enough so we could travel to the airport and check in for our return flight. Catering inside the airport was restricted to "fast food" type establishments. We had our "breakfast" from Burger King. 

Our flight departed slightly later than the booked time of 12.40. Although we arrived on the tarmac at Manchester's Ringway airport at 3pm, we had a long wait before being allowed to disembark. There has been a shortage of staff at airports since travelling resumed after the Corona virus panademic.