Kotor, Montenegro

Today was a long haul travel day from Trogir, past Dubrovnik all the way to Kotor, Montenegro. The motorway parts are a breeze but it isn't finished past junction 30a (and it might be better to get off at junction 30). We took it to the end, being optimists. The road you are dropped on to get down to the coastal Highway 8 is a windy, bumpy bit of pavement for many miles. We soldiered on and eventually rejoined good old Highway 8 we had left up in Split for the motorway. You can go all the way on 8 but I don't know if that would be any better. Dubrovnik looks impressive based on stolen glances from on high but that awaits us later.

We finally got a Croatian stamp in our passports! We had not gotten one on entry from Italy by boat, nor when round-tripping to Slovenia and not even for the brief transit of Bosnia going down to Dubrovnik. I always treasure the memories that go with stamps in old passports and it is a bit sad that fewer and fewer places still stamp. Still, I appreciate faster passage across borders too, so there is a gain.

Just a mile or so down the road after leaving Croatia is the Montenegro entry station. You pay your 10 Euro Eco-Tax, get your passport stamp (whee!!) and off you go. I had expected longer delays based on other travelers tales.

We stopped for a soda at the town of Herceg Novi -- a welcome break. The Olimpia restaurant had open-wifi so we caught up with the world. Then it was back to Faithful Fabio and on the road again.

The Bay of Kotor is rather like an extended fjord but because it is wider than most fjords, the impression of sheer walls is lost. Going around the edge, as we did, adds many miles but some nice views. There is a car ferry that pinches off the loop though if you are in a hurry.

We had instructions to call the hotel when we got near Kotor and they would rendezvous with us near the old South Gate. "Can You Hear Me Now" failed -- we didn't get any bars on our backup UK cell phone. Plan B: park the car and make our way to the hotel using the GPS. This proved exceedingly easy. Then the hotel sent a man to get our bags and show me where I could park the car longer term.

The Boutique Hotel Astoria is in a 13th century palace. Clearly, the interior has been updated by at least 800 years to be very modern. This is also the first hotel where I have stayed in "Room Gamma". Fears of radiation notwithstanding, the room is great. It has a desk, sitting chairs in a lounging area and a full wall mural behind the bed that is evokes memories of the TV show "Lost"(see picture). We haven't seen such fancy bathroom fixtures since Barcelona -- even the marble sink glows in the dark when switched on.

We did the usual walk-around but did not walk the town walls -- maybe tomorrow. Dinner was OK but a bit odd as the "menu of the day" was missing the soup and salad courses -- they seemed to be out of these.

What I understand is that Montenegro is trying to increase its appeal to international tourists. In doing so, they are creating boutique hotels (like ours which has only existed for a year and a half). In the same vein, restaurants are trying to go up-market. I spotted a "Hotel and Restaurant management" school in the town -- further evidence of the training going on. Still the rough edges are showing and it will take a bit more time to erase some the third world flavor.

After checking out from Hotel Asdtoria, we headed over towards Radovici so I could pick up a geocache for Montenegro. Soon after passing the airport area on a little back road, I rounded a corner to see a policeman waving me to the side of the road. He came over and informed me I was doing 78kph in a 50kph zone and showed me the radar print out. I dug out my passport and was getting ready to get the International Driver's License and regular driver's license when he sternly told me "you must not go so fast. The speed limit is 50 kph. Ciao." and waved me off down the road. "Thank you sir" said I. For the rest of the day we scrupulously obeyed the posted limits.

Earlier in Croatia, we had seen three separate places where radar was being used so it is common-place. My advice is don't speed and if oncoming traffic flashes their lights at you be sure you are legal. "Radar Controlled" signs are also commonly seen.