This is part of the twelfth section of our around the
world trip.
Complete Trip Overview & Map
Coming from Croatia or read our previous visit when it was part of Yugoslavia
31/10/06 Montenegro is the world's newest country. Created less than
five months ago after a referendum to separate it from Serbia and one
of the reasons we are again here. Although the motorcycle visited the autonomous
region Montenegro, whilst it was part of Yugoslavia (later changing its
name to Serbia and Montenegro), it hadn't visited Montenegro, the country.
Montenegro and East Timor are the only two new countries created
during the almost eleven years we have been travelling. A friendly welcome
at the border but we needed to buy motorcycle insurance, not having the
usual European Green cardInsurance, 10 Euro for the minimum two weeks,
and we received a stamp in our passports, the first since entering Italy
from Tunisia last week. Again the coast is developing with every second
place displaying a Sobe, Zimmer, Rooms, Chambre sign advertising home stay
accommodation. Almost all now are closed and we moved along the coast and
into the mountains towards the small and new capital, of Podgorica, of
this
country of 650,000 people, and settled in a lovely mountain lakeside
village for the night. The old building also houses a restaurant and with
a few British holiday makers we enjoyed an early evening wine as the sun
set at five pm and dinner was over soon after in this early to bed town.
1/11/06 There was little available information on our chosen route
through Montenegro and directly into the UN-NATO protectorate of Kosovo,
trying to avoid having to cross the main Serbian territory. The immigration
official on entering Montenegro advised that the road directly into Kosovo
was open. We headed through Podgorica looking for a map of Serbia and Montenegro
but they have taken on the independence of Montenegro with such great enthusiasm
that all maps of Serbia have disappeared from the few petrol stations where
we enquired. It was about 200 km through Kolasin, Mojkovac, Berane and
Rozaje before we approached the border. Frost was still on the ground in
isolated corners of the road as it twisted over a mountain pass through
tunnels and small settlements preparing for the winter. Again a great riding
road with magnificent scenery in all directions. Immigration just looked
at our passports, asked where we were headed and we left Montenegro at
the top of a snow covered pass for Kosovo.
Move with us to Serbia (Kosovo)
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