Today I hit the deck running! Two cruise ships (each carrying around 2,000 eager tourists) sailed off last night, and by 7 a.m. two more had rolled in — which meant one thing: the Old City was about to be buzzing. So, I headed out early to get ahead of the crowds. By 11 a.m., it was wall-to-wall people and time for me to make a graceful exit!
The Old City really is spectacular — every cobblestone oozes history and beauty — but it does come with a price tag. A walk along the famous city walls? That’ll set you back 40 euros. Judging by the number of people still on ground level, I’d say only a brave few took that financial climb!
As for food, it ranged from “reasonable” to “I might need a small loan.” I did, however, score a delicious classic omelette for 15 euros, complete with coffee, bread, and spreads. The little squirrel in me tucked those spreads away — breakfast sorted for the next few days!
Public toilets, though, were another story — 2 euros a visit! That’s 4 Australian dollars just to have a pee! So, naturally, I took full advantage of the restaurant facilities. The miser in me was very pleased.
Tomorrow is a public holiday — All Saints’ Day — to remember souls lost, and marking the end of the tourist season. My hotel is officially closing for the year, and tonight I’m the only guest! Dana, the lovely motel manager, locks up after I leave at 10:30 a.m. She’s Croatian but lives in Bosnia, coming over each year from August to October to manage the property.
She warned me that tomorrow the roads will be chaotic, as families head to cemeteries to honour their loved ones — a strong and touching tradition here. Tonight, the flower market was alive with colour, and blooms were flying off the stalls as fast as they arrived. Tomorrow, the cemeteries will glow with candles and flowers — it’s going to be quite a sight.
As for me, I’ll be catching the bus to Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro (the ferries stopped mid-October, sadly). From there, it’s back on the bike and off towards the Albanian border — adventure awaits!