Montenegro, Budva: baby steps

Sometimes in life (or on 'road' trips) you need to take baby steps. And sometimes you need to jump in with two feet.

Eric & I, piqued by challenge as we are, decided to simultaneously, and one might argue paradoxically, do both.

The challenge was to see some more countries together - and, after safely ensuring the 'zones' students were on the plane back to Qatar, we jumped onto the overnight bus from Sarajevo to Budva with two feet.

We would take baby steps upon 4am arrival in country #7, hesitant that our uncaffinated state at this time could cause confusion.

A sugary 6am breakfast, a wrong turn and two correct turns later, we were in Stari Grad, the walls of the old city. Upon the understanding that coffee would not be available until 8am (the horrers!) we sat on a ledge lookout.

'psstt, Michelle, you're sleeping really close to the edge'

Oooooops. Shuffle position. Close eyes again. Bliss. 7:58 wakeup, 8:00 am sitting at a coffee shop, 8:05 espresso in our hands, 8:15 I'll take an hour nap on this hammock while Eric reads.

Another espresso later and at 9:30 it's time to jump into this city - this city that is the baby step or the 'mini' of Dubrovnik. We're also in preparation ;)

We got lost amidst the narrow white stone steps, passing by shops, churnes both Roman and Orthodo, seafood restaurants, pizza stands, and Chinese food restaurants.... Wait, what?! Yah, we don't know.

After about half an hour, we had walked not only across the whole town, but on every street of the old town. Some, even twice. Or three times. I think this one is my favourite...

Salads, Dalmatian ham pizza, crepe dessert, and yes, another coffee under a leafy roof-thing and in front of the world cup would take up the late morning & early afternoon. By that point we'd each hit our second 'bathroom' of the day, which meant this country had been visited*, and we could go back to the bus station.

(*The Eric Moses Lightfoot criteria for visiting a country dictates that in order to count as a country visited, one must leave the airport/train/bus station, have a meal, and use the bathroom at least twice)

Full day yet? No, it's only 14:15, but the baby steps are complete and we're hopping on the bus to Croatia, Dubrovnik.