We left Montenegro hoping our newly fixed slow puncture would withstand the journey ahead – there was a long way to travel to the Netherlands and we were planning two small “side trips” en route.
For the first time, we crossed over to Croatia via the tiny border crossing near Vitaljina – the southernmost settlement in Croatia – instead of the more straightforward crossing on the main road from Herceg Novi.
The trip there took us the length of the Igalo peninsula in Montenegro and as the road turned north we crossed over into Croatia and travelled back up the narrow peninsula. A very strange geographical anomaly – a result of negotiations after the Yugoslav Wars (1991 – 2001.)
We soon rejoined the road to Dubrovnik and as usual, we marvelled at the wonderful views of this beautiful city.
Photos of the road we travelled really don’t do justice to the stunning views of sparkling sea on one side and mountains on the other. These never fail to take our breath away.
As we approached our stop for the night, a sweet little resort town called Gradac, we realised that our slow puncture which had been “fixed” in Kotor, Montenegro by a lovely man we dubbed “Saint Peter”, was going down again!
Fortunately we were able to get to our camping spot but we were more than a little concerned as Gradac was a tiny little seaside holiday place and the chances of finding a tyre repair outlet were more than slim.
It was late evening by the time we arrived so we decided not to worry about it until the next day and simply enjoy watching the glorious sunset while walking along the water’s edge.
The following day Jonathan searched the Internet and to our surprise found out there was a garage in the village. We were hopeful that they would have a tyre repair shop as well but based on past experience, very much doubted it.
Jonathan set off on his electric bike and came upon a Mercedes dealership – what are the chances of find such a place in a very rural part of Croatia?! He was wandering around the forecourt and a woman came out to see what he wanted.
He explained about the flat tyre and how we were on a trip to the Netherlands to see our pregnant daughter and she sprung into action.
“My husband can help” she said in a “we must get you through this so you can drive quickly to your daughter” kind of way. Next minute she was on the phone to her husband and very soon he was on his way to try and fix the tyre.
They pulled out all the stops to get us on our way. Apparently the repair we had in Montenegro was really meant for a scooter or small car tyre but now we had one fit for a truck or van!
By midday we were on our way again, enjoying the stunning views of Croatia’s ultra blue ocean and the rugged and rocky landscape.
We turned inland and marvelled at the incredible mountain scenery before stopping for the night on the shores of the lake at Posedarj.
We stayed at a cute campsite in a little grove of young oak trees. It was quite expensive to stay there but in the evening there was a knock at the door and the owner’s daughter was there with a big plate of freshly cooked and very yummy pancakes!
The weather was beautiful when we took off the following day but by the afternoon the sunshine had turned to torrential rain and poor visibility.
Jonathan jokingly said he hoped we weren’t leaving a trail of bubbles as a bottle of washing up liquid, stored in the boot, had fallen on its side and spilt over the floor.
When we opened the boot later we realised that “many a true word is spoken in jest” as there were literally bubbles everywhere resulting from the flooding rain splashing into the boot and then mixing with the spilt washing up liquid! Who ever heard of a camper van blowing bubbles?!
By the time we reached the border with Slovenia the weather had started to improve and we drove through this pretty little country quickly and were soon in Padua, Italy, where we spent the night.
We had arranged to meet my sister Sarah and brother-in-law Martin (from England) in La Brigue in the Alpes-Maritimes in southeastern France the following day so we set off fairly early to ensure we would arrive before evening set in.
The drive through the mountains to La Brigue was really spectacular and quite thrilling with lots of winding bends, narrow roads, and steep gorges with rushing water cascading down to the valley below. We also travelled through long tunnels that were cut through the mountains which made the journey shorter and easier than driving up hill and down dale for part of the journey.
We saw castles and hydro electric pumping stations and towards the end of the trip we travelled through some sweet mountain villages.
Finally at around 5 pm we arrived in La Brigue which is now part of France but was an Italian village until after World War ll.
We easily found the camper van site at the end of the village – and what a location! We camped in the shadow of the surrounding mountains close by to a bubbling mountain stream which we could hear from inside the van. The mountain air was so sweet!
Once settled we walked to the beautiful inn where Sarah and Martin were staying – appropriately called “Auberge St Martin” – and had an excellent dinner together in the Italian style pizzeria which served delicious Italian/French fusion food.
Salty tales from Bali Hai on Sunday 
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