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View on the Lighthouse Way Trek Contents 30 May 2024 - Stage 6 of the Lighthouse Way 31 May 2024 - Stage 8 of the Lighthouse Way 1 June 2024 - Day Trip to A Coruña 2 June 2024 - Stage 5 of the Lighthouse Way 3 June 2024 - Muxia & outing to Muros 4 June 2024 - Stage 7 of the Lighthouse Way 5 June 2024 - Stage 4 of the Lighthouse Way Links to other Blogs about our Road Trip 30 May 2024 - Stage 6 of the Lighthouse Way Trek It was a short 2 hour drive northwards from Pontevedra to Muxia. When we arrived at midday it was only 17 degrees centigrade and there was a very strong and chilly wind. We had enjoyed temperatures of 27 degrees centigrade in Pontevedra yesterday. We rented a 3 bedroom apartment in Muxia through Booking.com for only Eur 474 for a week. We have a bit of a sea view and we were very pleased with the apartment. The first thing I did was put on the heating as Muxia was so cold! We were spending a week in Muxia to do several sections of the 8 day Lighthouse Way trek as day hikes. This afternoon we wanted to do part of stage 6 of the Lighthouse Way trek. It is the longest section of the trek and it takes about 10 hours. We certainly didn't have time to do the whole stage! Much of stage 6 of the Lighthouse Way trek is along main roads and through forests and towns which doesn't appeal to us. We like paths through open countryside so we can enjoy views. We therefore decided to do the last part of stage 6 which runs much closer to the sea than the first part. We needed to take a taxi to Leis beach and then walk about 10 kilometres back to Muxia. There are about 7 taxi drivers in Muxia and one of them is Mathew Smith who is a Brit living in Muxia. I gave Mathew a call as we were apprehensive about communicating with Spanish taxi drivers. He agreed to pick us up in the afternoon. The weather improved in the afternoon, although it was windy, and it was a very pleasant 2.5 hour walk. It did involve some walking along roads and forests. However, the roads were very quiet rural roads and the forests were natural rather than plantations. In the evening we had a meal at Bar O Porto on Muxia's seafront. Mathew had recommended it but had warned us that the young waitress rarely smiled. Mathew was right as the food was good and the waitress didn't smile! See my blog Day Hikes on the Lighthouse Way  for information on planning hikes on the Lighthouse Way. 31 May 2024 - Stage 8 of the Lighthouse Way Trek Last night I called Mathew to arrange for him to take us to Lires Beach in the morning and collect us from Finisterre in the late afternoon. This would enable us to do a lot of stage 8 of the Lighthouse Way trek. The entire stage 8 of the Lighthouse Way trek is 27 kilometres long and takes about 9 hours. We planned to do 17 kilometres of it. This meant cutting out the road section from Nemina to Lires Beach at the start and an uphill section to Finisterre lighthouse at the end. The coastal scenery was fantastic but it was a hard 6 hour hike with several hills to walk up and down. Fortunately the strong wind was behind us and the weather was sunny and warm. We were pleased that we hadn't attempted to do the complete section. The path was very quiet and we only passed one couple, and a woman walking on her own, coming the other way. That's the way I like it! Just before we reached Finisterre I called Mathew and he came to collect us. It cost Eur 57 for the taxi there and back which was worth it, enabling us to do a beautiful hike that wasn't excessively long. See my blog Day Hikes on the Lighthouse Way for information on planning hikes on the Lighthouse Way. 1 June 2024 - Day Trip to A Coruña The sunny and dry weather continued today and the weather forecast is good for our entire week in Muxia. If so we are really lucky as Galicia isn't renowned for good weather! We took a break from hiking today and drove one hour north to the large town of A Coruna to do some sightseeing. We parked at Aparcadoiro Palexco which has plenty of large parking spaces, toilets and is very close to A Coruna's historic centre. We had lunch and then spent an hour wandering around A Coruna's old town. It is very pleasant but there isn't an awful lot to see. Afterwards we drove over to the nearby Torre de Hercules. This is a Roman Lighthouse dating from the second century which was restored and re-clad in the late 18th century. It was closed when we got there but it is in a very nice position and there are good views from the base. There is a free car park at the Torre de Hercules and also free parking on the street. 2 June 2024 - Stage 5 of the Lighthouse Way Trek Mathew drove us to Arou in the morning so we could walk to Camarinas on stage 5 of the Lighthouse Way trek. This is the most scenic section of the 8 day trek. It is 24 kilometres long and has had the most shipwrecks. It is known as the Coast of Death (Costa de Al Muerta). We shortened the hike a bit by asking Mathew to drop us off at Lobeiras viewpoint which is 1.7 kilometres past Arou. It was then a beautiful 6 kilometre walk to the English Cemetery where 142 of the bodies recovered from the HMS Serpent were buried. The cemetery also commemorates the death of sailors from 2 other British vessels that ran aground in the 19th century. HMS Serpent reached this stretch of coast in November 1890 2 days after leaving Plymouth. It was carrying 176 crew members. Sadly the ship ran aground in thick fog and only 3 crew members survived. Shortly after the English cemetery the coastal path changed to a little used coastal road leading to the Vilan lighthouse. We followed it most of the way but cut out the final steep climb up to the lighthouse. By now the wind was ferocious and it would have been even worse at the lighthouse. We had intended to phone Mathew to have him pick us up from Lago Beach which is 2.5 kilometres before Camarinas. However, the walk took less time than we had anticipated and Mathew couldn't collect us before 16.30 as he was hosting a lunch party. We therefore walked to Camarinas and called him from there. The hike took about 6 hours in total and it wasn't too tiring as there weren't many hills. In the evening we tried another restaurant that Mathew had recommended. It is called the A Marina and is very popular. We had a good seafood dinner and the staff were very pleasant and smiled! See my blog Day Hikes on the Lighthouse Way  for information on planning hikes on the Lighthouse Way. 3 June 2024 - Muxia & outing to Muros The wind was much calmer so we explored Muxia in the morning. Muxia is an attractive small town on a headland and we really liked it. We walked to the end of the headland where there is a church and lighthouse. Just above the church there is a granite sculpture called A Ferida (The Wound). The sculpture was donated as a tribute to the volunteers who helped the Galician people when the Prestige Oil spill occurred in 2002. The MV Prestige was carrying 77,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil in a heavy storm when it sank and spilled an estimated 60,000 tonnes of oil. In the afternoon we drove south along the coast from Muxia to the small town of Muros. The drive wasn't as scenic as I hoped as we didn't have many views of the coast. It was very hot in Muros and if we had brought our swimming gear we would have gone to the beach. Instead we walked around Muros's small historic centre in the heat. The only sight is really the Church of Santa Maria which has a wooden ceiling is in the shape of an inverted ship's keel. 4 June 2024 - Stage 7 of the Lighthouse Way Trek Mathew drove us to the tiny coastal settlement of Talon near Nemina Beach so we could walk to Muxia on stage 7 of the Lighthouse Way trek. The Lighthouse Way trek goes from the north to the south but we reversed the direction of this stage so we could finish the walk at our apartment. There had been a very strong northerly wind for several days. As we hadn't wanted to walk into the wind we left this stage until the wind had calmed down. Stage 7 of the Lighthouse Way trek is 25.3 kilometres long and is meant to take about 9.25 hours. It involves ascending 750 metres in one section plus other hills. I decided to make it more enjoyable by taking a few short cuts where possible. This reduced the distance by about 8 kilometres. It turned out to be our least favourite section of the Lighthouse Way trek as there weren't good views of the coast for half the walk. Also there were boggy sections and a lot of the walk was on overgrown paths with gorse and brambles scratching us. On the way we met a young British guy walking towards us. He warned us that his wife had been attacked by a dog whilst taking a short cut to avoid walking around a headland. His trek had been organised by an agency and they had arranged for a taxi to take his wife to a doctor. We were very surprised that he hadn't gone with her! We are very nervous of dogs so we abandoned our plan to bypass the headland as the dog was running wild on the road. We could hear it barking in the distance. The scenery on the headland was beautiful so it was a good decision. The hike took us about 7.25 hours and we were very tired. It was a hot day and there was little wind. Sometimes the wind is beneficial! See my blog Day Hikes on the Lighthouse Way  for information on planning hikes on the Lighthouse Way. 5 June 2024 - Stage 4 of the Lighthouse Way Trek Fog was forecast f or today. It was fo ggy when we woke up but fortunately it soon cleared. I was planning to drive 23 kilometres to Arou, take a local taxi to Laxe and then walk back to Arou on stage 4 of the Lighthouse Way trek. However, there are very few taxi drivers in Laxe and Arou and we didn't relish communicating with them in Spanish. I therefore called Mathew again and arranged for Lani to travel in his car to Arou and for me to follow him in our car. Due to the local law Lani had to be in the taxi. I then parked our car in a free car park in Arou and Mathew drove both of us to Praia dos Cristais near Laxe. It turns out that it was Matthew who had taken the woman to the doctor yesterday. He told us that the dog was indeed very aggressive and the wife was badly shaken up by it all. He also found it bizarre the husband didn't stay with her! This was the last time we would be using Mathew and we were sad to say goodbye. He was very good company and very knowledgeable and informative. We had spent several hours chatting to him over the last week. If you go to Muxia I highly recommend him. His telephone number is 34 683 36 24 65. Stage 4 is the easiest section of the Lighthouse Way trek as it is only 18 kilometres long and there is very little elevation. We cut out the first 2.8 kilometres of the hike and in total the hike took us 5.25 hours. It was a much more scenic hike than yesterday's hike. The terrain was also easier except near the end when the trail goes through an interesting boulder field. See my blog Day Hikes on the Lighthouse Way  for information on planning hikes on the Lighthouse Way. Links to other Blogs about our Road Trip from England to Morocco Day Hikes on the Lighthouse Way Week 1 - Salamanca, Toledo, Cordoba & Granada Week 2 - Spain to Morocco Week 3 - Southern Morocco Week 4 - Marrakesh to Todra Gorge Week 5 - Todra Gorge - Merzouga - Fes - Chefchaouen Week 6 - Morocco to Cadiz & Seville Week 7 - Seville to Portugal Week 8 - Porto to Pontevedra, Spain Week 10 - Muxia, Spain to Plymouth, UK

Porto Contents 23 May 2024 - Porto 24 May 2024 - Porto 25 May 2024 - Porto 26 May 2024 - Porto to Pontevedra, Spain 27 May 2024 - Pontevedra 28 May 2024 - 28 May 2024 - Day Trip to Santiago de Compostela 29 May 2024 - Day Trip to Vigo Links to Other Blogs on our Road Trip 23 May 2024 - Porto We took an Uber into Porto today and it cost Eur 7, which isn't much more than 2 tickets on the metro would have cost. We first visited the 12th century Porto Cathedral which the Rough Guide said wasn't very special. The entry fee was Eur 5 and it was worth it. There was a lot to see and there were good views from the tower. Our next stop was the Sao Bento train station! It is a tourist attraction as it has historic scenes made from 22,000 blue ceramic tiles. We had lunch at Cafe da Gina on the upper floor of the Mercado de Bolhao. The food was excellent and it was so much cheaper than restaurants in tourist areas. They have very good reviews on Tripadvisor . We walked over to Porto city hall and about 20 people were patiently waiting for their turn to pose in front of the Porto sign! The avenue leading down from the City hall was lined with interesting buildings. We paid a Eur 5 entrance fee to visit the interesting church of Carmo. It was built for monks and is very ornate. The entrance fee also covered the Carmelita nunnery which is now a museum. The Church and the Nunnery are separated by probably the narrowest house in Portugal, barely 1 metre wide. This house was built as churches couldn't share the same wall. As we had plenty more time in Porto we called it a day and took an Uber back to our apartment. We were impressed with Porto and preferred it to Lisbon. 24 May 2024 - Porto We took an Uber from our apartment to the beach area of Porto. From there we walked for about 1.5 hours to the centre of Porto along the Atlantic coast and the Douro river. It was a sunny day but there were only a few people on the beaches. We had a quick lunch and then continued walking along the river to the old Ribiera area on the waterfront of Porto. It was very lively and it is one of the most popular areas of Porto for visitors. We walked across the lower deck of the Ponte Luiz I bridge to the south side of the Douro which is known as Gaia. It is another busy and popular water front area as there are excellent views across the river to the historic centre of Porto. There is a cable car (Teleférico) which goes along Gaia's waterfront up to the upper deck of the Pont Luiz 1 bridge. We took the cable car despite the Eur 7 charge being a bit expensive for a 5 minute ride. 25 May 2024 - Porto We had a more relaxed day today and took an Uber to the Crystal Palace gardens in Porto. Porto's Crystal Palace was modelled on London's Crystal Palace but the original structure has been replaced by a modern dome shaped building. It is possible to walk on top of the dome but it costs an extortionate Eur 10. The Crystal Palace gardens are worth seeing. The views over the city and the river are the best feature. There were lots of peacocks, peahens and cockerels strutting their stuff. We walked into the historic centre of Porto from the Crystal Palace gardens and wandered around. A couple of days ago we had come across a long queue of people waiting to get into the Livraria Lello bookstore. We didn't know why at the time but this bookstore is said to have inspired JK Rowling when she lived in Porto before writing Harry Potter. Apparently she frequented the bookstore. Lonely Planet ranks it as the world's third most beautiful bookstore. I have seen photos of the Livraria Lello  bookstore and it is impressive. However, I wouldn't go to the hassle of buying an online ticket for Eur 8 and queuing to enter a bookstore crowded with Harry Potter fans. I'm not a fan! We later passed the Majestic Cafe which also had queues to enter. It turns out that it was a popular hangout for JK Rowling. 26 May 2024 - Drive from Porto to Pontevedra, Spain We drove 170 kilometres from Porto to Pontevedra in Spain. We visited Ponte de Lima and Valencia do Minho on the way to Pontevedra. Both towns were on our route and were worth visiting according to the Rough Guide book. We also couldn't check into our next apartment in Pontevedra until 17.00 and therefore needed something to fill in the time! Ponte de Lima is one of the oldest towns in Portugal and is on the River Lima. Ponte de Lima is an attractive town but doesn't have any real sights. There was plenty of safe and free parking at the " Parque Estacionamento - Expolima ". It was a Sunday and Ponte de Lima's centre was busy with Portuguese visitors and locals strolling around. We walked over the old 14th century bridge to the Parque do Arnada and then strolled around the town centre and the riverside. After lunch at Ponte de Lima we drove the short distance to Valenca do Minho. Its old town is within 13th century fortifications. We drove through several narrow gateways to park inside the walls at " Parking Fortaleza ". It wasn't free but it seemed secure which was important as we had our luggage in the car. The Rough Guide made out that Valenca do Minh would be swarming with tourists and being a Sunday I feared the worst. Fortunately there weren't many visitors and we spent a pleasant hour wandering around Valenca do Minh's historic centre. We reached Pontevedra at 17.00 and checked into a very modern 1 bedroom apartment that we had booked through Booking.com for Eur 71 per night. We will be staying 4 nights in Pontevedra. 27 May 2024 - Pontevedra The weather in Galacia isn't usually good but we woke to sun and the weather forecast is good for the next week. It was only a 10 minute walk along the river from our apartment to the historic centre of Pontevedra. It was surprisingly quiet in Pontevedra but that may have been because it was a Monday morning. The centre of Pontevedra is a very pleasant place to wander around but there aren't many sights. We visited t he convent of San Francisco, which was founded by St Frances of Asissi, and entry was free. We also visited the Basilica of Santa Maria Mayor, a 16th century Roman Catholic church. The interior was plain but beautiful. It was free to enter the church but we paid Eur 1 to climb up the bell tower We entered the Church of the Pilgrim (Igreja de la Peregrina) and again entry was free. The church's scallop shell shape is thought to indicate that it was intended for use by the pilgrims on the road to Santiago. We had problems finding any restaurants open for lunch and it seems that Mondays are a very quiet day. We had lunch at an Indian restaurant as we couldn't find any other open restaurants. However, on the way back to our apartment we saw that there were 2 or 3 restaurants open in the Plaza da Lena. We had spent about 4 hours walking around the centre of Pontevedra and had seen everything there was to see. 28 May 2024 - Day Trip to Santiago de Compostela We drove 40 minutes from Pontevedra to Santiago de Compostela today. I am very conscious that car parking in Spain can be very difficult. I therefore always research car parking beforehand and had found 2 car parks that were near the centre and had good reviews. We tried the cheaper " Parking Municipa Belvis " first but unfortunately it was full and after circling around a few times we gave up. Luckily there was plenty of space at the " Continental Aparcadoiro " and the parking spaces were reasonably wide. It didn't break the bank as 4 hours cost about Eur 8. The main site in Santiago de Compostela is the cathedral and we headed straight there. Four squares surround the cathedral and each square provides a different perspective of the cathedral. Obradoiro square is the largest of the four squares surrounding the cathedral. The Hostel of the Catholic Monarchs adjoins the square. It was founded in 1499 to house pilgrims and is now a Parador. Raxoi Palace is also on the square and was built in 1766. It was originally used as a seminary and is now the City Hall. The smallest of the 4 squares is Platerías Plaza which has the baroque Casa Cabildo, which was built in the 18th century. In the centre of the square is the Fountain of Horses. The Plaza da Quintana is flanked by the Monastery of San Martino. It was founded in the 10th century to house monks overseeing the relics of Santiago. It is the second largest monastery in Spain covering 20,000 square metres. Visitors aren't allowed to enter. We entered the cathedral to which entry is free. It was full of pilgrims, people who have hiked the Camino and other visitors. There was a long queue to see the bones of St James in the crypt and to go behind the high alter. We didn't do this as the queue was too long. We had lunch at the Mercado de Abastos as its sea food restaurants have a good reputation. Lani ordered octopus for Eur 20 and was given a whole one which was a very large portion. I ordered a dish of scallops costing Eur 20 and got ten very small ones! As I was still hungry and I ordered a octopus for myself! 29 May 2024 - Day Trip to Vigo We drove along the coast to Donon which is south west of Pontevedra. Most of the coast around Pontevedra has been spoiled by development. However, there is very little development on the very scenic headland at Donon. There was free parking on the coast at Donon and signs showing walks in the area. We decided to walk south to the two lighthouses near Praia de Melide. We initially walked south along a narrow road and after ten minutes turned off onto the coastal path. There was a sign saying "Senda da Costeira" at the turn off. The path went all the way to the lighthouses and it took about an hour. It was a very scenic walk and there are two nice beaches just past the light houses. On the way back we took a quicker dirt track that didn't follow the coast and joined up with the road near the car park. The signboards at the car park showed that there was another interesting coastal walk northwards to an iron age fort. Unfortunately we didn't have time to do it. We then drove to nearby Cangas. We parked the car and took a 20 minute passenger ferry ride across the estuary to Vigo. It was a very modern ferry which runs every half an hour and only costs Eur 2.80 each way There isn't that much to see in Vigo. We had lunch first and then wandered around the older part of Vigo. We were intrigued that there are a series of covered escalators from the lower part of Vigo to the upper town. Links to other Blogs about our Road Trip from England to Morocco Week 1 - Salamanca, Toledo, Cordoba & Granada Week 2 - Spain to Morocco Week 3 - Southern Morocco Week 4 - Marrakesh to Todra Gorge Week 5 - Todra Gorge - Merzouga - Fes - Chefchaouen Week 6 - Morocco to Cadiz & Seville Week 7 - Seville to Portugal Week 9 - Muxia & the Lighthouse Way Week 10 - Muxia, Spain to Plymouth, UK

Sintra, Portugal Contents 16 May 2024 - Seville to Caceres 17 May 2024 - Caceres & Trujillo 18 May 2024 - Caceres to Lisbon 19 May 2024 - Lisbon 20 May 2024 - Lisbon 21 May 2024 - Lisbon 22 May 2024 - Lisbon to Porto Links to other Blogs about our Road Trip 16 May 2024 - Drive from Seville to Caceres It was a lovely sunny morning when we left Seville but the temperature dropped to 14 degrees centigrade as we drove north towards Cáceres. It was a big change from the 31 centigrade that greeted us on Sunday when we arrived in Seville! We stopped off at Merida to visit the Roman Colony that Augustus founded in 25 BC to resettle soldiers who had been honourably discharged from the Roman Army. The main sites at Merida are a Roman amphitheatre and a very impressive Roman theatre. We had bought a combined entry ticket for Eur 8 that covered the theatre, amphitheatre and a few other Roman sites at Merida. The Roman House of Anfiteatro was included in the ticket and we visited it as it was nearby The Roman house was thought to belong to an important family and there were some impressive mosaics. The most famous ones are a mosaic showing three men treading grapes and a mosaic of fish, a symbol of good luck for the house. We drove on to Cáceres. After checking in to the excellent Barceló Cáceres V Centenario hotel we had a pleasant walk around the historic centre of Cáceres. It was founded by the ancient Romans. Cáceres is encircled by 12th century Moorish walls and has a mix of Gothic and Renaissance architecture with cobbled streets. 17 May 2024 - Trujillo We drove 30 minutes from Caceres to visit nearby Trujillo which is the birthplace of Francisco Pizarro who conquered the Inca empire. Trujillo is an unspoilt small historic town with numerous attractive old stone buildings. We parked in an underground car park that had good parking spaces and was cheap. We expected there would be a lot of other visitors at Trujillo but there were very few and fortunately only one group. We spent a very pleasant morning wandering around Trujillo and then drove to Caceres for lunch. We preferred Trujillo to Caceres and it was easier to find our way. 18 May 2024 - Drive from Caceres to Lisbon We drove from Caceres to Lisbon today. We had driven in Spain for 3.5 weeks without paying a single toll for using their good highways. Unfortunately Portugal charges for the use of their highways and it cost Eur 18 to drive 190 kilometres from the border with Spain to Lisbon. We arrived at our apartment in the outskirts of Lisbon at 15.00. That was the earliest we could check in and we were met by the very friendly owner of the apartment. He spent an hour chatting to us and explaining everything about the apartment. We were very happy with the one bedroom apartment that we had booked through Booking.com for Eur 123 per night. It is only a minute's walk away from the metro station and then a 15 minute ride to Lisbon's historic centre. As we had 4 nights in Lisbon we decided not to go into the centre until tomorrow. We did some shopping at the nearby supermarket and bought some delicious chicken from a restaurant for dinner. 19 May 2024 - Lisbon We took the Metro into the centre of Lisbon. We started by walking around Lisbon's main downtown area which is known as the Baixia. This area was built in grid formation after the earthquake in 1755. First we visited Rossio which is one of three squares forming a triangle around the old Baixa area. From there we walked to Arco da Rúa Augusta which is a huge arch adorned with statues of historical figures and acts as a gateway to Lisbon. It was built to celebrate Lisbon's reconstruction after the earthquake. There are hills on both the western and eastern sides of the Baixia. The area on the eastern side is known as the Alfama and we walked up to it after seeing the Baixia area. It was a Sunday and there were quite a number of Portuguese and foreign tourists. The Castle is the top tourist attraction in the Alfama and when we reached the castle there was a long line up at the ticket office. Tickets cost a whopping Eur 15 and we decided not to enter! There isn't much to see at the castle anyway and it is mainly visited for the views of Lisbon and to wander around the grounds. We went back to Baixia for lunch. As we were walking I felt someone touch my back pack and immediately turned around. There were two guys behind me and I think they had tried to open the top zipper as I found it partially open. Luckily my back pack is very old and the zip often jams. We had lunch at a restaurant in one of the more touristy streets in Lisbon. When I asked for the bill they asked me to go inside to pay. They then told me that their credit card machine wasn't working and I had to pay cash. Instead of giving me a printed bill I was shown the bill on a mobile phone. The amount was much more than I expected. Upon close examination it was because they charged an extra Eur 3 for each of our main courses and had also added an Eur 5 service charge. I got them to reduce the bill by Eur 11 for these items. I am sure they tried to scam us and the waiter deliberately didn't want us to pay by credit card so he could keep the amount over charged. This is the first time we have had such an issue on our road trip. 20 May 2024 - Lisbon We took the metro into Lisbon and explored the Biarro Alto area. We wanted to go up the hill on the Elevador de Bica, a funicular railway built in 1892, but it wasn't working so we walked instead. We then wanted to visit the Church of Sao Roque but that was closed! The Convent and Archaeological museum do Carmo was open! It was once Lisbon's greatest church and was built in the 14th century. It was badly damaged in the earthquake of 1755 and never rebuilt. Among the items displayed in the museum were an Egyptian sarcophagus dating back to 3rd century BC and 2 Peruvian mummies. Afterwards we took a 40 minute train ride along the coast to Cascais where we had a good lunch of seafood. We walked back to Estoril along the esplanade before catching the train back to Lisbon. 21 May 2024 - Sintra We went on a day trip from Lisbon to Sintra today. We would have driven the half an hour there but I had read on the internet that cars often get broken into in Sintra. I thought our UK registered car would be particularly vulnerable. We therefore went by train and it took about an hour. Sintra has Unesco World Heritage status and it's famous for its Moorish Castle, palaces and country estates. I had pre-booked tickets on the internet for two of the palaces and the castle. We first visited the Palacio Nacional which is in the actual town of Sintra. The palace dates back to the 14th century and has some very impressive rooms. The exterior is less impressive except for the 2 chimneys that provided ventilation for the kitchen. It wasn't too busy but we did keep bumping into 2 noisy groups. The next 2 sites were high up on a hill above Sintra so we had lunch in Sintra before visiting them. We could have taken a bus up the hill but it is slow and expensive. We also could have walked up but it would have been a 40 minute uphill slog with hardly any views. We ended up taking a taxi for only Eur 7 more than the bus would have cost. We had bought tickets for the gardens and terraces of the Palacio de Pena which was built in the 1840's. We didn't buy tickets for the interior as Tripadvisor reviews stated it was very crowded and there was little to see. The Palacio de Pena looks as if it should be in a Disney Park. It is the top attraction in Sintra and there were crowds of tourists there. The park was disappointing as it consisted of woodland. However, the views of the Palace and the views from the wrap around terraces made the visit worthwhile. Afterwards we walked 20 minutes down to the Castelo dos Mouros ( Castle of the Moors). It was built in the 9th century and captured from the Moors in 1147. It was much quieter than Pena Palace and we walked along, and up, the ramparts to 2 towers. We could have also visited the Quinta da Regaleira estate, the Monserrate Palace and the Convento dos Capuchos in Sintra. However, we had seen enough for one day. We walked half an hour down to Sintra and took the train back to Lisbon. 22 May 2024 - Drive from Lisbon to Porto We drove 3.5 hours from Lisbon to Porto and paid Eur 23 in toll fees. It seemed very expensive after driving on the free highways in Spain. Petrol also costs more in Portugal than in Spain and the UK. We had booked a 3 bedroom apartment in the suburbs of Porto for Eur 102 through Booking.com . We were met by the owner who was was very helpful. He spent an hour going through the apartment with us and telling us what to see in Porto. We decided to leave visiting the historic centre of Porto until tomorrow. Links to my Blogs about our Road Trip from England to Morocco Week 1 - Salamanca, Toledo, Cordoba & Granada Week 2 - Spain to Morocco Week 3 - Southern Morocco Week 4 - Marrakesh to Todra Gorge Week 5 - Todra Gorge - Merzouga - Fes - Chefchaouen Week 6 - Morocco to Cadiz & Seville Week 8 - Porto to Pontevedra, Spain Week 9 - Muxia & the Lighthouse Way Week 10 - Muxia, Spain to Plymouth, UK

The fantastic scenery near Telouet Contents 24 April 2024 - Marrakesh 25 April 2024 - Marrakesh 26 April 2024 - Marrakesh to Ait Benhaddou 27 April 2024 - Ait Benhaddou to Zagora 28 April 2024 - Zagora to Skoura 29 April 2024 - Skoura to Todra Gorge 30 April 2024 - Todra Gorge Links to other blogs about our Road Trip 24 April 2024 - Marrakesh We had a quiet morning doing laundry and other chores after our long drive from Taradouant yesterday. We took a taxi into the old part of Marrakesh at around 13.00. It felt pretty hot and the driver thought it was 35 degrees centigrade! We explored Marrakesh's souks for a while. The souks were a maze of numerous alleys lined with stalls selling all sorts of things: spices, pottery, carved wooden objects, leather bags and babouches (traditional Moroccan slippers), carpets, fabrics, clothes, dried fruits, antiques etc. We wanted to find specific souks that specialised in items like leather, metal, dyed wool etc. However, it was difficult locating them and we ended up just wandering around. It is quite possible that these specialised souks no longer exist. We then went to the Almoravid Dome which was built in 1106 and it is thought to be the oldest building in Marrakesh. It was part of a richly decorated mosque that was destroyed in 1156 by the Almohad dynasty. However, we didn't enter as the fee was excessive. Our next stop was the Ben Yousef Medersa, one of the oldest and largest Islamic schools founded in the 14th century. It's a beautiful building and probably the best sight in Marrakesh. We wanted to see the Mouassine Fountain which dates back to the 16th century . Sadly it was badly affected by the earthquake in late 2023 and was closed. The surrounding buildings have been supported by scaffolding to prevent them from collapsing. It was hot and tiring walking around Marrakesh so we stopped for a drink at a roof top cafe. Afterwards we went to the Djemaa el-Fna square but it was too hot and the evening street entertainment hadn't started. We had a meal at one of the roof top restaurants overlooking the Djemaa el-Fna square. The evening entertainment still hadn't commenced by 18.30. We therefore walked over to the nearby Koutoubia mosque that dates back to the 12th century. Non moslems can't enter so we just walked around the exterior. At dusk we returned to the Djemaa el-Fna square. It was fun walking around the numerous fruit juice and food stalls. All the vendors were very friendly and tried to entice us to buy from them. However, we had already eaten. There was some very limited entertainment in the Djemaa el-Fna square. It was mainly for Moroccans and we were expecting a lot more and a lot better. We will return a bit later tomorrow evening to see if it improves. 25 April 2024 - Marrakesh We spent most of the day relaxing in the apartment and then took a taxi into the centre of Marrakesh in the late afternoon. We visited the Jewish Mellah district. T he majority of the Jewish population left when the French pulled out of Morocco in the 1950's and there are no longer any Jews living there. Moroccans took over their houses but recently the offspring of the Jews who vacated the houses have returned and are trying to reclaim them. Afterwards we wandered around Marrakesh's souks and had dinner at a roof top restaurant. Before heading back to the apartment we went to Djemaa el-Fna square to see if it was any more entertaining than yesterday. It was absolutely buzzing in Djemaa el-Fna square at 22.00 but all the entertainment was for Moroccans like yesterday. There were many groups of men, surrounded by spectators, playing their music loudly. There were also snake charmers and storytellers. I don't think that Djemaa el-Fna square is of much interest for foreigners. 26 April 2024 - Drive from Marrakesh to Ait Benhaddou We drove south from Marrakesh over the 2,260 metre high Tizi n Tichka mountain pass. Google maps said it would take about 3.5 hours but it took 6 hours even though the road was very good. The scenery was very beautiful, particularly on the section of the road via Telouet, and we frequently stopped to take photos. We stopped off to see an old Kasbah at Telouet. Unfortunately it was affected by the earthquake and has been closed. We arrived in Ait Ben Haddou at 17.00 and then walked up to the top of the hill to explore the Kasbah and the fortified village. The buildings are made of mud and straw. It is now very commercialised and there were quite a few other independent tourists there. Luckily there were no tour groups but we were told that there are plenty during the day! 27 April 2024 - Drive from Ait Benhaddou to Zagora We drove south from Ait Benhaddou to Zagora today. It is a very scenic route along the Draa river valley with views of the Atlas mountains, oases and old kasbahs. The mountain scenery on the road north of the town of Agdz was very impressive. The Draa River is Morocco's longest river at 1,100 kilometres long, flowing from the High Atlas Mountains to the Atlantic. Zagora is in the Draa River Valley which is described as being green and lush. Sadly Morocco has been struggling with drought conditions the past few years and many of the palm trees were turning brown. We saw the impressive Kasbah Tifoultoute soon after leaving Ouarzazate. It appeared to be a hotel and we didn't visit it. After passing the town of Agdz we stopped at two Kasbah's. The first one was Kasbah Cheikh Arabi and we each paid Eur 2 to enter and look around. The second one was Kasbah Oulad Othmane and we only walked around the exterior as it was closed. We stayed in a small guest house in Zagora that had very good reviews on Booking.com . The guest house was good but the owner was a bit strange. It was the first hotel in Morocco where no one spoke English and I used my limited French. 28 April 2024 - Drive from Zagora to Skoura We drove about 30 minutes south of Zagora to the Tinfou Dunes. They are part of the Agafay Desert which borders on to the Sahara. It is popular with tourists and we were lucky to arrive 15 minutes before the day's first bus load of tourists. We then drove back towards Zagora and stopped to see the old Islamic library at Tamegroute. It has old manuscripts and books on a variety of topics apart from religion, such as poetry, science, mathematics, medicine etc. Sadly Tamegroute's library was closed as it was the weekend but we could still visit the ancient Kasbah next to it. There were several guides milling about, offering to show us around Tamegroute's Kasbah which is still lived in, the pottery making and the pottery shop. They all denied that they were guides! We walked with a "guide" around the Kasbah and followed him through dark and gloomy covered alleyways and houses to the pottery area. Tamegroute's Kasbah was very atmospheric and we enjoyed it. The pottery was also very interesting. They use the branches of the palm trees to fire up the old brick ovens. They showed us the modern metal ovens that Germany had donated. Unfortunately they aren't used as they are heated by gas which is too expensive. We walked around Tamegroute's Kasbah for over an hour with our guide and he gave us a good tour. We didn't buy any pottery at the shop but gave him Eur 5 for his efforts. It wa s probably too much as he seemed happy. We then returned northwards to Skoura along the Draa River valley we had driven down yesterday. We visited the Kasbah Amerdihl in Skoura. It was passed down to two brothers who have fallen out. They have split Kasbah Amerdihl and there are two separate entrances and 2 separate entrance fees! We were told that the right section of the Kasbah was the more interesting part and just visited that section. 29 April 2024 - Drive from Skoura to Todra Gorge We drove north-east from Skoura to Todra Gorge. On the way we visited the Valley of the Roses where 3,000 to 4,000 tonnes of rose petals are harvested every spring. It took us over an hour to drive up the Valley of the Roses to the village of Bou Thrarar. The road to Bou Thrarar was tarred the entire way but was narrow. We expected to see masses of rose bushes in the Valley of Roses but they were very sparse. The roses may have been affected by the drought that has affected Morocco over the past 7 years. We have even seen dying cacti! The scenery was great. Unfortunately as we drove along the sky got darker. As we reached Bou Thrarar it started to rain and even hail at times. The temperature dropped to 10 centigrade and I was cold in my shorts! We reached our hotel at Todra Gorge at about 17.00. We were very pleased with our choice of hotel which cost Eur 67 a night through Booking.com . The hotel was only one year old and we had a very nice and spacious room overlooking the oasis and the mountains. The weather soon cleared up so we walked 15 minutes through the oasis to Todra Gorge. It was cold and there weren't many other people there. Todra gorge was very spectacular and its walls rise very steeply above it. It was windy and cold and we didn't linger. 30 April 2024 - Todra Gorge Hike & Drive to Tamattouchte We left our hotel at 09.00 to drive through Todra Gorge. It was fairly quiet with not too many cars on the road. The vendors were beginning to set up their stalls along Todra gorge. We continued driving on to the village of Tamattouchte which my 2004 Lonely Planet guidebook said was a stunning Berber village. The road was tarred but was narrow except for a section near an empty new dam. We turned around just after Tamattouchte which unfortunately is no longer a stunning village! The drive to Tamattouchte was very scenic though. We got back to Todra Gorge at 11.00 and the tour groups had arrived! Todra gorge was now full of tourists and cars. We returned to our hotel and then quickly set off for a hike up into the mountains above Todra gorge. The trail was about 12 kilometres long and we ascended about 400 metres above Todra Gorge. It took us four and a half hours with lots of stops for photos! It is the most popular trail in Todra gorge and we saw about 12 other hikers. Links to other blogs about our Road Trip from England to Morocco Week 1 - Salamanca, Toledo, Cordoba & Granada Week 2 - Spain to Morocco Week 3 - Southern Morocco Week 5 - Todra Gorge - Merzouga - Fes - Chefchaouen Week 6 - Morocco to Cadiz & Seville Week 7 - Seville to Portugal Week 8 - Porto to Pontevedra, Spain Week 9 - Muxia & the Lighthouse Way Week 10 - Muxia, Spain to Plymouth, UK

Seville's Cathedral Contents 8 May 2024 - Chefchaouen, Morocco to Cadiz, Spain 9 May 2024 - Cadiz 10 May 2024 - Cadiz 11 May 2024 - Outing to Jerez de la Frontera 12 May 2024 - Cadiz to Seville 13 May 2024 - Seville 14 May 2024 - Seville 15 May 2024 - Seville Links to other blogs about our Road Trip 8 May 2024 - Chefchaouen, Morocco to Cadiz, Spain I had a very bad night's sleep due to my cold. I didn't want to get up but we had to leave the hotel at 08.30 to ensure we reached the port of Tangier Med in time for our ferry to Spain. It was sunny when we left Chefchaouen but it was very windy and cloudy as we drove through Tetouan an hour later. The countryside was very green and we passed several dams that were fairly full. The nearby Rif mountains must provide a good rain catchment area as the southern part of Morocco is suffering from drought. The ferry sailing time was 13.30 but the ferries are often very late. We arrived at the port of Tangier Med at 11.00 and were pleased to see our vessel in the port. There were several passport, ticket and customs checks as well as the process of having the car X-rayed! We drove onto the ferry at 12.00 and they announced that the ferry would leave at 13.00, which would have been 30 minutes early! However, the ferry only departed Tangier at 14.00. This could have been because a lot of trucks were loaded onto the ferry after we had boarded. We were relieved to leave Morocco without being caught by one of the numerous police roadblocks! We are also very relieved that there were no mechanical issues with the car in Morocco. We finally reached our apartment in Cadiz at 17.45. It had been a long day and I had been very unwell. The owner of the apartment met us and directed us into the underground garage. He said it was easy to park but it wasn't! The entrance was very tight and the parking space even tighter. Unfortunately this is often the case in Spain. It was very windy in Cadiz and unfortunately it was forecast to continue for several days. 9 May 2024 - Cadiz We had a relaxing morning and did our laundry. I was feeling a lot better but still a bit tired. Unfortunately Lani had caught my cold and she didn't have a good night's sleep. At midday we drove 30 minutes to the historic centre of Cadiz. We were shocked to see 3 huge cruise ships in the port and a lot of passengers walking around. Cruise ships are another of our dislikes as it crowds out places of interest. We had a good meal at a restaurant and then walked around the coastline of the historic centre of Cadiz visiting 2 forts, 2 cathedrals and a park. By the end Lani wasn't feeling well so we walked back to the car park through Cadiz's historic centre. When we got back to the apartment I parked on the street instead of in the garage! 10 May 2024 - Cadiz Lani was feeling very unwell today so we just relaxed in the apartment. 11 May 2024 - Outing to Jerez de la Frontera Lani felt a little better today so we set off for Jerez de la Frontera which was a 30 minute drive away from our apartment. The Rough Guide Book said it was an elegant and prosperous town and famous for sherry and brandy. I researched car parks in Jerez de la Frontera before leaving as parking can be a nightmare in some Spanish towns. I found a car park in the centre ( Parking APK2 Plaza del Arenal ) that had good reviews and the parking spaces didn't seem to be too tight. It turned out to be very central, cheap and the parking spaces were okay for Spain. Jerez de la Frontera is certainly an elegant and very pleasant town. We couldn't participate in sherry tasting as I was driving and Lani was sick. The main thing to do was to visit the Alcazar (fort). It was built in the 11th century and formed part of the Jerez de la Frontera's defences. The entry price to the Alcazar was Eur 5 but as we are over 65 we only had to pay Eur 1.80! It turned out to be a real bargain as there was much more to see than we had thought. We spent more than an hour wandering around and really enjoyed our visit. Lani was still feeling ill so we had a late lunch in the Plaza del Arenal and drove back to our apartment. This cold has badly affected us for a few days but luckily it wasn't at a crucial stage of our itinerary. There is a lot more to do at our next stop in Seville and it would have been a shame not to be able to enjoy it. 12 May 2024 - Drive from Cadiz to Seville There have been high winds in Cadiz since we arrived 4 days ago but thankfully this morning the wind finally died down. Unfortunately Cadiz often has high winds between May and October and it is known as the Levante wind. We left Cadiz at 12.30 as it was only a 1 hour 40 minute drive to Seville. It was a hot day and as we drove the temperature reached 31 centigrade. It was a good highway to Seville and free like all the other highways we have so far used in Spain. We had booked a 2 bedroom apartment in Seville for 4 nights through Booking.com and it cost Eur 150 a night. It had free parking which is a big bonus in Seville. Accommodation in Seville is expensive and parking is difficult. We couldn't find a decent hotel room for less than Eur 150 a night in Seville when including parking and breakfast. It is always more of a hassle checking into an apartment than a hotel. The hassles began when the owner of the apartment in Seville wanted us to use an App to record our passport details before giving us the apartment address. We have been required to do this for some of our other bookings in Spain. Sometimes the Apps are easy to use and sometimes they aren't! This App was in Spanish and was complicated. We therefore emailed our passports to the owner and he entered the details for us. When we arrived in Seville we had to collect the apartment keys from a bar, then park the car in an underground car park and afterwards walk 5 minutes to the apartment. It was a bit complicated but it worked out alright in the end. The apartment was very nice. Lani was still feeling off from her cold and as we had 4 nights in Seville we just did some grocery shopping and relaxed for the rest of the day. 13 May 2024 - Seville There is a lot to see in Seville. The 2 main sites are Seville Cathedral and the Royal Alcazar and I had booked tickets online for both of them to save queuing for tickets. For today we had tickets for the Cathedral and its tower (La Giralda). The tickets usually cost Eur 17 but we paid Eur 11 as we got an over 65 discount. The cathedral only opens at 10.45 each morning and we had tickets for 10.50. We arrived a bit early and were dismayed to see so many tour groups in the vicinity. If you have read any of my other posts you will know that we don't like tour groups and mass tourism. Although we didn't like the sight of the tour groups the sight of the cathedral was very impressive. The construction of the cathedral commenced in 1402 and it took just over a century to complete. It was built on the huge rectangular base of an old Almohad mosque. The total area of Seville's cathedral covers 11,520 square metres, making it the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. La Giralda was originally the minaret of the mosque but it was converted into the cathedral's bell tower. The Moors wanted to destroy it before the Christians' reconquest of Seville but the Moors were threatened with death if they removed a single stone. The impressive tomb of Christopher Columbus is in the cathedral. His remains were transferred here in the early 1900's when Cuba gained independence. We spent about 2.5 hours in Seville's very impressive and opulent cathedral. Afterwards we had lunch in a nearby restaurant and then walked to the Plaza de Toros which is Seville's historic bull fighting arena dating back to the 18th century. Luckily we got a reduced rate for being over 65 as there wasn't much to see. From there we walked over to the Torre del Oro (Tower of Gold) which was built in the 13th century as a defensive lookout tower. It used to have a companion tower on the opposite bank, with a metal chain stretched between them, to prevent hostile ships from sailing upriver. 14 May 2024 - Seville In the morning we walked via the Murillo gardens to the 17th century Hospital de la Caridad. It has an excellent chapel and several paintings by famous artists. The hospital obviously didn't lack funding! Afterwards we wandered around Seville and its old Jewish area until lunch time. Seville is an exceptionally pleasant city and unfortunately many tourists like it! For lunch we had tapas at a bar called Casa Pepe Hillo which had good reviews on the internet. The food was good. For the afternoon we had tickets for the Royal Alcazar and the tickets included a guided tour of the Royal apartments. The normal cost was Eur 20 but we again benefited from being over 65 by getting a reduced rate of Eur 13.50! Our tour of the Royal Apartments was at 15.30 and we had to be there at least 15 minutes before that. They have strict security as the apartments are still used by the Royal family at times. It was only a 25 minute tour but it was very interesting. Unfortunately it was forbidden to take photos. We then continued around Seville's Royal Alcazar (the Royal Palace). It was originally built as a citadel in 10th century by the Moors. The Almohads developed it into a larger palace complex in the 12th and 13th centuries. In 1364 Pedro 1 of Spain (Pedro the Cruel) ordered the construction of a Royal Residence within the Almohad palaces. We thought that the Royal Alcazar was probably more impressive than the Alhambra in Granada. 15 May 2024 - Seville This was our last day in beautiful Seville. We walked to the Plaza de la Encarnacion where a 150 metre long by 30 metre high wooden structure was completed in 2011. It is claimed to be the world's largest timber structure and it was very impressive. It's officially called the Metropol Parasol but everyone refers to it as Las Setas (The Mushrooms). It is possible to walk on the top of it but we didn't as the admission fee was Eur 10. On the way to Las Setas we were surprised to pass the Pilate's House which hadn't been mentioned in our guide books. Tour groups were visiting it but we didn't enter as we knew nothing about it and the entry fee was Eur 10. I later researched the Pilate's House and it is a very beautiful mansion constructed in the 15th century. After seeing Las Setas we walked over to the Archivo de las Indias for which there is free admission. The Archivo de Las Indias was set up in 1785 at the request of King Charles III to keep all the documents relating to the administration of the Spanish Overseas territories. The main features of the Archivo de Las Indias are a beautiful staircase and two enormous rooms housing some 43,000 files, books and maps. After lunch we walked to the Triana area of Seville and then onto Maria Luisa Park. This is a public park that stretches along the Guadalquivir river. The impressive Plaza de España was built in the park for the Ibero-American Expo that was held in Seville in 1929. ; Links to other blogs about our Road Trip from England to Morocco Week 1 - Salamanca, Toledo, Cordoba & Granada Week 2 - Spain to Morocco Week 3 - Southern Morocco Week 4 - Marrakesh to Todra Gorge Week 5 - Todra Gorge - Merzouga - Fes - Chefchaouen Week 7 - Seville to Portugal Week 8 - Porto to Pontevedra, Spain Week 9 - Muxia & the Lighthouse Way Week 10 - Muxia, Spain to Plymouth, UK

Rialto Bridge in Venice Contents 1. Cornwall to Dover 2. Dover to Troyes, France 3. Troyes to Bern, Switzerland 4. Bern to Vicenza, Italy 5. Verona Day Trip 6. Vicenza and Padua Day Trips 7. Venice Day Trip - Day 1 8. Venice Day Trip - Day 2 9. Links to My Other Blogs 18 April 2023 - Cornwall to Dover Today is the start of our 3 month road trip to the Greek Islands. We are driving down to Greece through France, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Serbia and Macedonia. Then we return to the UK on the coastal route through Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy and northern Europe. We will be having a lot of stop offs on the way so that we can see some of the most interesting places in these countries. We will have just over one month in Greece and the rest of the time will be spent driving there and back. We wanted to do a road trip with our own car as flying is so much hassle and at the moment car rental costs are very high. It is also very convenient having everything in our car for the whole trip rather than lugging it on and off planes, trains, buses and rental cars. The other determining factor was that it seemed more exciting to do it this way. We have never been to Serbia, Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro before and driving down enables us to visit these countries. The drawback of this road trip is that our Ford Focus is almost 10 years old and I am not very mechanically minded. Two months ago our car broke down due to the clutch. Then when we had a major car service we were advised to change the cambelt and auxiliary belts. Altogether this work cost GBP 2,300 and hopefully it will mean that nothing goes wrong with the car during our trip! Today we drove from our home in Cornwall to Dover and it took about 6 hours. We are staying at the Premier Inn near the Eastern Ferry Terminal. The cost of the room was GBP 45, which is a good rate these days. See my blog " UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 1 " for further details. Once we reached Dover we drove over to the nearby National Trust car park (GBP 5) for the white cliffs of Dover. We did a nice 1.5 hour walk along the top of the cliffs. The views of the cliffs weren't that great and I expect that we will see the cliffs better from the ferry tomorrow morning. For supper we had a takeaway from Tony's Fish and Chips on the London Road. Tony is quite a character. The portions were massive and the quality excellent. Hopefully the cliff walk will have burnt off a lot of calories! 19 April 2023 - Dover to Troyes, France The departure time of our ferry to Calais was 09.10, but we had to be there at 08.10. We got up at 06.30 and got to the docks at 07.50. It didn't take us long to get through French passport control. We were then surprised that our car was searched and we even had to open up the hood of the engine. We were pleased to discover that the passenger areas in the ferry were empty and it was therefore very peaceful. As the ferry pulled away we went out on the deck to see the white cliffs of Dover. Unfortunately it was a bit of a grey day and the white cliffs didn't look their best. It was only a 1.5 hour ferry journey and before we disembarked at Calais I turned on our new TomTom sat navigation device. I selected the route from Dover to Troyes in France that I had set up before leaving home. In the past we have used the inbuilt sat navigation system in our car, but this only covers the UK. Our inexperience with the TomTom soon caused problems! After a short while the TomTom directed us to a payment booth that we thought was for the motorway. We were very puzzled when the machine asked us for a reservation number and therefore decided to go to another machine instead. I suddenly realised that we were queuing up for the channel train back to Dover! I had to ask the driver behind us to reverse back so we could get out of the queue. We managed with a lot of difficulty to get back to the main road and then the TomTom kept directing us back to the channel tunnel! Our confidence in the TomTom was sinking. I decided to delete the route and just enter Troyes as a destination and it was to our great relief that it resolved things. My mistake was starting the route on the TomTom in Calais rather than Dover. I thought that the TomTom would realise we had already completed the Dover to Calais portion of the route. It hadn't and had been taking us back to Dover so we could start the pre-set route from there. We lost 35 minutes due to this issue. After that the journey went well on excellent toll autoroutes that cost us Euro 37.60. We could drive at 130 kilometres an hour most of the way and it took 6 hours to reach Troyes. Luckily we filled up with petrol at Dover as we later discovered that petrol is more expensive in France. At Troyes we are staying at a Kyriad Hotel for Euro 84 a night. It is very nice and hopefully it will stay quiet so we can have a good night's sleep. It is only a 10 minute walk to the old centre of the town. See my blog " UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 1 " for further details. Troyes (pronounced like trois) doesn't seem to be a very well known tourist attraction. However, it has a fantastic, and sizeable, medieval centre of timbered houses. Better than anything I have seen in the UK. We spent a couple of hours wandering around and looking for cheap eating places at the same time. We found a popular small Thai restaurant called Koboon and our dinner cost Euro 26. I had my favourite Thai dish of Pad Thai and Lani had something a bit more adventurous. Tomorrow we are going to Bern in Switzerland for 1 night and it should be about a 5 to 6 hour drive there. 20 April 2023 - Troyes, France to Bern, Switzerland We both had a very good night's sleep as the hotel was very quiet and the bed extremely comfortable. I really dislike thick duvets and this hotel had a nice light one and the pillows were great. We could also open the window which is no longer possible at many hotels. We left Troyes at 09.00 in sunshine and were hoping to stop for lunch at one of the good service stations along the auto route. Unfortunately we had to leave the auto route before midday. A bit later we stopped at a large Intermarche supermarket and ate in their restaurant. It was really busy and we ordered the plat du jour of roast chicken for Euro 9. We could have had the 3 course set meal for Euro 13, but we didn't need the extra calories and thought it might take too long. The scenery had been mainly flat across France, but as we got close to the Swiss border it became hilly. As we got onto higher terrain the temperature dropped from about 15 centigrade to 3 centigrade and it lightly snowed. There was no one manning the French/Swiss border, but there was an unfriendly man selling the Vignettes for the Swiss motorways. They should cost CHF 40, but it cost a bit more as we paid in Euro and lost on the exchange rate. The motorways in Switzerland were so much busier than in France. Bern was the first city we had driven through since leaving the UK and it was also busy and congested. It didn't help that our TomTom sat nav took us to a factory rather than to our hotel! We had to use Google maps to find our hotel. We are staying at the new Los Lorentes Residences hotel on the outskirts of Bern. The rooms are very good and have small kitchenettes. I was a bit worried as there is a huge skate park behind the hotel. Luckily no one was using it which may have been due to the rain. See my blog " UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 1 " for further details. There is an Aldi next door to the hotel so we bought some food for an early supper. It soon stopped raining and we took the nearby tram into Bern at 18.00. All hotels in Bern give their guests a Bern pass which allows free transport on the trams. I came to Bern on business in 1990, and really liked it, but Lani has never been to Bern before. I therefore thought it would be a good stop off on our way down to Greece. It wasn't as special as I remembered it but it could be because the weather wasn't great and I was tired. We spent 2 hours walking along the 4 main streets in the historical centre. Luckily it now stays light quite late and it was getting dark just as we returned to our hotel at 20.30. 21st April 2023 - Bern, Switzerland to Vicenza, Italy I had intended that on the way to Vicenza we would stop off for a few hours at Sirmione, which is a town on the southern shore of Lake Garda. Unfortunately the weather forecast for Lake Garda showed rain until 17.00 and we decided not to do a stop over there. The journey from Bern to Vicenza is meant to take less than 6 hours. As we weren't allowed to check in to our accommodation at Vicenza until after 17.30 we decided not to leave our hotel in Bern until 11.00. I therefore informed our host at our apartment at Vicenza that we would probably arrive between 17.30 and 18.30. That turned out to be widely optimistic and we didn't arrive at the apartment until 20.30. We had a 45 minute hold up at the Gothard tunnel and then another 45 minute delay at the Swiss/Italian border. We have no idea why we were held up at the border as we couldn't see any cars being stopped. Due to these delays in Switzerland we ended up on the motorway at Milan around the evening rush hour and the traffic was horrendous. After that we experienced some dangerous driving well above the 130 km speed limit. We therefore weren't too surprised when there was a serious accident near Verona which delayed us by at least another 30 minutes. We were exhausted by the time we reached the apartment in Vicenza. Luckily we found the apartment easily and the owner of the apartment was very pleasant. We went to a Pizzeria restaurant just a minute's walk away from the apartment. The pizza was very good and cheap (Euro 7 each) but I had a couple of beers to relieve the stress and they cost more than my pizza! As our car was parked on the street we unpacked it completely and only went to sleep at midnight. 22 April 2023 - Day Trip to Verona We slept until 07.45, which is late for us, and after a relaxed breakfast we went to a small supermarket just a 5 minute walk from our apartment. As a result we didn't set out for our day trip to Verona until 10.30 a.m. We decided to drive to Verona as it was easier than taking a bus from our apartment to the train station in Vicenza and then taking a train to Verona. It was only a 40 minute drive to Verona and we parked in a large multi storey car park just outside the old city. Several travel blogs had recommended buying the Verona pass for Euro 20. So we went to buy them at the tourist office next to the Roman amphitheatre. It turned out not to be a good decision as the amphitheatre was closed for a few days and it would have been cheaper just to pay the entrance fees at the remaining attractions. We were surprised and disappointed there were so many tourists in Verona considering it was only April. The majority were Italians and it was probably a combination of nice sunny weather, a Saturday and the following Tuesday being a public holiday for Liberation day. We spent about 5 hours wandering around Verona, but we were feeling a bit tired and jaded from the previous days' long drive. We decided to climb the 368 steps up to the top of the Torre dei Lamberti to avoid the charge for the elevator. We were rewarded with good views of the city from the top of the tower. We also visited the Duomo Cathedral, Castelvecchio (castle) and the Basilica di Santa Anastasia. We skipped Juliet's balcony as it was just too crowded with tourists trying to get their Instagram or Facebook photo of it. Any way in reality it is only a 13th century inn! 23 April 2023 - Day Trip to Vicenza and Padua We both woke up feeling a lot better and well rested. We took a short bus ride into Vicenza and wandered around the historic centre for a couple of hours. Fortunately it was far less busy and less touristy than Verona . As it was a Sunday we didn't go inside any churches. Like yesterday the weather was sunny and a very pleasant 23 centigrade. I would have liked to have seen inside the Teatro Olimpico, which is Europe's oldest surviving indoor theatre, but tickets cost Euro 11. There were museums open, but we aren't very interested in visiting museums and it is also expensive. We enjoy just wandering around and admiring the architecture of the town from the outside. We bought some sandwiches for lunch and ate them at a park. Then we took a 20 minute train ride to Padua (Padova) on a very nice and modern train. Padua is another very historic town and is lively as it is a university town. I really liked Padua and although it was lively it wasn't overly touristy like Verona. The main attraction is the Cappella Degli Scrovegni chapel which is famous for its' art work. However, you have to book in advance and it is expensive. We spent a couple of hours wandering around Padua and then returned to our apartment by train and bus. 24 April 2023 - Day Trip to Venice After having had 2 very good days of weather we woke up to rain and it lasted until mid morning. As soon the rain stopped we drove to Venice and arrived there at 12.00 after a 50 minute drive. We parked at the Tronchetto multi storey car park which costs Euro 25 per day. We had thought about taking the train to Venice, but we would have had to first take a bus to the Vicenza train station and the train only runs once an hour. Going by car was therefore more convenient but more costly. It is possible to take a water taxi from the Tronchetto car park to St Mark's Square but it costs Euro 9. We decided instead to do the hour's walk there in order to save money, but also to see a bit of Venice on the way. The route was reasonably well marked and there were also many other people on the route. When we got to the Rialto Bridge it was really crowded and it continued like that to St Mark's Square. I dislike being in places with so many tourists but Venice is so special. We had brought sandwiches for lunch as we had been told that food was really expensive. I am sure the restaurants are expensive, but slices of pizza could be bought for Euro 2.50 which didn't seem bad. We had booked tickets online for the Doge's Palace in order to avoid queuing and the tickets cost Euro 15 each. Our reserved entrance time was 16.00 but they allowed us to enter at 15.30. I am not a big admirer of paintings after being dragged around Florence's art galleries as a teenager. However, I found the Doge's Palace to be very spectacular due to the opulence of the art work on the walls and ceilings of all the rooms. The prison cells were the exception! We took 2 hours to wander through the Doge's Palace. Afterwards we walked over to the ponte dell'accademia which has good views along the Grand Canal. We didn't feel like walking back to the car park so we bought 24 hour water bus passes for Euro 25 each. We can then use these passes when we come back to Venice tomorrow. It took us 45 minutes on the water bus to return to the car park. The views were great from the standing area at the front of the boat and it was easier than walking! 25 April 2023 - Day Trip to Venice We woke up to rain and thunder and the rain soon became very heavy. We therefore relaxed in our apartment until the rain stopped at 10.30. The weather forecast was for rain until mid afternoon but we decided to start driving to Venice and hope for the best. Unfortunately we soon drove into very heavy rain on the autoroute to Venice and unlike some other drivers we kept our speed well below the 130 km per hour speed limit. We reached Venice at about 11.30 and sheltered in the multi storey car park! We had an early lunch in the car and when the rain eased off at midday we walked to the nearby pier for the water bus. It was a 45 minute ride to the cathedral at San Giorgio Maggiore along the wide Guidecca Canal. Initially we sat inside the boat and sheltered from the wind and damp, but there were no views as all the windows were misted up. After a while we moved to the open area at the back of the boat to take advantage of the views. Luckily the weather was really improving. There was no entrance fee for the cathedral and we decided not to pay Euro 8 each to go up the tower. All these entrance fees really add up, particularly when you are on a 3 month trip! The interior was very impressive and from the outside there are excellent views across the lagoon to St Mark's Square. We took the short water bus ride over to St Marks Square and had another look around. It was just as busy as yesterday! Then another short water bus ride over to the church of Santa Maria della Salute. Entry to the church was free, but there would have been a charge to go up the bell tower if it had been open. We spent a couple of hours walking around the nearby area of Dorsoduru. The weather was now sunny and warm so we treated ourselves to gelato. Thankfully this area is far less busy than the areas around St Marks Square and the Rialto Bridge. At 16.00 we decided to call it a day and took a 30 minute water bus ride back to the car park. The water bus route back was along the very spectacular Grand Canal with ancient buildings on both sides. Links to My Other Blogs Venice to Serbia - Week 2 Serbia to North Macedonia - Week 3 North Macedonia to Greece - Week 4 Nafplio, Greece to the Peloponnese - Week 5 The Peloponnese to the Greek Islands - Week 6 The Greek Islands - Week 7 The Greek Islands to Albania - Week 8 Albania to Montenegro - Week 9 Montenegro to Croatia- Week 10 Brac to Rab, Croatia - Week 11 Rab to Dolomites, Italy - Week 12 Dolomites to Home - Week 13 UK to Greek Island Accommodation - Part 1 UK to Greek Island Accommodation - Part 2 Hiking in Val Gardena, Dolomites

The Julian Alps near the Vrsic pass in Slovenia Contents 1. Vicenza to Koper, Slovenia 2. Koper to Ljubljana, Slovenia 3. Ljubljana Day Trip 4. Ljubljana to Lake Bohinj, Slovenia 5. Lake Bohinj Day Trip 6. Day Trip from Lake Bohinj to Vrsic Pass 7. Lake Bohinj to Novi Sad, Serbia 8. Links to My Other Blogs 26 April 2023 - Vicenza, Italy to Koper, Slovenia We woke to sunshine for a change and the weather forecast is good for a few days. Today we drove 3 hours from Vicenza to the old coastal towns of Piran and Koper in Slovenia. We didn't leave Vicenza until midday so that we could arrive at our new accommodation just after the earliest check in time of 15.00. Our Tomtom satellite navigation had problems locating our new accommodation and tried to take us down some very narrow tracks. We were becoming very frustrated and tried Google maps instead and that did the trick. I was surprised to find that our apartment was one of seven apartments in a building. The owner was very friendly and the apartment was very clean and nicely furnished. However, I am concerned that there is a connecting door with another apartment. I dislike such doors as they let in noise. We will see what happens tonight! We drove about 20 minutes to Piran, parked outside the town and took the car park's free bus into Piran's old Venetian town. It is probably misleading to say free as the parking is about Euro 3 per hour! In summer Piran is jammed with tourists and parking is difficult. Luckily for us there were very few tourists and there were plenty of parking places. We walked around Piran for about 2 hours and then had supper on the seafront. It was warm enough to sit out and we had very good grilled calamari and sardines. I have done a blog on " 1 Week in Slovenia " that provides detailed information on the places that we visited in Serbia. 27 April 2023 - Koper to Ljubljana, Slovenia Last night we had our best night's sleep since leaving home and there was no noise from the adjoining room. We checked out at 10.30 and drove 5 kilometres to the port of Koper. Parking can be a real problem at Piran, and it is very expensive, but at Koper there are plenty of car parks near the city centre. We were about to pay at the machine when a man kindly informed us that it was a public holiday and parking was free. Not only is it a holiday today but also May 1st and 2nd! This does cause a problem with grocery shopping as no supermarkets are open on public holidays. It also seems they won't be open on 30th April. We will have to stock up tomorrow! We wandered around the historic buildings of Koper for a couple of hours in warm and sunny weather. We forked out Euro 4 each to climb up the Bell Tower for views of Koper. I don't think we will bother doing this in other towns as it is a lot of effort and cost for very little benefit. We had lunch at a very small eatery outside the market called Fritolin . It is recommended in the Lonely Planet guide book for cheap and fresh seafood. We both ordered grilled calamari and chips and with a soft drink it cost Euro 22. We ate it at one of the few basic tables outside and it was very good. Afterwards we walked an hour and 15 minutes along the coastal promenade from Koper to Izola. It was a very nice walk and was popular with the locals who were cycling, roller blading and walking. We had a quick walk around Izola and after buying some bread for tomorrow's breakfast, and gelato, we took a short bus ride back to Koper. It was then just an hour's drive from Koper to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, where we had booked an apartment for 2 nights. See my blog " UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 1 ". I knew that we would be sharing the garden with the owner's parents. However, we were shocked to see that there were 4 people moving a pile of soil, and sifting it, only about 3 metres away from our apartment's windows. They were all talking very loudly and it was like a construction site. The apartment was otherwise very nice and the parents were friendly. By 18.15 I had had enough of the noise and texted a complaint to their daughter. They stopped at 18.30 and agreed to only work the next day whilst we were looking around Ljubljana. It did take the edge off things though. 28 April 2023 - Day Trip to Ljubljana We drove to Lidl's in the morning to do some grocery shopping since all the supermarkets will be shut from Sunday to Tuesday. We didn't realise that it was in central Ljubljana, but luckily there was hardly any traffic and driving was easy. Parking was also easy and only cost Euro 1.50 for an hour. After unloading the shopping at the apartment we walked back into Ljubljana and it only took about 20 minutes. Initially it was exceptionally quiet for a capital city but after a while it got a bit busier. The guide books say there is nothing in particular to see in Ljubljana, but we found it to be a very pleasant city to walk around. We walked around Ljubljana for about 4 hours and it was very relaxing compared to the crowded towns of Verona and Venice. We had taken sandwiches for lunch, but there were a lot of outdoor stalls selling great smelling food. We walked up the hill to the Ljubljana Castle, although you can use a funicular for about Euro 4. It was expensive to enter (about Euro 12), but free to walk around the grounds and even to climb up onto the walls. In Italy we spent a fortune on public toilets as they charged from 70 cents to Euro 1.50 in Venice. In Slovenia there are plenty of clean toilets and they are all free! Great for old guys who need to pee often! 29 April 2023 - Ljubljana to Lake Bohinj, Slovenia We left Ljubljana at 09.30 to make our way to our next accommodation at Lake Bohinj. Going directly would take only about 70 minutes, but our plan was to visit Skofja Loka, Radovljica and Lake Bled on the way. It was very easy driving out of Ljubljana and once we had got off the motorway we drove on pretty, rural roads with the snow covered Julian Alps in the background. We reached the historic town of Skofja Loka after about 30 minutes. Skofja Loka has quite a large historic core and we spent about 2 hours wandering around. Then it was another short drive from Skofja Loka to the town of Radovljica. The historic centre of Radovljica mainly consists of one street of 16th and 17th century houses. It only took about half an hour to wander around. A 15 minute drive later and we were at Lake Bled. Slovenia is a very compact country! We experienced traffic congestion for the first time in Slovenia. Lake Bled is obviously very popular and it was a beautiful sunny and warm day on a holiday weekend. We turned off at the first parking sign we saw and the charge was Euro 15 for 4 hours or Euro 25 for the whole day! This is as expensive as Venice, but we decided to pay for 4 hours rather than have the hassle of driving around Bled trying to find somewhere cheaper. It was a very short walk to Lake Bled and it was very busy with many local tourists. I dread to think what it would be like in the summer. We walked the 6 kilometres around Lake Bled and it was only busy at the start and end. It should have only taken about 90 minutes, but it actually took 3 hours with a lot of stops, a lot of photos and congestion on the trail. Apart from the number of people it is a very nice path around Lake Bled with great views all the way. It is so photogenic with Bled Island, Bled Castle perched above the lake and the snow covered Julian alps in the distance. Some people were swimming in Lake Bled and the water didn't feel that cold. It took 30 minutes to drive from Lake Bled to the apartment we had booked at the village of Stara Fuzina, which is on the shore of Lake Bohinj. Our apartment is on the attic level of a "Swiss chalet" and the owners live on the 2 lower levels. I selected this Airbnb apartment as it had good reviews and I prefer not to have people clunking around above us. The woman running the apartment was very friendly and offered us some honey liqueur. I readily accepted and as it was too harsh and strong for Lani I forced myself to drink hers as well! We had a basic supper of bread, cheese and salad in the apartment and then a very good night's sleep. 30 April 2023 - Day Trip around Lake Bohinj Lake Bohinj's weather forecast was for rain today, but when we woke up it was misty and dry. The mist soon cleared and at 10.15 we started walking the 12 kilometres around Lake Bohinj. We decided to go along the southern side of Lake Bohinj first, but unfortunately the trail followed the road and trees often blocked the views. We got to the end of the lake at 11.45 and had our sandwiches at a picnic table overlooking Lake Bohinj. The weather was still dry and warm and there were some sunny spells. Clouds covered the tops of many of the snow covered mountains of the Julian alps. There is no road on the north side of Lake Bohinj and the trail is close to the lake. However, there are a lot of trees that partially obscure the views a lot of the time. We got back to our apartment after 3 hours. Lonely Planet states that Lake Bohinj is more beautiful than Lake Bled but I don't agree. However, Lake Bohinj is far less touristy. In the afternoon we rested on our apartment's balcony. The weather forecast tomorrow has now also improved and it should be dry. If so we will drive about 1.5 hours from Lake Bohinj to the top of the Vrsic Pass which is at 1,611 metres. Vrsic Pass is usually closed due to snow until the end of April or early May and it has just been opened for this year. 1 May 2023 - Day Trip from Lake Bohinj to Vrsic Pass A few days ago the weather forecast for Lake Bohinj was dismal and over 1 inch of rain had been forecast for today. Luckily weather in the mountains is difficult to predict. The weather forecast improved and we woke up to some sun and views of the snow covered mountains. We started driving to the Vrsic Pass at 09.20. When we reached Kranjska Gora, at the turn off to the pass, the view of the Julian Alps was superb. Unfortunately it wasn't possible to park quickly enough to take a photo and the mountains partially clouded over. There are numerous parking spots on the way up to Vrsic Pass and we used them to enjoy the views and take photos. After 46 miles of driving, and 26 hair pin bends up Vrsic Pass, we reached the top of the 1,611 metre high pass at 11.30. The road was a bit narrow around the hair pin bends, but otherwise it wasn't a difficult drive. We had originally planned to go back down Vrsic Pass the same way, but we decided to go down the 24 hair bin bends on the other side. The hair pin bends weren't as tight and the scenery wasn't as dramatic as on the way up. We looked out carefully for the site of the memorial Russian Chapel built by Russian prisoners of war in 1916. Unfortunately we missed it and decided not to drive back up Vrsic Pass to locate it. The fastest way back to our apartment would have been to go back up Vrsic pass and return the way we came. The alternative was to do a longer circular route, which we decided to do in order to see different scenery. The road was narrow at times and it was slow progress as we had to drive carefully. We reached our apartment at 15.00 after driving 130 miles. 2 May 2023 - Lake Bohinj to Novi Sad, Serbia We woke up to the rain that they had been forecasting the last 2 days for Lake Bohinj. If it had to rain then today wasn't a bad day for it. We left Lake Bohinj at 09.00 and estimated it would take us 8 hours to reach Novi Sad. We had informed the owner of the next apartment that we would arrive between 17.00 and 18.00. One of the problems with booking apartments, rather than hotels, is arranging a time to collect the keys. We can estimate the driving time from Google maps but there are often delays. With this journey the border with Croatia and Serbia was the big unknown. Particularly since we couldn't buy car insurance for Serbia in the UK and had to buy it at the Serbian border. It was a fairly relaxing drive despite the rain and spray from other vehicles. The highways aren't congested in Slovenia and Croatia like they were in Switzerland and Italy and the drivers are less aggressive. The scenery was very unspectacular and it wasn't improved by the bad weather. Most of the time we drove at about 110 kms an hour, despite the speed limit being at 130 kms an hour. There were no border formalities at the border between Slovenia and Croatia as both countries are part of the Schengen area. It seemed that we would get to Novi Sad at about an hour earlier than expected, but then we reached the border between Croatia and Serbia! There was a huge queue of cars and despite us choosing the best lane it took one hour to enter Serbia. Then we had the issue of buying car insurance. We were relieved when a helpful policeman directed us to an office where we could buy the insurance. Unfortunately the person there didn't know how to issue the insurance and had to seek assistance over the phone. This man was becoming very frustrated with the process and as his English was poor we didn't know what was really happening. After 30 minutes the insurance was issued and we had to pay. Until then we didn't know the cost, but I thought it wouldn't be more than Euro 50 for the 4 days we would be in Slovenia. The amount was RSD 21,000, but we didn't know what this equated to in real money. We couldn't google it as our phones didn't have roaming for Serbia. We tried to pay by credit card but it was rejected. The man then said we could pay in Euro and it was Eur 230! I did query it, but in the end we had to pay, which left us feeling ripped off. Later that evening I researched it and discovered that it is virtually only UK car insurance policies that don't cover Serbia. There were a few comments on the internet about the prohibitively high cost of insurance at the Serbian border so we weren't cheated. However, if I had known what the cost would have been I wouldn't have chosen a route going through Serbia. When we left the Serbian border we texted the apartment owner that our ETA was 18.15. Unfortunately when we got to Novi Sad it was difficult to find the apartment and we didn't get there until 18.35. We booked the apartment through Booking.com and the apartment had excellent reviews. However, no review mentioned that the apartment block dated back to the communist era and didn't look nice on the outside or in the common areas of the building. The apartment itself was a very spacious apartment on the Danube with 2 bedrooms and 2 balconies. It costs only Euro 45 a night! Unfortunately they skimped on items like cooking utensils and there were a few other things that needed attention. See my blog Novi Sad, Serbia: Travel Guide for details about Novi Sad. Links to My Other Blogs Cornwall to Venice - Week 1 Serbia to North Macedonia - Week 3 North Macedonia to Greece - Week 4 Nafplio, Greece to the Peloponnese - Week 5 The Peloponnese to the Greek Islands - Week 6 The Greek Islands - Week 7 The Greek Islands to Albania - Week 8 Albania to Montenegro - Week 9 Montenegro to Croatia- Week 10 Brac to Rab, Croatia - Week 11 Rab to Dolomites, Italy - Week 12 Dolomites to Home - Week 13 UK to Greek Island Accommodation - Part 1 UK to Greek Island Accommodation - Part 2 Hiking in Val Gardena, Dolomites

The Green Market in Tetovo, North Macedonia Contents 3 May 2023 - Day Trips in Novi Sad, Serbia and Sremska Kamenica, Serbia 4 May 2023 - Rest Day in Novi Sad, Serbia 5 May 2023 - Novi Sad to Tetovo, North Macedonia 6 May 2023 - Tetovo, North Macedonia 7 May 2023 - Day Trip to Skopje 8 May 2023 - Tetovo to Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia 9 May 2023 - Sightseeing in Ohrid Links to My Other Blogs 3 May 2023 - Day Trips in Novi Sad, Serbia and Sremska Kamenica, Serbia We were both feeling tired last night from the stress of obtaining the car insurance at the Serbian border and locating the apartment in Novi Sad. I woke up late and felt like I was getting a cold and by the afternoon I knew I had one. As our apartment is very close to the centre of Novi Sad we decided to explore it today and set off at 11.00. We crossed over the Danube to see the imposing Petrovaradin Fortress which mostly dates back to the early 18th century. It is free to wander around Petrovaradin fortress, but there is a charge for the museum which we weren't interested in visiting. There were a lot of teenage school children there and the girls spent most of there time preening themselves and posing for photos! We spent about an hour at Petrovaradin fortress before walking back over the river to the centre of Novi Sad. Most of the buildings in Novi Sad date back to the mid to late 1800's. Some people say that you can spend a whole day exploring Novi Sad. However, by 14.00 we felt that we had seen all the major sites. See my blog " Novi Sad, Serbia: Travel Guide " for further information. It was too early to go back to the apartment so we took a 20 minute bus ride to Sremski Karlovci. It is a historic town 11 kilometres south east of Novi Sad. The Bradt guide book says Sremski Karlovci "is one of the most attractive in all of Serbia thanks to its unspoiled character and wealth of Habsburg period architecture". We spent about an hour looking around. Sremski Karlovci is a nice enough town, but I am surprised that the Bradt guide book rates it so highly. We got back to Novi Sad at around 16.00, bought some groceries and relaxed. 4 May 2023 - Rest Day in Novi Sad, Serbia We woke up to grey skies in rather dreary surroundings but luckily my cold wasn't any worse. I had planned to do a 1 hour drive north to the town of Subotica. However, as I read up about Subotica I realised that it probably wasn't as special as the Bradt guide book made out. Subotica is very Hungarian in terms of both its' buildings and population. Unfortunately the main buildings of interest only date back to the early 20th century. Since we have a long drive tomorrow to Tetovo in North Macedonia we decided to have a rest day in Novi Sad. Another option had been to take the train into Belgrade. We decided not to go as the Bradt guide book used phrases such as "dreary", "Eastern-bloc greyness" and "grim monoliths of high rises" when describing it! In the morning we walked south along the Danube in Novi Sad until we got to the Strand. The Strand is a park by the Danube that has a sandy beach and is apparently very popular in nice weather. It was deserted today as the weather is cloudy. In the afternoon we walked north along the Danube and then had another quick walk around Novi Sad. 5 May 2023 - Novi Sad to Tetovo, North Macedonia We set off for Tetovo in North Macedonia at 09.00 in sunny weather. After driving for about an hour we discovered that the printout of our Airbnb reservation for Tetovo didn't have the owner's phone number. As our cell phone package doesn't include internet outside the EU I was worried we would have problems meeting up with the owner. Luckily the next service station had free wifi and I messaged the apartment owner and he quickly sent his phone number. Now I could relax and enjoy the drive. The scenery was nicer than in northern Serbia and it became hilly and rural. It was a 2 lane toll motorway most of the way through Serbia. Unfortunately one of these lanes was closed because of road works for many sections. There wasn't much traffic, but every time they closed a lane they reduced the speed limit from 130 kms an hour to 60 kms an hour. No one did less than 80 kms an hour in these sections! If I had driven at the speed limit I would have been very unpopular. We were very pleasantly surprised when we arrived at the border of Serbia and North Macedonia as there was hardly any queue. We had feared that it would be like the border between Croatia and Serbia where it took us 1 hour to pass over the border. North Macedonia's immigration and police were very helpful and spoke English. As we didn't have car insurance for North Macedonia they held our passports until we had purchased the insurance at a nearby booth. It cost Euro 50 for a 15 day policy and it only took 5 minutes to purchase it. In comparison it took us 40 stressful minutes to buy the car insurance for Serbia and it cost Euro 230! As we got near to Tetovo we had very impressive views of snow covered mountains. We reached Tetovo at 16.30, but as usual our TomTom satellite navigation system took us to the wrong area. Google maps is much more accurate and got us to the apartment. Luckily I was able to make a roaming call to the apartment owner and he came out to meet us. Our apartment is on a road just off the main shopping street. It was very busy and all the parking spots were taken. We decided to pay Euro 20 for 3 days of parking below the apartment, but it wasn't an easy place to park. In the evening we decided to eat out. We had chicken burgers and chips and it was nice eating out for a change. 6 May 2023 - Tetovo, North Macedonia In the morning we drove 17 kilometres from Tetovo to the Popova Sapka ski resort, which is 1,000 metres above Tetovo. There was still a lot of snow on the hillsides, but not enough for skiing and all the chair lifts were closed. Both the road to Popova Sapka, and the ski resort, were very quiet. There are a number of hikes that can be done here in the summer time. We didn't come prepared to do a hike and there was probably too much snow anyway. As we couldn't get a good view of the mountains from the ski resort we walked half an hour to a nearby hill. In the afternoon we looked around the vibrant town of Tetovo. There are very few sights to see, but it was nice walking around and seeing the locals go about their daily routines. We went into the Green market and a very friendly man gave us some tea on a stalk. We have no idea how to use it though! The main site in Tetovo is a mosque called the Sarena Dzamija, which means coloured or painted mosque. It is small but very beautiful. Sarena Dzamija was built in the mid 15th century. See my blog " Tetovo & Skopje, Macedonia: Travel Guide " for information about visiting Tetovo. In the evening we bought a small rotisserie chicken for Euro 4 and ate it in the apartment. It was delicious. 7 May 2023 - Day Trip to Skopje The drive from Tetovo to Skopje only takes about 40 minutes as there is a highway most of the way there. There are tolls on North Macedonia highways but the rates are very low. There were 2 toll stations and each time we had to pay MKD 40 (Eur 0.63), or Eur 1 if we didn't have MKD. I had read about some cars being broken into at Skopje car parks so we emptied the car as much as possible and tried to choose a good parking lot. I always use Google reviews to select a car park before going somewhere as it saves a lot of hassle at the destination. We parked at a multi storey car park at the Vero Shopping Centre in Skopje and lucked out as parking is free at weekends. It was only a short walk into the centre of Skopje. I had planned to mainly visit the old Turkish area. The rest of Skopje is fairly modern due to earthquakes and the last big one rocked Skopje in 1963. To reach Skopje's old town we had to walk a while through the modern part. We walked along the north bank of the Vardar river for a few hundred metres until we reached Stone Bridge and it was very impressive with many statues. We could see that the modern Makedonija Square on the south side looked very nice and decided to visit it on the way back. A statue near the Stone Bridge in Skopje The old Turkish area of Skopje starts just north of Stone Bridge and there were plenty of signs of tourism and quite a few tourists. That was quite a surprise as in Tetovo we seemed to be the only tourists. However, Skopje is the capital city and there is a lot more to see than in Tetovo. It was a hot day and the temperature got up to 31C. It was a bit difficult finding some of the sights and we became a bit tired, hot and dehydrated. We visited the covered market, Church of Sveti Spas, Kale Fortress and the Mustafa Pasha Mosque. The only entrance fee was for the church and that cost Eur 2 for the two of us. On the way back we visited the Makedonija Square area and I ended up liking this modern part of Skopje more than the old part. See my blog " Tetovo & Skopje, Macedonia: Travel Guide " for further information about visiting Skopje. 8 May 2023 - Tetovo to Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia There are 2 roads going south from Tetovo and Skopje to Lake Ohrid. They both start on a 2 lane highway to a town called Gustiva. The main road continues straight down to Lake Ohrid, but a more scenic road branches off to the west and goes through Mavrovo National Park. The Bradt Guide book recommends taking the longer and more scenic route through the Mavrovo National Park and describes the Park as a little Switzerland. As it only involves an additional hour of driving we decided to take this scenic route. We set off at 09.30 in sunny, but hazy, weather. The Mavrovo National Park is very forested and in the distance there are views of snow capped mountains. There weren't many places to stop on the way and we continued past Mavrovo Dam until we reached the Monastery of Sv Jovan Bigorski. The current structure of the monastery dates back to the 18th century and is well known for the relic of St John the Baptist. It is an attractive monastery in a scenic and tranquil setting. There are about 30 monks who live at the monastery of Sv Jovan Bigorski and one of them kindly showed us around the ornate chapel. Unfortunately no pictures can be taken of the interior of the chapel. There is an Eur 2 entrance fee to enter the chapel, but it is free to walk around outside. The Bradt Guide Book mentioned that the village of Janche was amongst the prettiest ancient Mijak villages. We therefore entered it on our Tomtom sat nav system and found ourselves driving about 3 kilometres up a steep and narrow road with numerous hair pin bends. It was a bit hairy and luckily we only met 1 car coming down. The village at the end wasn't very special. I think the sat nav system took us to the wrong village as I later saw in the Bradt Guide that Janche is very accessible and the village we drove to certainly wasn't! Our next stop was at Lake Debar. We were shocked at how much plastic was both on the lake shore and floating in the lake. North Macedonia doesn't seem to have a good rubbish collection system and people throw their rubbish everywhere. View from Janche Our last stop offs on the way to Lake Ohrid were to the villages of Vevcani and Oktisi. The Bradt guide book says that Vevcani is "a truly beautiful village of old style houses" and that many of the inhabitants are in local dress. We only found a few old buildings and no one was in local dress.There were several very nice new houses built to a high standard. Bradt doesn't seem to have updated their guide book very well! We decided to skip the village of Oktisi as a result. We reached our apartment at Lake Ohrid at 15.30 and were very pleased with the quality of it. See my blog " UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 1 ". After doing some shopping we walked along the esplanade to the old centre of Ohrid. The weather was still very nice and it was fairly busy. We were very impressed with Ohrid and looked forward to exploring it further tomorrow. 9 May 2023 - Sightseeing in Ohrid The forecast was for rain and unfortunately it was correct and we woke up to rain! By about 10.30 it stopped raining and we set off to explore the sights of Ohrid Town. See my blog " Ohrid Town, North Macedonia: Travel Guide " for useful information when visiting Ohrid Town. There are many churches in Ohrid and the first one we saw was the Church of St Sophia which was built in the early 11th century. We didn't pay the Eur 3 entrance fee to look inside but just admired it from outside. We walked a bit further north along the coast to the beautiful church of Sv Jovan Kaneo which was built in the 13th century. Our guide book says it is the most frequently visited church in Ohrid. There were lots of people there but luckily most of them were leaving. Again we didn't go inside and saved another Eur 6! There is a steep path from the Church of Sv Jovan Kaneo to Tsar Samoil's Fortress, which dates back to the 10th century. The entrance fee is Eur 2 and at the entrance there was a sign warning people to be careful. We soon found out that it is because the steps along the fortress walls were extremely slippery when wet. The views were good despite the poor weather. From Tsar Samoil's fortress it was a short walk to the 2,000 year old Roman theatre. It was free and it didn't take long to see it. A little bit higher up from the theatre is the Church of Holy Mary Perybleptos. We liked seeing it from the outside, but decided again that it wasn't worth forking our Eur 3 to go inside. We walked down to Ohrid's old town and stopped at a restaurant to look at the menu. While we were looking at it started to rain heavily so we decided to have lunch there! We both had a North Macedonian dish of stuffed peppers and enjoyed it. We spent the afternoon in our apartment as it continued to rain. In the evening we walked in light rain southwards along Ohrid's promenade in order to stretch our legs. The bad weather was very disappointing. Links to My Other Blogs Cornwall to Venice - Week 1 Venice to Serbia - Week 2 North Macedonia to Greece - Week 4 Nafplio, Greece to the Peloponnese - Week 5 The Peloponnese to the Greek Islands - Week 6 The Greek Islands - Week 7 The Greek Islands to Albania - Week 8 Albania to Montenegro - Week 9 Montenegro to Croatia- Week 10 Brac to Rab, Croatia - Week 11 Rab to Dolomites, Italy - Week 12 Dolomites to Home - Week 13 UK to Greek Island Accommodation - Part 1 UK to Greek Island Accommodation - Part 2 Ohrid Town, North Macedonia: Travel Guide Tetovo & Skopje, Macedonia: Travel Guide

I did the Gosainkunda and Helambu trek in late November and early December 2023. My blog provides detailed information that will assist you in planning your trek. I did the Langtang trek before continuing on to Gosainkunda and you can see my blogs on that trek by clicking here . Contents When to do the Trek Getting to the Trail heads of the Trek Itinerary for the Gosainkunda and Helambu Trek Permits Hiking Times Information on the Accommodation The Tea Houses Surya Peak Links to My Other Blogs on the Langtang, Gosaikunda & Helambu Treks 1. When to do the Gosainkunda & Helambu Trek The main two considerations are the weather and the number of trekkers: 1.1 Weather The best months to do the Gosainkunda and Helambu trek are: March to early June Early October to mid December The monsoon season is from around 10 June to early October. The views would be restricted and there would be leeches during the monsoon. Click here to see the historic data for the start and finish dates for the monsoon (section 6 of the blog). The winter period from mid December to early March would be cold and there is a greater risk of snow. 1.2 Number of Trekkers on the Gosainkunda & Helambu Treks Nepal Tourism publishes annual statistics of the number of foreign trekkers on the main treks. These statistics show that October and early November is the busiest period and April is the second busiest period. These statistics only provide a partial picture as they exclude Nepali trekkers. Gosainkunda Lake is a holy lake and is very popular with Nepali trekkers and pilgrims. Many Nepali would visit it during the religious festivals and holidays. Most Nepalese use the trail from Dhunche to Gosainkunda Lake. They often spend the first night at Shin Gompa (Chandanbari). They set out early the next day to hike to Gosainkunda Lake, returning to Shin Gompa or Dhunche for the night. They don't often spend the night at Gosainkunda Lake due to the altitude and lack of time. If you are coming from the Langtang trek it is best not to hike from Thulo Syabru to Gosainkunda via Shin Gompa as suggested by many itineraries. Hike the shorter route via Mukharka and Chyolangpati instead. Shin Gompa will always be busy with Nepali trekkers and pilgrims, as will the trail from Shin Gompa to Gosainkunda Lake. I believe that the holiday period during the festivals of Dashain and Diwali (Tihar) would be the busiest period for Nepalese trekkers. The dates of these festivals are based on the lunar calendar and take place in October and November. In 2024 Dashain is from October 3rd to 16th and Diwali (Tihar) is from October 21st to November 2nd. The Nepalese often seem to take a holiday after Tihar and there could still be many Nepali trekkers on the trail 7 to 10 days after the end of Tihar. 1.3 Conclusion The Gosainkunda Lake trail would be very busy in April. March would be much quieter, but colder, and there is more risk of snow on the ground. May and early June would be quieter and it would be warmer. However, there is a risk of some pre-monsoon rain. In autumn the best weather is from late October to mid December. However, the trail is very busy from early October to mid November. The best time to do the Gosainkunda and Helambu treks in the autumn is probably from about 10 days after the end of Diwali (Tihar) to mid December. 2. The Trail heads for the Gosainkunda & Helambu Trek The trail heads for the Gosainkunda and Helambu treks are: Near Pairo on the Langtang trail for trekkers entering from the Langtang trek. Dhunche for trekkers only doing the Gosainkunda and Helambu trek and going from west to east. I don't recommend this busy route. It takes 5 to 8 hours to travel between Kathmandu and Dhunche depending on the mode of transport. A private jeep would cost about $150 to $160. Sundarijal for trekkers going from east to west. It is only a R1,000 ($8) taxi ride from Kathmandu to Sundarijal 3. Itinerary for the Gosainkunda & Helambu Trek 3.1 Itinerary when continuing on from the Langtang Trek If you are coming from the Langtang trek I would suggest the following itinerary: Take 2 days to hike to Gosainkunda Lake and stop for the night at either Thulo Syabru, Mukharka or Chyolongpati. I took 9.25 hours to hike from Pairo on the Langtang trail to Gosainkunda Lake. Spend 1 night at Gosainkunda Lake or 2 nights if you are hiking up Surya Peak. Gosainkunda Lake to Ghopte (5.25 hours) Ghopte to Kutumsang (5.5 hours) Kutumsang to Chisapani (6.25 hours) Chisapani to Kathmandu (3.5 hours hiking & 30 minutes by taxi) If you start trekking from Dhunche you should take longer hiking to Gosainkunda Lake because of the altitude. I don't recommend taking this trail as it is busy and ascends too quickly for good acclimatisation. See my daily trip report for the itinerary that I followed. 3.2 Starting from Dhunche If you do hike from Dhunche you should probably spend 2 nights at Shin Gompa/Chandanbari (3,330 metres) and 1 night at Laurebina (3,910 metres) before staying at Gosainkunda Lake (4,480 metres). 3.3 Starting from Sundarijal Some trekkers start the Gosainkunda and Helambu trek from Sundarijal and trek from east to west. If you aren't acclimatised this would be a safer route than from Dhunche. 3.4 An Alternative Route through Helambu It is possible to hike from Thadepati to Kathmandu on a trail further to the east of the Thadepati to Sundarijal trail. Thadepati is between Ghopte and Mangen Goth and this alternative Helambu trail turns east at Thadepati. It takes 2 days to descend southwards to Sermanthang from where it is a 6 to 7 hour bus ride to Kathmandu. 4. Permits for the Gosainkunda & Helambu Trek The only permit required is for the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park. I bought it at Chisapani and it cost R1,000 ($8). 5. Hiking Times on the Gosainkunda & Helambu Trek These hiking times exclude stops at tea houses for drinks and lunch. DAY FROM TO TIME 1 Pairo Thulo Syabru 2 hrs 1 Thulo Syabru Mukharka 2 hrs 1 Mukharka Chyolangpati 2 hrs 45 mins 2 Chyolangpati Laurebina 52 mins 2 Laurebina Gosainkunda 1 hr 50 mins 4 Gosainkunda Suryakunda Pass 1 hr 10 mins 4 Suryakunda Pass Gyaje 1 hr 15 mins 4 Gyaje Phedi 35 mins 4 Phedi Ghopte 2 hrs 15 mins 5 Ghopte Thadepati 1 hr 40 mins 5 Thadepati Mangen Goth 1 hr 30 mins 5 Mangen Goth Kutumsang 2 hrs 20 mins 6 Kutumsang Chipling 3 hrs 10 mins 6 Chipling Chisapani 3 hrs 7 Chisapani Mulkharka 2 hrs 30 mins 7 Mulkharka Sundarijal 1 hr 6. Information on Accommodation for the Gosainkunda & Helambu Trek 6.1 Quality of Accommodation on the Gosainkunda & Langtang Trek The hotels at Kutumsang and Chisapani are very good and the hotels at Thulo Syabru are excellent. The 4 tea houses at Gosainkunda lake are very basic and run down. They are very similar to the tea houses on the first section of the Langtang trek. The tea houses at the other main stops on the Gosainkund and Helambu trek are basic and don't usually have attached bathrooms. They are better however than the very poor quality tea houses at Gosainkunda Lake. 6.2 Other Guests at the Tea Houses When trekking I try to stay at tea houses that have few other guests and certainly no groups. On most treks you know that no other trekkers will arrive after dusk. Unfortunately this isn't the case with tea houses on the trail from Dhunche to Gosainkunda Lake. On this section Nepali trekkers often hike in the dark with torches and can arrive as late as 21.00 The tea houses on the other section of the Gosainknda and Helambu trek are mainly frequented by foreign trekkers. These tea houses are much quieter as long as you avoid the busy periods of April, October and the first half of November. 6.3 Cost of Rooms on the Gosainkund & Helambu Trek In the off season most tea houses cost R500 ($4) a night and if you negotiated you might get the room for free. Most of these tea houses don't have rooms with attached bathrooms. The accommodation improves as you get closer to Kathmandu. At Kutumsang and Chisapani I stayed in hotels rather than tea houses. The cost of good rooms with attached bathrooms was R800 ($6) to R1,000 ($8). 6.4 Food at the Tea Houses I always ate the local rice and noodle dishes so I can't comment on the western food served at the tea houses. Western food is available along the entire Gosainkund and Helambu trek. Dal bhat cost between R400 ($3) at Chisapani and R850 ($6.50). Black tea cost between R100 ($0.70) and R150 ($1.20). The cost of food increased with the altitude. 6.5 Internet, Electricity and Showers at the Tea Houses I couldn't obtain internet through Nepal Telecoms until I reached Ghopte when trekking from the west to east. There was no internet at all at Chyolangpati and Gosainkunda Lake. There was internet at Thulo Syabru but not during the daytime. There was solar power for lighting at all the tea houses. I am sure there would be free charging of electrical devices at Thulo Syabru. The owner of the tea house at Gosainkunda Lake charged my phone for free. There was free charging of electrical devices from Ghopte to Chisapani. 7. The Tea Houses on the Gosainkunda & Helambu Trek 7.1 Hotels at Thulo Syabru Thulo Syabru was the nicest village on the Langtang, Gosainkunda and Helambu treks. There were several very good hotels but I didn't spend the night there. I had lunch at the Hotel Monalisa which had been recommended by a guide. The food was good and the hotel seemed very comfortable. The Langtang View Hotel was opposite the Hotel Monalisa and also looked to be a very good hotel. 7.2 Tea Houses at Iba Iba is a 1.25 hour walk from Thulo Syabru. The tea house looked quite reasonable. 7.3 Tea Houses at Mukharka Mukharka (2,997 metres) is a 2.75 hour walk from Thulo Syabru and there are 2 tea houses there. The lady running the Himalayan Guest House was very pleasant and offered me a free room. I decided to hike a further 2 hours and 45 minutes to Chyolangpati (3,620 metres). Mukharka could be a good place to stop as it would be a 5.5 hour walk to Gosainkunda the next day. If you are tired when you reach Mukharka take into consideration that there is a 600 metre ascent from Mukharka to Chyolangpati. 7.4 Tea Houses at Chyolangpati There are 2 tea houses at Chyolangpati. I stayed at the Langtang Lerung View Hotel which is larger and newer than the Hotel Tibet Mountain View. Two rooms at the Langtang Lerung View Hotel had attached bathrooms. I didn't like these rooms as the wall between the 2 bathrooms didn't extend all the way to the ceiling. To make matters worse there was a gap in the wall between the bathroom and bedroom. I had the end corner room without a bathroom and it cost R500 ($4). The rooms with attached bathrooms cost R1,000 ($8). The tea house was fine and much better than the tea houses at Gosainkunda. It was a bit cold as Chyolangpati is at an altitude of 3,620 metres. 7.5 Tea Houses at Laurebina Laurebina is at an altitude of 3,910 metres and there are excellent mountain views. There are 2 tea houses and both of them look better than the tea houses at Gosainkunda. It would be difficult for them to be worse! 7.6 Tea Houses at Gosainkunda There are 4 basic and poorly maintained guest houses at Gosainkunda. They are all about the same standard. I stayed at the Hotel Tibet for 2 nights and it cost R500 ($4) a night. Unfortunately it was the busiest of the 4 tea houses as it is the first one when arriving from the west. A lot of Nepali trekkers and pilgrims visit Gosainkunda lake. Don't despair if it is crowded when you arrive as most of them don't spend the night due to the high altitude and lack of time. They usually commence the trek back to Shin Gompa (Chandanbari) in the afternoon. 7.7 Tea House at Gyaje/Phedi High Camp There is a tea house at Gyaje which is 2.5 hours east of Gosainkunda lake. It looked better than the tea houses at Gosainkunda lake and I had a cup of tea there. 7.8 Tea Houses at Phedi I had lunch at the Hotel Dawa Baby and I think there is another tea house lower down. 7.9 Tea Houses at Ghopte There are 2 basic tea houses at Ghopte. They are fine as long as they aren't busy. I stayed in the Namaste Hotel & Lodge and paid R500 ($4) for a room. I stayed in the new wing which strangely doesn't have a toilet. There was wifi which I negotiated for free. After I left my guide told me that the internet could be accessed on Nepal Telcoms. 7.10 Tea Houses at Thadepati Thadepati (3,730 metres) has 4 tea houses including the Hotel Yak & Yati, which is higher up the hill near the lookout tower. I believe there was only 1 trekker staying at Thadepati the previous night. Thadepati is in a nice location but I am not sure about the quality of the tea houses. 7.11 Tea Houses at Magen Goth The tea house in the photo was in the lower section of Magen Goth and is the first tea house reached when trekking from Thadepati. I had lunch there and it was pleasant sitting out in the sun. After this tea house the trail for the Helambu trek ascends through a forest to upper Magen Goth. There was a fancy tea house on top of the hill. 7.12 Hotels in Kutumsang I stayed at the Mountain View Lodge & Resort. The rooms in the main building cost R1,500 ($12) and the rooms in the outer buildings cost R1,000 ($8). I stayed in one of the outer rooms and Niru negotiated a rate of R800 ($6). All the rooms had bathrooms but I was told to shower in one of the rooms in the main building. The shower was free. There was a bit of a strange smell in my room. I t was probably because there wasn’t a U bend in the shower drain pipe to prevent smells from the sewer pipe. Otherwise it was a very good hotel 7.13 Hotels in Chisapani The first hotel I reached in Chisapani looked very good but it cost R3,500 ($27). We reached the modern Hotel Chisapani soon afterwards. I took their best room which cost R1,500 ($11.50). The other rooms with attached bathrooms cost R1,000 ($8). There were too many stray dogs around the hotel and they disturbed me at night. A South Korean trekker had to change rooms because of a strange smell. Once again there probably wasn’t a U bend in the shower drain pipe to prevent smells from the sewer pipe. It seems to be a common problem with cheap hotels in Nepal.  The main part of Chisapani is 10 minutes further from the Hotel Chisapani. There is a good hotel there but it could be noisy at weekends with people visiting from Kathmandu. 8. Surya Peak I wrote about my ascent of Surya Peak in my My trip report for the Gosainkunda and Helambu treks . This following section provides practical information on the hike as Surya Peak is difficult to locate. 8.1 My Ascent I only made the decision to hike up Surya Peak when I arrived at Gosainkunda Lake so I hadn't done any research. My guide hadn't been there before and he asked the owner of the Hotel Tibet for directions. He was told that the route up Surya Peak started near Surya Kund which is the third lake to the east after the main Gosainkunda Lake. This lake is slightly to the south of the main trail from Gosainkunda lake to Phedi. When we reached Surya Kund there were some abandoned buildings. We left the main trail there and started hiking up to the north. We soon spotted cairns and the route was well cairned all the way to the summit. The terrain quickly became very rough and it was hard going. The route went up the south west side of the peak. There were 2 or 3 sections that involved scrambling and were hairy. It took slightly less than 3 hours to reach the summit which was marked with stones and prayer flags. I was puzzled that my Garmin Inreach showed the altitude to be 5,049 metres whereas Surya Peak is at an altitude of 5,150 metres. This summit was at a latitude of 28.080342 N and a longitude of 85.432000 E. 8.2 My Descent We only spent 20 minutes at the summit as it was cloudy and cold. There would be excellent views in good weather. While we were ascending I had been concerned about our descent along the same route. Fortunately the tea house owner had told my guide that it was easier to descend down the north side. It crossed very rough terrain and we had to be careful walking over the numerous loose rocks and boulders. The route joined the main Gosainkunda trail where the prayer flags were on the path at the eastern end of Gosainkunda Lake. It took 2 hours and 45 minutes to walk back to the tea house. 8.3 The Proper Surya Peak Whe n I returned to the U.K . I did some research to find out why I had only reached an altitude of 5,049 metres when Surya Peak was meant to be at an altitude of 5,150 metres. There isn't much information about Surya Peak but it was clear that I hadn't been up Surya Peak. Other blogs referred to the peak that I went up as "Trekkers' Peak" or "Gosainkunda Ri". I don't think it has an official name. It seems that the peak I ascended has been cairned as it is easier to locate and reach from the main Gosainkunda trail. Surya Peak is further to the east and is shown on the map above. Both peaks are above 5,000 metres and the views from the real Surya Peak wouldn't be any better. 8.4 The Route for Surya Peak I found 3 blogs about the hike to the true Surya Peak that provide details of the correct route: Themtsarecalling.com This blog is by an American who is clearly very confident and able in the mountains. He set off by himself from Gosainkunda lake at 03.10 and took an exploratory route to Surya Peak. He made it up to Surya Peak and then hiked down to Dhunche the same day! I wouldn't recommend walking solo on this difficult terrain. Walkhighlands.co.uk This blog is by a Scottish woman who has hiked a lot in Scotland and is a competent hiker. She had a local guide and ascended by the conventional route to Surya Peak. Her pictures indicate the route and show that there is a plaque at the summit stating it is Surya Peak. The round trip took her 6.5 hours. Summitpost.org This website states the latitude and longitude for Surya Peak are 28.08330 N and 85.43967 E. These coordinates seem to be correct. The route I took back from the false Surya Peak is part of the route to the official Surya Peak. One blog says the route is well cairned and another says it isn't. I agree with the latter as although we saw cairns they only gave us reassurance that we were on the right route. They weren't frequent enough to help us with navigation. In reasonable conditions the route I took up the "Trekkers Peak" and down the north side could be used to go on to the true Surya Peak. Both 5,000 metre peaks could be done in one day. 8.5 Logistics for Surya Peak My guide told a New Zealander and his guide about our route. They went up to the false Surya Peak the following day and came down the same way. They did it faster than us and continued on to Ghopte the same day. He had hidden his rucksack near to where he had left the main trail before ascending the false Surya Peak. This meant he didn't have to hike back to his tea house at Gosainkunda to collect it. A local guide could be hired at one of the tea houses at Gosainkunda Lake for the trek to Surya Peak. It would likely cost about $100. Determine beforehand which peak your guide is intending to ascend. 9. Links to My Other Blogs on the Langtang, Gosaikunda & Helambu Treks Gosainkunda & Helambu Trip Report Langtang Trek Blogs

Contents Syros, Greece - Sea View Studios Naxos, Greece - My Family Home Tinos, Greece - Lefkopetra Andros, Greece - Lorentzia House 2 Parga, Greece - Tresor Apartments Gjirokaster, Albania - Artur's Apartment Himare, Albania - Mihalis Apartments Berat, Albania - Luis Penthouse Kruje, Albania - Hotel Panorama Kotor, Montenegro - Fortress View 2 Apartment Trogir, Croatia - Apartment Roko Brac, Croatia - Little House Rab Croatia - Apartment Stela Rab Croatia - Palit Hills Superior Apartments Rovinj, Croatia - Apartment Dado Ortisei, Italy - Apartment Salman Metz, France -Metz Kyriad Metz Centre Links to my other blogs 1. Syros, Greece - Sea View Studios We booked this through Booking.com for Eur 79 per night for a 4 night stay. We took advantage of an off-season free upgrade to a 2 bedroom apartment. It took us half an hour to drive from the port at Ermoupoli to the apartment near Finikas. The route to the apartment was very well signposted by the owner and there is ample car parking space. The owner (Manos) met us and showed us our apartment. It was in pristine condition and well equipped. The only negative was that one bedroom didn't have an exterior window. The other only had a small window high up on the wall. Both bedrooms had large openings onto the lounge. This made the bedrooms suitable for families, but perhaps not for 2 couples. There are about 6 other apartments. I think they are all studio apartments. The one with the best location seemed to be number 5 on the upper floor. It was a corner unit with an additional side window and an extra terrace on the side. None of the other apartments were occupied while we were there so I can't comment on noise. It was certainly very peaceful when we were there. We really liked the location of the apartment. It is in one of the more unspoilt parts of southern Syros. I highly recommend these apartments. 2. Naxos, Greece - My Family Home We booked this property for 5 nights through Booking.com at a rate of Eur 75 per night. It is in the small village of Galanado, which is a 10 minute drive to Naxos Town. This was our favourite property so far. There is nothing above it and only one end is attached to another building. It has 2 spacious bedrooms, a kitchen/dining room and a modern bathroom. Outside is a large private terrace with some shade and distant sea views. The property is in pristine condition and well equipped. It has a new washing machine and there is air conditioning in both bedrooms. All windows had mosquito screens and shutters. We thought parking might be a problem but there are 2 good sized car parks about 100 metres away. There was always plenty of space in both of them. We really liked the village as it wasn't touristy and the locals were friendly. The only downside was that the church broadcast their Sunday morning sermon on a loud speaker. It was atmospheric to start with, but it went on for at least 3 hours. 3. Tinos, Greece - Lefkopetra We booked this apartment for 4 nights through Airbnb and it cost Euro 70 per night. When I booked it, it seemed that there was only one unit. Unfortunately there are actually 5 apartments, but they are all listed separately on Airbnb. We had apartments on either side of us and the balcony of the upper apartment was above us. I always try to avoid this scenario due to noise issues. The apartment next to us was occupied for the first 2 nights and we could hear them through the wall. For the final 2 nights the top apartment was occupied and we could hear them as well. The accommodation felt a bit neglected. In particular: The floor was painted concrete and some of the paint had worn off. The bathroom was small. The shower was so small that it was impossible to avoid making contact with the shower curtain. There was only 1 bowl and 2 plates for an apartment advertised for 3 people. On the positive side: The terrace was very nice and had good sea views. It had an adjustable awning for shade. The beds were comfortable. It was a 10 to 15 minute drive into Tinos town. 4. Andros, Greece - Lorentzia House 2 We booked this house through Booking.com for 4 nights at a cost of Eur 65 per night. It is spacious as it has 120 square metres of space consisting of 3 bedrooms, 2 living/dining rooms, a kitchen, bathroom (with a washing machine), a large terrace and a parking area. The house is rented out by a very welcoming family. The mother and daughter met us and only the daughter spoke English. They gave us a pack of bottled water, fruit, eggs and raki. The house is a bit dated, except for the modern bathroom, but it is very comfortable and clean. There are excellent sea views from the terrace. The house is reached by driving up a steep paved road for about 10 minutes. The entrance to the driveway requires a sharp turn off the steepest section of the road. I found it a challenge. There is a popular taverna about 5 minutes' walk away. The main coastal resort of Batsi is about a 20 minute drive. We prefer more modern accommodation and didn't like the approach, but it is very good value for money. 5. Parga, Greece - Tresor Apartments We booked this apartment for 1 night through Booking.com for Eur 79. The cost per night would have been less if we had stayed longer. We really liked the apartment and it exceeded our expectations. There are 4 apartments in the building and we had half of the top floor. It is shown in the photo below and our apartment had both the balconies shown in the photo. The apartment has been built and furnished to a very high standard. It is in pristine condition. The main living room has a kitchenette and a sofa bed. The bathroom has an excellent shower. The bedroom is very comfortable and has its own balcony. There is parking on site It is a 10 minute walk down to the waterfront. We really liked Parga even though there were a lot of tourists. It was a nice change to be in a bustling town after the quiet Greek islands. I highly recommend this apartment. 6. Gjirokaster, Albania - Artur's Apartment We booked this apartment for 1 night through Booking.com for Eur 38 and it included a good breakfast. Incredible value! It is a bit old fashioned but was clean, spacious and comfortable. There was a terrace off the bedroom and a seating area outside the entrance to the apartment. Both areas had shade if required. The apartment was on the ground floor, but we didn't have any problem with noise from above. All windows had mosquito screens so no problems there either! There was parking on the street just outside the apartment. It is a 10 minute walk to the centre of town and half an hour to the castle on top of the hill. 7. Himare, Albania - Mihalis Apartments We had booked a Penthouse Apartment for 3 nights through Booking.com for Eur 50 per night. The Penthouse Apartments are on the top floor (4th). They don't have a kitchen and are the smallest apartments (30 square metres). When we arrived we asked to see some of the other apartments. The normal apartments are double the size of the Penthouse Apartments and they were very spacious and looked very appealing. We were then shown a Delux Apartment which was fantastic. There are only 2 of them and they are both on the top floor (4th). They are 70 square metres consisting of a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. We were shown Delux Apartment 403 (Lizeta) which is a corner unit with 2 huge balconies. The other Delux Apartment isn't a corner unit and only has 1 balcony. The Booking.com price for a Delux Apartment was Eur 105, but we were offered it for Eur 80 and took Delux Apartment 403. The apartment is a 10 minute drive from Himare along a dirt road. The road is a bit rough in places, but we didn't have a problem with our Ford Focus. We did drive carefully as we had broken a front spring in Greece. It is a 12 minute walk down to Livadi beach, which is one of the best beaches in Albania. It is a long pebble beach with restaurants, umbrellas and sun loungers. The sea is great for swimming. I highly recommend Mihalis Apartments and its location is much better than scruffy Himare. 8. Berat, Albania - Luis Penthouse We rented this apartment for 1 night through Booking.com for Eur 45. It is a penthouse apartment on the 7th floor. It is amazing value as it has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a large open plan living/dining/kitchen area, a huge terrace and underground parking. It is really well furnished and even has satellite TV and Netflix. It is a 20 minute walk into the centre of Berat. The underground parking is down a steep ramp and a bit tight. The host directed me in and out of the space and we had no problems. Unfortunately they have just started to build on the site next to the apartment. It didn't disturb us as we were there at the weekend. It is very likely there will be daytime noise on weekdays. It is probably not a big issue if you are sightseeing during the daytime. 9. Kruje, Albania - Hotel Panorama We initially reserved a standard room with a balcony for Eur 66 with Booking.com. Shortly before our stay they advised us of upgrades and we paid an extra Eur 2 for a standard triple room with balcony. It is very good value for the best hotel in Kruje. The front desk clerk kindly offered to show us the room. We were delighted that it had a fantastic view of the castle and bazaar. The room was not close to the elevators, nor did it have a connecting door, two of my pet hates. A couple who checked in shortly after us weren't so lucky. They had been given a room facing the street. They requested to be moved to a room facing the castle but there were none available. Everyone wants a room with a castle view. The later you check in the less likely that you will get one. There is free parking in an underground car park opposite the hotel. It was very busy when we arrived as it was a Sunday. A friendly attendant helped us find a parking spot and helped us with our luggage. I gave him a couple of Euros for his efforts and he was delighted. A Tripadvisor review mentioned that the food at the hotel was good and very reasonably priced. We don't normally eat at hotels but gave it a try. I can confirm that the reviewer is right. It can get busy so it is probably best to make a reservation. A few hotel reviews mentioned that the early morning call to prayer from the nearby mosque disturbed them. We certainly heard it, but for us it added to the atmosphere and wasn't a problem. We found that there was very little to see in Kruje. There is the reconstructed bazaar, consisting of an alley lined with shops, and a ruined castle. It was disappointing, but we really liked the hotel and the great view from our room. 10. Kotor, Montenegro - Fortress View 2 Apartment We booked for 6 nights at Eur 77 per night through Airbnb . It is a 2 storey apartment in a separate building. This building is at the rear of the owner's house and there is another rental apartment on the top floor of their house called Fortress View 1. The apartment is a very short walk to the estuary and we went there several times to swim. It is possible to relax on small concrete piers. It is very convenient but close to the road and there is a bit of algae in the water. The centre of Kotor is a 20 minute walk away along the road running along the estuary. Initially there isn't any side walk and we didn't particularly enjoy the walk. Most of the time we drove in and parked for about Eur 1 per hour. The ground floor of the apartment comprises a living area with a sofa bed, dining table, kitchen and bathroom (with a washing machine). There is a staircase to the bedroom and balcony upstairs. The upper bedroom is open to the lower floor. The apartment is very comfortable, quiet and has an off-road parking spot. The only negatives were: There was no shade on the balcony until the afternoon. The ground floor doesn't have enough natural light. There is no place to eat outdoors as there isn't a table on the balcony. The parking could be a bit tight when there is another car in the carport. The Fortress 1 apartment above the owner's premises would have better views, but one reviewer stated that there was some noise from the owners. 11. Trogir, Croatia - Apartment Roko We booked this apartment through Booking.com for Eur 69 per night for 3 nights. The apartment has: Covered parking A living area with a sofa bed, dining table and kitchenette. There is an air conditioner in this area. A bedroom with a 5 foot bed. There is a fan but no air conditioner. A bathroom with a washing machine. A balcony with a retractable awning. The apartment is in a very convenient location as: It is a 10 minute walk into the centre of Trogir. It is on the coastal road so it is convenient for getting out of Trogir by car. There is a large supermarket about 200 metres away. We received an extremely warm welcome from the family who own the apartment. On the day we left it was the wife's birthday. They gave us a big plate of various cakes that took us several days to eat. They take great pride in their apartment and it is very clean and well equipped. It was very quiet. 12. Brac, Croatia - Little House We booked this apartment through Airbnb, but it is also available with Booking.com. Our apartment had 1 bedroom, but there is also a 2 bedroom apartment available on Booking.com. We paid Eur 292 for 4 nights. The apartment is compact but very clean, well equipped and comfortable. It has a nice small garden to sit out in, but we were bothered by mosquitoes. Fortunately there are mosquito screens on most of the windows so they weren't a problem inside the apartment. It is an easy and pleasant 10 minute walk to the centre of Supetar. There is a car parking spot opposite the apartment and the main road is easily accessed from the apartment. The main road is very close to the apartment, but the traffic noise didn't bother us. 13. Rab, Croatia - Apartment Stela We booked this apartment from Booking.com for Eur 71 per night. It is a very spacious 2 bedroom apartment with 2 bathrooms and on-site parking. When booking the apartment it appeared it would be the ground floor. I try to avoid booking ground floor apartments as I am concerned about noise from above. I booked it anyway as it was difficult to find a better alternative. It also seemed that the owners lived above the apartment. I presumed they would be quiet for their guests. The apartment was on the ground floor as expected. Unfortunately an extremely noisy family was in the apartment above us. The owners were in the attic apartment at the top. I complained to the owners and they were very apologetic. They had learnt how noisy this family was over the previous nights. They had never had such a problem before. They very honourably offered us a refund for the remaining 3 nights. Luckily I managed to find alternative accommodation on the internet. Apart from the issue of the noise the apartment was good. It was only a 10 minute walk into the centre of Rab. The exterior of the apartment building doesn't look great but the inside is well done. 14. Rab Croatia - Palit Hills Superior Apartments We booked this apartment through Booking.com for Eur 117 per night. It would normally cost more but there was a last minute cancellation and the rate was discounted. The apartment is managed by an agency in Rab. The keys have to be collected from their office. There is parking and the agent was very pleasant and helpful. The rental must be paid for in cash, even though Booking.com states that cash isn't accepted! The apartment is on the 1st floor with a 1 bedroom rental apartment below it and the owners' apartment above. We had no problems with noise. The apartment is very modern, nicely furnished and spacious. There is an open plan living, dining and kitchen area with a balcony leads off it. Both bedrooms open onto another balcony and one of them has an ensuite bathroom. The main bathroom has a washing machine. It is apparently a 15 minute walk into Rab but it looked further and we always drove in. There is parking in front of the apartment. 15. Rovinj, Croatia - Apartment Dado We booked this apartment through Booking.com for Eur 61 per night. It was very good value despite it being a 10 minute drive from Rovinj. The apartment is on the top floor of the white building shown in the photo below. The owners live below and we didn't have any problems with noise. The hostess was very welcoming and takes great pride in the apartment. It is spacious, very clean, nicely furnished and well equipped. There is parking in the carport of the building. I highly recommend this apartment. 16. Ortisei (St Ulrich), Italy - Apartment Salman We booked this apartment through a German website called Bookiply.com for Eur 111 per night. The apartment is also available on Booking.com but costs about 10% more. It was a very good price for an apartment in the Dolomites in July. It is a spacious 1 bedroom apartment with a modern bathroom, dated kitchen and a lounge/dining area with a sofa bed. There are 2 balconies on either side of the apartment so if it is sunny one of the balconies always gets the sun. There is a washing machine in a utility room by the apartment's entrance and it is shared with the owner. It is a fairly steep 10 to 15 minute walk down to the centre of Ortisei. The walk back up was a bit tiring,especially after a long hike. An advantage of being higher up is that the apartment had good views of Ortisei, the surrounding mountains and Sassolungo. We made a conscious decision not to use our car at all during our 6 night stay. There is good parking in front of the apartment. The apartment is on the first floor and there are apartments above and below it. Noise was never an issue, but we could sometimes hear people walking above us. The hosts live in the apartment next door. 17. Metz, France - Kyriad Metz Centre I booked the room for Eur 89 on Kyriad's website as members (free to join) receive a 10% discount. It would have cost Eur 99 if I had booked with Booking.com. The hotel is in the centre of Metz. Fortunately it was in a quiet area as it was a Saturday night and Metz was buzzing. We stayed in a Kyriad hotel in Troyes at the start of our trip and it was excellent. The Kyriad in Metz wasn't as good and the rooms are small. It is a bit like an Ibis hotel. The hotel has an agreement with an underground car park about 5 minutes walk away and it costs Eur 9 to park a vehicle overnight. It seemed fairly secure and we left most of our luggage in the car. We probably wouldn't have done that at the start of our trip! The highlight of our stay was Metz itself. It is a very pretty town and it was packed with locals eating and drinking at the numerous cafes and restaurants. 18. Links to my other blogs UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 1 Cornwall to Venice - Week 1 Venice to Serbia - Week 2 Serbia to North Macedonia - Week 3 North Macedonia to Greece - Week 4 Nafplio, Greece to the Peloponnese - Week 5 The Peloponnese to the Greek Islands - Week 6 The Greek Islands - Week 7

Contents: Our Booking Process Dover, England Troyes, France Bern, Switzerland Vicenza, Italy Koper, Slovenia Ljubljana, Slovenia Lake Bohinj, Slovenia Our Booking Process Novi Sad, Serbia Tetovo, North Macedonia Ohrid, North Macedonia Meteora, Greece Arachova, Greece near Delphi Nafplio, Greece Monemvasia, Greece Koroni, Greece Links to my other Blogs 1. Our Accommodation Booking Process When I initially thought of doing the trip I intended to book accommodation only a few days in advance. I wanted to have flexibility over the length of stay in each location. I changed my mind once I had researched in more depth. I then knew more or less how much time we would need in each location. Delaying booking would probably have resulted in missing out on the best accommodation, particularly towards the end of our trip when we were getting into the peak holiday season. So in January I booked all the accommodation for our trip from 17th April to 17th July. We had the option for cancelling accommodation depending on the property. We only cancelled once for an overnight stop in Corinth, Greece. For this apartment we were able to cancel the day before our arrival. Having all the accommodation booked up could have been an issue if there had been serious problems with our 10 year old car. We did have problems with our car on the Greek islands when we needed new brake pads, springs and shock absorbers. All these parts had to be shipped in from Athens. Luckily it didn't delay us in getting to our next accommodation. In the past I have mainly used Tripadvisor and VRBO to research the various accommodation options. This time I mainly used Booking.com and then Airbnb if I couldn't find anything suitable on Booking.com. I prefer Booking.com over Airbnb as: Accommodation is usually cheaper on Booking.com. It is much easier to search, filter and sort properties on Booking.com. The property descriptions on Booking.com usually state the square footage whereas Airbnb don't. I found the square footage to be one of the most useful metrics. Hosts on Airbnb do sometimes cancel bookings, but that doesn't seem to happen on Booking.com. When searching for properties on Booking.com I mainly used the following filters: "Your Budget" - I entered Eur 40 to Eur 100, except for expensive locations like in the Dolomites. In most cases we paid around Eur 60 to Eur 80 for an apartment. "Review Score" - I entered "Superb: 9+" for apartments and "Very Good: 8+" for hotels. Reviewers are often less critical of private accommodation as they have met the host. "Parking". "Free Wifi" - Virtually all accommodation has this. There are many other useful filters and if my initial search resulted in too many results I used a few more filters. I then sorted the results by price and reviewed the properties for: Type and positioning of building. I don't want to be disturbed by noise and therefore prefer top floor apartments or standalone small buildings. Customer rating. Square footage. Number of bedrooms and bathrooms. Number and size of beds. Negatives and positives in reviewers' comments. Position of the property on the Booking.com map. Once I found suitable apartments I would Google the property name and look at any reviews and prices on Google or other booking websites. Usually Booking.com was the cheapest, but occasionally Airbnb was more competitive. Our apartment in the Dolomites was 10% cheaper when booked through the German booking website Bookiply.com. I used Airbnb's website when I couldn't find anything suitable on Booking.com. There are various filters that can be applied, but frustratingly none for reviewers' scores. This meant that the results showed far too many properties. To make matters worse I couldn't find any way to sort the results, for example, by price or reviewer scores. Also the square footage isn't indicated which makes it very difficult to ascertain the spaciousness of properties. It was therefore a real chore finding suitable properties which is why I only used Airbnb as a last resort. I booked 32 properties for our trip and the average cost per night was Eur 77. They were very good value as most of the properties were apartments, or small houses. Most of them were very spacious and of a high standard. The best value accommodation was a deluxe 3 bedroom penthouse apartment in Berat, Albania for only Eur 45 per night. The most expensive was a hotel room in Bern, Switzerland for Eur 126 per night. It was a very time consuming process but worth it. We saved a lot of money and the good accommodation made our long trip much more enjoyable. I wouldn't have enjoyed staying in cramped hotel rooms for 3 months. 2. Dover, UK - Premier Inn at the Eastern Ferry Terminal This hotel is only a 5 minute drive from the ferry terminal. Unlike most Premier Inns they do have rooms with twin beds rather than one bed and a pull out sofa. All twin rooms are on the upper floor which is a positive for me. As there is no air conditioning the windows can be opened, which is something else that I like. We had a room overlooking the main road, but it wasn't a problem as there was a constant traffic flow rather than vehicles stopping and starting. The rooms facing the sea would be better and quieter. You can phone them about a week before check in to try and request the location of your room. They usually won't change your room on the day of arrival. I always find the duvets at Premier Inns to be a bit too thick and warm. I am a bit precious so I always take my own blanket. I booked about 3 months in advance and got a good rate of GBP 39.00 for 2 people in a twin room. 3. Troyes, France - Kyriad Troyes Centre Before trying to find accommodation in Troyes I had never heard of Kyriad Hotels. I was therefore surprised to learn that they had an extensive chain of hotels in and outside Europe. I booked due to the good guest reviews, reasonable price and central location. We booked through Kyriad Hotel's website as their free to join loyalty program provided the best price. We paid Euro 81.90 for a twin room and Euro 10 for underground parking. There is free parking opposite the entrance to the underground parking but we were concerned about the security of our belongings. Breakfast is extra. We brought some muffins to eat from home and used the free coffee and tea in the room. Both the front desk staff spoke excellent English and were very helpful. As usual I asked for a room away from the elevators and with no connecting door and they got that right. The hotel is a 10 minute walk from the centre of medieval Troyes and it is certainly very worthwhile having a 1 night stopover there. 4. Bern, Switzerland - Los Lorentes Apartments In 2023 the newly opened Los Lorentes Apartments in Bern were offering a reasonable rate by Swiss standards of CHF 120.60 for a room with a kitchenette. Parking is available in the car park below the hotel for an extra CHF 10 per night, but it must be reserved before arrival. The parking is convenient as there is an elevator going directly up to the guest floors. There is an Aldi store about a minute's walk away. Just outside the Aldi store there is a bus stop for the buses going into Bern. The hotel provides a Bern pass that allows free use of these buses. Check in is done on a self service machine. We had a problem but there were 2 very helpful staff in a nearby room that sorted it out. The only potential drawback is that there is a large skateboard park at the back of the hotel. We overlooked it and no one used it while we were there. Perhaps it is no longer in use. It would be best to check guest reviews before booking or request a room away from this area. 5. Vicenza, Italy - Mansarda Al Ferrazzi We booked this apartment through Booking.com at a cost of Euro 78 per night. It can also be booked directly with the owner and the rate should be cheaper. The owner may require a deposit by bank transfer. The accommodation consists of a very large open plan apartment on the second floor. This is the top floor, there are no other apartments adjoining it and the owners live below. We didn't have any issues with noise. The furnishing of the apartment is perfectly adequate but not of a luxurious 5 star standard. There is a balcony running along 2 sides of the apartment building and some part of the balcony always gets the sun. There is a bathroom with a small shower stall, bidet, toilet and sink. In the basement there is a washing machine and dryer that guests can use. Parking is about 100 metres away in an area just off the quiet road. We were always able to find a space. There is a supermarket, a good pizza restaurant and a bus stop a few minutes walk away. During weekdays the bus leaves about every 15 minutes and costs about Euro 2 for the 15 minute ride. There is also a Lidl supermarket about 2 kilometres away. The owner (Christina) is very helpful and speaks fluent English and we really enjoyed our stay. 6. Near Koper, Slovenia - Apartmaji Sobe Zvezda We booked this apartment through Booking.com for Eur 75 per night. It can be booked directly for about 25% less, but you would have to transfer a deposit. We were allocated Apartment Lavandar 1, which has an extra large double bed. This consists of 2 single beds right next to each other with 2 separate thin duvets (with extra blankets available). This was ideal for us and we got an excellent night's sleep. Only 2 of the 6 apartments at Apartmaji Sobe Zvezda have extra large beds. The apartment was compact, but of a very high standard, exceptionally well equipped and clean. Lani loved it but our room had a connecting door with apartment Lavendar 2. Usually I try to avoid this as noise easily transmits through connecting doors. Luckily our neighbours in apartment Lavandar 2 were quiet. The apartment is about 4 km inland from Koper and we easily visited Piran, Izola and Koper from it. 7. Ljubljana, Slovenia - Luxury Studio Apartments This apartment cost us Euro 89 per night through Booking.com. I had several messages with Mateja (the hostess) before arrival. On the day of arrival she notified us that she was away and her mother would meet us. We arrived at 15.15 as agreed but found that both parking spaces were occupied. Mateja's father soon vacated 1 parking space and then her mother let us into the apartment. Everything in the apartment was fresh and clean. The mother then indicated that the shared garden was a mess. They were both working on it. There was a huge mound of soil 3 metres from our patio door and only 1 metre from the patio itself. The mother indicated that they would be clearing it the next day. We weren't too bothered at the time. Soon both parents were working in the garden and talking very loudly. Then another couple came to help and the volume of noise increased. By 18.15 I had had enough and messaged Majeta that it was like being on a building site. They did stop work at 18.30 and it was agreed that they would only continue the next day while we were out. It was a very bad start to our stay. The apartment is about a 25 minute walk into Ljubljana. There is a small supermarket 5 minutes walk away. We drove to the Lidl's supermarket in central Ljubljana. It took less than 10 minutes to reach it. Driving in Ljubljana is very easy without any congestion. In the end we enjoyed our 2 night stay there. I would be reluctant to recommend it as the parents talk very loudly and use the shared garden a lot. However, the apartment does receive very high review scores. 8. Lake Bohinj, Slovenia - Apartment Katja We booked this apartment through Airbnb for Euro 98 per night. It is in the village of Stara Fuzini and is a 10 minute walk from Lake Bohinj. The apartment is on the top floor of a Swiss style wooden chalet and consists of: A bedroom with a 5 foot wide bed and 2 individual duvets. There is also a sofa and balcony. A kitchen with a double induction hob, microwave and dishwasher. A dining room, with another bed, reclining chair and balcony. A bathroom with a shower and a washing machine. The wife (Katja) welcomed us and spoke good English. She was very pleasant and gave us some very potent honey liquor. We liked the apartment as it was spacious, clean and comfortable. Unfortunately we could hear noise from Katja's family. It was irritating at times as they didn't seem to be concerned about disturbing us. There was too much slamming of doors. However, it was very quiet when we were sleeping. None of the reviews on Airbnb mentioned a problem with noise so we might just have been unlucky. When we left Katja apologised for any disturbance the previous night as it was her husband's birthday. She then gave me a bottle of Slovenian liquor. 9. Novi Sad, Serbia - Green Oak Riverside Apartment We booked this spacious 2 bedroom apartment through Booking.com for only Euro 45 per night. It has excellent guest reviews because it is very spacious, on the bank of the Danube and a 10 minute walk into the centre of Novi Sad. There were no photos of the exterior of the apartment block nor of the apartment's common areas. We were quite shocked when we arrived to find the apartment was in a very ugly communist era apartment block. The lobby, stairs and elevator all looked a bit grim. There was graffiti outside and as it was a holiday a lot of kids were playing in the area around the apartments. The inside of the apartment was very spacious and generally nice. However, some of the interior walls needed to be repainted. The toilet seat in the 2nd bathroom was broken. The cooking and eating utensils were inadequate. The apartment can sleep six people, but there was only 1 table knife! There was also 1 cooking pot and a limited number of plates and bowls. After getting over the initial bad impression we had a comfortable stay and it was very good value. The apartment was quiet at night and we slept well. 10. Tetovo, North Macedonia - Tetovo Apartment We booked this apartment through Airbnb at a cost of Euro 112 for 3 nights plus Euro 20 for underground parking. It is very central as it is just one street back from the main street in Tetovo. The apartment is on the 3rd floor. We liked the apartment as it was modern, spacious and centrally located. Both the main bed and the sofa bed were comfortable. Emil met us and was very pleasant and helpful. We didn't hear any noise from the apartments surrounding us. On the Friday and Saturday nights we had people passing by late at night and talking loudly. Despite this we slept well. There is street parking near the apartment but parking spaces would be very difficult to find. We therefore paid Emil to park below the apartment. The parking bays were very tight but luckily no one parked in the spot next to us. There is a small balcony but there is no table and chairs. There is a washing machine, but the spin cycle is weak. There is a portable electric stove but it only has one hot plate. 11. Ohrid, North Macedonia - Tedi & Kiki Apartment We booked this apartment through Booking.com at a cost of Eur 108 for 3 nights. There are 2 apartments listed and we booked the 2 Bedroom Apartment with a Lake View as it is on the top floor. The top floor is in the attic space so it does have some slanting ceilings with reduced heights. There are: 2 bedrooms with double beds. A bathroom with a shower and a washing machine. A combined dining and living area with a dining table, chairs and sofa. A small kitchen with a 2 burner stove, but no microwave. A balcony with a table and 3 chairs. The apartment is in a quiet residential area and there is a parking space in the grounds that is easy to access. It is a 10 minute stroll along the promenade to the centre of Ohrid and supermarkets are nearby. The host's father checked us in and was very pleasant and helpful. The apartment was very quiet until the very last afternoon. They keep an Alsatian in a small enclosure outside and it barked quite a lot. Apart from that we really liked the apartment. 12. Meteora, Greece - Enjoy Meteora One We booked this 1 bedroom apartment through Booking.com at a cost of Eur 61 per night for our 3 night stay. The listing states that it is a 2 bedroom apartment, but we knew from the guest reviews that in reality there was only 1 bedroom. The other peculiar aspect of the listing is that the building number is stated to be 42, but is in fact 53! That caused us a few minutes of confusion when trying to find the apartment. There are about 4 apartments in the building and they were on the top floor except for apartment number 5. Apartment number 3 is not in such a good location as it is right on the road. Our apartment was number 1 and it faces the back garden which is used for parking. The apartment is compact, but it is newly furnished and in a good condition. Apartment number 1 has: A bedroom with a 5 foot bed and a small table with 2 chairs for meals. A kitchen with a 2 plate stove and a sofa bed. Guest reviews state that the sofa bed isn't comfortable. A nice bathroom with a good sized shower. A balcony with a table and 4 chairs. Parking on the premises. We didn't have any problem with noise, but we could occasionally hear the guests in apartment 2 during the day. 13. Arachova, Greece near Delphi - Patriko We booked this apartment through Booking.com at a cost of Eur 45.50 for 1 night. There are 3 apartments being rented out in the building. Two are on the top floor and one is on the ground floor. We had a top floor apartment. The apartment was clean and very spacious compared to our previous apartment. There was a smoky smell from the fireplace, but it dissipated once we opened the window. The apartment consisted of : A bedroom with a 5' bed A living room with a sofa bed, fireplace and kitchenette. I used the sofa bed and it was comfortable. A bathroom with a shower. The hosts were very friendly and helpful. We collected the key from their apartment, which is in the same building. A few other reviews had mentioned that the roads around the Patriko were narrow and that parking was difficult. I have to concur with this. The host had kindly saved a parking space for us on the street outside the hotel. I thought the road was too narrow to park there and parked a bit further down the street. It is necessary to park very close to the buildings on the side of the road. We walked around Arachova in the evening and it was very pleasant. It is a 10 to 15 minute drive away from Delphi. 14. Nafplio, Greece - Angelos Sweet Home We booked this apartment through Booking.com at a cost of Eur 77 per night for 3 nights. It is our favourite accommodation on the trip so far! It used to be the home of the hostess (Biggi) and it is very spacious, well furnished and comfortable. The apartment is on the top floor of the building and has 2 levels. The lower level consists of: A large open plan living room, dining room and kitchen. There is a comfortable sofa bed. A bathroom with a shower and a washing machine. A large covered balcony with a table and chairs. The upper level consists of: A large room with a 6' bed and a sofa bed. A bathroom with a shower. A balcony with a table and chairs. There is a parking place very close to the entrance to the apartment building. There are several supermarkets very close by and it is a 20 minute walk into the centre of Nafplio. The only negatives are that: The lower floor is a bit gloomy because of the balcony on the upper level. There is noise from the main road about 100 metres away and the vacant land in front of the apartment doesn't look nice. The noise didn't bother us. I highly recommend this apartment. 15. Monemvasia, Greece - Chrysoula's Convenient Triple Room with Yard We booked this apartment for 2 nights through Booking.com for Eur 53 per night. The apartment is on the ground floor of the building and there are 2 other apartments next to it. The owners live on the 2 floors above. The room is compact and is similar in size to a hotel room. There is a 4' 6" double bed, a single bed and a kitchenette in the room. The bathroom has a shower. There is a table and 2 chairs on the small patio outside the apartment. The hostess speaks very little English but was very welcoming. She left oranges, cake, eggs and some jam for us. The room was furnished well and was very clean. It was a 5 to 10 minute walk along the sea front to the new town of Monemvasia and about a 20 minute walk to the old town. We didn't have any problems with noise. There were small mosquitoes outside the room and at night we used the airconditioner as the bedroom window didn't have mosquito mesh. We had a good stay and the price was reasonable for Monemvasia. 16. Koroni, Greece - Lemoni Split We rented this 2 bedroom house through Simply Owners. In May 2023 the cost was GBP 675 per week and the minimum rental period is 5 nights. It is in a very peaceful rural location with 2 good beaches about a 10 minute walk away. It is a 10 minute drive, or a 40 minute walk, to Koroni. We enjoyed our stay but we felt that the house should have been cleaner. The twin room hadn't been cleaned. The other negative is that in the mornings there is no shade on the balcony. When it got too hot we had to sit in the front of the house away from the sea views. 17. Links to my other blogs UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 2 Cornwall to Venice - Week 1 Venice to Serbia - Week 2 Serbia to North Macedonia - Week 3 North Macedonia to Greece - Week 4 Nafplio, Greece to the Peloponnese - Week 5 The Peloponnese to the Greek Islands - Week 6 The Greek Islands - Week 7