Never Mind The Balkans Tour

We bought The Beast to escape Brexit and travel to Mongolia. Since that trip requires us to drive through Russia, which had just started its ‘Special Operation’ (war) in Ukraine, we opted for a Plan B… The Balkans, which is conveniently outside Schengen to facilitate our 90-day Shengen Shuffle.

Cover shot – Rosie on the steps of The Beast in Krujë, Albania.

Part 1: From B to A (Britain to Albania)

Here are the first three blogs from B to A. To find all posts in order, click here to go to the From B to A page.

Beasting It – From Newhaven to Briare

All that worry about pet passports, bacon, and a bottle of milk lurking in the back of our fridge was unnecessary.

No Frites at Trièves – Briare to Savines-le-Lac

On our morning walk, our little black pooch, Lani, rolled in a dead fish. It wasn’t the best start to the day!

We Join The Mile High Club Twice In One Day – Savines-le-Lac to Staffal

We are all pilgrims who seek Italy.Johann Wolfgang von Goethe As we passed the sign, I had a strange sinking feeling. It felt odd coming back, because the last time we’d been in Tschaval – Staffal, we were absolutely desperate to get away.

For more, click here to go to the From B to A page.

Part 2 – From A to C (Albania to Croatia)

Here are the first three blogs from A to C. To find all posts in order, click here to go to the From A to C page.

Overlanding in Albania – Bari to Durrës

We weren’t sure what to expect in Albania. At the end of WWII, Albania became Europe’s equivalent to North Korea; a secretive, closed and isolationist country. Albania spent four decades under the iron grip of paranoid extremist ruler Enver Hoxha.…

For more, click here to go to the From A to C page.

A taste of things to come a little later in our trip…

Welcome To Kosovo – Creative Writing Showcase

I am delighted that ‘Welcome to Kosovo’, a snippet from our very recent travels (about a week ago!) has been featured on author Robert Fear’s ‘Fred’s Blog’ Creative Writing Showcase. Please click the link below to read my piece on this somewhat lesser-known destination.…