Some of you may know already, but Mia was one of my chaplains at university (can you believe I started university 12 years ago!) and we have stayed in touch ever since. She hasn’t been away for 2 years because of covid and was feeling adventurous, so she decided to meet me in Montenegro for a few days. I picked her up from the airport in Tivat and we headed to Kotor.
She checked in to her AirB&B with a super kind host Branko who was happy for me to park the van outside to sleep and let me use the washing machine for free
We explored the old town, had lunch within the walls and met an Irish family who got very excited about my van and my travels. Living and travelling in a van has become so normal to me I am always surprised when people have a strong reaction to it and tell me I’m ‘amazing’ and ‘brave’.
We went on a drive to see the bay from a distance
And ate cake by the waterside
The next day the sun came out and we had the most delightful day exploring Perast
And went on a boat trip to Our Lady of the Rocks
The local people created this little island by sinking a ship and throwing rocks on top so they could build a church
And a Benedictine monastery on it’s own little island next door
That evening we went out for dinner at a little local grill bar. It was packed with people so everyone was sharing tables. We ended up sitting with Eirene who was on holiday from Germany with her husband. After chatting for a while she told us that she was Ukranian. She had gone to Germany for university and was now working there as a lawyer but all her family are still in the Ukraine. She got emotional telling us about her sister who had just managed to reach her safely and was now living with her in Germany. Her sister is really struggling, she has gone from being a powerful independent woman in Ukraine to feeling like a child in Germany. She can’t speak the language, she can’t work, she’s relying on Eirene for everything, she doesn’t know when she will be able to go back or what she will be going back to. Their parents are still there and communication with them is limited. Luckily Mia is very good at supporting people going through difficult times because of her job. Eirene was very grateful for the listening ear and supportive words. She has been holding it together for her sister and parents all this time and now, in a little restaurant in Montenegro, squeezed onto a table with strangers, she was able to share her story and her worries. The conversation moved on to happier things and we had a really fun evening, sharing food and drinking with her.
For Mia’s last day we decided it would be fun to take a drive through the mountains
And pop across the border for lunch in Bosnia
As soon as Mia got on the plane the rain started again. The sun had timed it perfectly! I found a nice spot to park at the side of the Bay of Kotor and made a plan for the upcoming weeks
I need to be back in the UK for the beginning of May and I’m 2500km away, so it’s time to start the journey home. I’ll be having a few nice stops in Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany and France along the way of course. But my slow, unplanned and meandering way of travel is over. It’s very hard to process the fact that this trip coming to an end, it has been so much more than I ever imagined it would be.