Vacation on the Adriatic, Anyone?
Greetings, Stuffie friends!
Several of us are in a special trip to the Balkans in Europe. Everyone wanted to come and see the Adriatic sea, but there was only so much room. We were selected based upon our countries of origin, our age, and our maturity (just kidding). We started our trip in Skopje, North Macedonia. It is a big city! If you look carefully, you can see the sports stadium. Scottie wanted to go to the team tryout, but we had a tour booked.
We had a great guide who knew everything. She introduced us to all these elephant friends. And she even found some shortcuts (one of Dan’s favorite things)!
Our next tour destination was in a big canyon. They built a dam here. Amelia really wanted to go for a dive and long swim. But she changed her mind when we found out the water was 800 feet deep. Lucky we asked!
We opted to take a hike to a vista instead of taking a boat to a hidden cave. As you can see, we were not disappointed!
Our next stop was a 400 year old Orthodox Church. Isn’t this a cool looking building?
That church might be old, but this tree is even older- over 500 years old! I started to climb it but the guide said I had to get a permit first. Oops!
The final tour stop was really amazing! We got to ride a cable car to the top of a small mountain to see the Millenium Cross (300 feet tall!)… It was really exciting to ride the cable car up the hill (and down again so we could skip the walk). It was fascinating to watch the cables move and see all the scenery out the windows from way up high. We’ve heard they use them on ski slopes. Maybe we can find one near us in Minnesota!
We’re very lucky no one spotted us on the cable car. Looks like furry friends are only allowed on if they’re in carriers. What kind of a view is that?
We made sure to look around at the top and enjoy the scenery. And we found this new friend! This cat was looking for attention and was extremely excited to meet us. He was very pleased to have his picture taken and hopes he becomes famous. We’ll see what we can do.
Before leaving Macedonia, we found this treasure. Now we’re off to find some delicious beverages to fill it. Can’t wait!
Our next Adriatic destination was Montenegro, where we found our newest friend with a very nice lady in the market.
He said his name is Monte. He has lived in the Adriatic Sea for a long time and is excited to join us on our travels and see more of the world. He was very interested in everything we found along the way, including these beautiful flowers. Wait until Monte gets to the Arboretum!
He took us all around Kotor, a very famous old city. After we climbed the steps to the walkway, he showed us the school and playground where he and his friends would go to play every day after the kids left. Looks like a fun spot to hang out!
We got to visit a very special restaurant in Budva that has been open for 50 years- with the same owner. Marial and Dan had a great meal. We got to sample some of everything. It was pretty tasty. And I needed to taste the wine, of course.
You’ll be unsurprised to learn that dessert was our favorite part. Yummy!
Before leaving Macedonia, we took Monte back to the waterfront. He needed to say goodbye to Larry the Lobster and Ollie the Octopus. He will miss them, but looks forward to adventuring with us and going in the lakes in Minnesota.
Well, we’re off to our next destination. Can’t wait to share our travels in Kosovo soon!
-Scottie and Friends