(English version below)
pyyhhh - sikke et døgn! Men lad mig starte med at skrive at vi fremme i Montenegro og har fået bakset vores meget store campingvogn (på disse kanter) ind på en meget lille plads, hvor vi måske ikke kan få forteltet op, men her virker super hyggeligt - alt godt :-)
Tilbage til ‘balladen’ om at komme hertil, for det har været lidt af en prøvelse - ikke mindst mentalt med at bevare ro og overblik, når man rejser med børn og selv er lidt i tvivl om hvad der skal ske. Lørdag aften kørte vi til færgelejet som planlagt, men der ventede os en del kaos da vi nærmede os havnen. Horn, dytten, trafikpropper, nogle i orange veste der prøver at dirigere lidt rundt, så alt ikke går helt i stå… en flink mand i en orange vest fik bakset os lidt ud af virvaret igen, så vi holdt ulovligt på vej væk fra havnen, men han sagde vi bare skulle holde der og gå hen til terminalen og få checket ind. Så det gjorde vi…
Terminalen var en stor overdækning med en masse luer og hundredvis af mennesker i kø til diverse skranker. Vi fandt den vi hørte til og stilte os pænt i kø alle fire med pas og registrerings attest osv. Med noget puffen blev det vores tur efter en meget lang time (fra lidt i 20 til over 21 med to trætte børn, der ikke havde fået aftensmad). En meget sød dame i skranken fortalte at vores færge var meget forsinket og først ville begynde at boarde kl 02, men at hun måske kunne ombooke os til en anden færge, der planmæssigt skulle sejle omkring midnat. Det takkede vi ja tak til og skulle så vente på at der ville blive kaldt til boarding på den nye færge og det ville kun blive på italiensk, så vi skulle lytte godt efter.
Der var en lille bar/kiosk/restaurant ved siden af terminalen, her lykkedes det os at få fat i 4 burgere og en masse vand og så fandt vi en kantsten hvor vi kunne sidde og få en velfortjent pause. Derefter gik vi tilbage til bilen, hvor der var godnat historie og lidt skærmtid, mens de voksne gik frem og tilbage og lyttede efter beskeder i højtalerne. Sara blev efterhånden ‘gode venner’ med den mand i orange vest, der hjalp os ud af virvaret i første omgang. Han gav løbende besked om status, som for at sikre vi kom med det rigtige. Tak for ham :-)
Lidt over 22 blev det tid og vi skulle fortsætte 3 km længere ind i havnen for at ramme den rigtige færge. Der står utroligt mange mennesker med fløjter og fagter og prøver at dirigere trafikken i den rigtige retning. Nogle af dem gør det bare forkert sende en i den gale retning, hvis man ikke selv er meget opmærksom (og til tider lidt stædig og gør det modsatte af hvad man får besked på)! Vi kom helt frem til den ombookede færge og så, til vores rædsel, at alle bakkede ombord! Vi blev viftet lidt til siden efter den første times venten og en ydeligere time skulle der gå før det blev vores tur. Vi fik lov at køre forlæns på, hvilket var skønt, men så vidste vi jo også hvad der ventede når vi skulle af igen!
Naja havde holdt sig vågen gennem det hele og var godt træt da vi kom omboard halv et og endelig fik vores kahyt. Den var heldigvis perfekt og alle kravlede hurtigt i seng og sov indtil vi blev kaldt op og kahytterne skulle forlades en times tid før ankomst. Det var også lidt kaos at komme af færgen igen. I første omgang bare ned af trappen til bilen, da det var kø for at komme ned af trappen. Det var vores indtryk at de havde ombooket en del fra den ‘passager-færge’ vi havde booket til denne mere fragtfærge og derfor sov folk i stole og gange og hvor der ellers kunne findes et leje, men en mand fortalte os at det var det samme sjov hver uge og han havde rejst frem og tilbage i 10år!
Af færgen kom vi bakkende ud. Det krævede dog tre mand på aksen mellem campingvogn og bil, da vi stødte på jorden med bagenden pga den stejle rampe! Og ud i en ny kø af pas og papirer. En times tid senere kom vi ud fra færgelejet og fik os noget af et chok da en tigger uden ben nærmest kastede sig ind foran bilen, så vi måtte lave en hård opbremsning! Det blev desværre lidt temaet for dagen, hvor der hele vejen ved de større byer var utroligt mange tiggere. Især børn der var sendt afsted alene. Så trist og så farligt :-(
Vi holdt først en pause henad frokost tid ved en tankstationsrestaurant. Måske ikke det mest charmerende af Albanien, men vi fik god mad og god betjening (endda på engelsk) og så var det utroligt billigt. Det gav os ny energi og ikke mindst en kop kaffe til turen, for at klare det sidste stykke for at nå grænsen til Montenegro. Det gik uden problemer og den sidste del af den planlagte strækning, på Montenegrosiden gik fint, så længe man husker at vælge de lidt større veje :-)
Vi glæder os til at finde ud af hvad det her sted har at byde på i morgen, men for i dag er der udsolgt og aftenrefleksioner går desværre på at vi ikke har lyst til at se mere af Albanien i denne omgang, selvom vi bor så tæt på grænsen at det bestemt er en mulighed.
Phew, what a day! But let me start by saying that we've arrived in Montenegro and managed to squeeze our very large caravan (for this region) into a very small spot. We might not be able to set up the awning, but it's super cozy here - all is well :-)
Back to the 'chaos' of getting here, as it has been a bit of a challenge - especially mentally, trying to stay calm and composed when traveling with children and being uncertain about what's going to happen. On Saturday evening, we drove to the ferry terminal as planned, but chaos awaited us as we approached the port. Horns blaring, traffic jams, people in orange vests trying to direct traffic so everything doesn't come to a standstill... A kind man in an orange vest helped us get out of the chaos, and we ended up illegally parked on the road away from the port. But he said it was fine and asked us to walk to the terminal and check in. So we did...
The terminal was a large covered area with many counters and hundreds of people queuing up. We found the counter we belonged to and stood in line with all four of us, passports, and registration documents in hand. After a very long wait (from a bit before 8 PM to after 9 PM, with two tired children who hadn't had dinner), it was finally our turn. A very sweet lady at the counter informed us that our ferry was very delayed and wouldn't start boarding until 2 AM, but she might be able to rebook us for another ferry that was scheduled to sail around midnight. We accepted the offer, and then we had to wait for the announcement for boarding on the new ferry, which would be in Italian only, so we had to listen carefully.
There was a small bar/kiosk/restaurant next to the terminal, where we managed to get four burgers and a lot of water, and then we found a curb where we could sit and take a well-deserved break. Afterwards, we went back to the car, where there was a bedtime story and some screen time while the adults listened for announcements on the speakers. Sara eventually became 'good friends' with the man in the orange vest who helped us out of the chaos initially. He kept us updated to ensure we got on the right ferry. Thanks to him :-)
A little past 10 PM, it was time to move on, and we had to drive another 3 km into the port to reach the correct ferry. There were so many people with whistles and gestures trying to direct traffic in the right direction. Some of them did it wrong, leading some in the wrong direction if they weren't paying close attention (and sometimes a bit stubborn and did the opposite of what they were told)! We finally reached the rebooked ferry and, to our horror, saw everyone backing onto it! We were waved to the side after waiting for the first hour, and another hour passed before it was our turn. We were allowed to drive forward onto the ferry, which was great, but it also meant we knew what to expect when we had to get off again!
Naja stayed awake through it all and was quite tired when we boarded around 00:30 AM and finally got to our cabin. Fortunately, it was perfect, and everyone quickly climbed into bed and slept until we were called up to leave the cabins an hour before arrival. It was also a bit chaotic to disembark from the ferry. At first, we just went down the stairs to the car, as there was a line to get down the stairs. It seemed like they had rebooked many from the 'passenger ferry' we had booked to this more freight-oriented ferry, and therefore people were sleeping in chairs and corridors and wherever they could find a place, but one man told us it was the same every week, and he had been traveling back and forth for 10 years!
When we disembarked, we had to back out. However, it required three people to stand on the axis between the caravan and the car, as the rear bumped the ground due to the steep ramp! And then we joined a new line for passports and documents. An hour later, we left the ferry terminal, and we got quite a shock when a beggar with no legs practically threw himself in front of the car, causing us to brake hard! Unfortunately, that became a theme for the day, as there were so many beggars, especially children sent out alone, everywhere we passed larger cities. It's so sad and dangerous :-(
We first took a break around lunchtime at a gas station restaurant. It might not be the most charming place in Albania, but we had good food and service (even in English), and it was incredibly cheap. It gave us new energy and, most importantly, a cup of coffee for the trip to manage the last part to reach the border with Montenegro. It went smoothly, and the last part of the planned journey on the Montenegro side went well, as long as you remember to choose the slightly larger roads :-)
We look forward to finding out what this place has to offer tomorrow, but for today, we're sold out, and our evening reflections sadly lead us to conclude that we don't want to see more of Albania this time, even though we live so close to the border and it's certainly a possibility.
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