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To Destinations Unknown
- Thread starter grantw
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You'll have it done by next Saturday higgy.. romania awaitsKeep 'em' Coming Grant and Sarah.... Posts like these Keep me Inspired to Crack on with My 80... Have a great Trip.. looking forward to More.
Well, the kitchen is, or more commonly referred to as a nightmare by my better ‘arf.
We’re posh now, we’ve got paved roads all the way to the gate.
You’ll have to call in Mark some day, and see for yourself
Chas
Well-Known Member
Sheer luxury, we had to lick our roads clean every morning, . . . . . before a breakfast of cold porridge if we were lucky!!We’re posh now, we’ve got paved roads all the way to the gate.
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Without a trailer I’d agree
Rob Cowell
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I don't know if maps outside France have the symbol, but French Michelin maps show dangerous roads. There's quite a few about where I often go so one year I thought we should drive down one of these and see why they're dangerous. And slightly less than car wide roads, with loads of hairpins, no barriers, sheer drops, and no passing places are more interesting than you necessarily want with the family depending on you too.
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This is the road we came on ... looking at Michelin maps it doesn’t look like they do mark them here.
Dropped pin
Near Unnamed Road, Montenegro
https://goo.gl/maps/2fsBDBPCm6WdjtrB7
If we looked before hand we would have seen how twisty it was. The curse of trusting sat nav!
Fantastic!
Just think, you’d have missed those wonderful views going a “better” route
Just think, you’d have missed those wonderful views going a “better” route
- Joined
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28th July
Bosnia - part 1! Wow just wow. We have already been in Bosnia over a week now and are have been blown away by the friendliness, generosity and loveliness of the people and how beautiful a country this is. After a surprisingly uneventful border crossing (we were worried when the Bosnian car in front of us took over 10 mins to be processed!), we purchased car insurance at the border and headed to the nearest big town Bihać.
Stopping quickly at a memorial outside of town, we searched for an atm for the local currency, Bosnian Mark (BAM) as not many places accept cards, cash is definitely king here. Although most prices tend to be in Euros, even though Bosnia is not part of the EU.
Our first full day included some dirt road tracks in the nearby national park, which lead to a stunning waterfall. We hadn’t passed one car by the time we got there and we joked that the waterfall would probably be teeming with tourists ... how right we were! There was another entrance that most people came in, including tour buses, and we drove through restaurants and ice cream shops into a massive car park before walking down the wooden pathways to view the waterfall. After seeing Plitvice the day before, we didn’t think we would be very impressed but this waterfall was stunning!!!
Not knowing much about the culture here, we have also been surprised by the number of female tourists in hijabs or full burkas; this is a very Muslim country, and there are as many mosques as churches around, maybe more! The mix of culture and religion makes this country even more intriguing.
Grant found what looked like a perfect place to try our first night of wild camping, a clearing up high in the hills of central Bosnia. The drive there was beautiful and scenic, and we decided to swing by another set of waterfalls in Jajce; but it ended up being too hard to find parking that didn’t cost 5 euros when we would only be gone a half hour, so we had a quick look as we drive across the bridge and headed onwards to our destination.
Of course we missed the turn first time and had to drive another 10 mins to turn around ( definitely not easy with our rig) but we found it in the end and after a small steep climb we came out into the the promised beautiful clearing, with such stunning views! Alas, since the last people had updated the website, someone had built a house in the cleaning, meaning it wasn’t so wild anymore. With no one home to ask if we could pitch up for the night, we went in search of free WiFi to find a new campsite. After 2 x unsuccessful attempts, we drove into a clearing and our hearts sank again .. no signs, just a control point with a lift up barrier. And no internet. With heavy hearts we turned around to go back into town. But before we did, we thought let’s just check with these ‘border guards’ ... frowns turned to smiles and we were told yes, the campsite is this way!
So off we drive up windy dirt tracks finally entering a family picnic area, with everyone turning to stare. If we hadn’t seen the tent in the very corner, we would have turned around again. 15 mins later, we have a spot, a new friend and start to set up camp. Still feeling the stares from the picnic tables, we unhook the trailer and disaster!!!! It started sliding back!!!! Too much for Sarah to hold on, we were lucky a fence gently brought the trailer to a stop ... and luckily for us, the fence didn’t seem too damaged!!!
Embarassed, we gave up, got some beers and joined our new friend Dan at his table, relaxing until the picnic goers left and it was just us and the owners. A half bottle of rajika courtesy of the campsite owner later and the tent was set up and ready to relax.
The next day we were up early, it was hot in the early morning sun. The owner of the campsite had already gathered the days fish from the river and was busy cleaning them. Us 3 overnight campers were all busy packing up and getting ready to head to our next destinations. But before we could, the owner introduces another American to us; all of a sudden we are invited to a Bosnian family BBQ with whole lamb spit roast and a wine tasting to boot. How could we say no!?!?!
A lovely afternoon was had watching the lamb slowly roast, helping Karin drink wines she had gathered on her European trip and enjoying the company of new friends.
Sarajevo could wait one more day ..........
Bosnia - part 1! Wow just wow. We have already been in Bosnia over a week now and are have been blown away by the friendliness, generosity and loveliness of the people and how beautiful a country this is. After a surprisingly uneventful border crossing (we were worried when the Bosnian car in front of us took over 10 mins to be processed!), we purchased car insurance at the border and headed to the nearest big town Bihać.
Stopping quickly at a memorial outside of town, we searched for an atm for the local currency, Bosnian Mark (BAM) as not many places accept cards, cash is definitely king here. Although most prices tend to be in Euros, even though Bosnia is not part of the EU.
Our first full day included some dirt road tracks in the nearby national park, which lead to a stunning waterfall. We hadn’t passed one car by the time we got there and we joked that the waterfall would probably be teeming with tourists ... how right we were! There was another entrance that most people came in, including tour buses, and we drove through restaurants and ice cream shops into a massive car park before walking down the wooden pathways to view the waterfall. After seeing Plitvice the day before, we didn’t think we would be very impressed but this waterfall was stunning!!!
Not knowing much about the culture here, we have also been surprised by the number of female tourists in hijabs or full burkas; this is a very Muslim country, and there are as many mosques as churches around, maybe more! The mix of culture and religion makes this country even more intriguing.
Grant found what looked like a perfect place to try our first night of wild camping, a clearing up high in the hills of central Bosnia. The drive there was beautiful and scenic, and we decided to swing by another set of waterfalls in Jajce; but it ended up being too hard to find parking that didn’t cost 5 euros when we would only be gone a half hour, so we had a quick look as we drive across the bridge and headed onwards to our destination.
Of course we missed the turn first time and had to drive another 10 mins to turn around ( definitely not easy with our rig) but we found it in the end and after a small steep climb we came out into the the promised beautiful clearing, with such stunning views! Alas, since the last people had updated the website, someone had built a house in the cleaning, meaning it wasn’t so wild anymore. With no one home to ask if we could pitch up for the night, we went in search of free WiFi to find a new campsite. After 2 x unsuccessful attempts, we drove into a clearing and our hearts sank again .. no signs, just a control point with a lift up barrier. And no internet. With heavy hearts we turned around to go back into town. But before we did, we thought let’s just check with these ‘border guards’ ... frowns turned to smiles and we were told yes, the campsite is this way!
So off we drive up windy dirt tracks finally entering a family picnic area, with everyone turning to stare. If we hadn’t seen the tent in the very corner, we would have turned around again. 15 mins later, we have a spot, a new friend and start to set up camp. Still feeling the stares from the picnic tables, we unhook the trailer and disaster!!!! It started sliding back!!!! Too much for Sarah to hold on, we were lucky a fence gently brought the trailer to a stop ... and luckily for us, the fence didn’t seem too damaged!!!
Embarassed, we gave up, got some beers and joined our new friend Dan at his table, relaxing until the picnic goers left and it was just us and the owners. A half bottle of rajika courtesy of the campsite owner later and the tent was set up and ready to relax.
The next day we were up early, it was hot in the early morning sun. The owner of the campsite had already gathered the days fish from the river and was busy cleaning them. Us 3 overnight campers were all busy packing up and getting ready to head to our next destinations. But before we could, the owner introduces another American to us; all of a sudden we are invited to a Bosnian family BBQ with whole lamb spit roast and a wine tasting to boot. How could we say no!?!?!
A lovely afternoon was had watching the lamb slowly roast, helping Karin drink wines she had gathered on her European trip and enjoying the company of new friends.
Sarajevo could wait one more day ..........
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- Jul 15, 2012
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- 2,178
Garavice Memorial Park - tribute to the 12,000-15,000 civilians (mainly Serbs and Jews) killed by the Ustaše in 1941.
Our first taste of Bosnian beer in Bihać on the River Una - it’s a thumbs up from us
Home made hot dogs and the Prosecco we purchased from the vending machine in Italy ... a great way to end the day
New neighbours
More lawn mowing Balkan style
Una National Park
[font=system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, .SFNSText-Regular, sans-serif]
Una National Park - Štrbački waterfall
After Plitvice Lakes, we had zero expectations for this waterfall, but it was stunning!
The cured meat counter, Grant is loving the selection.
Tesco food range!
The scenery keeps changing .... from mountains to rivers and gorges. Gorg-eous!
Interesting looking church we saw on our drive
Wow what a view .... we found this clearing on a wild camping website and it was perfect !! Well, except for the fact a house had now been built on it With no one around to cheekily ask if we could stay the night, we headed back down to the town.
We turned around again when we came across this ‘control point’ when looking for the campsite; mainly as we had no WiFi we decided to double check with the guards. Surprisingly we were in the right place!
[/font]
We found a campsite !
Emergency brake cable - it stopped the trailer rolling back for a little bit then snapped
thank goodness a fence was behind the trailer which helped stopped it without too much damage 
After making a enough of a spectacle of ourselves, we attached the trailer back to the car and sat down to drink a very needed beer, setting up could wait until later.
Fresh fish from the campsite river
Brekkie time
Izletište 'Bistrovo'' Krušćica a great place for a picnic, to enjoy the restaurants food, or to camp for a night (or two).
Thanks Amir and Karin Palle for inviting us to share your family BBQ day! We had a lovely time, the lamb was so tender and juicy, and we feel we stepped up to the wine challenge Thanks also to Dan for his company camping over two nights and his bee sting removal services, still waiting on the itemised bill ....... — with Dan Moody and Karin Palle.
The Lamb Masters!
Our first taste of Bosnian beer in Bihać on the River Una - it’s a thumbs up from us
Home made hot dogs and the Prosecco we purchased from the vending machine in Italy ... a great way to end the day
New neighbours
More lawn mowing Balkan style
Una National Park
[font=system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, .SFNSText-Regular, sans-serif]
Una National Park - Štrbački waterfall
After Plitvice Lakes, we had zero expectations for this waterfall, but it was stunning!
The cured meat counter, Grant is loving the selection.
Tesco food range!
The scenery keeps changing .... from mountains to rivers and gorges. Gorg-eous!
Interesting looking church we saw on our drive
Wow what a view .... we found this clearing on a wild camping website and it was perfect !! Well, except for the fact a house had now been built on it With no one around to cheekily ask if we could stay the night, we headed back down to the town.
We turned around again when we came across this ‘control point’ when looking for the campsite; mainly as we had no WiFi we decided to double check with the guards. Surprisingly we were in the right place!
We found a campsite !
Emergency brake cable - it stopped the trailer rolling back for a little bit then snapped
thank goodness a fence was behind the trailer which helped stopped it without too much damage After making a enough of a spectacle of ourselves, we attached the trailer back to the car and sat down to drink a very needed beer, setting up could wait until later.Fresh fish from the campsite river
Brekkie time
Izletište 'Bistrovo'' Krušćica a great place for a picnic, to enjoy the restaurants food, or to camp for a night (or two).
Thanks Amir and Karin Palle for inviting us to share your family BBQ day! We had a lovely time, the lamb was so tender and juicy, and we feel we stepped up to the wine challenge Thanks also to Dan for his company camping over two nights and his bee sting removal services, still waiting on the itemised bill ....... — with Dan Moody and Karin Palle.
The Lamb Masters!
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- Jul 15, 2012
- Messages
- 2,178
1st August
We made it to Sarajevo!
We decided to check out the accommodation we skipped in the previous night and headed into the hills; roads getting so much steeper and smaller that finally we couldn’t make a turn! Using our walkie talkies, we reversed with trailer down a z-shaped road, got ourselves out of the hills and decided to look for a hotel with parking (the campsite cost more than the cheapest hotel!).
But to do that we needed internet, so we stopped at a small kiosk and 20 marks (£9) later we were online. We found 3 possible options and started the car ..... click click click ..... it didn’t start. This was the starter motor we just replaced! Eek! A quick google and a few whacks with a hammer and we were off again, phew. Three hotels later and we found one with large vehicle parking ... it wasn’t in the prettiest of areas (industrial estate) but was next to a tram stop. This is one of the downsides of towing a trailer, and we have learned this usually makes campsites a better option but often they are not close to main towns.
Sarajevo was a massive surprise to us, a tram into town, a river running through it (Melbourne style!) ... the modernish buildings gave way to Austro-Hungarian style which switched quickly to Ottoman in the old town. We loved the vibe of the old town, like a bazaar with shops and restaurants and people meandering. It’s a great place for settling in, enjoying a Burek and people watching. We tried some other Bosnian foods, stuffed peppers and stuffed vines leaves, Bosnian coffee (nice and strong!), local craft beer and even found a great coffee place for a nice cold brew and cortado. Then we found the Market Hall, where we succumbed to the deliciousness of cured smoked meats. And of course, we had to try the local Rakija! Some interesting flavours, such as walnut and quince, but the berry flavours were still the best.
There is so much history here and we only managed to delve into a bit
The Latin Bridge, right where Franz Ferdinands was assassinated which started WW1
The yellow bastion (c.early 1800s) with amazing views over Sarajevo, where a cannon sound still marks the end of fasting each day during ramadan
Museum of Crimes against Humanity and Genicide, an exposition revealing the atrocities committed during the Serbian-Bosnian war
mortar damage that is coloured in with red resin and renamed the Roses of Sarajevo
The second largest cemetery in Europe where most of the graves are dated between 1992 and 1995
The marker where East meets West (Grant thought we were looking for a market! )
The Tunnel linking free Bosnia to the besieged city of Sarajevo
the many many buildings with bullet holes still showing.
Mainly due to the parking situation, we only ended up staying a day and a half, but Sarajevo is definitely a place we want to come back to and explore some more.
Backing down the hills of Sarajevo as we nearly got ourselves stuck! The walkie talkies have come in very handy.
Views of Sarajevo from the hills
Sarajevo from the Yellow Bastion
Eeek! The dreaded click and no start ... but a few whacks with a hammer and we were good to go again
Waiting near our hotel for the parking to free up, next to abandoned buildings full of bullet holes and a waste ground for fly tipping - we have noticed so much rubbish left around all of Bosnia, which is a bit disappointing but hopefully they are working to improve this, there are lots of bins in the lay-bys and signs asking not to litter.
Sarah in Sarajevo!
Modern twist
Trams in the old town
The Eternal Flame honouring the victims of WW2
The Latin Bridge, site of Franz Ferdinand’s assassination which led to the beginning of WW1
So many bullet holes from the most recent war, only 20ish years ago Some are kept in remembrance but it’s also a city rebuilding itself slowly
Market hall
Austro Hungarian influence
Church in Sarajevo
Another beautiful building on the river
Where East meets West, Sarajevo Meeting of Cultures (the marker, not the market!)
Gasi Husrev-beg mosque
Sebilj, fountain in the old town square
We made it to Sarajevo!
We decided to check out the accommodation we skipped in the previous night and headed into the hills; roads getting so much steeper and smaller that finally we couldn’t make a turn! Using our walkie talkies, we reversed with trailer down a z-shaped road, got ourselves out of the hills and decided to look for a hotel with parking (the campsite cost more than the cheapest hotel!).
But to do that we needed internet, so we stopped at a small kiosk and 20 marks (£9) later we were online. We found 3 possible options and started the car ..... click click click ..... it didn’t start. This was the starter motor we just replaced! Eek! A quick google and a few whacks with a hammer and we were off again, phew. Three hotels later and we found one with large vehicle parking ... it wasn’t in the prettiest of areas (industrial estate) but was next to a tram stop. This is one of the downsides of towing a trailer, and we have learned this usually makes campsites a better option but often they are not close to main towns.
Sarajevo was a massive surprise to us, a tram into town, a river running through it (Melbourne style!) ... the modernish buildings gave way to Austro-Hungarian style which switched quickly to Ottoman in the old town. We loved the vibe of the old town, like a bazaar with shops and restaurants and people meandering. It’s a great place for settling in, enjoying a Burek and people watching. We tried some other Bosnian foods, stuffed peppers and stuffed vines leaves, Bosnian coffee (nice and strong!), local craft beer and even found a great coffee place for a nice cold brew and cortado. Then we found the Market Hall, where we succumbed to the deliciousness of cured smoked meats. And of course, we had to try the local Rakija! Some interesting flavours, such as walnut and quince, but the berry flavours were still the best.
There is so much history here and we only managed to delve into a bit
The Latin Bridge, right where Franz Ferdinands was assassinated which started WW1The yellow bastion (c.early 1800s) with amazing views over Sarajevo, where a cannon sound still marks the end of fasting each day during ramadanMuseum of Crimes against Humanity and Genicide, an exposition revealing the atrocities committed during the Serbian-Bosnian warmortar damage that is coloured in with red resin and renamed the Roses of Sarajevo The second largest cemetery in Europe where most of the graves are dated between 1992 and 1995The marker where East meets West (Grant thought we were looking for a market! )The Tunnel linking free Bosnia to the besieged city of Sarajevothe many many buildings with bullet holes still showing.Mainly due to the parking situation, we only ended up staying a day and a half, but Sarajevo is definitely a place we want to come back to and explore some more.
Backing down the hills of Sarajevo as we nearly got ourselves stuck! The walkie talkies have come in very handy.
Views of Sarajevo from the hills
Sarajevo from the Yellow Bastion
Eeek! The dreaded click and no start ... but a few whacks with a hammer and we were good to go again
Waiting near our hotel for the parking to free up, next to abandoned buildings full of bullet holes and a waste ground for fly tipping - we have noticed so much rubbish left around all of Bosnia, which is a bit disappointing but hopefully they are working to improve this, there are lots of bins in the lay-bys and signs asking not to litter.
Sarah in Sarajevo!
Modern twist
Trams in the old townThe Eternal Flame honouring the victims of WW2The Latin Bridge, site of Franz Ferdinand’s assassination which led to the beginning of WW1 So many bullet holes from the most recent war, only 20ish years ago Some are kept in remembrance but it’s also a city rebuilding itself slowly Market hallAustro Hungarian influenceChurch in Sarajevo Another beautiful building on the river Where East meets West, Sarajevo Meeting of Cultures (the marker, not the market!)Gasi Husrev-beg mosque
Sebilj, fountain in the old town square
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2012
- Messages
- 2,178
Sarajevo nights
Tasli Han (Tašlihan / Stone Inn) was a former caravan inn in Sarajevo, built during the Ottoman Empire (mid 16th century)
Picturesque old town
The starting point of the tunnel between free and besieged Sarajevo
One of the largest graveyards in Europe
Bosnian coffee, yes please!
Old town markets
Bosnian coffee
Enjoying another coffee at the Espresso Lab
Rakija, why not?
Tempted to buy but stayed strong
Food and drinks in the old town
Craft beer - Brew Imperial Society
Shelter bar where we found Tomislav on tap! Also funny toilet door signs, of course the one of the right must be for men!
Market Hall ... this guy saw us coming, just one taste, you don’t have to buy anything
Bosnian food and a happy Grant
Tasli Han (Tašlihan / Stone Inn) was a former caravan inn in Sarajevo, built during the Ottoman Empire (mid 16th century)
Picturesque old town
The starting point of the tunnel between free and besieged Sarajevo
One of the largest graveyards in Europe
Bosnian coffee, yes please!
Old town markets
Bosnian coffee
Rakija, why not?
Tempted to buy but stayed strong
Food and drinks in the old town
Craft beer - Brew Imperial Society
Shelter bar where we found Tomislav on tap! Also funny toilet door signs, of course the one of the right must be for men!
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2012
- Messages
- 2,178
It's not the only minor hiccup unfortunately. I haven't investigated further yet ... but it's a brand new (well sat on a shelf for 4 years after purchase) 12v starter that I recently installed to do the conversion. Works fine 95% of the time .. it's done it 3 times now.
We're also having another random starting issue where the fuel cut off solenoid isn't being turned off so to speak. So bad connection or alarm problem there. Last time it was being quite stubborn and bit of a fiddle around the solenoid seemed to get it going.
@Chas: The write up is all Sarah so far ... i've just been duplicating it from facebook for your entertainment. So please keep the comments and likes coming so I know it's appreciated
We're also having another random starting issue where the fuel cut off solenoid isn't being turned off so to speak. So bad connection or alarm problem there. Last time it was being quite stubborn and bit of a fiddle around the solenoid seemed to get it going.
@Chas: The write up is all Sarah so far ... i've just been duplicating it from facebook for your entertainment. So please keep the comments and likes coming so I know it's appreciated
Lorin
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2010
- Messages
- 1,530
My brand new Wood Auto 12v starter that had also sat on the shelf for a few years before fitting last year is the same. Around Russia it was an almost daily occurrence for it to 'click, click' and require a few goes (sometimes a lot of goes!) before starting. Rarely does it from a cold start, mostly when the engine is warm. Not a nice feeling when you think it might not start. Where did you get yours Grant?
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- Jul 15, 2012
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Sounds like the same symptoms Lorin. Mine was bought when I was in oz denim auto8 via eBay. A genuine Bosch one. I’ve been wishing a little bit that I didn’t leave my 24v one back in Slovenia
Is your 12v starter still installed?
Is your 12v starter still installed?
