Backpacking the Balkans 2019

29/07/2029 Hi, it’s Gaby here again! We are currently on a bus from Tivat in Montenegro to Niš in Serbia, where we will arrive at 5:30am (editor’s note: after being an hour and a half delayed leaving the bus station, and with further delays on the road, we didn’t actually arrive until 8:30am!). After leaving the hostel this morning, our dreams of relaxing on the beach with plenty of sunshine were spoilt with overcast weather and rain. Nevertheless, we put on our raincoats and headed into Tivat anyway, where we managed to complete our two-minute beach clean-up (following the idea of the #2minutebeachclean in the UK) on one of the stretches of beach just outside Porto Montenegro. Ticking off another challenge spurred us on despite the miserable weather and we headed to the Buca Palace in central Tivat, exploring the adjoining art gallery and chapel too. Lunchtime came just in time to make the most of the dry weather, and we were able to sit in a restaurant overlooking the harbour...

28/07/2019 Hi, it’s Emma G here! The day started off with a freezing cold shower followed by some cereal and crispy bread for breakfast at the hostel. After that we headed off to Kotor. However there were no buses as it was a Sunday so we had to get a taxi, splitting into three groups for the drive to Kotor. Our first view of the Old Town of Kotor was beautiful, living up to its UNESCO World Heritage Site status. A local arts festival was being held at the time so we were greeted with crowds of people and lots of colourful banners lining the streets. After admiring the clock tower and castle (from afar - we weren’t brave enough to face the 900+ steps), we explored the shops within the old town. We then went to a local supermarket and bought our lunch, which we ate by the marina. At 3 o’clock, we headed down to the docks for a speed boat tour of Kotor and climbed on the boat with the help of our helpful Captain. I was very happy with the seating arrangements as I got to sit in the spinn...

We’re halfway through the trip already, so here’s an update on our challenges... Visit three Balkan countries : We have actually visited 4! After flying into Sofia, Bulgaria, we made our way to Niš, Serbia, and then on to Podgorica, Montenegro. We also rafted down the Tara River, which marks the border between Montenegro and Bosnia, and so we had a cheeky (soft) drink in Bosnia in the middle of the rafting journey at the rafting bar! Travel on four different modes of transpor t : So far, we have travelled by plane, coach, minibus, raft, speedboat, car, and we’ve still got a train to go! We’ve definitely smashed this challenge! Try a food you didn’t know existed : We’ve all been trying lots of different foods, especially little pastries and much of the food at the Waterfall Rafting Center, and we’ll have a better update on this challenge at the end of the trip. Take part in an environmental projec t: We’ve taken part in the Isle of Man’s ‘3 pieces of plastic’ challenge everyd...

27/07/2019 Hi, it's Eleanor! Today we made the journey from the north of Montenegro to the Adriatic Coast, where we’re spending the next two nights. We started the day with a buffet breakfast and had some delicious traditional Montenegrin doughnuts smothered in honey. We wrote a thank you card to the owners of the rafting centre and were in a minibus on our way out of the centre by 10:30. Our journey involved some of us playing games with headbands and a geography trivia game, which I was terrible at, but got very competitive, with everyone screaming the answers over each other. Tory beat the rest of us by a mile (at the game, not the screaming!). We arrived in Podgorica at about two and abandoned Alice and Ellie to guard all the bags at the bus station whilst the rest of us went to a nearby shopping centre and looked around. We bought wraps and fillings for our lunch, and had to fashion a table out of a bench at the station so we could make and eat the wraps. When the bus for Tiva...

26/07/2019 Hi, it’s Annie! Today we were spending the whole day at the Waterfall Rafting Center, and it was amazing to not worry about when we needed to get a bus or be at our next stop. We woke up in the rafting campsite and were delighted when we discovered eggy bread was on the breakfast buffet! We then lathered up in suncream and bug spray, not fully realising that it would later result in having to help squeeze each other into our wetsuits, though this could be considered as a bonding moment!  Once we climbed into the raft on the Tara River Canyon and I hadn’t burst into tears from not being able to swim (editor’s note: Annie had agreed to go on the excursion before she admitted that she couldn’t swim!), we worked as a team to paddle the raft through the rapids. The guide in our raft, however, had an accent which made “go” and “stop” very indistinct, ultimately causing confusion when we were paddling through the rapids! We got a chance to stop half way at the river side bar fo...

25/07/2019 Hi, it’s Higgy here!  Our third day in the Balkans really started on our overnight bus (the first of the trip!) at 2:30am, when a scary man (the Serbian border policeman) shouted at us because we didn’t know what “Open your passport” meant in Serbian. As you can imagine, that was quite the awakening! It was a strange border crossing as we didn’t have to get off the coach as we had done leaving Bulgaria and entering Serbia. The journey was around 11 hours long, and we finally got to Podgorica at 5:30am. We then explored Podgorica by following the different streets and seeing where they took us. We visited the clock tower, the parliament building, the ruins of the fort and the millennium bridge. My favourite part was when we got to the river and got to see he sun reflect off of the water. We then continued walking around the streets of Podgorica at random, discovering little alleyways and odd quirks of the city (including enormous palm trees and lots of pet birds...

24/07/2019 Hi, it’s Gaby and we are currently on day 2 of our Balkans adventure! Yesterday we travelled to Sofia in Bulgaria by plane, and then by bus to Niš (two modes of transport down, two to go!) in Serbia where we also spent today. Upon arriving in Niš we walked around the town and it’s fortress, which was covered in fairy lights providing a very popular photo opportunity! After a much needed sleep in our hostel we woke and crammed in as many places as possible during the day including the Niš concentration camp, Crevni Krst, which was in use from 1941 - 1945 before being liberated by the Red Army. The Niš fortress was a highlight with its central gardens that was equally as pretty during the day as it was last night with all its fairy lights. Due to taking a night bus in the evening we stopped in a restaurant just outside central Niš to have a lovely lunch before continuing our sightseeing. In addition we also got the opportunity to visit the Skull Tower, a 4m high wall...

Hi! I’m Emma and I’m 18 years old. I am an Adult Leader in Training and Ranger from Wirral County. I’ve been in guiding since I was 5 years old and have been a Rainbow all the way up to a Ranger. One of my most memorable Girlguiding experiences was when I went to Wellies and Wristbands. The bands were amazing and I made so many new friends there. Also, I made my Rangers Promise at the top of a 40ft tree during one of the activities there. It was super challenging but I really enjoyed it! I’ve never been on a Girlguiding international trip so I’m looking forward to the new challenges ahead and all the different people I will meet there.

Hi, I’m Emma. I’m 18 years old, I live in Manchester and have just finished my A-Levels.  You could say that I’ve been a member of Girlguiding all my life, with my first Guide camp being when I was only 6 months old. My first international camp was Peak 2005, when I was 4 years old, then to Kanderstag in Switzerland with the scouts in 2006. (Guiding and Scouting runs through my family). Then Peak again in 2015, which is by far the best camp I have been to! (I remember this one a bit better than the other two!).  I have thoroughly enjoyed being a leader for Brownies and Guides, especially on camps... (leader privileges are awesome) and I hope that I will enjoy backpacking the Balkans just as much. 

Hi! I’m Gaby, I’m 16 years old and I am a Young Leader and Ranger in Wirral County. I’ve been in guiding since I was 5 years old and have been a Rainbow, Guide, Ranger and Young Leader. Some of the highlights of my time in guiding include doing my Duke of Edinburgh, a trip to Pax Lodge and a She Can Be event at Mansion House but going to the Balkans will be my first international trip with Girlguiding! One of the highlights of my last year in Girlguiding was helping to take the Guide unit that I volunteer with to the Sealife Centre in Manchester where we had a sleepover in the aquarium - I’m not sure who enjoyed it more, the guides or the leaders! Looking forward, I hope the trip to the Balkans will not only be a fun trip full of interesting activities but also one where I can learn about different cultures and explore what makes Girlguiding a global family.