Europe on a Virago 30 day budget summary

Average daily budget for first 30 days France to Montenegro

Bed : 38.60 Euros per night

Includes a few nights camping (too wet for more) and a few nights in hostels

Mostly I used 2 star hotels. Low of 9 Euros at Camping Municipal in Arles.

Food: 19.94 Euros per day.

Most hotels included a continental breakfast. I got by on one other meal, occasionally in a restaurant but usually from a supermarket.

Transport: 23.60 Euros a day.

Includes ferries (88 Euros from Ireland to France) and maintenance and repairs on motorbike (103 Euros to have rear brake linings replaced)

Other: 7.90 Euros a day

Museum entrances, purchases not related to transport or food. Eg souvenirs, toiletries etc.

Total: 90.04 Euros a day.

Europe on a Virago Days 28 to 30

Still more rain. Rode from Plitvice back to the coast and stopped at Omis, South of Split before getting soaked again on the way past Dubrovnik to beautiful Kotor in Montenegro.

Looking back at Dubrovnik. I had been there before so didn't stop.

Stopped in Bosnia Herzegovina in heavy rain for a 90 minute early lunch waiting without success for it to clear before heading off again and crossing the border into Montenegro, paid my 10 Euro 15 day road insurance and took a two Euro ride across the harbour to Kotor.
This is the view from the hotel balcony

Decided to spend three nights here and out-wait the weather.  Got a quick oil change. Oil 15 Euros, labour 10 Euros and a wash 5 Euros.

My hotel room has a sloping ceiling and the tiniest bathroom possible.

Europe on a Virago day 27

Rain continues. Road away from Senj up into the mountains to Plitvice National Park

Learnt a new word: Serpentina  means hairpin bend

Got to the national park in early afternoon and found Katarina's Rooms for 28 Euros near the entrance to the lower falls,

Falls were well organized and popular with bus loads of Asians. There are 8 kilometers of wooden walkways winding beside and over the water.

Walked through the carpark to get to the ticket office

Stay after 11PM and risk meeting a bear.
Incredible green colour to the trees.

Europe on a Virago days 24 to 26, Into Croatia

More rain as I left Italy and made my way into Croatia. Had to cross a little bit of Slovenia along the way and pay a E7.50 road tax.

Immediately noticeable was the lack of agriculture and the forested landscapes

Passed the three thousand mile mark near a trattoria in Slovenia

Was hoping to camp but the weather made a room more rational. Stopped at one of the numerous turis offices and took a room at Bosket Rooms in Rovinj which had a fine restaurant and a metal workshop to re-locate my rear blinkers further back.

Spent two quiet nights at Rovinj letting the back slowly recover. Took off across the Istrian peninsular to catch a ferry to the island of Cres.

Got to the port half an hour before the ferry which was lucky timing.

Tucked up on board next to some Harley riders.

The road rose up from the harbour and followed the spine of the mountains South to the main town of Cres.

Took a while for those Harleys to catch up.

A long slide down to the sea if you come off here.

Cres is a small town with lots of small boat harbours. I found the turis office and they found a room in a private house with attached kitchenette for 28 Euros ($52.00) Daniba took me through the streets to her house just up from the harbour.

Lovely fine summer day the next day so I rode all the way down the island and across a bridge to the next island and a place called Mali Losinj.

An apartment here would be a nice address.

Next day, left Cres under cloudy skies and caught another ferry to an adjoining island called Krk and then by bridge to the mainland.

Near Senj on the coastal road.

Not many places to get off the road, verges are non-existent, you can see why they want you to carry a reflective safety vest.

Rain started pelting down at this point so stopped at Senj.
This is the view from my hotel window.