Montenegro

In a lot of ways, Montenegro felt like a smaller version of Croatia - the language is similar, the people are very friendly, the country has a nice relaxed feel to it. But in other ways we're clearly not in the EU any more. One example: when we entered the country we almost instantly racked up €60 phone bills EACH for 5MB of data - up to now we've been inside the EU and could use our mobiles just like at home. Another example: we were in a supermarket looking for free range eggs, and Mat opened a box looking for the code on each egg that says how the hen was raised, then realised that this is an EU requirement. They're not in the EU yet but the currency is Euro.

Overall, people were kind and welcoming. We did experience some crazy driving and long stretches of roads under constant construction. There was a very near crash when a tourist pulled out extremely slowly into the path of a loaded car transporter which had to screech to an emergency stop. On another road, a car which couldn't turn left because of a median barrier just drove the wrong way to a roundabout, beeping his horn to warn people.

Montenegro has one of the 3 submarine bases of the former Yugoslavia in Tivat and visiting a submarine was a surprise highlight.

Fun fact: Montenegro was the name given to the country when it was under Venetian rule, a calque of the original name meaning black mountain in Montenegrin.