As always, setting up and handing over the flat takes longer than expected, but we finally set off southwards sometime in the afternoon. Our plan is to drive to Croatia, that's all we know. 

As is almost traditional, we reach our first stop on the south side of the Gotthard before the weekend traffic jam sets in. This time we find a wonderful place to spend the night right next to a stream in the Bedretto valley in the most beautiful natural surroundings.

The next day we drive down through Italy to Trieste, where we cross the border into Slovenia, of which we can only see a few kilometres of coastline. The next border is already waiting and we reach our destination, where we look for our first campsite - wild camping is prohibited here. We stick to it for the start, happy to settle in and recover from the journey.

Our journey takes us criss-crossing from the sea to the mountains and back. In Istria and by the sea, it's difficult to spend the night away from campsites, which are very crowded and noisy. So we always flee to the mountains, where nature seems almost untouched, but over time we also find more and more places by the sea (via the park4night app) where we feel comfortable and are neither disturbed nor disturbed.

Turquoise sea with colourful snorkelling excursions, karst hills and high mountain ranges, mountain lakes and wide plateaus, in between old towns, city walls and ruins inspire us and offer variety. 

But we particularly enjoy the peace and quiet, the seemingly endless time, sitting together and the infrastructure that our Bushbaby offers us during the day and at night.

Our camping neighbours have said that Montenegro's beauty is not to be missed - that convinces us and we head north instead of south. A decision we don't regret for a moment. Our main destination was actually Durmitor National Park, but the weather forced us to look around at lower altitudes, which was absolutely worthwhile. The area around Lake Skadar, the sea coast of Ulcinji, Bar's old town centre Start Bar - the days we spent in Montenegro were amazing.

The Durmitor National Park was the icing on the cake, so much to see, even for spoilt Swiss people who are used to mountains and gorges. 

We are now enjoying the campsites. There are fewer tourists around and we are happy about wonderful places (Pajos OK Glamping or Egales Nest) and encounters with nice neighbours.

We continue the journey to the ferry to Palermo at a leisurely pace. After so much forest, it should be the sea again. But the culture shock at Camping Marinello in Oliver goes deep, it's the weekend and the pizzeria is having karaoke night. The countryside is beautiful, but we drive up into the mountains of the Parco dei Nebrodi, where we had already said goodbye to Mount Etna, but unexpectedly we see it again here and once more it casts its spell over us - and haunts us. At Lago Biviere, we visualise how it would erupt at night. The fact that it would do so right at the final whistle of the semi-final and the Italian victory was still a surprise and a fascinating two-hour spectacle. We also really enjoyed the encounters with locals and Maltese that Lago Maulazzo and this dream location had in store for us. 

After a final dip in the sea and a stressful journey to the harbour, the ferry took us back to Livorno in comfort.

The weather reports from Switzerland are not very encouraging for travelling home as quickly as possible. Heavy thunderstorms led to the temporary closure of the Gotthard route, and heavy rain is still forecast, including in northern Italy. So we decide to spend the night here near the ferry harbour in Livorno. We find the Agriturismo Lago de Tamerici, a very pretty little place right on the lake and with a nice restaurant, where we have an excellent meal and celebrate the last evening of a great journey. The night is very restless, however, as the restaurant guests don't make much effort to be quiet when we say goodbye in the car park. We set off very early in the morning and reach Ticino and home sooner than expected.

This first longer Bushbaby trip was a complete success, characterised above all by the sea, forest and Mount Etna, but also by warm hospitality.

The weather reports from Switzerland are not very encouraging for travelling home as quickly as possible. Heavy thunderstorms led to the temporary closure of the Gotthard route, and heavy rain is still forecast, including in northern Italy. So we decide to spend the night here near the ferry harbour in Livorno. We find the Agriturismo Lago de Tamerici, a very pretty little place right on the lake and with a nice restaurant, where we have an excellent meal and celebrate the last evening of a great journey. The night is very restless, however, as the restaurant guests don't make much effort to be quiet when we say goodbye in the car park. We set off very early in the morning and reach Ticino and home sooner than expected.

This first longer Bushbaby trip was a complete success, characterised above all by the sea, forest and Mount Etna, but also by warm hospitality.