Road Tripping through the Balkans

 Friday 7 June 2024

Standing at the OR Tambo airport I got a phone call from Werner, to tell me his and his mom’s flight had been further delayed. We were supposed all go to the airport together since our flight times were close, now he was only departing 7 hours later. He warned me that if his flight got cancelled, he might not be able to make it to me. My heart sank. But I said a prayer and still got on the plane.

Saturday 8 June - Croatia via Turkey

I arrived in Istanbul at 5am Turkey time (4am SAST) and found the tour desk to make sure I’d be able to join the free tour that Turkish airlines includes if you have a long layover. The friendly assistant recommended the half day tour and handed me a lanyard, my “ticket” to the tour. I grabbed a pide (Turkish pizza) and Turkish coffee while I waited til the tour started at 8:30.  

Our guide led us to the bus that would be transporting us. I got on and picked a seat, not sure if I wanted someone to sit next to me or not. Luckily, a friendly South African lady, Cornelia joined me. She was travelling with a colleague. We got along great and chatted until we were reached our breakfast spot near the blue mosque. 

I also met a friendly Argentinian guy, as well as Cornelia’s colleague, and a Hungarian lady called Kitti at breakfast. The food was fairly basic, boiled egg, bread, some jams and cheeses, but hey it was free and we got pretty good coffee.

On the way to the Blue mosque our friendly guide Alihan told us about the hippodrome we were standing in and the three columns in what was once its centre. The most interesting was the Egyptian obelisk, brought all the way from Egypt in pieces. The base of the obelisk showed a carving of the hippodrome with the emperor Theodosius with his two sons, who went on the rule both the Eastern and Western Roman Empire.

We queued, collected head scarves and entered the Blue Mosque. Alihan pointed out the blue tiles that gave it its name. The mosque was packed so we took some photos and the met outside. 

We very briefly passed the Hagia Sofia, once a church now a mosque. The building is more impressive - the Blue mosque has a dome supported by half domes and quarter domes but the Hagia Sofia is one enormous self supported dome.

Next we went into the Topkapi palace. I had been here before 16 years ago but this time I was blown away by how beautiful and well kept the palace grounds were. Green and peaceful. There is no single big palace building but rather a collection of buildings with different functions. We were taken through the 4 courtyards to the best viewpoint over the Bosphorus, and took some great pictures. Already the place was getting packed. We were given free time to explore the exhibits that interested us.

Initially I stuck with my new friends but I lost them and ended up exploring on my own. I visited the relics exhibit, I guess the highlight was Moses' staff, bone fragments from John the Baptist and and David’s sword. The queue for the jewelry exhibit was very long but I tried to move quickly through it, to find the jewels and an enormous diamond. 

I met up with the group at 12:45 and we walked for a while past many tourists, and wailing muezzins, to find our lunch spot. It was also upstairs but the food was surprisingly good - lentil soup, chicken kebabs and a lamb one which was spicy, salads, bread and rice, ended with a sweet syrupy dessert. I couldn’t resist buying a lemon ice cream on my way out!

I said goodbye to some friends while the rest of us got back into the bus to the airport. Kitti and I visited the lounge and rested while waiting for our onward flights.

I landed in Dubrovnik at 8pm, collected my very large luggage (both mine and Werner’s) and met Mario my driver, who drove me 25 mins to my accommodation. The view of the Adriatic, the coastline and islands was immediately stunning in the just-setting sun.

I arrived at Villa Klaic, had to carry the luggage down some steep stairs and was met by Milo, the guesthouse owner. He was so welcoming, offered me a beer, had a chat and then showed me to my simple but comfortable room. I was broken, and slept like the dead that night.

Sunday 9 June - Croatia

I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to face the day. Breakfast at villa Klaic was yummy - beautiful breads, cheeses, cold meats, yoghurts, cereals and more.

I had decided to start my day climbing mt Srd - the hiking trail started just behind the villa. I initially walked through forest, then started zigzagging up the hill. At each bend there was a station of the cross, and the views just got better and better. When I reached the top I took some photos, visited the large cross and then made my way back down.

I rested a while at the villa and dipped my feet in the pool, then headed into Dubrovnik old city. The walk was steep downhill and took 15 minutes. So I was entering the Pile gate into a city I remembered so well. So many tourists were milling around Onofrio’s fountain but I still just loved the atmosphere of the place!

I followed a self guided walking tour which took along Placa Main Street, then up to the restaurant streets and past the oldest Synagogue in Europe. Then to Liza square and the Spinoza palace, and then underneath the bell tower to the harbour area where boats trips to anywhere were sold. Lastly I found the cathedral and Rector’s palace before heading to the Jesuit stairs where Game of Thrones’ “walk of shame” scene was filmed.

I also found the Buza bar, a funky place on the rocks reached by climbing through a hole in the walls. Werner and I had found it 17 years ago, unfortunately this time it was closed but people still went in, and jumped off the rocks into the sea…

I exited the old city, feeling hot and tired, and trudged back up steep paths and stairs to villa Klaic to wait for Werner. He arrived perfectly on time at 1:00 and we were finally reunited, ready for the next part of our travel together <3

Werner:

Arrived at Dubrovnik airport just before 12:00 to a beautiful sunny and warm day. Passport control was busy with long queues, but the passport control officer welcomed me with a friendly “hvala” meaning thank you. Skipped the baggage queue and went straight out to the car hire offices. Within a few minutes I had our wheels for the next two weeks, a Kia Ceed. The attendant flashed me the car papers and the contract and I was free to go. I adjusted quickly to driving on the right. I headed north and the beautiful coastline came into view, and a while later Dubrovnik, the jewel of the Adriatic. Soon found Nicki and pulled over to collect her. It was so good to meet up as we had planned considering I almost didn’t make it due to the flight delay to London the day before. We loaded up her luggage and set off for Ston. 

We had been driving a short distance chatting about our adventures and misadventures, checking we had everything we needed. Then I could not find the car papers we would need for crossing the borders on our journey. We stopped at an olive grove on the roadside and searched everywhere and still found nothing. Was at the point of driving back but thought I would call the rental company and they told me to look under the sun visor and there it was, I felt stupid and relieved all at once. 

We drove on and reached Mali Ston and our accommodation. We had a lovely top floor unit overlooking the beautiful bay where we could see the mussel and oyster farms and several boats. After offloading our bags we changed into more comfortable clothes and then headed to Ston in our car. On our drive we could see the walls that crossed the steep rocky mountains between Mali Ston and Ston.

We parked and began exploring the town. We passed a fort with moat around it. We wandered the streets and narrow alleyways looking for a place to have lunch and eventually settled on Sorgo restaurant and ordered beers, pizza and a salad. Sitting in the shade was a welcome break and we didn’t have to wait long for our ice cold beers (Karlovacko), delicious prosciutto pizza and salad. Just as we were finishing our lunch we saw the waiter carrying an unusual cake, Nicki recalled that it was Ston cake, made partly with penne pasta. We ordered a slice to try, it tasted a bit like baklava, nutty & sweet. Now truly stuffed & feeling lazy due to the beer, we made our way to the car to drive to Prapratno beach. 

We made a few wrong turns so it took us a while to reach our destination. We parked at the beach, next to the campground filled with camper vans. We found ourselves a spot on the beach which was quite full, everyone enjoying a chilled Sunday afternoon cooling off in the heat. The water was pleasantly cold and refreshing. The beach sand was fine but a grey colour, and seemed to stick to everything. After the swim we spent some time lying on the beach and soon dozed off a bit, quite relaxing. We left Prapratno around 17:00 and headed back to our accommodation. 

After a quick change of clothes we made our way to tackle the hike along the stone walls. We headed through a rough archway and took a left following the wall and climbing up. Stray cats flanked the alleyways off to our right. We followed the path and signs to the start of the route, and paid the entrance fee by card. Then we could see the steep steps leading up the mountain side. There was a fort under renovation near the start, its high walls rising up over us. We were soon perspiring in the heat even though it was late afternoon. The walls were in fairly good condition, evidently they had been renovated. Every now and then we passed a ruined tower with vegetation growing inside. Looking back to the town we were rewarded with stunning views over the town and the sea. After climbing for some time we reached a level path and we caught our breath. In a while we caught sight of Ston and the salt pools below us. We started our descent, grateful for the iron railings that that stood between us and a steep fall. Fortunately there were not many other tourists walking the walls as there was very little space to pass. Soon we were in the town of Ston again. Our last stop was the fort in the town. We crossed the moat and made our way inside and explored the inside. The upper level offered great views over the town and cannons stood sentinel at each corner We walked back along the road which was much easier than walking the walls.

We ended the day with a romantic dinner in the town of Mali Ston. We sampled the oysters the area was famous for. To be honest they were not as good as the oysters we enjoyed in South Africa, but stilll a treat. The main meal however was exceptional, the fish delicious and soft, with healthy veg, washed down with white wine as a bonus. It was an expensive but wonderful way to end our first day together.

Monday 10 June - Bosnia and Herzegovina

We woke up early, and had a breakfast of cornflakes and banana on the patio. It had rained in the night and the patio was wet. We picked up our belongings and bundled into the car. The drive was very pleasant, we drank in the scenery of the beautiful Adriatic coast. We soon reached the border and it was a simple as handing in our passports while we sat in the car and we were on our way again. A short drive later we passed through the Bosnian side which was equally simple. Did not seem all that different from Croatia. We enjoyed the drive through the lush green countryside and then arrived at our first destination: Kravica waterfalls. Paid the entrance fee and then hiked down through the lush green forest the sound of the waterfalls growing stronger with every step. We stopped several times to take pictures of the stunning waterfalls.

Eventually we reached the lake below the waterfalls and stopped to enjoy the scenery. We sat down at a cafe on the waterfront and ordered a cup of coffee. The waterfalls were flowing strongly and the spray and light combine to make a rainbow. We decided to go for a swim. The water was cold but not unbearable. We swam out to the centre of the lake and spend some time making videos with our GoPro. We were soon tired from the effort of paddling water and the cold and made our way back to the shore. The experience was exhilarating. Soon hordes of tourists began to arrive and then we knew it was time for us to leave. We hiked back up to the visitor centre and left for the next attraction.

A short drive and we reached Positelj, a medieval town with fortifications that was occupied by the Ottomans who added a mosque and hammam. Entered the town and began exploring. The first point we reached was the Hajji Alia mosque. We walked up around the back of the mosque and found our way up to the fortifications. Along the way we passed cute little houses with ornate doors. Every so often we passed an old lady selling pomegranate juice, figs or other snacks. We made our way up to a circular platform which offered great views of the town below and the fortifications. We took a few selfies, and a friendly tourist took a few more of us overlooking the town. We followed another path which snaked through the town until we reached the Bastion of the Pilavjiks. The bastion had been largely reconstructed with modern materials; steel and glass. We spent time admiring the scenery and taking pictures of the mosque, fortifications and the clock tower. Next we headed back to Gavrankapetans Tower. We explored the tower, climbing inside a narrow winding staircase. We stopped at the first level. Above us a domed ceiling, and there were several windows which let in light. The structure seemed kind of rickety and I was nervous of it caving in on us. Nicki was braver than I and made her way further up the staircase looking down at me from the openings above. She found another chamber above the one I was in. After taking a few more photos we made our way out of the tower. We made our way down and out of the town. We stopped in at the bakery (Pekara) and bought some Burek, a spiral pastry filled with minced meat. We got into our car and started the drive to Mostar, grateful for the air conditioning in the heat. 

On our drive we missed a turn, and the navigation took us on a roundabout route through rural farmland. Eventually we ended up next to a river on a narrow road. We found a beautiful spot and pulled over. We got out and enjoyed our burek in the shade of some trees. Continuing on our drive we arrived in Blagaj. 

We stopped our car in the car park and begin to walk into the gorge. We passed a trout farm on a strongly flowing river. As we walked along we could see a cliff face straight ahead of us. Several restaurants came into view, beautiful spring flowers and decorations. 

We reached the dervish house called a “tekke” or “tekkija” and paid entrance of 5 EUR each. The house was used by travelers part of this mystical branch of Islam. We saw many rooms, some for praying, sleeping, cooking and eating. The view over the turquoise Buna river was incredible and through the windows we could see a cave in the mountainside which seemed to be the source of the river. There was a small museum below the house showing architectural finds from the area.

We left the house and crossed the river, to find a beautiful restaurant with tables overlooking the river. We ordered beers and couldn’t resist getting a river trout even though we’d already had Burek for lunch! It came “Blagaj style” lightly dusted in semolina which made it deliciously crispy, we thoroughly enjoyed it. After second lunch we walked further down the river to take photos of the house from the other side. There was a boat ride option but the queues were too big and we had places to be!

We left for Mostar which was very close by. We arrived at the hotel Dompes at check in time which was great and we rested briefly, it had been a very hot day! Then we went exploring, and immediately found the crooked bridge and the world famous old bridge. We explored further, finding some bombed out buildings and eventually rested on a bench in a shady oak lined road. 

We just so happened to be in the right place at the right time - a local guide named Ivan spotted us and invited us to join a free walking tour he was starting at 6 - in five minutes. We decided to join and soon met other travelers - Kiwi, Brit and two Palestinian ladies.

Ivan told us about himself - he had spent some of his early life living with his sister in Italy but then returned to his home in Bosnia I Herzegovina. He gave a really great overview of the country and its history, and did so in a way that helped us understand and remember. He explained the different “ethnicities” in Bosnia - Catholic Croats, Orthodox Serbs and Muslim Bosniaks. Together they are all called Bosnians. Yugoslavia originally brought together Slovenia, Croatia, BiH, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro. 

In the 90’s countries started voting for independence and to break away from Yugoslavia. Slovenia first, the Croatia. BiH followed and of those that voted, well over 90% voted for independence. The Serbs didn’t like this and with the Yugoslav army, decided to bombard Bosnia and Herzegovina. This affected especially Sarajevo and Mostar. The war finally ended with the Dayton accord which carved up the country into parts run by the federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and parts by Republika Srpska which is more Serbian oriented. He explained the extreme number of cantons and administrative areas, each with its own governments and  bureaucrats. 

He pointed out the Spanish monument - to the Spanish peacekeepers who were in Mostar. Ivan showed us the snipers nest, a tall building which was a bank, used by snipers to hit targets in Mostar, he also showed us a bombed out library he called Jumanji which nature had taken back, and another big damaged building with graffiti on it. Randomly he also pointed out where the Bruce Lee statue was in a park (it was stolen). The officials wanted to put a statue in the park but no one in government could agree on whose statue to put up, so in the end they decided everyone likes Bruce Lee!!

We walked back to the river to see the Austrian style bathhouse which was completely restored, and a hotel which was in the process of restoration. Ivan pretty much took us back the same route we came. Back at the Old Bridge he told us about how the Bridge was built by the Ottomans. It was completely destroyed in the war, but rebuilt as a sign of the resilience of the BiH people. The bridge is famous for its divers - locals will wait until they have collected 50 Euros and then dive into the river. It’s extremely dangerous and someone dies every year or two (usually a drunk tourist). If you wish to try yourself you can go through training. 

We ended at the crooked bridge where Ivan gave us some restaurant recommendations, we gave him a tip and said goodbye, it was a great tour. We ate at Hotel Emen and tried some rakija (local spirit) as well as Cevapi (skinless sausages) with bread, onion, salad and ajvar (red pepper dip) as well as Muckalica - a rather spicy goulash style dish. Everything was delicious. We crashed into bed absolutely exhausted after one last photo of the old bridge at night.

Tuesday 11 June - Bosnia and Herzegovina

We slept in a bit and had breakfast at the hotel at 7:30. It was a great selection! We had considered going to Tito's bunker on the way to Sarajevo but decided we didn’t have enough time. Instead we drove straight to the Tunnel of Hope in Sarajevo. 

The road between Mostar and Sarajevo was just a joy, I could never have guessed it would be so beautiful. The road followed a wide lovely river through craggy mountains, forests and tunnels. The only challenge was how windy and narrow the roads were, it was slow going. 

Eventually we reached our first toll gate, took a ticket and enjoyed the pristine double lane highway with a speed limit of 130! Once we reached Sarajevo the traffic was building and it took us a while to reach the tunnel of hope. When we got there they told us they only accept Bosnian marks so we had to make a plan and change some Euros. We also wanted to download the audio guide over WiFi but the lady said it “didn’t work”. We were slightly annoyed but eventually downloaded it over data and it worked great.

We started by watching a video of the tunnel, rare actual footage of the people building it and using it. The tunnel was built between 1992 and 1995, during the Bosnian war. The Serbs had completely surrounded Sarajevo and many people were trying to get between the city and the free territories outside. The only way to do this initially was to risk your life running across the airport landing strip. Many people died or were badly wounded doing this. The UN seemed to be occupying the airport but didn’t necessarily help the Bosnians, even sometimes handing them over to enemy forces if caught crossing the airport. The Bosnians realised they needed an alternative and so people from each side started digging a tunnel under the airport. They didn’t really have tools and so it was very manual. They worked 24 hours a day in shifts under poor conditions, the tunnel often filled with rain and ventilation was poor. When they finally broke through it made a massive difference to the people. 

After the video we donned hard hats and went into the tunnel itself. It seemed dry at least and must have been made safer for tourists. The entrance to the tunnel had photos of all the people involved in the project, and a few quotes. We walked through the tunnel For quite awhile and then came out to the other end. We ended up closer to the airport and could see planes taking off and landing. We listened to some of the audio guide information and then went to the last part of the exhibit, a museum. Above the entrance there were a number of mortars and grenades hanging. On the floor the back end of a mortar was embedded in the concrete as the entrance to the tunnel had also been bombed frequently.

The museum showed parts of the house where the tunnel had started as well as uniforms,  weapons and backpacks. A special chair was displayed which was used to carry the president through the tunnel out of respect.

Our next challenge was finding our apartment for the night, we had been given instructions to park in the parking lot of the Europa hotel. Traffic was not bad except for a few roads. At one point we were driving alongside a working tram line. Apparently Sarajevo was one of the first cities in Europe to get a tram system. 

We drove along the Miljacka river bank. Passing several bridges including one that looked very modern. The architecture of the buildings was distinctly Austro-Hungarian. We turned off towards our accommodation and missed the parking and had to double back for a second attempt. 

We eventually found Apartment Artee and we met our friendly host who showed us our room for the night. The apartment was stunning, really well appointed and had everything we needed. We decided to go for a walk to draw some cash (accommodation places in Bosnia tend to prefer being paid in cash) and we also found a shop and a bakery for our burek lunch. We tried the spinach and the cheese burek for a change, it was delicious.

We rested for awhile, and then at 4:30 we met our guide, Adis, and group for our free walking tour of Sarajevo. We started at the Sebilj which is a fountain in the historic neighbourhood of Bascarsija. Adis explained that originally Sarajevo had streets or areas for each of the trades, most were no longer there but he did take us down the coppersmiths street (Kazandziluk). He took us into one of the shops where the third generation owner demonstrated to us how he uses his tools to create beautiful designs in the copper. He showed us a bookmark and a bracelet and I couldn’t resist buying a bookmark for a friend. Adis also show us that many of the shops sold both bullets and mortar shells and asked our opinion on whether those things should be sold. He seemed to feel that it was a good thing to take something so negative and turn it into a positive. The mortar shells were covered with decorative copper and turned into flower vases.

We turned out of the old city and towards the Miljacka river. Adis showed us the Sarajevo City Hall, a grand red and yellow striped Austro Hungarian style building, he jokingly told us that the Austro-Hungarians tried to build something that would blend into the surrounding architecture, it clearly did not. We walked further on along the river until we reached a bridge and a small park. The bridge had become known as the Latin bridge and Adis asked us if we knew what happened here. Some people said assassination but said the assassination was not on the bridge but on the street nearby. 

He told us how Franz Ferdinand the Archduke of Austria and his wife visited Sarajevo on a state visit. The tour and all of its logistics were made very public, even which car they would be in at what time. A secret military Society formed by officers in the army of Serbia, called the “black hand”, arranged the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and even used an organisation of youths called "young Bosnia" to do their dirty work.

Franz Ferdinand and his wife left the City Hall and one of the youths initially attempted the assassination by throwing a bomb into the car period he missed and the bomb exploded injuring bystanders but not the archduke. They continued on and another youth, Gavrilo Principe took his turn, shooting the vehicle and hitting both Franz Ferdinand and his wife. This historic assassination precipitated the start of World War I. 

We walked across the street to the actual point it happened, where a museum now stands. Outside the museum is a pair of footprints indicating where Gavrilo Principe stood. There is also a plaque on the wall which reads “From this place on 28 June 1914, Gavrilo Princip assassinated the Heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sofia”.  The plaque did not always read in such a neutral tone, during the time of Tito’s Yugoslavia it read: “From this place on 28 June 1914 Gavrilo Princip, through his gunshot, expressed people's protest against tyranny and centuries-long desire of our peoples for freedom”. The Yugoslavian perspective was that Pricip was a hero who sacrificed himself to liberate his people from the tyranny of the Austro Hungarian Empire.

Adis let us back to the old town and showed us some ruins that were once a caravanserai - a place where travelling merchants could stay. Then we did a tour of the most important religious buildings in Sarajevo. Starting with the orthodox church and then moving onto the cathedral. The cathedral was heavily damaged in the Bosnian war but had been restored with the only mark left to commemorate the damage being some bullet holes on the bottom left part of the church. We also saw our first Sarajevo Rose – these are spots in the concrete where mortars hit and created a lot of damage, after the war they were filled in with resin or red paint to remember the war. There even used to be a statue of pope John Paul II who inaugurated the reopening of the church. 

Back in Bascarsija neighbourhood, Adis showed us the point called “Sarajevo meeting of cultures”. When facing east at this point you could be fooled to think you were in the Ottoman Empire, when facing West you may mistake your surroundings for Austria or Hungary. The buildings really reflect the Empire that ruled and expanded the city at that time.

We briefly went in to a large mosque which was actually beautiful and paused for photos before moving on and ending back at the fountain where we started. We tipped and thanked Adis and headed back to our apartment for a shower. 

We reviewed a few restaurants but ended up deciding to go with the recommendation from Adis, called Dzenita Ur. We ordered beers (Sarajevski unfiltered), Sarajevski Sahan (a mix of dolma or stuffed onion, pepper and vine leaves doused with kajmak or sour cream) and veal chops. Everything was delicious and the friendly waiter entertained us by singing along to the artist playing on the video screen. We ended with Baklava and retired to our apartment. 

Wednesday 12 June - Bosnia and Serbia

We left Sarajevo relatively early in the morning with the intention of stopping to do some shopping and then breaking in Visegrad on our way to Serbia. The shopping went well and we got all we needed to make our own BBQ in Tara, including a bottle of the local Vrnac wine.

It was cooler and cloudy and even rained a little on our onward drive. But like all of our drives in the Balkans, the scenery was stunning, we drove along the Drina river and eventually reached Visegrad. 

We admired the famous bridge over the Drina River immortalised in the Nobel prize winning book “The bridge over the river Drina” by Ivan Andrich. The Bosnians so admired this author that they created a fake town named after him, called Andrichgrad. We eventually found parking and walked into this tourist town, looking for an authentic Bosnian coffee before we left the country. We admired the Orthodox Church, then chose a place which was more of a bar but offered what we were looking for, we were going to sit outside but the clouds were growing heavier and we even heard thunder. We chose a more protected spot but it was growing increasingly colder and Werner decided to go to the car to fetch his jacket. Just as he left, the heavens opened and the wind came up and hail peppered the small town. Poor Van got caught in it but made it back to enjoy his coffee. 

This was where things started really going downhill. I went to find an ATM as no restaurants accepted credit card, my card was swallowed by the machine and despite a friendly lady in Reception trying to help me I had to abandon it. Returning to the car we noticed a large scratch and scrape on the left rear, and were absolutely certain that it had not been there before, and it had not been caused by us. We were baffled as to what may have happened but later came to the conclusion that in the chaos of the storm and hail, someone may have crashed past us in their haste.

We went to the nearest police station and tried to communicate to them that we wanted to record an affidavit of what happened in case it was needed by the insurance. The police tried to help, even the car rental agency, but in the end they told us we’d have to come back in a few days to collect the written statement which didn’t align with our itinerary. We left Visegrad much later than planned and a little disappointed but resolved to still enjoy our day.

We crossed the border into Serbia with no issue and paid the eco tax levied because we crossed in a national park. From here we drove to Mokra Gora with the intention of catching the famous Sargan eight steam train, which had been restored and part of it made available for tourists to enjoy. We were in time for the 1:30 departure but on arrival saw what felt like hundreds of children hanging around. Due to this we were unable to get tickets, but decided to stick around for the 4:10 departure. To kill time we first explored the train museum that explained more about this historic steam train and its restoration, then drove up to another tourist town, this time called Drvengrad, which means wooden town. As always parking was a challenge but we found a spot, paid the lady, and paid our entrance to the town. It was built by a film director as a set for a movie called a Wonderful Life. After the movie was completed the town was kept and converted to a tourist attraction, it is also used for film festivals and training. The streets were named after famous people such as Yuri Gagarin, Maradona, Nikola Tesla and others. 

Our first priority was to find lunch. We chose the Lotika restaurant and shared a meat platter which basically had Cevapi and liver with bread and raw onions. After lunch we explored the small town, which also had a small ornate orthodox church, a variety of the wooden style houses, some of which served as accommodation, and we explored one of the walking trails. As the town was in the hills, the scenery around was stunning. We spent some time trying to learn the Cyrillic alphabet as we knew we need it in our coming days in Serbia.

Eventually the time came for our train journey and we excitedly boarded, trying to choose the carriage with the best windows to ensure we got great photos. Train started and the scenery around us filled us with awe, we had fun hanging out of the windows taking photos and videos. The thing that struck me the most was that we went through 22 tunnels in total, some short and some very long, the tunnels were not only pitch black but also rather loud and we started covering our ears as we entered each one. 

The train made four stops in total, the first one was Sargan Vitasi, where an enterprising woman was selling sweet treats to the tourists. The second one was Krst which provided a stunning view of the valley below and two train tunnels. The third stop allowed those who wanted to to climb the number of stairs to a higher viewpoint, we followed the tourists and took some more photos and made our own slightly unplanned route back to the train. The fourth stop provided a view down to a very pretty orthodox church.

Before we knew it our two hour train journey was over and as it was already getting late we headed to Tara National Park. We thought we had gotten lucky that the GPS found a shorter route to our accommodation but after driving on that tiny narrow dirt road for three minutes we changed our minds and followed the initial recommendation. We drove into the national park and were surrounded by beautiful green forests of Pine and other trees, the roads were a little narrow and windy but there weren’t too many other cars. Eventually we reached our accommodation “Tara Land Lake” at Lake Zaovine after one bad road that made us nervous in our little Kia car.

We were greeted in perfect English by our very friendly host, Jovan, and his beautiful Shiba Inu dog, Cho. Jovan told us he had been to South Africa and loved it. The view over the lake from our room was inspiring. Jovan fetched his welcome drink, a home made Rakija, and downed two shots with us, all while talking continuously. He explained more about the park and suggested we take a swim the next day. We settled in to our little log cabin, and prepared to make a barbecue. We had bought sausages, peppers, mushrooms and sweet potatoes in the supermarket in Bosnia. As we were preparing to grill the sausages the heavens again opened but luckily there was enough cover for us to proceed. We enjoyed some local red wine and a home cooked meal and went to bed exhausted.

Thursday 13 June - Serbia

We woke up still feeling tired but grabbed cornflakes and coffee as we wanted to do a hike as early as possible. It was a little cloudy and cool but the rain seemed to have stopped. As we had arrived so late we hadn’t been able to pick up a hiking map but we had done some research on the Internet and thought we had found a route to a viewpoint. We started walking back some of the way we had the previous day and found ourselves on roads most of the time, but the views of lake Zaovine just kept getting better as the sun gradually came out. We passed few people but did see a dog. The thing that stood out most to us as we were walking was the beautiful bird song all around; we spotted a few birds species that we could not identify. We also saw a weird black box hanging next to the road, it seemed empty but later research indicated that they are pheromone based insect traps, predominantly to stop beetles that can badly damage the trees.

Eventually we reached a larger settlement where accommodation was being built and a beautiful restaurant with a great view. At this point we had already walked 6 1/2 km and 1 1/2 hours and that was time to head back even though we hadn’t reached the viewpoint. We walked all the way back, sometimes spotting new things on the return journey, and got back to our log cabin tired. 

We put on our swimsuits and walked down to the lake, followed by Cho. We wished we had paid better attention to Jovan's instructions - he had said one of his friends was happy to allow his guests to access the lake through his property… first attempt was wrong and we got shouted at by a surly Serbian saying “Private priority” whatever that means. We eventually found the right spot and waited into the turquoise blue water, it was not quite as cold as we had expected but really refreshing and we had an amazing swim.

We walked back up to our cabin, cooked up some breakfast and then packed up to leave. We said goodbye to Jovan and set course for the most famous viewpoint in Tara National Park, Banjska Stena. It was a steep drive and some of the roads weren’t great, as we got higher up the fog started growing thicker and we doubted whether this was going to be worth it. Nonetheless we reached the parking and hiked the 800 m to the viewpoint, but we were very disappointed, the mist was so thick that we couldn’t see anything below us.

We decided to visit the river Drelo, one of the shortest in the world, and the drive was spectacular but the GPS took us on a dodgy route and we got a little lost on our way. We reached lake Perućac which was equally beautiful, and we marveled at the floating accommodations available along the shore of the lake. This spot of the park was much busier and more developed, but we were glad we still decided to stay at lake Zaovine. 

We found the short river, a very shallow river, and followed some tourists and their guide up to a point where there were some waterfalls and rapids. The whole scene was lovely. Before leaving the park we stopped at the Vrelo restaurant for a drink, and then said goodbye to Tara.

Our last stop en route to Belgrade was known as the Drina river house, this was apparently originally built by some children who were playing in the river and wanted a place of their own. Debating where to park, we got out the car and walked down to a viewpoint where we could see the house. It was small and cute and something unique in the area.

The drive to Belgrade was pretty challenging, the initial part was up an incredibly steep pass, and the further the highway went the thicker the fog got, it reached the point where I could barely see anything in front of me. This cost us some time as we needed to drive extremely carefully. It was also raining and rather miserable. Eventually we came out the other side of the pass and the fog lifted but we continued the rest of the drive with spots of rain.

Our accommodation of choice in Belgrade was an apartment which we thought was close to the main tourist area. In fact, it was in the brand-new Belgrade waterfront area, right next to the Sava river. We were shown to our underground parking spot and then to our pristine modern large apartment. The Belgrade waterfront is a controversial project funded by Emiratis which is building a massive complex of residential hotel, retail and other space along the river. The buildings are nice, but make the area feel more like Abu Dhabi or Dubai than downtown Belgrade.

We decided to try to walk to the Belgrade Fortress before dinner, it was a little further than expected. The rain was unceasing, and although we were walking with our umbrellas, we eventually decided that it was fruitless to visit the fortress in this weather. We abandoned that plan and headed to the old city but walked along the pedestrianised Knez Mihailova shopping street. From what we saw, we liked Belgrade, for some reason it reminded me a little of Berlin – a combination of beautiful old buildings, modern buildings, some graffiti, some really funky bars and restaurants, and overall an vibey edgy feel to it.

We were really exhausted from our morning's hikes and the long drive so we didn’t want to walk around too much more. We had a restaurant in mind and decided to check it out. It was called Tri Sisera or the three hats. As we arrived we could already see it was extremely popular and a roaming band was moving around and playing lively music. We hoped we could get a table, and we were in luck.

The maitre'd was a rather stony Serbian but our waiter was more friendly and even a little touchy to both of us. We decided on a starter veal soup, followed by lamb cooked in a clay pot for Werner and a gourmet burger for Nicki. We had been warned that the bread put on tables in restaurants in Serbia would be charged for if eaten but we were fine with that as the bread was so delicious. The roaming band continued to visit each table in the restaurant and play them a different song, some of the locals really got into it. They came to us and we felt a little embarrassed but they asked where we were from and insisted on playing a song for us which was actually pretty awesome.

Feeling exhausted we tried to get an Uber back to our apartment but I found out that Uber does not work in Serbia. We resigned ourselves to the long walk back and passed out in our beds.

Friday 14 June - Serbia to North Macedonia

We woke up hopeful that the weather would be better, and a peek out of the window indicated we were in luck. We had a lot to still see in Belgrade before moving on. We left early, to get to the Saint Sava Temple, the largest orthodox church in the Balkans. We drove, managed to find parking, had to download an app to pay for the parking, but soon were ready to visit the church.

We admired the church from the outside, it was both beautiful and huge, 3000 square meters of floor area. Then we entered along with many others, there were priests waiting in the entrance, shaking some people’s hands, we weren’t sure what to do but bypassed them and stood to the side to admire the interior of the church. It was magnificent, the entire church gleamed with gold, with Mosaics and paintings all around depicting Christ, Mary, and Saints. As people were arriving, they stood in queues in front of icons or paintings and their turn. As they reached the front, we saw them make the sign of the cross touch the floor sometimes do this multiple times, and then kiss the painting or icon.

We walked around the church a bit, admiring the artwork. We tried to go downstairs to visit the Crypt but it was closed. We walked to the other side of the church, it was 8 am, and we noticed the priests starting to file towards the front. A choir of men begin to chant beautiful songs and we stood to the side to watch the proceedings. Two of the priests that arrived in black robes were assisted by the others to put cream white robes over their clothing, this took quite some time and finally concluded with ornate cream coloured hats. Well this was happening another of the priests stood at the front waving his sensor of incense, filling the air with its fragrant aroma. 

While this was happening, people continued to file in and queue to do their sign of the cross and the icons. We also noticed that in the entire massive church there were almost no chairs, and later read that orthodox services are typically done standing up.

From the church we drove to Belgrade Fortress for our second attempt to see this site. Luckily, we found parking right in the fortress and walked from there. We started at the Karakorde Gate, and walked in where we saw the gallery of the National History Museum and Military Museum, both were still closed. We then proceeded to the inner Stambol gate and took a photo in front of that with the clocktower in the background. Funnily enough there was a dinosaur park for kids and one of our photos showed the dinosaurs defending the gate.

Through the gate we spotted a display of tanks and weaponry and had a quick walk around. I was feeling rather hungry and bought some stale popcorn from the vendor to keep me going. Next we climbed up next to the clocktower for a lovely view of the fort and the area surrounding. We found the mausoleum of an Ottoman era general, but did not find the Roman well mentioned in our guidebook.

We started walking towards the victor monument and noticed great views over the Sava and Danube rivers. The confluence of the rivers was very visible about that as the two rivers had slightly different colours, bluish for the Sava, and brown for the Danube. 

We finished our tour of the fortress by going through the Despot's gate, followed by the Zindan Gate, the latter of which had two very impressive towers. We found two very pretty little churches and then made our way back to our vehicle. We headed back to our apartment to pack up.

Our final stop in Belgrade was the Yugoslavia Museum. We had debated whether to visit it, as it only opened at 10 am, but we decided it might be worth it to learn more about the region, its leader and its history.

We found parking easily and entered the museum, entrance was 1200 Serbian dinars each. We started at the house of flowers, a mausoleum complex that was originally a greenhouse. This part of the museum gave some insight into Joseph Bros Tito who was the lifetime president of Yugoslavia. It covered some elements of his life including the youth day festival or games which coincided with his birthday, and his last days before his death. There were many letters from those who loved him wishing him well when he was ill in hospital. In the very centre of the room was a large marble mausoleum with his name on it, and next to it, a smaller one that held his wife Sophia.

We had it into the main museum, it started with some maps showing the evolution of Yugoslavia from a kingdom (1918-1941), through World War II, to a republic (1945-1991). The main ruler during the kingdom period was King Alexander; Tito was the lifetime president of the Republic of Yugoslavia. We proceeded through the museum, we found the layout somewhat confusing and hard to follow, it seemed to jump around a lot. 

We eventually realised that we had entered the museum at the wrong door and also at the entrance there was an explanation that the museum followed three different tracks – the blue track being Yugoslavia during World War II, the red track being workers and people, and a white track covering the more generic history of the region.

One thing that stood out was the large number of gifts displayed that Tito had received from other nations. A huge collection of batons were displayed, this seemed to be the gift of choice for president Tito.

While we didn’t feel it was the best museum or the easiest to follow, we both felt that at least we learned something by visiting it. I will try to summarise what we learnt in the museum. Before Yugoslavia there was 'The Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes ruled by a king Alexander. He renamed it Yugoslavia to centralise power and quell ethnic tensions... After this the world wars happened. The museum contained a lot of photographs and exhibits about the cruelty of the Nazis and how they invaded Yugoslavia which was neutral. The king actually capitulated and joined the axis but then there was a revolt shortly afterwards. The Serbs revolted and started to resist the Nazi occupation. After World War II the Nazis were tried for war crimes and put to death. Many many people lost their lives in concentration camps or were executed by the Nazis. 

The other track of the museum, the workers and peoples exhibits, showed how the ordinary people suffered to make a living in factories and industry and this enabled the rise of communism through the workers movement which was led by men such as Josip Tito. After the end of World War II, the rise of the worker's movement led to the establishment of communism, even though it had been banned previously. The communist party came to power and they unified Yugoslavia into into a socialist republic with Tito as its lifelong president.

Tito died in 1980 and after this the Presidency rotated between elected members of each of the states represented in the Yugoslav Republic. At this point things started to collapse and in the 90',s states held referendums for independence starting with Slovenia and Croatia.

We left Belgrade around midday and set course for Nis, Serbia’s third largest city. The road was excellent, a toll road that allowed us to drive 130, and the scenery around was still beautiful. 

We arrived in Nis after 2 pm, hungry and ready for a bite to eat. We really underestimated the size of the city, I had found a parking garage close to the centre but getting in was a challenge. We had to wait for others to leave the fully packed garage before we could get in, and it was a tight squeeze, but we made it and started walking towards the centre. We eventually found a gyro shop and bought two enormous pork gyros stuffed with everything from tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, cabbage and French fries. After lunch we walked to the King Milan Square, then over the river and into the Nis fortress, we wished we had more time to explore it as it looked really interesting. But we still needed to get to North Macedonia so we hit the road.

Again we found ourselves on the immaculate toll road, the only problem was we weren’t seeing any petrol stations. Eventually we followed a sign off the toll road and into a small town, filled up and then had to return back to the toll road. We reached the border with North Macedonia and found the largest queues we’ve seen on any border on this trip. There were four lanes all with queueing cars and buses and the going was slow. Beggars plied the lanes, knocking on windows relentlessly. We didn’t mind handing over our last Serbian dinars, as we wouldn’t be needing them on our onward trip. After about 30 minutes we cleared the border with no problems and found ourselves in North Macedonia. Immediately the landscape looked a little different, flatter, slightly less green, and with more agriculture. 

Here, the toll roads system seemed slightly different from the other countries we had been in, it seemed like a pay as you go and twice we paid a Euro. In Serbia and Bosnia one would collect a ticket and pay the toll at the end. Our home for the night would be Hotel Andalus, Google Maps took us on some dodgy back roads to try and find the hotel. Luckily it had some parking inside and we checked in with a friendly assistant, who even carried our bags up a flight of stairs to our room. The room was a little dated but large and comfortable.

It was already 7 pm, but still light, and we decided to head out immediately to explore the city of Skopje. We headed for the old bizarre and soon found ourselves in the atmospheric cobbled streets, surrounded by shops, restaurants, mosques and people strolling around at dusk. The light was beautiful and the atmosphere enchanting. We also found the fortress and took a photo in front of it as the sun was setting behind it.

We started seeing some of the hundreds of statues that the city of Skopje erected as part of its project Skopje 2014 in an effort to make the city more attractive, and attract more tourists. Werner posed in front of one of the largest statues of Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the great. We reached the Stonebridge and found it full of life, people strolling with their children, vendors selling all sorts of things, young men playing drums to earn tips…

                                        

Crossing the bridge brought back memories for me, I could see the Marriott I had stayed at in a work trip four years ago, and decided to try to find the restaurant we had eaten in with colleagues. We walked into the main square, with another massive statue, and I soon found the restaurant, “Pelister”, it had such a lovely ambience and the weather was so great, everyone was sitting outside, we decided to have dinner there. We waited five minutes for a table, but the wait was worth it. We decided to order a selection of starter tapas to try, and ended up with a delicious aubergine dish with sour cream feta and pistachios, as well as whipped ricotta with tomatoes and olive oil, and fried polenta cakes covered in a creamy Gorgonzola sauce. Everything was delicious, albeit very cheesy, and very filling. We finished off with Apple strudel and herbal tea and then walked quite a distance back to our hotel to pass out for the night.

Saturday 15 June - North Macedonia to Kosovo and Albania

We woke up around 7am and started to pack up our belongings. We realised that breakfast was only at 8:30am and we really wanted to get on our way so we left without having the breakfast. The weather was absolutely perfect, a gorgeous sunny day as we departed Skopje. The drive to the border was short and uneventful and we enjoyed the North Macedonian landscapes we passed. The border was equally straightforward we only had to pay a €15 insurance. 

Beyond the border post, we drove along the valley on a road raised above the river. The road was in excellent condition and we could go high-speed. Once again, the Balkans surprised us, as we had not imagined such great infrastructure in Kosovo! At some point we turned off and drove on smaller roads through a nature reserve which was much slower. We drove up and up and after reaching the highest point, started our descent. The steep road was under reconstruction and in very bad condition. We reached the bottom of the valley and the road narrowed as we drove along the river. At the end of the valley we caught site of Prizren for the first time. The city was substantially larger than we expected, spreading out over the plain surrounded by mountains. We stopped for breakfast/brunch at a restaurant next to the river. It wasn’t really a breakfast restaurant so we ended up ordering a plate of cold cuts, cheese, olives, freshly baked bread and some cooked mushrooms.

After breakfast we found a parking spot in the town which had extremely narrow roads. We set off to find the Stone bridge which had a distinctive Ottoman design similar to the Mostar bridge. Beyond was a beautiful large mosque. From there we began the ascent to the fortress above the town. The way was extremely steep winding between the buildings. Part was under reconstruction so we had to find an alternative route. We were sweating in the heat and the effort of climbing the steep path. Eventually we reached the summit and took in the views of the awesome fortress and the town below. We wandered around the room exploring the fortifications and taking photos. The fort was mostly in ruins but still a formidable structure. The construction of the fortress so high above the town was most impressive. We sat in the shade of one of the fortress chambers and enjoyed a Jelen beer before making our way back down to the town. We made our way back to the car, paid our parking and with the help of the old parking attendant made our way safely out of the parking.

We made a backtrack along the road and visited the Serbian Orthodox monastery of the archangels. We parked and made our way through the large steel gates. As with all Orthodox churches in the area, a policeman was guarding the site to prevent desecration. We wandered over to a doorway and a bearded monk greeted us. We asked if we needed to pay anything and simply said no it was a shop. The building in front of us appeared to be some kind of dormitory. In front of the rooms on the top floor we could see clothes hanging out to dry. We wandered around the side of the building and entered what looked like a small chapel there was a few religious decorations, orthodox style. And behind us was what looked like the remains of an old orthodox church. The construction was partly stone and partly brick and mortar. Very little was left of the structure just a few walls and some columns. It appeared we were at the back of the old church so we walked around to the front and admired the overall plan of the church. At the front was a wooden structure which we assumed was for holding services. We made our way around the other side of the church back to the entrance. There was a small guardhouse to the right where a model of the original church was on display. Inside the garden tower area we also saw some pictures of the king who bought the church and the city around it. Looking up in the hillside we could actually see some of the remaining ruins of this world city. It seemed the building materials had been taken and used in other structures like mosques during the Ottoman Turk period. There was a dog guarding the pictures when I tried to take a picture it barked loudly at me.

With that we left the monastery and continued on our way to Albania. The journey was uneventful we only stopped to fill up with petrol near the border. After a short stop at the border we were now in Albania.

The first thing that we noticed about Albania was so many cows along the roadside. We could hear their bells chiming as they walked. Next stop was Bajram Curri where we needed to draw cash and buy water. We parked and only managed to find the bank after asking for help from one of the nearby restaurants. We drew 18,000 Albanian Lek hoping this would be enough for our trip into Valbona. We proceeded to make our way onwards and soon huge mountains came into view, towering over us. We drove along the Valbona river, beautiful blue icy cold and fast flowing. At one point we stopped where there was a whole lot of cars next to the road and we could see that a lot of the locals had stopped to have a swim and cool on the hot afternoon.

The roads wound along the river and we dodged the occasional livestock and eventually came into the town of Valbona and found our accommodation for the next two days, hotel Drinos. The owner welcomed us warmly although he could barely speak English, he helped us carry our bags up to the third floor and we offloaded our bags and got settled. After unpacking we took a stroll around the town to get better orientated. We passed a brand-new flashy hotel - a sign of things to come for Valbona. We also found a small bunker right outside the flashy hotel. The construction of the bunker was heavy concrete and steel. It was really only a tiny space for about two people. The bunker dated back to the communist period of Albania where hundreds of these bankers were built across the country in preparation for an invasion or bombardment which never came. We turned back around and walked the other direction as we wanted to see the old mill which is quite a long walk out of town. We crossed a rickety iron bridge to the mill and spent a few minutes exploring and even walked into the woods beyond. Not much left of the mill but it all made for an interesting detour. Returning to the hotel we got dressed and went out for dinner.

Based on Google reviews we had chosen a nearby restaurant called Bujtina Izet Selimaj, the waiters were two young boys that looked like brothers, they were friendly and spoke some English. We ordered Tirana beers, Werner had a grilled trout and Nix a half chicken, both dishes came with lots of sides, chips, salad, roast veg, bread, pickled tomatoes, sour cream, cheese… it was tasty, and extremely filling. We realised we should’ve been a little more cautious with our cash as there were no ATMs in this town, but had enough to cover the dinner. After a long day of driving we headed back to our room to pass out.

Sunday 16 June - Albania

Breakfast at the nearby restaurant Tradita only started at 7 am so we packed all we needed for the day's hike, and arrived there at 6:55. The breakfast was generous, we had espresso coffees, iced water, lots of bread, a fried egg each, cucumber and tomato, cheese, and lots of jam. Feeling full, we hopped into the car to drive to the start of the Valbona to Theth hike.

We drove as far as we could and found some parking in the shade. The tips of the jagged accursed mountains all around us were just being touched by the first rays of sunlight. Little did we know that it would still be another 3 km to the trailhead. We walked along a stony Road/riverbed, often passed by transport taking hikers to the same place we were going. We were surrounded by beautiful pine trees, but the Rocky Road was not easy to walk on. We questioned whether we should have brought our car further, but didn’t fancy subjecting our tyres to this either.

Eventually we reached the trailhead and took some photos with the sign to Theth, indicating it was 9 km or 5 1/2 hours walk. Our intention was to walk to the halfway point, the top of the Valbona pass, and then return, as our car was in Valbona. Many tourists choose to get a transport to Valbona, then walk to Theth, and get a further transport back from there. 

As we started walking properly, the rocky road turned to a ground path, which we were grateful for. The scenery all around us was stunning, high peaks on all sides, some dusted lightly with snow, green trees, and wild flowers. We were not alone on the trail, many other tourists were walking it and for the first time we heard a lot of English spoken, it seemed like people had come from all over for this hike. In typical Albanian style, we also saw a lot of livestock, cows especially. At one point we were joined by an old Albanian gentleman who chatted to us briefly, and invited us to join him for coffee at his guest house on our way back.

We also reached a café, where some hikers chose to stop for a coffee or a drink. We took advantage of the running iced cold water pipe outside to refresh ourselves before continuing on. We followed markers on rocks and trees, red white and red lines, that we assumed indicated the correct direction to follow.

At some point we found the incline rising and the trail got steeper and steeper. We were at some points again on the rocky riverbed, which was difficult to walk on. We congratulated ourselves as it seemed we had overtaken most of the other tourists… We kept trying to find the red and white markers, but at one point they dried up. We continued walking in search of them, and eventually found ourselves on a very precarious steep slope. We knew we had gone wrong somewhere, but were not sure where. We scrambled across the dangerous rocky slope, both feeling uneasy, as our footsteps caused small stones and rocks to tumble down the steep hillside. We knew that people had died on this trail and we didn’t want to face the same fate. At one point we found a little shade and rested, and had a bite to eat, trying to figure out what to do.

After eating Van had a good look around and saw the group of American and Australian gents we had chatted to earlier. They were further away from us and we needed to climb almost using our hands to reach them, but we believed once we did we’d be back on the correct path. We finally reached them, and chatted briefly, before continuing upwards on what we believed was the trail. A few moments later we saw another group coming down, we thought that they had been coming from Theth and that this meant we were in the right place. But they were waving their hands, and we wondered if we should continue. They came down to us and told us that the trail reached a peak and then went further. They needed to get to Theth and had concluded that this was not the way. They looked a little stressed.

We decided to continue upwards and walked/climbed for awhile, but once we realised we had climbed over 1000m and the view was pretty incredible, we decided to go no further. We took some photos and continued back down the way we came, this time finding the correct path. The Americans and Aussies had already started heading back down. At some point we caught up again with the other group. The lady fell and cried, I think more because of frustration than pain. We were relieved that we could return to Valbona, rather than still needing to find the correct trail to Theth. We did eventually spot the trail, and wondered how we had all missed it. My theory is that we had all been so busy photographing the horse with the bell around its neck, that we hadn’t paid attention to the signs...

We headed back the way we came, but going down was no easier than going up, some parts were steep and rocky and the impact tired our legs and knees. We eventually got back to café Simoni, and found a shaded spot near it where we could dip our feet in the icy water and eat the rest of our lunch in the shade. The water was so cold it pained our feet, and we couldn’t keep them submerged for more than a few seconds. The place we were sitting was by the river running down into a gorge, with a bridge over it. We wanted to take a few more photos, but other tourists started coming down, followed by the angry café owner who didn’t seem to like us all taking photos near his property without eating at his café. We beat a hasty retreat.

We finally reached the end of the trail, tired but happy, and reluctantly walked the final 3 km back to our car over the Rocky Road. The car was still there and in shade and we drove back to our guest house. We felt pretty exhausted after walking more than 15 km, and ascending more than 1000 m! We had a well earned nap, and then started researching our dinner options.

It was Van to choose the dinner spot tonight, and he couldn’t have picked a better place. It was a bit of a drive, but well worth it. We pulled into restaurant Rillinja around 7pm, and despite being a bit out of town most of the tables were already taken. We managed to find a spot under an enormous tree in the garden which was lovely, with the only exception being the TV blaring a football match. We figured out what we could order with our remaining Albanian lek cash, and started by ordering two raki to celebrate our hike. We then ordered a starter platter with Albanian specialties, which ended up being delicious. It contained a very buttery cornbread type, a delicious burek, layered pastry called fli, which was described as bread and bread, but seemed more like layers of pancake to us, a more solid cornbread, with a yoghurt and peppers sauce. For mains we ordered a carbonara pasta, and a risotto with trout and vegetables. Both were yummy and filling. We again felt completely exhausted and headed home to sleep.

Monday 17 June - Albania to Montenegro

We woke up feeling sad to be leaving Albania already, it was really beautiful and I sensed there was a lot more to see in this country. Maybe one day I would come back…We had breakfast at Tradita, said goodbye to our friendly non-English speaking host, and started our drive.

Our route would follow the Komani lake, we had considered using the ferry but it didn’t work out in our plans… The roads were narrow and really windy but we soon reached the beautiful turquoise lake, surrounded by greenery, and even stopped after the dam wall to take some pictures.

We decided to have lunch in Shkoder, Albania, at lake Shkodra, a very large lake which is shared between Albania and Montenegro. We arrived just before 1pm and picked a restaurant with great views of the lake. It was beautifully sunny and we enjoyed delicious pizzas. There was a jetski parked near the restaurant but there didn’t seem to be many people doing water sports. We tried to take some pictures of the nearby Rozafa castle but didn’t have time to visit it.

We easily crossed the border into Montenegro and made our way to Sveti Stefan for a quick stop. I had originally planned to stay here, but our plans changed as we were tired of driving every day. We decided to stay in only Kotor in Montenegro, so we could have a solid three nights/four days to relax more and enjoy the place.

In Sveti Stefan we looked for a viewpoint, I wanted to photograph the famous island that is now turned into an exclusive resort. We parked at a little shop and bought ice creams, and somehow also ended up buying the lady’s home made rakija, since she’d encouraged us to try it. Not bad! The view of the island, surrounding town, and the fancy yachts in the sea was spectacular. Near the shop was a small church or shrine of sorts and we took a break to eat our ice creams before heading on.

After less than an hour we spotted the bay of Kotor and it was just wow… Deep blue water, surrounded by greenery and the stunning Dinaric alps, with red roofed little towns dotting its perimeter. We spotted another crazy wall climbing up the mountainside. We drove through the historical town of Kotor to Dobrota to find “apartment villa pm” that we’d picked for our next four nights.

Finding it was a little challenging but once we knew we were in the right place we met another wonderfully friendly, English speaking owner, Marija. She showed us our apartment and it was everything we’d hoped for - spacious and modern, with a balcony with a fantastic view of the bay. The best part is it even had its own little beach, and each apartment got their own sun loungers!! The owner gave us each a beer to welcome us, and we enjoyed it on our patio.

We walked into the local town to explore a bit, found a beautiful little church and a well stocked shop to replenish our supplies. We decided to spend the last light of the afternoon relaxing on our private beach and swimming in the lake, the water was crisp and clean and so refreshing. We relaxed and watched the sun set, then cooked some dinner we had bought in the grocery store and slept like babies.

Tuesday 18 June - Montenegro

We woke up and decided to go for a pre-breakfast swim in the Bay. It was tough and we both realised we didn’t have much swimming fitness. We had a yummy breakfast of muesli, yoghurt and cherries on our balcony and watched as the sun gradually reached the bay, bathing the scene in soft light. Two cruise boats came into Kotor, not good news for our time planned in the city…

Our 9:15 walking tour had been cancelled due to limited numbers, pity, so we rebooked for 11:00. This gave us much needed time to chill and relax in our lovely apartment. Before 10am we set off in the car for the old city, and found parking nearby for 80c an hour, we waited some time to get in, as it was already full.

We drew cash (Montenegro is on the Euro) and walked through the old city a little, killing time waiting for our tour. First impressions were really good, Kotor felt really atmospheric with its old stone walls and Venetian palaces. It was, however, already really crowded and hot. 

We met Fedja and a big group of tourists at the maritime museum, and he then walked us all back to the main gate (Sea gate) so he could pay the tourist tax which is required for organised tours.

The tour started officially in the Square of arms, and by the Sea gate which was built in the 16th century. Back then, the sea actually reached the walls of the city! For us, there was an entire road in between. Behind us was San Giovanni hill.

Kotor started as a rich city state, but did not have a big enough army - as a result they often paid for protection from others. The city was initially part of the Roman Empire, then Venice. He said you’ll often see the Venetian lion, it is also on coat of arms for city of Kotor… This resulted in 1000 years of Italian influence, evidenced by the architecture and even the food which in Kotor is different from other Balkan nations and even the rest of Montenegro.

Fedja suggested we navigate the city by squares, not numbers and street names… Each square’s name indicates what was traded originally there. Now there were mostly restaurants and souvenir shops. He told us about the narrowest street in Kotor which is only 80cm wide, I can’t remember its real name but he said it’s nickname is “let me pass” street. We later found it on our own. He pointed out the Clock tower from 1602, its original mechanism is still functioning. Partly because a family from Croatia came to fix the clock tower after a devastating earthquake, they liked Kotor so much and stayed, now there have been 4 generations doing this job.

We saw the Governor’s Palace on the Western side - this collected taxes etc, and was very strategic for Venice. The Venetians invested lots of money in Kotor and built all the walls.

Fedja told us Montenegro is not yet in the EU but they moved to the Euro because their currency was unstable, initially they bought marks from Germany, now they get their Euros from Germany…

For our next stop we went into a palace - this would have been a residential home of a noble. There are many palaces in Kotor but most are small as there was not much space. No nobility is left in Kotor - they all left in the 18th century. Palaces became residential buildings/apartments. Fedja lived here for about 25 years and his parents still live here. I was amazed that he wasn’t just showing us a palace but also his actual family home. Living in the old town had its problems, there was a population explosion to 500 people in the town and the tourist numbers kept growing. This meant no shops and no parking, and it could get incredibly noisy in the peak season. But despite these drawbacks his parents don’t want to leave, he said they stay for the feeling of the place…

Next we walked to Cathedral square, and the Cathedral itself which is the most famous site, Saint Tryphon is the patron saint from 9th century, from Anatolia. Apparently a ship was carrying remains of this saint back to Venice but as it passed Kotor, it sold sold some of them to the city in 809. St Tryphon then replaced St Nicholas, the protector of sailors, as the catholic patron saint... The Cathedral was built 1166, and is one of oldest in Europe!

In 2016 they celebrated the building and finished construction after the last earthquake. Earthquakes happen often in this area and 10% of them are around 7 on the Richter scale. The last big one was in 1979 and caused a lot of damage. UNESCO donated a lot and buildings were reconstructed using the same stones.

The cathedral has original frescoes inside and the Treasury in the towers holds the most important art and artefacts including remains of the saint. Kotor is now mostly orthodox but was originally more catholic because of the past.

Next we headed back to Museum square and the maritime museum - this was once a palace - as the owner had no children he left it to the city on condition it would be preserved as original. The museum covers 1200 years of sailing tradition in Kotor. And also has art and beautiful clothes, golden thread and coins were used in the clothing which could sometimes cost same as a house!

We had apparently passed a Water fountain (we missed it) but Fedja explained the old tradition was that palaces had their own wells, this fountain was the only public one. Its name was carampana - a source of water but also gossip. People gathered around the well to catch up on the gossip of the town. Now there is a magazine twice a year of the same name. They collect gossip in a box, people only can’t mention names, and then they publish it in the magazine.

We moved to the Orthodox square where there are two churches. St Luke’s, built in 1195, was catholic until the 17th century and then became both, shared by Orthodox and Catholic, it was seen as a symbol of unity. In the 19th century it became orthodox only. It is apparently tiny and has a Tombstone floor. St Nicholas is the bigger, newer Orthodox Church, built in 1909. 

Fedja told us about the tradition of Slava, which they celebrate once a year. They are expected to invite a friend once only, but because everyone invites, the attendance can be huge. The tradition is to be a good host, so the event can cost a fortune. He recommended if we ever get invited, we should eat but leave a little or they’ll keep topping you up. The same applies to drinks. Slava is passed through generations and different tribes have their specific dates.

Next we reached the Square of wood but no one calls it that. It is now known as the square of cats. There was once a shop 30 years ago selling shoes, the owner absolutely loved cats. She always fed the strays and looked after them. Soon dozens of cats started hanging out in the square by her shop. We saw many of them lazing in the shade. She now runs a smaller souvenir shop, but you can still find her as you will see a bucket of cat food outside her shop.

The tradition of looking after cats started much earlier, in the 13th century in all port towns. There were too many ships, which meant too many rats and mice. So they brought in cats to solve the problem. Now the cats have it so good, the expression “live like a cat in Kotor” means a good life.

 

We finished the tour near the Northern gate and one of the tourists asked Fedja to say a word about Yugoslavia, this tied up what we had learnt in other countries we’d visited… Montenegro was the last state left in Yugoslavia with Serbia, they initially changed their collective name to the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. Montenegro finally separated in 2006. There are still lots of Serbian people in Montenegro. Montenegro did recognise Kosovo early and Serbians still hold a grudge about that.

The last thing he showed us was symbol high on a wall: skeletal bones, a skull, a snake, a turtle, and a lizard. This emblem is regarded as the symbol of Kotor's first pharmacy, established in 1326 and ranking among Europe's oldest. The other early one is in Dubrovnik, and is actually still there. Doctors came from Italy to do their practice in Kotor, which benefited everyone. He also pointed out an Arch, which is the main road to the fortress, featuring a winged lion, the symbol of Venice. In those times some lions had human faces as people didn’t know what lions looked like!

We concluded our tour and thanked and tipped Fedja. It was 12:30 and pretty hot but we decided to walk the walls before lunch and before it got even hotter. We entered closest to the Northern gate, grateful that there was no entry fee to the walls as Dubrovnik had gotten expensive. We walked along, enjoying the view and eventually reached views of the harbour and took plenty of pics. We were amazed that the walls went right up the steep mountain, what a feat. We were happy not to tackle that! We exited at the southern gate by a bubbling spring and headed back into the city.

We tried to get into a restaurant our guide had recommended but they were full so we settled on Konoba Roma next door and had yummy pasta including a clam one with white wine, and beers. 

After lunch we walked around and shopped a bit until Nix found a small painting to her liking. We found the narrowest street for ourselves, bought a DELICIOUS gelato (one mango, one pistachio) and then headed back to our parking. We rested for the afternoon and swam at the beautiful little beach. It was wonderful. 

For dinner we decided to go to a local mussel and oyster farm recommended by Marija our hostess. It was past Perast, about a ten minute drive. We arrived and were the first ones. The place was super local, the owner’s kid was still swimming and they seemed pretty chilled. Soon a few other guests arrived. We ordered white wine, EUR 7.5 for 500ml (possibly home made and really nice) and oysters (EUR 2.50 each) to start. The oysters were different to the ones we’d eaten in Ston, more what we were used to. We liked them but both felt the oysters in this region were less salty than we were used to, and were always served with just lemon - we’d have liked some tabasco ;)

Next we ordered 1kg of mussels (EUR12) and some grilled zucchini (EUR4), they were both very simply done with just parsley, garlic and olive oil, but totally delicious and unbelievably fresh. It felt good to not be having starch for a change. After the mussels we still had some appetite and so ordered the fish (EUR17), we had a choice between sea bass and dorado. The seabass in Ston was so amazing… but we decided to try the dorado and we didn’t regret it! It came with more zucchini, parsley and garlic, the fish was amazingly fresh, soft and flavourful. 

After dinner it was still light! And we decided to walk through Perast which ended up being very romantic, and popular. Most of the restaurants here looked pretty high end and were filled with older folks having romantic dinners. Back at our apartment we had a last drink on our patio and then hit the sack after a truly wonderful day.

Wednesday 19 June - Montenegro

We started our day with a 30 minute run in the direction of Kotor old town, it was really pleasant, not too hot, locals were cleaning up their restaurants and others were out running or walking their dogs. We came back and had some breakfast while we waited for a speedboat to pick us up. 

Just after 9am it came, pulling up right to our apartment complex. It was so cool being picked up by a speedboat! It was a beautiful boat with quite a bit of space, we were the last of around 9 tourists, we got a seat in the back, under the canopy and were grateful for the shade.

We headed off at speed, first stop Perast. Our skipper who did not introduce himself pulled up next to our lady of the rocks church, told us we had 20 minutes to explore and suggested we visit the museum and buy something in the shop… he wasn’t much of a tour guide so I read up about the church later: According to legend, the islet was made over the centuries by local sea men who kept an oath after finding the icon of Madonna and Child on a rock in the sea on 22 July 1452. When they returned from a successful voyage, they laid a rock in the bay. Over time, the islet gradually emerged from the sea and eventually a church was built on it. Apparently the custom of throwing rocks into the sea is alive even today. Every year on the sunset of 22 July, an event called fašinada is held where local residents take their boats and throw rocks into the sea, widening the surface of the island further.

We met an American lady, Rachel who was also staying in our apartment block and chatted a bit. She took some lovely photos of us overlooking the other church island next door, this one called St George, which is not accessible to tourists. 

We got back on the boat and continued speeding through the enormous bay, pumping music which the Dutch old lady next to me didn’t appreciate! Our next stop was unexpected and really cool, a submarine tunnel built by the Yugoslav navy. There are a few of these in the bay, we waited for another speedboat to emerge then went into one. The entrance had metal and mesh structures covered with fake stones that could closed using levers, and be covered with branches, to hide the tunnel. Inside, our skipper showed us doorways that could also be used to access the tunnel. It was fascinating.

We left and sped our way out of the mouth of the bay, we were amazed at just how enormous the bay was! We passed two forts which protected the entrance to the bay, and our skipper briefly pointed out Mamula island, this was once a prison and concentration camp used by the Italians during WWII, but has now been converted to a luxury hotel that can only be accessed by boat. It didn’t look that appealing to me…

                                       

We reached our final destination, the blue cave. We went with the boat into the first cave which had a separate entrance and exit. The water inside was truly electric blue, somehow the light coming into the cave made it look luminous, and each boat seemed to have a blue glow under it even though they didn’t have lights. It was very cool. We weren’t allowed to swim inside that cave but we stopped after the exit, and jumped in. The water was perfect on a hot day! We swam into another cave, followed by the Dutch couple, the water getting colder as we got closer. Inside the cave it eventually became pitch black, cool and scary! 

We went back to the boat and relaxed and chatted a while to the other tourists. The Dutch lady complained that the tour had advertised that masks, snorkels, food and drinks had been included, I later checked and she was right… Then it was time to head back, we continued chatting to Rachel on the return trip. Eventually we were dropped back at Villa PM, our apartment. The time had gone too fast but we’d had a great morning. 

                                         

We walked to the City supermarket and bought some healthy tuna salad for lunch plus bread to enjoy with our ajvar. After lunch we napped, swam and read and generally acted like we were on holiday! 

We had a glass of wine on our beautiful patio and then headed for dinner at a Turkish restaurant nearby called Tiha Noc. We had to drive past twice before we found a park but eventually got a spot. We had tried to book and failed, but luckily got a table, a few minutes later the restaurant was full. The owner was friendly and brought us two large beer drafts of a beer whose name I can’t remember - might have been Turkish… 

We started with a Turkish starter platter which was truly excellent, it included fresh Turkish bread and 6 “dips” which were not explained but seemed like two yoghurt based ones, one very soft (delicious) aubergine one, one very spicy tomato based paste, one more like a salsa and some lovely black olives. Yum!

Next we had a Turkish pide (pizza) with mince, and chicken shish kebab grilled and served with a very flat bread (like a wrap), onions, peppers and rice. Werner had promised me we’d end with cocktails but neither of us felt like driving or walking to find a bar, so we asked the owner if they did any cocktails, he suggested Aperol spritz, which we ordered and he said “why not?” - his signature English phrase :D The cocktails were delicious and we were having so much fun we decided to stay and also have baileys on the rocks to finish. The owner even sent us Turkish tea on the house, this was the first black tea we’d drunk on our entire trip!

Thursday 20 June - Montenegro to Croatia

I really didn’t want to leave Montenegro, we had loved it so much. But my flight home was in the morning the next day, and I didn’t want to be crossing a country border on the way to an airport. So instead of staying in Dubrovnik again, we picked Cavtat, a town closer to the Dubrovnik airport, than Dubrovnik itself (only 10 minutes).

We had breakfast and then said goodbye to Marija, she was so kind she’d even wrapped up some homemade goodies for us to take with! We drove along the lake, past Perast and then some other towns we hadn’t had time to explore, then through Herceg Novi, one of the bigger towns.

We crossed the border again with no issue, and drove into Cavtat. We were again staying in an apartment so we met the owner and got settled, she suggested we walk into the main part of town by the sea, as the roads were steep, narrow and parking was challenging. It was just before 1pm so we were hungry and went in search of lunch. We found a “pekarnika” (bakery) selling burek, and decided to eat inside. It was yummy!

Next we went for a long walk to explore. After admiring the town and its promenade and all of the boats and yachts, we walked around the peninsula and found ourselves in nature - beautiful trees and rocky beaches. There were some loungers and umbrellas but we just relaxed a while on the shaded rocks. We decided to swim at one spot where a lot of people had the same idea. It was so refreshing. And there was a shop selling gelato - what more could you ask for?

Then we ventured further around the peninsula to find a cave in the ocean. There were more waves at this point but we did manage to find it by swimming… then we rounded the peninsula back into the town, and walked around to another peninsula which had more of a beach. We relaxed here for quite a while, watching the massive boats and yachts coming and going.

We headed back to the apartment up steep roads to shower before dinner at a slightly fancy restaurant (La Bohemia) we’d picked. As we walked back down, the sun started setting over the sea, just stunning.

For dinner we indulged in rose wine, truffle pasta and seared tuna, accompanied by a beggar cat. The atmosphere was lovely and it felt like a perfect way to end a fantastic trip… We ended with tiramisu and a sort of berry strudel, delicious.

We walked back tired and happy, sorry to see the end of another trip, but so pleased with the memories we’d made, and so impressed with the little known Balkans region, in my view it truly is a gem, still to be fully discovered.