Balkan route 1st part

No less land, no more beauty – that’s Montenegro!

Montenegro. Home of the largest lake in the Balkans, 5 national parks, fast rivers, mountain massifs that you can only see here and generally unbeatable natural beauty, warm and hearty people, top quality gastronomy. A country I’ve been to before, but never by motorcycle and never in such a beautiful way.

We started our trip from Zagreb (Croatia) about 10AM without much preparation and planning. Please note how beautiful the weather was J at the beginning of the trip

That day we were targeting Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) where we planned on staying our first night. We rode to Banja Luka without encountering any heavy traffic. We took a break there and grabbed lunch (which is a must-do over here) and then headed towards Blidinje, as we still had plenty of time to have an evening tour of that beautiful Mostar.

We woke up and had breakfast in Mostar. That day we headed towards Blagaj and towards the Buna river, to see the famous “Tekias”, places for rest or accommodation, often the first houses built at the entrances of towns.

We continued our trip passing through the National Park of the Sutjeska River to the border with Republic of Serbia. On our way we also pass by the Gacko thermal power plant, one of the two thermal power plants in RS, which employs about 1,800 workers and produces a third of the total electricity in RS. The Sutjeska River National Park itself is the oldest national park in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Interestingly, over 66% of the park is covered with forests. This is the area where one of the most difficult battles in World War II took place – the Battle of Sutjeska in 1943. Within the National Park there is the world famous hero valley at Tjentiste. It is a memorial complex with a monument to fallen soldiers. And here we come Montenegro! A painless crossing of the border and the signposts we were waiting for – canyon of Piva towards Plužine. The canyon itself is 34 kilometres long and takes your breath away. This is something you simply have to put on your “bucket list”. There is also a hydroelectric power plant in Mratinje, whose dam depleted the canyon in 1975. The barrage is 220 m high and is one of the largest in Europe. Before the bridge for Plužine we turned into a mountain and started climbing towards Žabljak.

What a ride, through the mountain… with Durmitor as our final destination. It is believed that the name came from the Celtic words meaning “the mountain full of water.” It was proclaimed as a national park in 1952. Particularly impressive is the Tara River, whose canyon is the largest in Europe, and second largest in the world just after the Grand Canyon in the US! This is why it is amazing how peaceful it is and that there are no crowds. Here you can experience nature as if you were in the Alps, but much cheaper and most importantly – there is this sense of intimacy as if the mountain was only yours.

Our plan that day was to reach Žabljak – a winter and summer resort in the heart of Durmitor and the highest human settlement in Southeast Europe. The plan was also to find some accommodation (we didn’t book anything in advance) as this would be our base for the next two days. We rode south of the Durmitor Ring and found no words to describe the beauty of this area. Natural pastures, huge rocks, beautiful roads and no crowds. Along with frequent stops, we reached Žabljak.

The night had already fallen, and at about 9PM it was just 10°C. With mountain air… We parked in the “centre” and went to search for accommodation. While we were looking for an apartment to rent, we noticed the town was full of people, different sorts of people, from trackers, joggers, mountaineers, motorists, families, young couples … And we soon realized that we wouldn’t mind staying here for a few days and try out biking, running, tracking, rafting…. After a while, we found accommodation, a three-room apartment with a balcony and a nice bed. For the first night it will be ok, we thought, and tomorrow we will find something smaller. Although, to be fair 50 € a night for such an apartment is a really good price.

After a short break, and dinner in on our mind J, we searched for a place to eat. We accidentally entered the Golden Parrot restaurant, which a few hours later proved to be an excellent choice. We order food and drink… Nikšić bear (is a must J) and turkey in curry sauce with home-made potatoes was so good that we repeated the exact same order the following evening. We were drinking and talking with the owner until the early morning hours, all at the expense of the house. The stories we heard (about our “jet set” who were on Žabljak) are not for public. An incredibly interesting evening that confirmed what I already knew before: the Montenegrins are very dear, social and friendly people.

Although we had a tough night, in the morning we walked around a bit and had breakfast. We sat at the bar/restaurant Oro, very close to the Golden Parrot. Here we ordered coffee and some local burek and strudel. The plan was plain and simple for that day – we would go around Durmitor. First destination – the Black Lake. The Black Lake is the largest and most famous of the 18 glacial lakes on the mountain at an altitude of 1416m. Interestingly, the legend says that once upon a time, St. Sava was passing through. Local villagers accused him of stealing something, so they took justice in their hands and decided to punish him for theft. Saint Sava then put a curse on the village and its people: to flood the village and its inhabitants. The villagers tried to escape the malediction, but without success.

We did a complete circle around Durmitor and really enjoyed the beauty and the spaciousness of this region. We returned to Žabljak for the night. After breakfast new miles were in front of us… Somehow we planned to make the entire trip to the coast that day through Podgorica. But, bit by bit, part by part – first we went to the bridge to Djurdjevic Tari (or simply the Tari bridge). Built between 1937 and 1940, at 172m above river Tara, this bridge at the time it was completed, was the largest concrete bridge in Europe. It is impressive, and it is said it might be included among the 10 most beautiful bridges in the world.

We continued to the Biogradsko Lake J. The road we rode went along the Tara River almost all the way and it really is a fairy tale landscape. We reached the Biogradska Mountain National Park, where the Biogradsko Lake is set. Entrance to the NP is paid but at a symbolic price of 3 € per person. So green… enough to say that the Biogradska Gora NP is one of only three remaining rainforests in Europe! And it is not surprising that we found it so very relaxing.

We did a tour around the lake – on foot, of course.

We went a little further and decided to stop in Podgorica for lunch at the restaurant “Kristal”. Then we would go to the Morača Monastery where we would take a short break.

We did not get too far. Straight after lunch/dinner we went to Petrovac by the sea where we stayed for the night. We passed by the fortress of Lesendro and the embankment through which the road and the railroad pass, way to the Skadarsko Lake. Immediately after the end of the embankment we turned to Virpazar, a small fishing village that in the past had an influential role in the trade. We parked our bike and went for a short walk through the centre, making some great photos. The lake is huge, covered with stalks, and many scattered little islets where monasteries are located. It is located at the border with Albania so one part of the lake is Montenegrin, and the other part is Albanian. Basically, the lake has intrigued us so much that we concluded that this short walk would not be enough and that it would be a shame not go on an organized boat trip. We booked the trip for tomorrow and headed towards Petrovac where we would sleep that night. After a long search, climbing up and down the hill, and inquiries, we finally found an apartment.

Wakening, packing and going back to Virpazar. We arrived, greeted our host (the same gentleman from last night) and noticed a much bigger crowd than the night before (understandable). Finally, we boarded the boat that took us to the Skadar Lake.

The trip itself was very relaxing and I can easily recommend it. It takes about an hour and a half for 20 €. The Skadar Lake or the last pelican place, as he likes to call it, is the largest lake in the Balkans, a home to the wildlife world that you can only see here. It has been a national park since 1983. It is really worth the money to go to this trip and visit this pearl of the Mediterranean.

The island of Grmožur is called Montenegro Alcatraz, because King Nicholas used the remains of the Turkish fortress on Grmožur as a prison for his political opponents, but only for those who could not swim. The legend has it that only one prisoner managed to escape using the prison gate as a raft.

It was time to continue our trip. The plan was to ride along the P16 road, along the shore of the lake to Vladimir, and further south to Ulcinj and back along the coast to Budva.

We wanted to go for a swim, but the water was ice-cold so we skipped that one and went to find something to eat. We dined at Ćićkova Čarda restaurant in a great ambience. We then continued making another stop at Bar, and finally we arrived in Budva where we stayed for the night.

After breakfast and coffee in Budva, we sat on our bike with the main goal to get to Kotor. We made a small detour from the road to visit a small town named after the Italian word for roses – Rose. There is a lot to see, a submarine tunnel, which today serves as a venue for music festivals, and during the summer it is also used as a disco club.

We wanted to go for a swim, but the water was ice-cold so we skipped that one and went to find something to eat. We dined at Ćićkova Čarda restaurant in a great ambience. We then continued making another stop at Bar, and finally we arrived in Budva where we stayed for the night.

After breakfast and coffee in Budva, we sat on our bike with the main goal to get to Kotor. We made a small detour from the road to visit a small town named after the Italian word for roses – Rose. There is a lot to see, a submarine tunnel, which today serves as a venue for music festivals, and during the summer it is also used as a disco club.

Our final destination was Nikšić where we were meeting our friends. All together we then visited Lovcen and spent a few days on South Dalmatian coast, Croatia.

Montenegro, is a country full of diversity – high mountains, deep canyons, wide plains, fast rivers, huge lakes and picturesque coast take turns with each other as in some kind of competition. “Wild Beauty”.

South Dalmatia – Pelješac, Croatia, another experience, another blog J Pelješac where we will enjoy a few more days before returning to reality.

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