holidays 2012 - day 08: coast, lake, riverside

most of the night in our austrian corner (there are three other austrian parties in this part of the campsite) at camp maslina is sleepless for me: it is so windy that my side of the tent is occasionally pushed right into my face, and of course it's noisy, and i am rather cold as well. it isn't until well into the small hours that i actually fall into a deep sleep. it doesn't exactly help that our newly bought mattress seems to have a hole somewhere and therefore it's no longer quite as cosy in the tent ... still, we wake up in montenegro and not oz. unfortunately, we wake up to an overcast and still very windy morning - so much for the "eternal sunshine" promised to us repeatedly after the big rain. therefore, instead of spending a lazy morning at the beach, we decide to pack up and do the highly recommended monastery route along the western shore of lake skadar.

before we leave, we chat with the people at the campsite - the owner used to live in germany. friends of the owners from žabljak are visiting, mina and his son novica, who run a campground and rent out rooms in durmitor national park's main town. mina also used to live in germany, and he's a very talkative, genial guy. he hands us his business card, since we are going to žabljak soon anyway. eventually we say goodbye and drive towards vladimir, which we are, of course, already familiar with. sometimes, however, it is not quite clear where to go ...

road to pretty much nowhere


of course we cannot pass by without another sign enhancement. this time it's the albanian name of vladimir, katerkollë, which reminds us of kater carlo (the german name of disney's black pete):

vladimir aka kater carlo


past vladimir, however, we take a different route. we are once again close to the albanian border, but then turn away from it to follow the road along lake skadar. however, the road is not actually next to the lake, it's (of course, this being montenegro) several hundred metres above the lake. it's definitely a very lonely area, rather poor, too. the road twists and turns, all around us there's macchia and trees, and to the left the mountains tower above us - between lake skadar and the sea, the highest peak nearly 1,600 m above sea level!

at one point we find ourselves driving along an avenue lined with old chestnut trees - kind of unexpected, and very beautiful. there are various moslem graveyards, some of them barely big enough for half a dozen graves - it almost looks as if everybody had a family graveyard out back! we stop at an older, bigger one to take a few pictures. most names are albanian, not surprisingly, as albanians are the majority in this part of montenegro. i've never actually seen headstones quite like these. i love visiting graveyards when i travel, there are such differences between cultures and religions!

grave with chimney?


our route offers gorgeous views of lake skadar glittering in the sun that has come out around midday. the guidebooks say there are only two places where you can actually access the lake, and when we spot a godforsaken village somewhere at the foot of the mountains, we think this might be one of the places, and drive down the patched-up road. a few inhabitants curiously ogle us - i'm pretty certain that austrian cars are rather a rarity here. it turns out that it is impossible to access the lake here. strange - to live so close to it and yet to be unable to get to the shore! so back to the main road, and very soon we find the turnoff to murići, which splits into several streets, then unites again further down, only to split once more ... but all these roads seem to lead to the lake.

big lake, big sky, little village


donkeys and mules are parked next to cars, goats block the road, a mosque greets us with a simple minaret, elderly inhabitants nod or wave, and some baby clothes on a line are the only sign of young life in this place in the middle of nowhere. there is no shop, the guidebooks say a van comes a few times a week to sell essential things. the area must be very poor - that is confirmed later in conversations. what kind of work would one do here anyway?

parking


by the lake a few people want to sell us a boat trip to the monastery on a small island just off the coast, but we know that we don't really have time for such a trip this afternoon. and this is about all there is of murići as the monastery route's touristic centre. sitting in the café down by the shore, we bump into our campsite neighbours from camp maslina, two girls from stuttgart, one of whom is based in kitzbuehel, austria. we chat for a while, tell them of the campsite in žabljak we're heading to, then watch some crazy puppies at play, walk along the shore for a bit, and then make our way back up to the main road.

off with its head!


more gorgeous lake views are in store for us along the sunny way to virpazar - whenever we think "this is the last time we're stopping and getting out of the car", we're wrong. and is it any wonder?

blue-greem beauty: lake skadar



wetlands and mountains


my mind's made up to do a lake skadar boat trip next time i'm in the neighbourhood, i would so love to see turtles and pelicans and get views of the surroundings from the lake.

what we do spot, however, is a dog turned to stone :-)

stone dog


we drive north, past the capital podgorica (also something for next time), towards nikšić, home of the local beer. the road cuts across the central lowland plain here - a geographical feature that strikes us as odd in this mountainous country. i also spot monastery ostrog far, far above the plain, a white toy tucked into the sheer face of rock. not quite knowing where to stop for the night, we decide to keep our eyes open for any signs of rooms for rent or a campground, though we don't really expect to find one here. but we do - and it's a chance discovery of a real gem. it's called "riverside", and is located by a quiet little creek just off the main road from nikšić to žabljak, near gornje polje.

it's a tiny little campground - and a dutch couple are the only guests apart from us, there beside the black water, under the apple trees. we spend quite a while talking to the incredibly friendly employee, both this evening and the next morning, as his english is very good and he seems to enjoy a good conversation. he answers a lot of questions about montenegro, its politics and development, and he tells us of the "riverside" project: the restaurant is all wood and rocks and has existed for a little while, but this is the first year the campsite is open. the next step is to make changes to the restaurant building in order to be able to run the restaurant all year. as it is now, the restaurant is open to one side. it is such a cosy place, with sofas and colourful throws, armchairs, mismatched chairs, an old typewriter on the long wooden bar, album covers on a wall, old tools on the walls ...

essential: bar with typewriter


outside there's another little building under weeping willows and a single table on a platform, which reminds me of a tree house. the owners are planning to develop the site, make room for more tents, extend the facilities, step by step. it should be interesting to see what becomes of this gorgeous little place.

"riverside" restoran


we are instant fans - and that is even before we have had our dinner. there is no menu, but we are told there is "fish, beef, veal, lamb, pork" and we can just tell them how we want it done. we both go for the fish with potato salad - and get two delicious trout each, with a generous portion of potato salad and bread. for a mere €8 each! i can't finish my portion, and even heinz is so full that there are leftovers on our table for once. outside, it's clear skies with lots and lots of stars - and no wind.

photos of day 08

holidays 2012 - day 07: a venerable tree, two lakes, two silly travellers, and a chaotic city

when we wake up, it's dry! and the sun comes out pretty soon! almost suspicious ... breakfast is from 9 o'clock, how sleep- & holiday-friendly is that! homemade bread with pršut (local ham) and local cheese, yummy! 35 euros for the room and breakfast for two is very reasonable. so: a recommendation, if you ever find yourself in the vicinity of bar: apartmani i konoba KULA. friendly staff, good english, fabulous food.

so we hit the road again, first we stay in the neighbourhood: mirovica, a small place, famous for one of its, um, inhabitants, so to speak: an olive tree estimated to be over 2000 years old, stara maslina (old olive). very impressive, i must say. mind-boggling to imagine what has happened since this tree was just a little seedling! empires have fallen, generations have come and gone, its village has been under the rule of various empires. i wonder who planted it, if anyone. i wonder about the twists and turns of fate that helped it survive. there are many olive trees in this area that are 500, 700, over a 1000 years old, but this is clearly the oldest, and actually one of the oldest trees in europe. quite awesome. i love olive trees, their trunks tell whole stories, sometimes it's as if the knots and gnarls and holes make up faces or entire strange creatures.

2000 years of tree: stara maslina, mirovica


and then we're off into the wilderness, deciding to take the hinterland road to world-famous (not!) vladimir, gateway to - tadaaa! - šas (shasi in albanian). now, i must explain this to my friends who don't speak austrian german: this place is pronounced like an austrian word for "fart", which is often used to express something that is crap or just not what you want. we thought we simply had to pay a visit to this place. all the better that the guidebook recommends this area for some real off-the-beaten-track exploring.

we park the car and walk up the hill to ruins of the once-great zetan city svač, of which only a few ruins are left.

ruins, land & sky


all along the way there are burnt bushes, it's very quiet, and apart from thistles and a few tough little flowers, a few birds and a lizard are the only signs of life. from the top of the hill we have a nice view of lake šas (šasko jezero) that lies amid a belt of lush green at our feet.

lake, green, burnt bushes


the lakeside restaurant "shasi" is closed, an abandoned house next to it is not ... so we poke our noses into that place.

back in vladimir it's time to prepare our coup: we write / draw extensions for the word šas, in order to enhance the local signpost. again, this is really only funny for german speakers. here are the results (click to enlarge):

montenegrin-austrian signpost :)


actually, this is a weird area altogether - there is a mountain called "shit" not too far away, and everywhere you see signs reading "shitet" (which is albanian for "sell") ...

and now it's onward - new territory awaiting: albania! we cross the border nearby, at sukobin. and it IS different once we're across. at first, the houses are actually very pretty and mostly in good condition, but still - there are donkeys waiting patiently by the roadside, and there are some tiny shops that barely seem to deserve that name. the closer we get to shkodra (shkodër), the more foreign our surroundings seem. and the city itself ... well ... let's say: different. interesting. crazy. imagine a huge roundabout, two or three lanes. and then imagine foot passengers, cyclists, motorbikers and car drivers all doing pretty much as they please. it's insane. cyclists cross the roundabout, people weave between cars, motorbikes go in every possible direction ... and somehow, miraculously, it works! if you did that in austria, there'd be five accidents within a minute, because we are so used to playing by the rules. we drive down a broad street, four lanes in all, and scooters come towards us in the middle of the street! cyclists seem to drive without looking left of right. people on foot seem to fear nothing and no-one. and the street itself is lined with all sorts of buildings, some of them rather neat, others ramshackle, with peeling paint. there are shops selling just about everything, frequently goods are hanging from the ceiling, or arranged on mats in front of the actual shops. it looks more like some market, actually!

signposts, as we are to discover, seem to be a rarity in this part of the world, so we get lost. heinz gets out of the car to ask a policeman, who is just chatting to a driver he knows. the driver tells him to just follow him, as he's going in that direction. and that's what we do. when the guy finally stops and gets out of his car, he explains which road to take and - unnecessarily - apologises for his bad english about three times. so friendly! the road out of town ... well. another little adventure. the road itself is - at least in parts - in abysmal condition, and occasionally entire manhole covers are missing, as if that didn't matter at all. buildings in this part of the city are not only ugly, they don't seem quite safe either.

shkodra street scene


it's not hard to guess that albania is not exactly a rich country. but it all seems very lively and colourful. we'd originally considered spending our holiday in albania, and it looks like this could be an interesting trip some time soon. other travellers we met this summer told us about their impressions - friendly people, beautiful areas, but a very poor country, with a rather unhappy population.

so, we are on our way out of town, towards liqeni i shkodrës (lake skadar). there is one road, obviously brand-new, and not quite finished. occasionally the black of asphalt gives way to the dusty brown of a dirt road. the speed limit indicated is 30. everyone goes at 100 km/h minimum, except perhaps the odd horse and cart or the sheep crossing at their own preferred leisurely pace.

slightly more horse power


there are plenty of roundabouts, but there is not one signpost in sight. the map in my lap is useless. the plan is to access the lake from some small town, but we have no idea where we are. fortunately we can soon at least see the lake, which means that we are basically going in the right direction! the only signpost between shkodra and the border advertises a place that isn't featured on my map, ha! near the border at hani i hotit we stop to take some pictures of the beautiful lake and a few birds, but we can't get really close.

lake skadar as a mirror of clouds


crossing the border here is no big deal. we are asked if we are driving straight home to austria, and when we say no, we are staying in montenegro for another week, the montenegrin guy smiles and says "have a nice journey!" obviously that was the right answer. no searching of our car or any such thing, which we observed at the sukobin crossing (germans and swiss entering the country).

we stop in tuzi, to feed hungry heinz. delicious food in such a nondescript little place! and then we drive on along part of the montenegrin share of lake skadar. beautiful, just beautiful. we stop at the national park centre, for some info and some photos. such a gorgeous area!

lake skadar, late afternoon


a winding road takes us across the mountains between the lake and the sea - what views!

distant lake, lengthening shadows


and since we began the day with maslina (the old olive tree), we end it with maslina: that's the name of the camp in buljarica, where we stop for the night. it's too late for a swim, but we enjoy a simple dinner under old olive trees in front of our (dry!) tent.

photos of day 07