Albania/Montenegro/Croatia (Days 90-96) 

Sunday (6/12). We have a pretty short list of requirements for a “perfect” day of riding.

• 1) Downhill. All day if possible
• 2) Good weather. Definitely not too hot.
• 3) Beautiful scenery.
• 4. Interesting interaction with locals.
• 5) A nice campsite next to water.
• 6) Tasty, inexpensive food. (nice, but not critical)

So let’s see. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check, and check! Twenty-five miles mostly downhill from Valbone to the ferry on Komani reservoir. After a brief patch of rain, perfect weather. Unbelievable scenery all day. For two hours on the ferry we chatted with U.S. born Daniela. Daniela’s grandmother and mother emigrated to the States when her mom was fifteen. Daniela was visiting Albanian family with Grandma. She was very knowledgeable about all things Albania and graciously shared. Very interesting. We were also treated to a group of mostly young people singing and dancing traditional Albanian music and dances. We found it fascinating that so many young people have embraced these traditions. After the ferry, on the way to our perfect camp site next to another reservoir, we stopped for a delicious and inexpensive meal. I guess we just had ourselves a perfect day.

Monday (6/13). OK. Right out of the gate we knew Monday was not going to be a perfect day. In spite of an early start…it was hot! Plus, first thing on our plate was a steep climb on something we’d be generous in calling a road. OK, so not perfect – but still an experience we will cherish.

We started the day with no real plan. As the mercury soared Sharon did some math. “You know,” she said, “it’s only 40 more kilometers into Montenegro and a beach!” We had already covered thirty miles, but with the Orb of Death melting my brain, that sounded like a brilliant idea. So fifty-four miles after we left the mountains of Albania, we arrived at a small beach community in Montenegro. Katia welcomed us into her cozy little campground just steps from the Adriatic Sea. First time this trip we’ve paid to stay in an actual campground. It was delightful!

Tuesday (6/14). Today we pretended we were on holiday, rather than a sweat soaked suffer-fest. OK, that’s really not how we think of our trip. Well, except maybe when we’re soaked with sweat, suffering up some stupidly steep and/or long hill/mountain. But not today! Today was a day to lounge on…lounge chairs of all things. A day to swim, to read books, to enjoy some choice people watching. (No body image issues here!). It was a day to meet folks in our campground. First was Marcelle and Marianne. She being of Greek descent, they have run a Greek restaurant in their home in Belgium. As we sat on the beach watching the sun sink into the Adriatic, we played ‘compare’ and ‘contrast’ with M & M. Always interesting to hear about similarities and differences of life elsewhere in the world. We also chatted mit Erich und Frau. He was fascinated with our trip. We were interested in their extensive travel history. They’d visited a very different Turkey twenty years ago, and many times since. They always  found it enchanting. This was a very good day.

Wednesday (6/15). Montenegro is filled to overflowing with rugged mountains. When these rugged mountains spill into the sea, they create an intimidating roller-coaster road along the coast. Lovely to look out, challenging to ride.

Given the intimidating road situation, we lowered our expectations just a bit. We set out for Petrovac and Perazica Do a short distance up the coast. Petrovac was typically touristic, in large part because the bay and waterfront here are beyond stunning. Which of course means every square inch is devoted to housing and extracting money from…people like us, I suppose.

Mid-afternoon we followed an interesting pathway around a headland and through three long tunnels to arrive at Perazica Do. Not really a ‘town’, this community had an weird ghost town vibe. Towering over the beach stands a massive abandoned concrete structure – Hotel As. At one point, this was the crown jewel of state owned resorts in former Yugoslavia. It had however, like its owner, fallen into disrepair. In 2001 the Montenegro government sold the neglected property in an illegal sweetheart deal to some Russians and well connected Montenegro insiders. Massive amounts of money changed hands, people got rich, and some initial concrete work was done. The rich, having gotten richer, moved on. The empty hulk remains.

We briefly contemplated camping in the deserted penthouse suite, but opted instead for something closer to the water. Probably one of our more interesting camp sites.

Thursday (6/16). Recently the heat and humidity have reached the ‘oppressive’ level on the Dave and Sharon ‘whinge about the weather’ scale.’ Our 6:30 start to beat the heat was only moderately successful. Turns out the heat is an even earlier riser. Sneaky bastard! One positive consequence of the early start was that by 1pm we’d notched a respectably forty miles and were enjoying a shaded lounge chair on a Herceg Novi beach. (It’s a safety issue).

We also used the time to plan some next steps. We thought we wanted to wander up the coast. After dealing with the heat and the intense traffic associated with intensely touristic areas, we’re now having second thoughts. By evening’s end we had some solid ideas.

Friday (6/17). After a pleasant afternoon yesterday we thought, let’s spend another day here. Maybe we could check out Old Town. I know it seems like we’ve had lots of down time, but that has been intentional. One of our goals has been to not constantly move from point A to point B. Instead, wander around and spend time exploring point A. Pull up a lounge chair and relax at point B if the mood strikes. The mood struck!

Saturday (6/18). Five miles up, we were treated to this sight.

By the standards of other Balkan travelers we’ve met, Croatia gets dismissed as too touristy and too expensive. We were prepared to similarly dismiss Croatia. After one day here, I can say that it is definitely popular. But I guess that happens to places that are charming, and historic, and beautiful. We rather enjoyed meeting other cyclists at a 15th century monastery, and riding through a lush valley and vineyards tucked between dramatic mountains. Even though the mountain road was crazy busy, the view of the Adriatic far below made it worth while. And yes, historic Old Town Dubrovnik is over run with tourists…I am reminded of the t-shirt that said, “You aren’t stuck in traffic – you are traffic.” Yep! That’s us.

We can also say that Croatia is more expensive than other Balkan countries. Which means that in this very popular, beautiful place things cost about what you would expect to pay in just about any town, anywhere in the U.S. And in massively touristy areas like Old Town Dubrovnik, maybe even less than similar touristy areas in the U.S. – with one important difference. There is no place like this in the U.S.

Three countries in one week. Countries that all share dramatic beauty and tragic history. All inviting in unique ways. We are looking forward to getting acquainted with just this one country. Until next week – be well and STC!