Mel & Trinity

I spent the night in Durmitor National Park which looked fantastic! I say looked because I didn’t have time to actually go into the park – I was really seeing things from the periphery. There is so much to do there if you like adventure holidays, including zip lining the Tara Canyon, canyoning, river rafting and Land Rover tours of the park. The prices range from 10 Euro to 60 Euro for the activities (great value in my books). 

I’d been relying of free WiFi wherever I went, which wasn’t a problem as there is always a cafe, restaurant or petrol filling station somewhere on route that has WiFi. I hadn’t booked accommodation so I pitched up in the little town just outside of the park and walking into a tourist office which was advertising accommodation (Sobe is most of Eastern Europe). It was here that I heard about all the activities in the park. I was very tempted to go exploring but I was already 2 days behind schedule so couldn’t fall further behind.

The room the tourist office (operator really) had on offer was 15 Euro a night. It was basic, again with a shared bathroom, but it was fine for one night. The young guy who came down to fetch me was very friendly and told me how he loved the UK and watching Bear Grills on satellite TV. It made me smile that this is his association with the UK. It’s certainly a far cry from most of the Brits I know.

The young chap recommended a local restaurant at the end of the road which I attended. There were three things that stood out for me about this restaurant. Firstly, the Jazz band that played that night. Secondly, the two American couples at the table next to me (I’d heard a lot of American accents on this trip). Finally, the motorcycle couple from the Netherlands that I’d met earlier on in the day at the Ostrog Monastery were sitting three tables down from me. How funny. We didn’t speak though.

I woke up around 7am and got up shortly thereafter. I knew I had a long day ahead of me as I wanted to get to Nis, Serbia but also wanted to make some stops along the way. The first being Tara Canyon.

Before heading off I popped into a local shop with the hope of getting some breakfast. I thought they’d have some pastries but alas, they didn’t, only bread and bread rolls. I bought a banana and a bottle of Kifir for 76 cents and then went across the road to a cafe. I bought a coffee and what I thought was pie. It wasn’t. It tasted more like pizza. It wasn’t bad but not what I was expecting for breakfast. It was also huge so I only had half is it.

Some photos of the night and start of the day are provided below. 

The coffee was okay. I had discovered that in general the coffee in Montenegro was not particularly good. A huge disappointment for someone who loves coffee. The barista makes a difference too though. I had two lattes at this little cafe with the most gorgeous view over Tara Canyon; the first cup was great but the second only mediocre. 

Tara River Canyon itself is however stunning! The bridge crossing the canyon is featured in a lot tourist material so I was keen to see it. It fits perfectly into the steep canyon, with it turquoise coloured water flowing in the bottom. I could feel my heart beating that little faster as the excitement within me grew by the minute. I am so coming back here for an adventure weekend! 

Some photos of Tara River Canyon an Biogradska Gora National Park are provided below. 

I found it a little difficult to drag myself away from Tara River Canyon, hence the two cups of coffee and a couple of calls. I was dying to show my nieces and dad the canyon but sister-in-law wasn’t available and my dad was out shopping and could only take a voice call (he doesn’t have data on his phone). I had to send and post a photo instead. It’s not quite the real thing but it was the best way I could share the experience with them. 

As soon as I hit the mountains in Montenegro the sunny weather I had experienced down the coast of Croatia was replaced with mist and cloud. There is something really special to me about mist. It makes the mountains look mysterious. I love it!

I left Tara River Canyon and headed east towards Biogradska Gora National Park which is about an hour’s ride away along the twisty mountain roads. The area is wild, unspoiled and beautiful.

It cost 2 Euro to get into Biogradska Gora National Park, which is the price I paid at the others too. I can’t buy a latte in London for that price!

My experience at Biogradska Gora was quite different from Durmitor National Park. The park is definitely more for campers and hikers. There were loads of people about when I arrived at the park; understandably as this is where the visitor centre is. 

After I parked Trinity I headed for the loo, which was in a little hut in the middle of the forest. When I got there I noticed it was another ‘hole in the floor’. As soon as I caught a whiff of the smell I didn’t need the toilet anymore, so I headed to the lake. 

This was the second time I had come across these loos in Montenegro. The first time was at the Ostrog Monastery. I assume these are septic tanks, which may be better for the environment but I am really sensitive to smell and they make me heave. I used the one at Ostrog but I had to breathe into the toilet paper so that I wouldn’t throw up. This was not an experience I wanted to repeat. I’d far rather hold it in or pee in the bush. I opted for the former as I wasn’t that desperate.

The lake is beautiful! There is something so serene about about a lake nestled between the mountains. I stood there for a while enjoying the view and the quietness. Then I took a few photos and went to the visit centre to look at the exhibits before hitting the road again. It was now midday.

I reached the Serbian border just after 2pm. The border control officer did not mind the photocopy of my Green Card. Yay! That’s another one down. Only one more country to go that needed the Green Card and then I was home free. Yes, I am counting them down. 

I had no idea what to expect of Serbia. In a nutshell, it was similar to Montenegro but just a lot busier. Similar to Montenegro there were a lot of unfinished/derelict buildings in the towns but the one thing that really stood out for me was the number of car washing places. They are everywhere! I had to smile because I’m sure the guys that was my friend Angela’s car in London are from Serbia. I’ll have to ask her. 

I stopped at a petrol filling station to use the loo and saw that they had WiFi, so I decided to stay for a coffee and also have a look for accommodation. Nis was still 3.5 hours away. Hmmm! My other slight concern was how safe Trinity would be in the street that night in the city, so I started to look at some other options. 

I had responded to an insurance question on a biking forum on Facebook and as a result started chatting to a guy called Darren a.k.a. The Jersey Biker. I had mentioned that I wanted to go through Kosovo but wasn’t sure if it was safe. As it turn out he works for the military and has been to Kosovo a lot. He told he that it was safe and sent me the contact details of an officer in Phristine, who would be able to show me around on the weekend. I couldn’t stay that long but it gave me the reassurance that I needed. This definitely changed my plans. I could now ride through Kosovo and not around it which would save me hours on the bike. Bonus!

I had a look on the map and noticed a ‘green area’, which are normally parks, so I asked the lady in the petrol station shop what the area was like. It turns out it’s a ski town in Serbia called Kopaonik and it’s very nice. Great, that was the plan then. 

It took me about an hour to get to Kopaonik, basically because I missed my turnoff and ended up at the  Kosovo border. Well, at least I knew where it was now. Kopaonik is about a 20 minute ride up the mountain from the border. 

I ended up staying in a place called Nicole, which is about 2km outside of Kopaonik. There is a lot of building happening in the area; clearly now resorts being built in preparation for the next ski season. Outside of the building at Durmitor National Park, this was the most development I had seen on my trip. 

My room was fantastic! Everything was brand new and very modern in the one bedroom apartment, which cost a grand 32 Euros for the night. Between my room, dinner and breakfast my stay cost 50 Euros and I ate like a queen. The same thing would have cost three times the price anywhere else in Europe. It was brilliant. I also really enjoyed the local beer, which again was cheaper than my coffee in the morning, which had also improved since Montenegro. Photos of Serbia below (click the photo to see all of them). 

It rained all night so there was not much that I could do so I watched a movie; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I couldn’t resist. My younger bother and I watched the cartoon religiously as kids. It made me think of my baby brother and that was just perfect. 

Next….Kosovo.