What a difference a border makes

June 30, 2013

Distance: 25.7 miles Climbing: 3733.6 ft

We started the day off right with a big breakfast and felt really strong as we began the day’s ride. We plowed up the hills and made really good time.

At the bottom of the hill was a small town, obviously fallen on hard times due to the construction of the bigger, faster highway. We stopped for a refreshing ice cream and were overcharged by about double which we realized only after we had already opened the wrappers. We sat on the sidewalk enjoying our treats when the day seemed to restart.

Our last look at Lake Shkoder

We finished up and hopped back on the bikes grinding up a long winding mountain. The scenery was fine but a little monotonous, rocky outcroppings and sparse trees. The local drivers were really not friendly, which was odd. There were signs in all the main towns showing routes for cyclists and clearly there was a desire to entice foreign bike tourists, but that sentiment wasn’t shared amongst the Montenegrin masses. Drivers yielded to us basically as little as they possibly could, accelerating past us at ridiculous speeds, passing each other even though we were in the opposing lane, driving us off the road. Chandler had the closest call of the entire trip when two new Mercedes blasted past him so close that their turbulence knocked him off into the bushes.

Theoretically, it should have been cycling paradise up on the mountain roads as there really wasn’t that much traffic and the scenery was pretty cool but it got to the point where we just stopped riding and got completely off the road when we heard a car coming which was annoying since there was plenty of room for everyone. We couldn’t believe the difference between cycling here and in Albania and speculated that the locals here were just jaded on tourists or hated bicycles or something.

Lonely, abandoned building

We arrived at an intersection and discovered the map on our GPS was outdated as there was a NASCAR highway we were about to be forced on that wasn’t on our map at all. Instead we followed a sketchy overgrown path that was the main road on our map, and hoped that it went through. We were so fed up with with the aggressive drivers that even if we had to walk the bikes it would have been better than riding on the main road. After a few meters, the pavement wasn’t as broken and the riding became easier and we moved quicker.

Rocky road

Not the best road, but not the worst either

The road did go through which was a huge relief and we got to the top of a big hill before a descent to the old capital city of Cetinje. However, the last few miles we were forced onto the highway we deliberately avoided earlier in the day, which turned out to be an insane high speed two lane road with zero shoulder which meant traffic behind us had to slow down from highway speed to pass us if there was oncoming traffic. We we finally reached the town, found a bakery and had a snack, our nerves still shattered but we felt better. We still had to find a campsite, which meant climbing another huge hill out of town.

Chandler found a good spot to investigate, which proved successful. He found us a flat area with several trees, perfect for hammocks! The rest of the evening was spent relaxing. We had a little surprise when a goat herder stumbled upon us. We were afraid he would kick us out, but he was just as surprised as us. After a few moments of frantic waving and pointing Chandler walked over to him to smooth things out and he decided it was important to show us the bag of grass or hay or something that he had collected. After a few confused minutes of pantomiming it was clear he didn’t care we were there and he waved goodby before moving on with his herd.

Chandler hungry

Time to relax

Along Lake Shkoder

Aug8

June 29, 2013

Distance: 31.9 miles Climbing: 4035.4 ft

The weather cooperated all day. Our morning started with a climb up along a ridge in cloudy skies. We were rewarded with a view of the lake and several donkeys.

Chan climbing

The view from the top

Jenny and a jenny

We had a nice long descent which brought us to a little town with a cafe. Naturally, we had to stop for a drink. The coffees were a little more expensive at 1€ each, but still so cheap.

After the break, we got back on the bikes and headed back into the hills. We rolled along up and down, never gaining anything. We passed through a densely shaded area and realized we were in a chestnut forest that we heard about from other cycle tourists. It was way too early in the day to stop, so we just took a break and had a snack.

Tobacco

As we passed through a small village, we spotted another cycle tourist and decided to stop for a little chat. He was from England headed to Macedonia where he had a flight to catch back home. We discussed routes and free campsites. When talk turned to food, an older woman came up to us and motioned to a table with bottles of oil and wine. I jumped at the opportunity to enjoy some homemade red wine. She gave us a sample and we bought a liter. The wine tastes nice but presentation was lacking as the wine was sold in a recycled water bottle.

Lake Shkoder

We coasted down into a valley and were able to take in some great views of the west side of Lake Shkoder. At the bottom of the valley was a small town with a nice park and lots of tourists milling around. We saw a gelato stand and a fountain and immediately put on the brakes. After scoops of chocolate, we did some much needed grocery shopping. As usual, I waited outside with the bikes as Chan got our dinner.

Crazy bird’s nests

Outside of town, we encountered a series of switchbacks leading straight up the side of a steep hill. Knowing it was the last climb of the day made it easier to handle. There was a lookout point at the top of the hill with a number of tourists appreciating the view. Not knowing how much further we would have to before finding a campsite, we opted to keep biking.

Always climbing

We couldn’t have gone more than 100 meters before we spotted an overgrown road leading underneath the lookout area. Chandler scoped it out before we dashed down the road hoping cars hasn’t seen us.

The spot was only visible from the road from high up on the hill, so we weren’t concerned about curious visitors. What I weas more worried about were the spiders. There were huge webs strewn between trees with giant spiders waiting in the center of the web. It made trips to the bathroom in the woods a bit more scary.

We had a nice night despite the spiders. Chandler enjoyed a 2 liter bottle of cheap, low alcohol beer with our usual dinner of pasta.

Our hero

Unexpected events

Jul30

June 28, 2013

Distance: 27.6 miles Climbing: 1292.7 feet

The morning brought the reality that we had to leave Albania, no matter how much we liked it there. We had 10 miles before the city of Shkoder, where we planned on spending the last of our Albanian currency before heading to Montenegro. We ended up having a lot more money than we wanted to spend in one day, so Chandler went into a bank to exchange some of it. As I waited outside with the bike, a man approached and asked our trip. I noticed his appearance we very similar to my own, sweaty looking, super tan and clearly a foreigner, another biker!

He was travelling in a group of three, all cycling from France to Istanbul. With almost the same route in reverse, we had a lot to talk about. One thing led to another and we found ourselves at a café enjoying coffee and figuring out where to get pizza. We have meet quite a few other cyclists on the road and don’t always end up connecting with others, but that was not the case with this group. We had to keep making progress but considered taking another rest day just to be able to hang out more.

New cycling friends

After several hours, it was getting on to 330pm, we forced ourselves to say goodbye and get back on the bikes. We had a few miles to travel before reaching the border. The views were beautiful, but we didn’t take time to stop besides to snap a few photos.

Castle of Razofo

Lake Shkoder

We experienced another quick and uneventful border crossing. The Albania guard looked at our passport, handed it off to the Montenegrin guard, who stamped it and handed it back. The was a long line of cars waiting, so two bikers didn’t attract much attention.

Another country added to the books

We pedaled to the nearest gas station to purchase drinks and refill our tires with air. We discovered that we had reached a country which uses the Euro, meaning things would be expensive.

When Chandler finished filling his tires, we headed into the hills. We had been told that the route through the mountains was beautiful and not to be missed. We made it about a miles up the first hill before Chan noticed a camping spot in a pasture hidden by trees.

We made the usual dinner of pasta before setting up the tent and inflating the sleeping mats. As soon as it got too dark to read, I was ready to fall asleep. Chandler was reading with his headlight next to me when I heard a sound. I asked Chan if he was making the noise, when the heard it again, footsteps really close to the tent. Expecting someone coming to tell us to move on, Chan opened the tent. Outside in the grass, only a foot away, was a small and cute little hedgehog staring up at us. We scrambled to get the camera, but were too slow before the hedgehog turned around and walked back into the brush.

We heard a few more of the little guys, but were no longer concerned and I could sleep soundly.

Slow food for slow cyclists

Jul24

June 26 – 27, 2013

Distance: 46.8 miles Climbing: 2437.7 ft

We woke up to a beautiful morning and were very excited knowing that we would not have to go far to find coffee. The cafe owner was playing with her grandchild when we got up to the restaurant and her daughter brought us delicious espressos immediately. We lingered over our cups while watching the sun rise and trying to coax Bianca, the granddaughter, to smile at us. Soon, it was time to say goodbye and the owner refused our money, just wishing us well and making sure our water bottles were full. We are continually surprised at the generosity of strangers.

Too shy to say goodbye

The riding started out with gradual hill climbing as we followed the road along the river gorge. We were treated to really stunning views of the river, small farmhouses and vineyards way down below on the shore. We marveled at how lucky we felt to be in such a wonderful place. After a little while we came to a bottleneck in the gorge. Chandler was happy to find out we had been riding along a reservoir, which led to a dam. Next to the dam was a tunnel through the mountain. We don’t like tunnels, and this one wasn’t lit as usual.

View from the climb

Surprise! A dam!

After the excitement of what turned out to be a short tunnel, we were funneled onto a major highway. We attempted to stay on the old road, but it promptly led us to someone’s house before ending at a cliff over the new road. We looked at the map and realized we would only have to be on the highway for a short while, so we turned around. We were actually very pleasantly surprised to find the new highway had a huge 5 foot shoulder on our side (curiously no shoulder on the other side, so we got lucky) and very little traffic. We made really good time with a tailwind, flying along the pavement before having to exit at the town of Milot. The road condition deteriorated but we didn’t notice too much because we ran into some other cycle tourists. They were two boys from Denmark cycling to Macedonia during their break from University. We talked routes and exchanged amusing antidotes from the road. The boys also suggested a slow food restaurant in the town of Fishta.

The rest of ride was along rolling hills weaving through small villages, which we didn’t pay much attention to because we stent the whole time keeping an eye open for the restaurant. When we reached Fishta, the restaurant was obvious because it was nice. A lot nicer than what we were dressed for in our sweaty bike attire. The owner immediately offered us seats outside and explained the system. The menu was in Albanian, which we don’t speak, so he asked how much we want to spend, per person, and he would arrange something nice. We decided on 10 Euros each and explained I am a vegetarian. We were then presented with the most incredibly, amazingly delicious feast!

Best restaurant in Albania

Chandler is ready to eat

Our meal included wine and beer and an assortment of cheeses, olives and breads as an appetizer. We were then given various steamed or breaded vegetables with more cheeses and homemade sugar syrup made from pine cones packed with sugar in jars left in the sun. Next came the main course of pasta with a mushroom sauce for me and leg of baby goat for Chandler, with a side of roasted potatoes to share. Dessert was fresh fruit and coffee. We spent about three hours enjoying the food and were contemplating camping on the lawn so we could do it again the next day.

A little something to get us started

Ready to burst

Feeling extremely full and happy, we waddled back onto the bike in search of a hotel. As luck would have it, we encountered a fierce headwind, which cut our speed down by half. Normally, I would be cursing the wind, but I actually appreciated the extra effort to help work off the meal. When we reached the town of Mjede, we decided to call it a night instead of continuing to struggle another 10 miles. The hotel had reliable wifi, so a rest day was in order for the next day. Plus, we were avoiding leaving Albania and wanted to stick around one more night!

Checking the map

Jul22

June 25, 2013

Distance: 37.2 miles Climbing: 2424.5 ft

We walked around Bulqize in the morning looking for breakfast and Ellet, but found neither. We still haven’t figured out breakfast here. There are tons of cafés, but they only serve drinks, and we never see anyone eating anything in the morning. In the larger towns we can usually find a bakery selling pastries, but there wasn’t an obvious one here. Chandler settled for a chicken gyro since he was starving. I was able to find some bananas, which at least gave me some fuel.

We got back on the highway and rode up a steep but short pass on the west side of town. On the other side we found a very long winding descent. We had a perfect view of the valley below, full of fields with limestone mountains in the distance. We made our way down into the valley to the town of Klos. We saw on our map that there was a rail line starting near there, so we thought about catching the train to change things up a little bit. The streets in the town were under construction and in a chaotic torn up state. It was quickly apparent that we were not going to be taking the train when we saw that the railroad ballast was excavated in some areas, maybe borrowed to help rebuild the roads? The rail bridges were all still intact but the rails themselves were gone. We rolled along through a valley full of family farms, with lots of people waving to us as we passed.

Good spot to pose for a photo

Down into the valley we go

We stopped at a gas station for some espresso and one of the guys sitting in the café spoke some English so we found out that the vote counting was still going on and there wasn’t a winner in the national election yet. Back on the bikes, we rode along through the valley until we made it to the outskirts of Burrel, which we quickly found out was up on top of a big hill. Our map showed two roads going in our direction, one up through Burrel, the other almost straight north. The north route looked shorter and we almost took it when we saw that the map had the road going straight through a large reservoir. We double checked on the GPS and saw the road dead ended at the reservoir, and now another road made a circuitous route around the east side, and up some big hills. So we climbed to Burrel. It wasn’t anything amazing, and we didn’t see a place to stop for pizza, plus it was just packed with people milling around in front of local national party headquarters. The whole place felt a little tense so we kept moving, back down the big hill on the other side of town.

Not the flag we were expecting to see

Looks a little too big to jump off

We rode along a ridge overlooking the south side of the reservoir and then made a big climb before descending into a river valley below the dam, which was out of sight from the road. After crossing a huge stone bridge we started chugging up the road perched up on side of the river valley. We saw a little café and stopped for a cold drink and a snack. There was a nice older lady running the place and she made sure we sat on the side of the deck with a gorgeous view overlooking the river. It was a really nice spot with a vineyard planted on the steep bank between the café/house and the river. After relaxing for a while we realized we were pretty beat and asked if we could camp for the night down below. The old lady seemed like she expected this and motioned that we should go down and stay in one of the small wooden sun shelters by the river. She handed us a big bottle of frozen water and we brought a couple of beers down with us too.

Chandler relaxing

Free campsite

We cooked dinner and then the women’s two sons came down to do some fishing. They went out on the river in a rowboat and set a long line of baited hooks for quite a way downstream. They came back to shore to wait and they showed Chandler all the fruits that they grew, and they talked about fishing by waving their hands around. As it got dark we said goodnight and went to sleep.

A Few Days Off

the things that we do

Category Archives: The Bike Trip