Although my drive yesterday was just 125 km,I had driven almost right across Montenegro ,so I decided I’d slow the pace down a little and spend one more day in the country. It is Easter bank holiday Monday, too, another consideration. Most things seems open here, but I’m not sure about the situation in Albania, the next country on the route, which also celebrates Orthodox Easter, even though the majority there are nominally Moslem.
I drove 15km north ,away from the coast,to have a look at Lake Zadar.This is the largest lake in the Balkans, 500 or so square km of beauty.Two thirds of it are in Montenegro and the other third in Albania. The Montenegrin side is a national park and an important wildlife reserve,with 250 species of bird including the endangered Dalmation Pelican. The drive entailed a plunge through the mountain range that lines the coast, through a 5km tunnel, arriving at a little town of Virpazar at the head of the lake. This is a quiet place but obviously sees a number of tourists as there are souvenir shops and a big tourist information office. Standing on the quay you can hear a constant load noise of frogs croaking.
I drove 15km north ,away from the coast,to have a look at Lake Zadar.This is the largest lake in the Balkans, 500 or so square km of beauty.Two thirds of it are in Montenegro and the other third in Albania. The Montenegrin side is a national park and an important wildlife reserve,with 250 species of bird including the endangered Dalmation Pelican. The drive entailed a plunge through the mountain range that lines the coast, through a 5km tunnel, arriving at a little town of Virpazar at the head of the lake. This is a quiet place but obviously sees a number of tourists as there are souvenir shops and a big tourist information office. Standing on the quay you can hear a constant load noise of frogs croaking.
Lake Skadar
 Virpazar. The reeds in the foreground were alive with a cacophony of frogs |
Unfortunately, exploring these dramatic areas of natural beauty is not best tried in a campervan, for, while I was able to pull into the village square and park on the quay, further progress round the lakeshore road would have been mad as it was a narrow, windy, single lane road. On one previous occasion,I had to reverse out of a turning I took going the wrong way round the bay of Kotor, as the road suddenly became too narrow.In a hired car it would be great country to tour in, and it would be easy to find accommodation, as every village is advertising ‘rooms’. My guidebook described a number of apparently delightful little villages round here, but they’re impossible to get to in a 6m van.
One of the things my guidebook mentioned was that local boatmen offer trips to the historic monasteries on the shore, or to see the wildlife. They aren’t shy: I stopped in 3 places to have a walk and take pictures, and on each occasion someone immediately popped out of the shadows and offered me a boat trip.
One of the things my guidebook mentioned was that local boatmen offer trips to the historic monasteries on the shore, or to see the wildlife. They aren’t shy: I stopped in 3 places to have a walk and take pictures, and on each occasion someone immediately popped out of the shadows and offered me a boat trip.
 Fishing structures on the Milena canal at Ulcinj |  The island town of Sventi Stephan,on the coast.The whole place is now a privately owned resort :no public access beyond the beach. |
I then returned the way I had come, through the tunnel and back to the coast.As I headed south towards Albania the infrastructure became rather tattier. I stopped just beyond the last town, Ulcinj , of which apparently 60% of the population are ethnic Albanian. Indeed it used to be Albanian until WW1.It shows its cultural history with several mosques. On the Milena canal coming inland from the sea to a wetland area ,are suspended dipping nets ,similar to those I’ve seen pictured in Southeast Asia and India-but the water looks disgusting so I wouldn’t fancy the fish caught here.
I arrived early for the night at a section of the 15km sandy beach that runs south to Albania. Montenegro is indeed a small place ,as here are the group of Dutch New-age travellers (in a convoy of a Bedford truck conversion and a Citroen 2CV)that were on Bulijarica beach last night. There is no-one else in the place ,other than workmen repairing the beach restaurant and wicker beach umbrellas ready for the start of the season, when the Kosovans(apparently) flock here.The wifi is on,however,and the ablutions block functional.I was able to catch up on a bit of much need research for the next legs of the journey.
For such a small country, Montenegro is blessed with amazing scenery and manages several national parks, which would make a fantastic trip for serious walkers or nature–watchers. One other observation: if car number plates are anything to go by, Montenegro is desperate to get into the EU. So as well as using the Euro, their number plates are the EU type, with the blue bar in the left showing the country code, only without the accompanying EU circle of stars. Interestingly, Croatia has not adopted EU plates, and their number plates just contain the national crest.
I arrived early for the night at a section of the 15km sandy beach that runs south to Albania. Montenegro is indeed a small place ,as here are the group of Dutch New-age travellers (in a convoy of a Bedford truck conversion and a Citroen 2CV)that were on Bulijarica beach last night. There is no-one else in the place ,other than workmen repairing the beach restaurant and wicker beach umbrellas ready for the start of the season, when the Kosovans(apparently) flock here.The wifi is on,however,and the ablutions block functional.I was able to catch up on a bit of much need research for the next legs of the journey.
For such a small country, Montenegro is blessed with amazing scenery and manages several national parks, which would make a fantastic trip for serious walkers or nature–watchers. One other observation: if car number plates are anything to go by, Montenegro is desperate to get into the EU. So as well as using the Euro, their number plates are the EU type, with the blue bar in the left showing the country code, only without the accompanying EU circle of stars. Interestingly, Croatia has not adopted EU plates, and their number plates just contain the national crest.
RSS Feed