Forgotten roads and moonlike dust
Balkans cycling trip, Day 21 26 July 2017: Ura Vajgurorë – Greshicë My bicycle is finally repaired properly and after a short stop in historical Berat we continue south across the mountains. The route offers a row of surprises, good and bad, as we learn to ride our bikes on roads with potholes and huge stones covered…
Rural idyll and smell of oil
Balkans cycling trip, Days 19-20 24-25 July 2017: Golem – Ura Vajgurore More visits to repair shops, donkeys, lovely lakes and delicious cakes. A long and tiring but also relaxing journey from the bustling tourist resorts and industrial cities to Central Albania’s farming country with a drop of oil. Distance: 102 + 10 km Total…
Back streets and parasols
Balkans cycling trip, Day 18 23 July 2017: Vorë – Golem A light half-day ride to the crammed seaside resort Golem just south of Durres. We stop in a sleepy town where the red star is still a central element of the main square, survive the deadly holes on the road and marvel at the…
Dust and getting lost
Balkans cycling trip, Day 17 22 July 2017: Ulez – Vore From the green mountains down to the plain. A long and exhausting day with a little from everything: crazy traffic and deserted dirt roads, big city crowd and goat herds, getting lost and luckily finding a nice hotel in the end Distance: 84 km…
Goats and bridges
Day 16 (21 July): Shengjin – Ulez Distance: 50 km Total distance: 917 km The last night in Shengjin I checked the map and our route once again and I noticed that the road we wanted to take was not just very low category (meaning that it could easily be a gravel road) but it…
Watermelon and grubby workshops
Days 14-15 (19-20 July): Shkodër – Shengjin Distance: 65 + 20 km Total distance: 867 km Three years ago when Aron and I were on our way back to Montenegro, we spent two days on the beach in Shengjin, a popular holiday destination for Albanians. We liked the laid-back atmoshphere and the campsite, where hens,…
Hairpin bends and helpful priests
Day 13 (18 July): Vermosh – Shkoder Distance: 89 km Total distance: 782 km After a wuthering day of doing practically nothing, we were all ready to cross the mountains although we knew it wouldn’t be an easy ride. Two passes were ahead of us. The first one, 1355 m over sea level, seemed to…
High wind and crossroads
Balkans Cycling Trip, Day 12 As the new day starts the weather changes for the better. It’s still cold and windy but at least it doesn’t rain. We cross borders again and decide to leave the difficult mountain part for tomorrow. Instead, we take a detour to see Vermosh, the destination of intrepid hikers (and…
Shivering and lazing
Balkans Cycling Trip, Day 11 Just a cold, rainy day when we all we did was wait for the sun to appear from behind the clouds. 16th July 2017: Plav by the lake Distance: 0 km Total distance: 658 km This was the first day the bikes didn’t move a metre; they stayed chained to…
Lake Plav greets us after tunnels and rain
Balkans Cycling Trip, Day 10 Another light day cut short by the rain. We ride our bikes towards the Albanian border in a hidden corner of Montenegro. As we pass through dark tunnels, we enjoy the stunning landscape and the atmosphere of small towns. And the views from our campsite by Lake Plav make us…