Happy to see these two after making two tight connections. Unfortunately their luggage did not arrive.

Picked up the rental car at the airport and set out on 2 1/2 hour drive to Zabljak where we have an apartment rented for five nights.

Detoured to visit Ostrog Monastery. It was 15 kms up an extremely winding mountain road.

Founded in 1665 within two large caves in a cliff face 900m above the Zeta Valley

From the Lower Monastery the faithful, many barefoot, plod 3kms up the steep, winding road to the Upper Monastery. We limited our penitence to just the final 200m from the parking lot. (Not barefoot!)

Prayer candles

We had moments of clearer skies and the views were beautiful. Luckily not much rain on the drive.

Found our apartment in Zabljak and settled in for the night. Very long day for Judy & Holly.

Girls did their best with selection available. Desperately hoping their luggage arrives soon.

After lunch and several downpours we head out to Dumitor National Park to hike Black Lake.

Luckily we still have the two umbrellas we purchased on our rainy day in Salzburg.

Moments of clearing skies show how beautiful it is here.

Happy hour at our apartment.

Pasta & Salad for dinner.

Met up with friends along the narrow road.

Started our hike to Jablan Lake viewpoint.

Lunchtime

It’s cloudy but some views of the mountains.

Judy’s Gortex jacket is in her luggage that hasn’t arrived so she appreciates my ‘Salzburg’ umbrella.

Reached our destination.

If the weather were better we would have loved to hike further.

It is starting to snow. 2C

VIDEO: It’s snowing

Video: Weren’t expecting snow!

It’s cold and we are getting very wet

6.3 kms 337m Elevation Gain

Vegetarian for Judy

Vege Cevap

Holly’s dinner

Pikantni Ustipci na Kajmaku

With Fries and Onion Rings

Walter Cevap for Rich

Sareni Raznjici

One thing that we notice here in Montenegro is how tall the people are. Apparently they are second to \240Netherlands in height of population.

Average male 6’ 1.25”

Average female 5’ 7.25”

Half hour drive to the trailhead.

Picture frame at the parking lot.

Starting out on the hike. 4C

Following the red & white trail markers. Trail is well marked.

Fairly steep start.

Mostly cloudy but some breaks in the sky.

Up we go

And up we go

Enjoying the hike

Trail rocky but good so far

Big climb

Beautiful views

Good trail here

VIDEO

Video: Getting more rugged

Snow on the trail

Cloud cover over the mountain peaks

Some clearer views

Getting very steep

Trail is very rugged.

Not the peak yet

Slow going on this trail

More to go

Being careful on the edge. Heading to what we think is the peak. Later we realize it is a false peak and there is more to come!

Surprise!

VIDEO:

Video: Judy on the false peak. One more to go. The last climb to the top.

Made it!

Grateful to reach the peak! 2393m

Heading down. Very tricky & scary!

Being very cautious on the difficult downhill

Happy with our day! Prutas Peak 9 kms, 736m of elevation gain.

Found the trailhead and starting up.

A bit rocky but pretty good footing

Looking back

Still climbing

Good views here

Getting into mountain pine bushes

Holly checking out the mushrooms

Some tricky areas

The climb continues

Enjoying the views

Bushwhacking to the top

View from the top

The bushes were unkind to Judy’s bare legs!

Judy doctoring up her wounds

On our way down

Enjoying patches of blue skies

VIDEO:

Video: Hiking down. Clouds moving quickly across the sky.

Holly finds a cave

She didn’t go inside but had a good look.

7 kms, 401m elevation gain

Tonight we pack up and get ready for a big travel day tomorrow.

Heading for Gusinje with stops along the way.

Enjoying the views along the way.

Tara Canyon. World’s second deepest canyon at 1,333m. 149 km long. Rafting is very popular,

Tara Bridge

Contemplating the Zipline

Judy is ready to go. No line-up €20

VIDEO: zipline

Judy on her first Zipline!

Holly has done this before but eager to join Judy!

Tara Bridge

Local housing

Stopped at Biogradska Lake for a short hike. Water level is very low.

Typical haystacks.

Cute little restaurant along the way. Driving is very diffucult. Mostly single lane mountain road with lots of potholes. Very slow going.

Our accommodation for the next 3 nights.

Checked in to Eko Katan Rosi.

Family run since 1790. We have our own cabins. Plates made by local potter.

Restaurant onsite. We all started with a salad.

Judy & I had the Pite with spinach & cheese and a dip. It was delicious!

Our destination today is Volusnica Peak.

Trail started out thru the forest but now out in the open.

Seeing peaks in the distance.

Enjoying the hike.

Clouds are lifting

Almost at the top

Happy to have reached our destination.

VIDEO:

VIDEO: Imagine this on a clear day!

On our wsy down

Views aren’t perfect but still spectacular!

Top of the world!

Happy to be on our way down

Judy likes her perfect pole!

Down we go

It is raining now and getting heavier.

9.74kms, 833m elevation gain

Dinner at our accommodation.

Shoska salad

Family run with emphasis on eco \240tourism.

At the trailhead just 5 minutes away.

Going thru Prokletije Park boundary. First day in Dormitor National Park we each bought an annual park pass for €13.50, otherwise €5 for each day entering a National park \240in Montenegro.

VIDEO:

Just a few minutes up the trail we come to Grlja Waterfall.

VIDEO:

VIDEO: Oko Skakavice (Blue Eye)

Blue Eye. Spring with blue water that rises from 50m deep.

So many trails in this area. Some go to Albania.

In the trees

VIDEO:

Video: Out in the open now and clouds are lifting exposing massive peaks arounds us.

Examining the signage. We are on the right trail!

So many trails!

Most of the clouds have lifted.

Stunning mountain tops in view.

Good trail

Blue sky peeking out

Finishing our hike. Joined by friends!

Cappuccino treat for all!

Enjoyed our easy 13.3km hike. 356m elevation gain.

This beetle came out of Rich’s daypack!

Boneless chicken fingers ‘on the house’. Absolutely delicious and very much appreciated!

Rich has been told there is a special treat coming for breakfast.

‘Prisance’, a traditional Montenegran breakfast dish. Fried like donuts and delicious!

Leaving Gusinje

Fire wood artfully stacked

Sharing the road driving thru Lubnice

On a toll road. Lots of tunnels, many over 2500m and some over 3000m.

Stopped in Cetinje to look around.

Vlah Church.

Fairy of Lovcen

Monument in Cetinje Dec 24, 1915

Ministry of Culture

Judy with kindred spirit, Princess Ksenija (1881-1960). Among other things was the first woman in the Balkins to drive a car.

National Museum

Monastery

Court Church

Monument of Ivan Crnojevic (1465-1490) Lord of Montenegro and Cetinje’s founder.

Blue Palace

View of Budva on our drive to Kotor

Arrived in Kotor. Looking for dinner.

Views from the Promenade

Enjoying the warm temperature. 22C

Video: Heading to Old Town, Kotor

Not too busy yet in Old Town

Lovely little side streets

St Tryphon Cathedral

Starting the climb.1350 steps

Entrance was €15

Looking down

Enjoying the views

Steep climb

Lots of viewpoints

Views of mountain peaks above and sea below

Up we go!

Yup—it’s steep!

At the top!

VIDEO:

A perfect day, 24C

Kotor Fortress, part of Venetian Works of Defence 15th-16th centuries

On our way down

Almost down

We deserved this cappuccino!

Old Town

Beautiful mountains surrounding us in Old Town

Happy Hour in garden at Holly’s apartment

Holly made a delicious pasta & salad for dinner

No problem-he graciously backed up and moved over.

Parked the car and headed toward Subra Peak.

We were advised by a guide passing by that ascent to Subra Peak was technical & dangerous and we shouldn’t attempt it.

On our way up the trail. Very rocky.

VIDEO:

VIDEO: Trail good here. We appreciated this section.

Subra Hut. 3.5kms to the peak.

Met this beetle along the way.

Passed by a very old structure.

Rugged here.

Beautiful views along the way

This is the end for us. Subra plateau. Very difficult climb to here over huge rocks with steep crevasses and drop-off.

Down from the most difficult part.

A little more descent over the huge rocks.

Great views.

Back to the hut. All locked up.

Almost down to the car. After the mountain road we enjoyed our drive back to Kotor along the seaside.

Stopped for a cappuccino along the way. 11 kms, 650m elevation gain. Great day!

In between raindrops we quickly walked to Old Town looking for an ATM.

Old Town Kotor really is a magnifcent site. Kotor is a popular port for cruise ships so can get extremely busy.

Walked again after lunch in our apartment

Lovely church on our walk. 54 mm of rain in the last 24 hours. Lots of thunder and lightning.

Rich made All’Amatraciana for dinner. Tomorrow should be back to sunshine.

Drove 11 kms from Kotor to Perast. Parking was tricky but we did fine,

Perast is a car-free town so we parked on the side of the highway about half kilometer away.

Dating back to 1336, Perast was a small fishing village.

Perast is a UNESCO site.

St Nicholas tower is an impressive landmark in the city.

Marco Martinovic

Martinovic was a renowned nautical expert, with a gift for mathematics, drawing, and shipbuilding. In 1700, he opened the first nautical school of the Boka Kotorska in Perast.

We walked the narrow side streets

Commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the Great Ravage of Perast.

St Nicholas’ Catholic Church Tower (Rimokatolička crkva Svetog Nikole) is the heart of Perast. The church was built in 1616, but replaced a church dating to 1564.

We paid €5 each for a return boat ride to “Our Lady of the Rock” Driver dropped us off and returned in half an hour to bring us back.

“Our Lady of the Rocks” is a man-made island,

Dating back to 1452 the church was renovated in 1722.

Passing a private island.

Perast

Locally made ice cream sounds good.

It was delicious!

Beautiful promenade in Perast

Met up with Sheridan & Walt for dinner in Kotor. They were also traveling in Montenegro.

What a treat! Wonderful evening!

Now waiting for our pre-arranged taxi to drive us from Podgorica Airport to Shkoder, Albania

We had to show our passports at the border leaving Montenegro and again entering Albania.

Our taxi driver dropped us at our hotel in Shkoder.

Lots of antiques in the lobby. Employee at the hotel arranged van-boat-van transportation to Valbone tomorrow morning. We will be picked up at 6:30am and will be given our breakfast to go. We will leave most of our luggage here and have another night booked at this hotel 3 days later.

We visited Rozafa Castle

The castle dates back to 4th Century BC

Entrance to the castle

View of Shkoder

On the walk back we see Ebu Beker Mosque

Stopped for a beer

Near our hotel is a lovely pedestrian street

Dinner time

Delicious salad

Platter with 600g of assorted meats

Shkoder is one of Albania’s oldest and most historic towns. Also, an important cultural and economic centre.

We were the last to be picked up. We got the last 3 seats.

Made a 15 minute stop on the way.

Rich scored his much needed coffee.

The van stopped in the middle of a tunnel just before the ferry terminal. We were all told to exit the van.

VIDEO:

VIDEO: Walked thru the tunnel and down to a waiting boat.

Our boat was crowded! But off we went.

The boat stopped several times along the way to let people off or deliver goods.

It was a beautiful day and the scenery was amazing!

Judy spent most of the time out on the deck.

VIDEO:

VIDEO: It was difficult to capture the beauty around us.

We disembarked the ferry at Fierze and were met by waiting buses & vans.

Our van dropped us off right at our hotel in Valbone. Total cost of our 3 modes of transportation for the day was €26 each.

View from our deck.

We could only pack what could fit in our daypacks for the 3 days. Lots of layers! It was chillier than we expected when the sun went down.

We could buy dinner at our hotel for €10 and order a packed lunch for €4. Breakfast was included in the €40 we paid for our room. Excited for tomorrow’s hike over the pass to Theth!

Morning sun from our deck

Leaving our accommodation in Valbone. Like so many of the guest houses it is a family run operation. The grandson who served the meals and checked us out graciously offered to drive us 4 kms to the trailhead. He refused any payment for this.

We are carrying all we need for 3 days in our daypacks. Definitely heavier than usual.

The trail started out pretty flat on a very rocky surface.

Horses for hire to carry luggage.

The leaves were just starting to change color in the past week.

The climb has definitely begun.

The nose-horned viper (Vipera ammodytes) is the most venomous snake in Albania. A pretty rare sighting apparently. Lucky us (or not!).

This hike can be done in either direction. Some people choose to hike to the pass from either Valbone or Theth then back down the same way.

The vistas are amazing

VIDEO:

VIDEO: Two horses carrying backpacks pass us on the trail.

Photo op!

Holly after lunch break

The trail is narrow and steep with huge dropoffs.

Cables in several areas.

At the pass!

A lookout just above the pass

On our way down. Laundry hanging to dry at this little farm.

Lucky us—coffee shop! Actually Rich was the only one to partake of the Turkish coffee served here. The rest of us had a cold drink.

A beautiful spot and refreshing stop.

Grateful for the bridge!

It was a very steep down after the pass so a flat stretch was appreciated.

The mountains look a little different on this side. Saw lots of rosehips.

Felt very fortunate that we got to see the changing colors.

Checked in to our guesthouse in Theth. Dinner was €12. Salad, soup, bread, cheese, Pork Chop & potatoes.

16.2 kms today, 845m elevation gain with challenging terrain.

Judy only had to pay €10 for a vegetarian meal. No porkchop, but extra potatoes!

Clouds are clearing and we see blue sky.

Theth Church

Hike toward Grunas Waterfall along the river.

Grunas Waterfall.

Took the optional route rather than ‘scary’ bridge.

Tricky terrain coming down from the waterfall.

Enjoying the colors

Now hiking to Theth ‘Blue Eye’

‘STOP’ means STOP no matter where you are.

Bee Hives

It’s a rough trail in spots

Some people and taxis drive and park here.

VIDEO:

VIDEO: Another waterfall on the river.

Beautiful vistas of colors and mountains!

Steep, rocky climb

Views of the river from the trail

Theth ‘Blue Eye’

VIDEO:

VIDEO: Theth ‘Blue Eye’

It is beautiful!

On the 2 1/2 km hike back to the parking area where we willl catch a ride back to Theth.

16.8 kms, 500m elevation gain

Dinner tonight; soup, salad, bread with yogurt-cheese base dip, stuffed pepper, rice & chicken.

Enjoyed our time in Theth. Very comfortable guesthouse.

Chickens in the yard

Franco, his sister, parents & grandparents run the guesthouse. Franco served the meals, made arrangements for the van to pick us up for drive to Shkoder, about 2 hours, €12 each.

VIDEO:

VIDEO: It was a narrow, twisty mountain road for much of the ride from Theth to Shkoder!

Checked in to the hotel where we left our luggage a few days ago. Pizza for lunch.

Happy Hour at the Cowboy Bar on the pedestrian strip

For dinner Rich & Holly had Carbonara

Judy had Cacio e pepe tagliatelle and I had Fettuccine with pancetta and sage

We have arranged for the same taxi driver from Podgorica to Shkoder to drive us from Shkoder to Tirana in the morning.

We are in the Blloku district of the city. Lots of Italian influence. Immediately struck by the interesting architecture.

Across this bridge is the pedestrian street.

Shen Pali Catholic Cathedral

Remains of the old walls and entry to the pedestrian area

Clock Tower

Inside the Orthodox Cathedral

Skanderbeg Monument

Decaffeinated Latte for Judy.

Old walls of the city

Tomorrow we have a full day planned starting with a visit to Et’hem Bej Mosque.

Inside Et’hem Bej Mosque

Commemorating the Everlasting Friendship between the People of Albania and Republic of Kuwait.

Bike shop

The Pyramid of Tirana constructed in 1988 in memory of Communist leader, Enver Hoxha, who died 3 years earlier. After fall of Communism it was abandoned and since renovated.

Stunning architecture

Mosque Dine Hoxha

Polytechnic University of Tirana

We walked to Grand Park of Tirana and around the artificial lake.

Loving the architecture

Stopped for cappuccino

Lots of benches along our walk.

17.5 kms today

Lovely dinner at Era Restaurant

A visit to the Pyramid at night

Wine on our deck

We noticed that most of the guests at our hotel are Italian. We asked about this and were told that the hotel has a relationship with a dental facility and the Italians come to get dental work done at a much lower price.

Albanian Bunkers are concrete hardened, "doomsday" shelters buried partly underground. These mushroom like structures were created to protect greater Albania from various real and imaginary enemy attacks. Built under direction by the late communist dictator Enver Hoxha. There were more than 750,000 bunkers built in Albania.

We toured the inside of Bunk’Art 2.

Security Room of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. There is a tunnel that connects the shelter consisting of 24 rooms that are immune to any nuclear or chemical attack, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs directly.

Can’t get enough of the architecture here in Tirana!

The Tanners' Bridge is an 18th-century Ottoman period stone footbridge. The bridge, built near the Tanners' Mosque, was once part of the Saint George Road that linked Tirana with the eastern highlands.

The bridge crossed the Lanë stream near the area where butcher shops and leather workers were located. The bridge fell into disrepair when the Lanë was diverted in the 1930s. In the 1990s, the bridge was restored for use by pedestrians.

Lunch near the Bazaar.

Toptani Shopping Center. 7 floors.

Cappuccino break

Sampled Albanian microbrew

Dinner

Chef Salad

WHITE CREAM MEATBALL DISH for Holly

MEATBALL КЕВАР for Rich

Walkabout after dinner

Mercedes G Wagon

An obvious presence of luxury cars here in Tirana. Apparently laundered money from nefarious activities.

Mercedes Maybach

A young man was leaning on the front of this car when we were walking by. He smiled and I asked him if it was his car. “No, I’m the driver” He then asked me where I was from. I answered “Canada”. He gave me a ‘thumbs up’.

We checked in to our guesthouse and set off for a walk. Berat is known as ‘Town of a thousand windows’, a Unesco World Heritage City.

Lovely pedestrian streets and Old Town.

Margarita Tutulani (1925 – 6 July, 1943) was an anti-fascist activist of Albania during World War II. Her brutal death inspired many to join the resistance against fascism in Albania.

Next thing we know—lightning, thunder and pouring rain. Street was so flooded we just stayed in place.

VIDEO:

VIDEO: Streets are just flooded!

Rain lets up a bit and we head back to the guesthouse.

No way we want to go out again so we ask our hosts to order pizza delivery for dinner!

We were served a delicious breakfast out on the deck.

The castle was free to visit.

Berat castle is inhabited by about 350 people. There are Restaurants, bars, hotels, guesthouses & shops.

Berat Castle fortress overlooking Berat dates from 13th century and contains many Byzantine churches and Ottoman Mosques.

Saint Spiridon Church in the Berat Castle built in the 18th Century

Red Mosque built between 1393-1402

Beautiful views

Cappuccino outside

Leaving the castle for the almost three hour drive to Gjirokaster.

VIDEO: Our Guesthouse in Gjirokaster.

VIDEO: Frightening drive up narrow streets with hairpin intersections to find our guesthouse high up in Gjirocaster. Stopped and called our host for driving instructions. He drove to meet us and led the way to the guesthouse. It did not disappoint!

Headed out to find Old Town.

No flat walking—just steep up and steep down.

Vibrant Old Town Bazaar dating back to 17th-19th centuries.

Lots of shops, cafes, restaurants and bars.

Rooftop dining

We are high up in the city with magnificent views.

From our guesthouse before going back into the Old Town for dinner.

Green salad

Holly & I had Carbonara

Judy enjoyed Spinach Pie

Rich had Beef Stew

Holly had Panna Cotta for dessert.

A beautiful day. Looking forward to exploring more of this World Heritage Unesco Site tomorrow!

View from our deck

Chilly, but clear

Viewpoint on our walk to Gjirokaster Castle

Another view

Entering the castle. €4 each

Gjirokaster Castle overlooks the valley.

Mostly built about 500 years ago but dates back to 4th Century when it was first inhabited.

Castle was a fortress base for Ali Pasha before he challenged the sultan, ending up losing his head.

During Albania’s monarchy and communist periods served as a prison and army barracks.

View of back of the castle walking down. Men working on a roof.

Walking steeply uphill to see a view of Ali Pasha bridge we pass several bunkers.

Ali Pasha bridge in view. This is the end of the trail.

Now steep downhill.

So many little cafes and restaurants along the way. Rooftop restaurant here,

Another view of the back of the castle.

Back into Old town for lunch.

Rich had byrak

Looking out from our deck of the night view

Walking back to Old Town for dinner

Salad & soup for me & Judy

Moussaka for Holly

Heading home then had to turn back in the search for Snickers bars. Success!

VIDEO: Steep downhill, narrow road, hairpin intersections

Short detour to visit Aqueduct of Benca

For our last night we booked Vila Shehi Guesthouse and Winery

Our rooms weren’t ready so they served us homemade cookies

Rooms still not ready so walked to a nearby lake

We walked on a muddy path to the lake \240so looked for a way up to the road

Holly asked for guidance from nearby ‘turkey herder’ Google translate helped!

Back at the guesthouse. Rooms still not ready so found a comfortable room for ‘Happy Hour’

Still waiting for our rooms to be ready. Our hosts had a bus load of 45 people from France for wine tasting so were very busy.

Rooms now ready. Shocker when we saw the bathroom!!!

Had a tour of the winery

Showed us his awards

Wine tasting & dinner

Starter

Byrek

A friendly young couple from Holland joined us.

Breakfast at the winery guesthouse

Dropped the rental car and checked in for our flight to London Heathrow, then Vancouver

Happy to have made our connection at London Heathrow and now final flight to Vancouver.

End of an exciting adventure hiking and traveling in Montenegro and Albania!