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.

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.

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

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

Prayer candles

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!)

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

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

Moments of clearing skies show how beautiful it is here.

Happy hour at our apartment.

Pasta & Salad for dinner.

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

Vegetarian for Judy

Vege Cevap

It’s cold and we are getting very wet

6.3 kms 337m Elevation Gain

Holly’s dinner

Pikantni Ustipci na Kajmaku

With Fries and Onion Rings

It’s cloudy but some views of the mountains.

Video: Weren’t expecting snow!

Met up with friends along the narrow road.

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”

It is starting to snow. 2C

VIDEO: It’s snowing

Walter Cevap for Rich

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

Started our hike to Jablan Lake viewpoint.

Lunchtime

Reached our destination.

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

Big climb

Video: Getting more rugged

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

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

Starting out on the hike. 4C

Some clearer views

And up we go

Being very cautious on the difficult downhill

Not the peak yet

Half hour drive to the trailhead.

Grateful to reach the peak! 2393m

Getting very steep

Trail rocky but good so far

Picture frame at the parking lot.

Enjoying the hike

Slow going on this trail

More to go

Heading down. Very tricky & scary!

Mostly cloudy but some breaks in the sky.

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!

Beautiful views

Fairly steep start.

Made it!

Up we go

Snow on the trail

Surprise!

VIDEO:

Trail is very rugged.

Good trail here

VIDEO

Cloud cover over the mountain peaks

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

Getting into mountain pine bushes

Still climbing

Good views here

Looking back

A bit rocky but pretty good footing

Found the trailhead and starting up.

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.

Enjoying patches of blue skies

VIDEO:

On our way down

Bushwhacking to the top

Holly finds a cave

View from the top

The bushes were unkind to Judy’s bare legs!

Holly checking out the mushrooms

Enjoying the views

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

Judy doctoring up her wounds

The climb continues

Some tricky areas

Holly has done this before but eager to join Judy!

Checked in to Eko Katan Rosi.

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

Heading for Gusinje with stops along the way.

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

Local housing

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

Typical haystacks.

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

Tara Bridge

Restaurant onsite. We all started with a salad.

Contemplating the Zipline

Judy on her first Zipline!

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

Judy is ready to go. No line-up €20

VIDEO: zipline

Our accommodation for the next 3 nights.

Almost at the top

Happy to have reached our destination.

VIDEO:

Seeing peaks in the distance.

Our destination today is Volusnica Peak.

Top of the world!

Clouds are lifting

Judy likes her perfect pole!

Views aren’t perfect but still spectacular!

Enjoying the hike.

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

It is raining now and getting heavier.

9.74kms, 833m elevation gain

Happy to be on our way down

Down we go

On our wsy down

Shoska salad

Dinner at our accommodation.

VIDEO: Imagine this on a clear day!

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

VIDEO:

At the trailhead just 5 minutes away.

Cappuccino treat for all!

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

Most of the clouds have lifted.

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

In the trees

VIDEO:

So many trails!

Stunning mountain tops in view.

Good trail

Family run with emphasis on eco \240tourism.

Examining the signage. We are on the right trail!

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:

Finishing our hike. Joined by friends!

Blue sky peeking out

This beetle came out of Rich’s daypack!

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

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

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

VIDEO: Oko Skakavice (Blue Eye)

Fire wood artfully stacked

National Museum

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

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

Arrived in Kotor. Looking for dinner.

Stopped in Cetinje to look around.

Vlah Church.

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

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

Enjoying the warm temperature. 22C

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

Court Church

Blue Palace

Monastery

Ministry of Culture

View of Budva on our drive to Kotor

Sharing the road driving thru Lubnice

Views from the Promenade

Leaving Gusinje

Fairy of Lovcen

Monument in Cetinje Dec 24, 1915

Video: Heading to Old Town, Kotor

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

We deserved this cappuccino!

Almost down

Holly made a delicious pasta & salad for dinner

Old Town

At the top!

Yup—it’s steep!

VIDEO:

A perfect day, 24C

Beautiful mountains surrounding us in Old Town

On our way down

Happy Hour in garden at Holly’s apartment

Steep climb

Not too busy yet in Old Town

Lovely little side streets

Up we go!

Lots of viewpoints

Looking down

Starting the climb.1350 steps

Entrance was €15

St Tryphon Cathedral

Views of mountain peaks above and sea below

Enjoying the views

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!

VIDEO: Trail good here. We appreciated this section.

Passed by a very old structure.

A little more descent over the huge rocks.

No problem-he graciously backed up and moved over.

Rugged here.

Beautiful views along the way

Met this beetle along the way.

Back to the hut. All locked up.

Great views.

Down from the most difficult part.

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

On our way up the trail. Very rocky.

VIDEO:

Subra Hut. 3.5kms to the peak.

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

Parked the car and headed toward Subra Peak.

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.

Walked again after lunch in our apartment

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

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

What a treat! Wonderful evening!

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

Dating back to 1452 the church was renovated in 1722.

Beautiful promenade in Perast

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

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.

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

Perast

Passing a private island.

Perast is a UNESCO site.

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

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

St Nicholas tower is an impressive landmark in the city.

It was delicious!

Locally made ice cream sounds good.

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.

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

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

We visited Rozafa Castle

Platter with 600g of assorted meats

Dinner time

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.

View of Shkoder

The castle dates back to 4th Century BC

Delicious salad

On the walk back we see Ebu Beker Mosque

Our taxi driver dropped us at our hotel in Shkoder.

Entrance to the castle

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.

Stopped for a beer

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

Near our hotel is a lovely pedestrian street

Rich scored his much needed coffee.

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

Made a 15 minute stop on the way.

Our boat was crowded! But off we went.

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

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

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

It was a beautiful day and the scenery was amazing!

Judy spent most of the time out on the deck.

VIDEO:

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

VIDEO:

View from our deck.

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Photo op!

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

Horses for hire to carry luggage.

At the pass!

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.

Holly after lunch break

Cables in several areas.

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

The trail is narrow and steep with huge dropoffs.

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

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.

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

The vistas are amazing

VIDEO:

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

The climb has definitely begun.

Grateful for the bridge!

Morning sun from our deck

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

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

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

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

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

A lookout just above the pass

A beautiful spot and refreshing stop.

Views of the river from the trail

Theth Church

Steep, rocky climb

Grunas Waterfall.

Clouds are clearing and we see blue sky.

It’s a rough trail in spots

Took the optional route rather than ‘scary’ bridge.

Tricky terrain coming down from the waterfall.

VIDEO: Theth ‘Blue Eye’

Some people and taxis drive and park here.

VIDEO:

Hike toward Grunas Waterfall along the river.

Enjoying the colors

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

Now hiking to Theth ‘Blue Eye’

Beautiful vistas of colors and mountains!

Theth ‘Blue Eye’

VIDEO:

VIDEO: Another waterfall on the river.

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

Bee Hives

‘STOP’ means STOP no matter where you are.

It is beautiful!

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

Chickens in the yard

Enjoyed our time in Theth. Very comfortable guesthouse.

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:

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.

Happy Hour at the Cowboy Bar on the pedestrian strip

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

For dinner Rich & Holly had Carbonara

Clock Tower

Across this bridge is the pedestrian street.

Shen Pali Catholic Cathedral

Skanderbeg Monument

Old walls of the city

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

Decaffeinated Latte for Judy.

Remains of the old walls and entry to the pedestrian area

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

Inside the Orthodox Cathedral

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.

Stopped for cappuccino

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

Loving the architecture

Polytechnic University of Tirana

A visit to the Pyramid at night

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

Lots of benches along our walk.

17.5 kms today

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.

Mosque Dine Hoxha

Inside Et’hem Bej Mosque

Lovely dinner at Era Restaurant

Wine on our deck

Stunning architecture

Bike shop

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’.

Cappuccino break

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.

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

Sampled Albanian microbrew

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.

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.

Dinner

WHITE CREAM MEATBALL DISH for Holly

Mercedes G Wagon

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

MEATBALL КЕВАР for Rich

Chef Salad

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.

Walkabout after dinner

Lunch near the Bazaar.

Toptani Shopping Center. 7 floors.

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.

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.

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

VIDEO:

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

VIDEO: Streets are just flooded!

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.

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

Red Mosque built between 1393-1402

Beautiful views

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

VIDEO: Our Guesthouse in Gjirokaster.

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

Cappuccino outside

The castle was free to visit.

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.

Rich had Beef Stew

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

Holly & I had Carbonara

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

Green salad

No flat walking—just steep up and steep down.

Holly had Panna Cotta for dessert.

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

We are high up in the city with magnificent views.

Judy enjoyed Spinach Pie

Lots of shops, cafes, restaurants and bars.

Rooftop dining

Chilly, but clear

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

View from our deck

Moussaka for Holly

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

Looking out from our deck of the night view

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

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

Another view of the back of the castle.

Back into Old town for lunch.

Salad & soup for me & Judy

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

Gjirokaster Castle overlooks the valley.

Viewpoint on our walk to Gjirokaster Castle

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

Rich had byrak

Walking back to Old Town for dinner

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

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

Entering the castle. €4 each

Another view

Now steep downhill.

VIDEO: Steep downhill, narrow road, hairpin intersections

A friendly young couple from Holland joined us.

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

Wine tasting & dinner

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

Showed us his awards

Starter

Byrek

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

For our last night we booked Vila Shehi Guesthouse and Winery

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.

Short detour to visit Aqueduct of Benca

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

Rooms still not ready so walked to a nearby lake

Had a tour of the winery

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

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!

Breakfast at the winery guesthouse

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