Balkan Backroads

No surprise I am up early and could sleep on but I my age I seem programmed to get up early. I know the breakfast routine and go enjoy the buffet, but I try and eat a normal amount rather than filling my plate since I have to bike up a mountain or two. My appetite and habit is to keep eating even though I wont be burning off hundreds of calories.

After breakfast I walk across the street to the ferry office and pick up my ticket and seat assignment. I have plenty of time and walk along the harbor. As my sister pointed out I am lucky to have visited with Crystal and have great memories. I do enjoy my big travels, but it makes me want to go back and visit some of the places as well as new with Crystal.

Back at the hotel I double check that I have everything packed for the ship. I rearranged my bags so I have all I need for the voyage in one small bag I carry with me, and the rest can stay one bike.

Boarding is easy with a quick ticket check and I ride my bike into the belly of the ship. There are 4 other cyclists boarding and we are directed to the sides of other ship where there are large metal loops and ropes for us to tie our bikes securely to the sides. From here I walk up a few flights of stairs to the third floor and check in at reception. My ticket for a reserved seat which is on the fifth floor.

The fifth floor has several sections—some reserved seating and some general. The reserved seating has first class and general seating and I have general, but to be honest the ship isn’t very full and people are sitting wherever they want.

As we ship leaves I go to one of the outside decks as we navigate the harbor and out to the Adriatic Sea. The journey to Bari is 8 hours, but the ship is big so it is nice to get up walk around, go out on the deck, etc. Not as confining as the plane ride from the U.S. I have my headphones and plan on listening to music, reading and putting down my final thoughts here in the blog.

As I have said so many times, I have a lot of time to think and today is another one of those times. While I choose to bike for my own personal reasons, I think that travel of any kind is a great benefit. Learning, discovering, participating one dialogue with new people. It doesn’t matter if it is a different state, region or country meeting different people and trying to understand more about them and their experience.

Even my people watching within active interaction shows me a lot about people—the importance of relationships, family, etc.—and just how much we are alike. At the castle in Schkoder the ticket attendant asked what country which isn’t uncommon. I think they keep track for statistics. Of course, I said United States. He replied by saying he was from Iran. Then he put out his hand to shake mine. As we shook hands he smiled and in a strong accent said “We meet in Albania”.

I thought about that incident multiple times since then. How do I interact with people, listen to them, not assume. I go back to the song I quoted at the start of this blog—Song for Walking—and these couple lines—

I‘ll see all the ways I have grown
I’ll see how far there is to go
I’ll return a better man

All part of my bigger journey.

After a long 8 hours ferry ride I arrive in Bari and bike to the hotel where I meet Crystal waiting for me in the lobby. We spend some time with the group she is touring with and I hear all about their trip and answer questions about mine. Then it is off to dinner with just Crystal for some time just for the two of us.

Today is the end of the my bike journey through Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia Herzegovina and Croatia. And what a beautiful, challenging and amazing journey. Of course, I couldn’t gel but think of a song that would be appropriate, and another song by Tophouse came to mind—The Mountain Song.

We climbed a mountain
And I picked wildflowers and put 'em in her hair
And at the top we found a meadow
And danced barefoot in the grass
And I'm not lying there were bluebirds in the air
It was a long one
There was a time or two we felt like giving up
But every fall and every stumble made us
Stop and see the wonder
With your hand in mine we pushed on towards the top
Why do people climb mountains?
Is it just to reach the top and see the view?
Well I'll tell you something
Every rock and every river
Every sore and every splinter
I would climb every mountain with you

Well the clouds rolled in
There was lightning there was thunder there was rain
As we hid beneath our shelter
All the doubts that we had felt
Came pouring in as a flood we had to face
Then came the sunshine
The clouds rolled back and color filled the earth
And the rain had brought the flowers
You could sit and stare for hours
And the toil and the struggle showed its worth
Why do people climb mountains?
Is it just to reach the top and see the view?
Well I'll tell you something
Every rock and every river
Every sore and every splinter
In the summer, in the winter
When it's warm and when we shiver
I would climb every mountain with you
I picked wildflowers
We climbed a mountain
I picked wildflowers
We climbed a mountain
I picked wildflowers
We climbed a mountain
I picked wildflowers
Why do people climb mountains?
Is it just to reach the top and see the view?
Well I'll tell you something
Every rock and every river
Every sore and every splinter
In the summer, in the winter
When it's warm and when we shiver
When our feet are full of blisters
When it's sweet and when it's bitter
I'd climb every mountain with you

I have talked a lot about climbing mountains on this trip. Not to be dramatic, but we all know there are far more difficult and important challenges to be faced in life. I like the song because it talks about facing those challenges with someone. And because this is my blog I can throw in another song that comes to mind is by Marc Scibilia—here is the chorus.

By your side
You're the only place that I'll ever belong
By your side
You're the end of every road I travel on
'Til I'm old, 'til I die
Honey, home's wherever I lie, li-lie, lie, li-lie
By your side

I am such a creature of routine and it was hard to not get up early and prepare to hit the road. Instead it was a late breakfast and leisurely morning. Around 10:00 I grabbed the city bus at the stop outside and headed to the old city. I had no big plans just investigate and observe, and maybe some self-reflection.

I enter the city from a different gate and systematically start wandering the streets on the eastern hilly side. I know that sounds like an oxymoron “systematic wandering”, but by nature I will work my way through the neighborhoods in an orderly fashion. I love the signs of regular life-laundry on the lines outside the windows, items stacked next the doors, people talking from an upstairs window to someone on the street. All signs that this is a city still inhabited by people and not just a tourist destination.

When I finish the eastern side I head down to the mains streets in the flat center of town and then out a gate that leads to the old harbor. I find a great little park above the harbor and find a bench in the shade to park for a while. The breeze feels great and I am happy to cool off a bit. I was walking slow and down the steep staired lanes so I could take me time, but also so I wouldn’t sweat to much in my newly laundered clothes which smelled so clean.

Sitting in the park I could look down on the activities going on the farmer and observe the people directly around me. Another benefit of sitting in this particular spot was that many of the passing tour groups and their leaders would stop here and I would listen to what the guide was saying. Some free historical information.

After a long rest in the park I headed back to the harbor and walked next tot he water around as far as I could before the path stopped. There were people, children mostly, swimming and jumping in the water. I didn’t bring a suit today but it looked like fun and I envied them. I retraced my path and found a bench in the shade right in the harbor where I could watch the various boats go in and out—and it was very busy. There are several tour boats that leave front here taking you along the coast or out to an island which is a nature reserve. In my eavesdropping I heard one of the guides talk all about it and how much the locals like to take a break and make a day of it at the island. She pointed out that there a public beaches and if you don’t have a suit it isn’t a problem as one of the beaches is a nude beach. I guess there is a solution if I really want to swim.

Rather than share more than intended, I decided to head into town and get a light lunch. A chose a beet salad at a cafe in the heart of the old city. For the afternoon I started walking the hilly staired lanes on the west side. Although the city is full of tourists, these small streets away from the center provide space to breathe a bit and avoid the crowds.

I don’t know if it just my nature or the fact that I am here alone so I don’t have company to distract me, but it is fascinating watching other people. Makes me wonder how I appear to others. I think we all ave some idea of what we are like, but can be so blind to others. Have to ask yourself would I change my behavior if I thought someone was watching, but in truth very few things we do go unnoticed. Luckily, family and friends love me despite my shortcomings.

My systematic rambling bring me back to the flat center, and I head to the city square where a market is. There a some handmade goods, souvenirs, and food, I spend some time tasting some local treats and end up buying a selection of dried figs, almond pralines and candied orange rind. These may city sound as excited as gelato but they were delicious and I take my treats and go back to the harbor and find a shady bench again. The breeze off the water is cool and slightly chilly at times since the sun isn’t shining on me. I eat some of. My newly acquired treats and use my plow to search “how to dry figs”. Makes me think about my neighbor back home and how generous she has been sharing fresh figs from here bushes.

I have enjoyed my lazy day here in Dubrovnik and begin walking back through town to the bus stop, but before leaving I do have to get some gelato.

I have said in the past that these bike vacations are a chance to think and refocus. There is plenty of time on the road to have conversations with myself—asking questions and trying to answer them.

This trip, and today in particular, has been interesting as it mirrors my phase or stage in life. The biking days are defined and planned. I get up, bike, get to the place I need to be that day, then do the same thing the next day. I like biking, the pace, having more control as to where I am going and how I am getting there, always moving (sometimes quite slowly). Today the biking is done and I have to figure out what I am doing rather than just following the usual routine. The biking days are done and today I begin making new choices—I do anything, try something new, etc. So many options and so much to think about. Kind of like retiring. The established pattern for how I moved through life is not longer the same—the weekly work schedule is gone and I am free to do different things. I know that I will form a new routine, but I have to figure out what that will be, and there are quite a few options to choose from.

My last night in Croatia, and I am out walking along the harbor again. I see the small passenger boats from the Sail Croatia company which takes me back to 15 or so years ago when Crystal and I took a similar boat along the coast for a week from Split to Dubrovnik, stopping each day at various islands along the the way. Crystal had always been open to my crazy adventures. We started the trip by biking a week in Slovenia then taking the night train (a tragically funny night that only becomes funny with age). We then had a great day in Split before boarding the boat for a week of sun, swimming, lots of seafood and interesting boat mates. A wonderful trip that ended in Dubrovnik. My visit this time has been great but I can’t help but think of the time I was here with Crystal and the memories we have from that. I will see here tomorrow night but can easily say that she is still putting up with my crazy adventures. Will have to see what those are in retirement.

Before going to bed last night I looked outside at the terrential rain—the street in from the of hotel is flooded and people were wading though it. This morning it is sunny, clear, breezy and a little cooler. Fortified from the hotel buffet breakfast I began my last day of riding. I leave the walled city center and go through the large tree covered plaza which is filled with tables and tents for the regular market—local products, fruit and produce.

The ride today is short and easy and should only take a couple hours. I am quickly in the countryside and enjoying the cool morning air and beautiful scenery. I have mentioned the many stands along the roads during this trip. Selling honey, cherries, and other agricultural bounty. The honey stand today looks quite professional while many have been a simple table will jars and bottles. Many times this bottles have looked like reused water bottles.

I also pass a couple memorials along the way. I haven’t mentioned them before but I have seen dozens along the road. Some are quite large and some have a photograph along with them. I am not sure of the purpose or reason. In the United States I know sometimes people put a marker on the road where a loved one had an accident. It is hard to believe that the large number of these I have seen throughout the trip are accident victims.

After some rolling hills and a brief climb I come arising a bend and there is the sea. From here it is mostly downhill to Dubrovnik. I am coming in the north side or the city near the main harbor where the ferries and cruise ships are.

My hotel is very close to the ferry station so it will be easy when I depart on Sunday. I find my hotel guesthouse and check in use a little past 11:00. The first thing I do is sort my clothes and find a laundry nearby. The lady weighs my clothes and gives me a price. Happy to have someone else take the time, I pay and am told the clothes will be ready at 3:00.

Since I am on the opposite side of the city and quite a ways from the old walled center I look for what I might do on this side of town. I find a market and bakery near the hotel and buy a savory and a sweet snack then take them to a park next to the hotel where I find a bench to relax, eat and look at maps. I decide to bike around the modern harbor and on to the public beach. I have been to the city with Crystal more than 15 years ago so I do remember a little about the old city—it is an amazing place. I expect that it has changed some, and I have read that it is a very touristy city.

I find my way to the public beach which is pretty understated and not crowded. The beach does not have sand but is a pebble beach. I wade in at first and am surprised that the water is cooler than other places on this trip. I walk around snow and out to a dock which has stairs to under the water so I take the plunge and go swimming. I should say that I am wearing my swim trunks and a shirt which are the only two pieces of clothing I didn’t take to be laundered. The water is so clear and cool. Enjoyed the refreshing swim then stat for a while drying off before biking around the peninsula then back to the hotel where I grabbed a bag before walking to the laundry. Bag packed with fresh, clean clothes and I return to the room and am ready to bike to the old city center.

I choose the road which is goes high above the old city and gives great views of the castle and walls as I approach. Then it i through the gates and wandered the streets. The center of the city is flat and laid out in a grid pattern with long rectangles rather than square blocks. The west and particular the east sides of the old center are built on hills so they are longs series of stairs. The old city is so intractable and preserved and is worth joining the hordes of people here to admire all it has to offer.

Just before heading out there is some activity at the end of the street I am on—it is near the church. Soon people are exiting and the bride and groom are walking down the street with a band and all the wedding guests. There are attracting quite a bit of attention and cheers from the tourists.

It is late afternoon now so I bike back to the hotel and find a restaurant nearby to relax and eat. Again, I am craving something different so I choose a place known for its burgers and sandwiches. I get the pulled pork barbecue sandwich and it was very good. The sun is going down and the air is cooling off. Since I am in the new harbor I just walk across the street and find a bench to watch the sunset.

While I still have a sightseeing day here tomorrow and another week in Italy, I feel a little melancholy as I have finished the bike portion of the trip. I have so enjoyed my time on the bike and although it has been challenging at times I truly enjoy the type of travel the bike affords me. Like I said, I have tomorrow as a sightseeing/rest day, and then on Sunday I take the ferry from here to Bari, Italy. The ferry leaves here around 11:00 am and arrives at 7:00 pm. That is 8 hours to reflect on this trip. All those hours alone on the road gave me plenty of time to think, now I need to sift through all those thoughts and see what I do once I am home.

The hotel had a buffet breakfast and I was able to eat outside on the upstairs terrace where the rising sun illuminated the hilltop castle. Since the breakfast was buffet I was able to eat pretty quickly and get on the road. Not that there is a rush, but want to get some kilometers in before the afternoon sun and heat.

As I said yesterday there are easier routes to get to Dubrovnik but I will go longer and higher to avoid busy roads. So this morning I heard around the harbor taking the eastern side which is double the distance as going on the east side, but again the road is quieter. At it beginning there was even a small single lane road next to the water that I could take. The harbor is so beautiful it is east to see why Kotor and Perast, another small own I biked through, are two big draws in Montenegro.

When I get to side far side of the harbor I join the main road and my instincts were right. The road is busy and bumper to bumper traffic at times. I survived the few kilometers I had to navigate this traffic before turning of on a quieter road that quickly started moving up the mountain. There we two almost equal sections of the climb. The first part got me half was up where I had some great views and then I had a a few kilometers that were uphill, and then I began the second climbing section so that when away from the sea an into the green mountains.

It was hot, the climb wasn’t easy, but neither of these points were unexpected. Nevertheless, I was very happy to eventually reach the top where I immediately descended to a plateau still high in the mountains. After this somewhat flat section I begin the big descent to Trebinje which sits on a river in a valley surrounded by mountains.

I didn’t select Trebinje for any special other than It was a good size city with hotels on Booking.com that fell at a location and distance which made it a good overnight stay. I knew nothing about the city but thought it was a good option for the night.

My hotel was located just inside the very small walled old city center. I did my shower/laundry routine then looked at Google Maps to see what sights there might be to see here other than this little historical center. There is a historical bridge just outside the city center and then a church which I can see high on a hill above the city. Both were worth the visit. I had a steep ride up to the church but I had dropped my bags at hotel so I wasn’t carry all that weight which made it easy. The hilltop also gave me a great view of the city and mountains. I could see patches of rain in a couple places but nothing close at the moment. The skies are definitely cloudier and the forecast is for rain this afternoon/evening.

I bike back into town and by the time a get to the city center is is already sprinkling but nothing hard. I went back to the hotel and had them lock my bike up for the night then grabbed my raincoat and hat and headed to walk and check out the city.

Despite the small size of the historic part of the city, I found it so lovely, and I am sure part of that is how quiet and relatively tourist free it is. I say that but, I think it is a tourist town, just not one that draws a lot of foreign tourists. The church on the hill had a big display and right up about its importance to Bosnia Herzegovina. Inside the old walled city are lovey shops, cafes and restaurants. Just outside the wall is a couple churches and a nice pedestrian zone, a park, and tree-covered square.

I walked around and went to a market and bought some snacks—walked around some more then bought some pizza slices to go and took then to the tree-covered square where I found a bench to sit, eat, and people watch. Such a pleasant evening.

The skies eventually get darker, not just because of the setting sun but because of the think dark clouds. I start to walk home and it begins to rain. While writing this blog I can hear very heavy rains so I check them out and am glad to be comfortable and dry in my room. I check the weather and see the rain is supposed to stop overnight. I hope that is the case, but I can’t complain as I have had such nice weather while here. The little rain I have experienced hasn’t greatly impacted my biking or sightseeing. As I say that I hear another round of heavy rains and many flashes lightning and claps of thunder.

Enjoyed my breakfast and the amazing view. The biggest standout out breakfast was something new but not all that noticeable in the pic. That was the addition of homemade fried bread. The rounds were somewhat irregular in shape and thinnest but deep fried and about the size of a donut. So soft and good. There were four of then with accompanying jam and honey. Delicious.

I started the day knowing the ride was going to be difficult even through it was not as long as some of the others. After a brief downhhill from the guesthouse, the ride was pretty much uphill for have of the distance today. First I climbed a one lane country road through green mountains covered in trees and bushes, which was nice as tree was some shade on the side of the road. At one point the French couple passed me as they were driving to Kotor toady and both had their arms out the windows waiving as they passed.

Unfortunately, this quiet road ended and I had to turn on a major highway and bike this for quite some distance. The road was uphill the entire time and I was looking forward to getting off this road and back onto a smaller road. I exited this road at Cetinje and took the opportunity to stop at a market and get a cold drink I had been biking for more than a couple hours with no relief from the uphill climb. The city of Cetinje is on a flattish spot on the mountain so a little break before starting another uphill climb. I truly was just tortoising my way to the top. Not particularly elegant but just kept moving knowing it put me one step closer to getting some relief.

When I got close to the top there were several short ups and downs before going through a tunnel and then getting a nice but short downhill into a green valley. This was just a teaser though since there was another short climb and some ups and downs before beginning the big ascent.

When you finally do get to the point where you are headed downhill you are faced with some amazing views and what seems like an endless sequence of switchbacks. You can see Kotor before as well as the many other cities along the waters edge. I didn’t begin the descent until 1:00. I had been biking uphill—with the occasional break—since 9:00 this morning. Once the descent begins you ride it all the way into Kotor where I arrived at my hotel at 3:00.

Kotor has a great old city center and my hotel is just outside the old city walls. A quick shower and change and I ready to explore. Not surprisingly the city center is full of tourists, but it is an amazing place and understandably popular. I wander all the squares and a couple churches. One has a couple monks some beautiful chants. Even with all the people you can find out of the way corners to enjoy.

After wandering around for a couple hours I start looking for a place to east. Although people eat later here, I am always hungry when I finish biking so I stop by a market and by some chips—paprika flavored—and a drink to hold me over until I find a restaurant a little later. Although there are several restaurants inside the center, I choose to look outside a city neat my hotel as I was hoping for one a little less touristy. To be honest I have enjoyed all the food but I was hoping to find something different tonight and I find a place with a mix—some traditional some more international. I have chicken in a creamy curry sauce.

My table at the restaurant looks back toward the city center and I see that the sun is setting being the mountains and the city gradually become shaded. By the time I leave only the fort at the top of the mountains is in the sun. I walk through the winding streets and exit at the main city gate which put you out on the water. I walk along the water toward my hotel until I come to a park. Again, it looks like locals out walking dogs, pushing strollers, and I hear the voices of children playing in the playground. I find a bench looking out over the water where I watch boats go by, ducks swimming, and the sunset reflected on the water.

When read this I think this really does sound like an old person. No bars, discos or wild nights. Just enjoying simple things. To be honest, I never enjoyed or did those things when I was young. For all the amazing things today and throughout this trip I haven’t said much about it ending. I have only one big bike day left—tomorrow. Originally I had planned on staying near the water and taking two days to bike to Dubrovnik. Looking at that route I was afraid the coastal road which was relatively flat was far too much traffic to be enjoyable. As a result I have another day biking up into the mountains which will takes me into Bosnia and Herzegovina. Even better, I get to add another name to countries I have visited. Luckily I will bike around this lake for several kilometers before beginning the long hard climb up. I guess I may have to be a tortoise one last time.