We passed the boarder in the north of Montenegro and our next stop was Žabljak, the biggest town in the Durmitor national park. There we met the parents of Theres. We spent a nice week in the region with different walks through the national park including a river rafting trip on the river Tara.
Then we went to the sea, drove through the bay of Kotor to Bjelila, where we found a cozy apartment with a nice patio in a small fishing village.
After a few nights we went further south close to the Albanian boarder, where we spent some nights on a camping ground close to the sea. The two weeks were superb, we passed Montenegro not only by wild camping, we as well made some touristy things and enjoyed the local cuisine.
After exactly two weeks we said goodbye and passed the boarder to Albania, having planned to visit a climbing spot. As the way was too long for one day we stopped by accident in an around 15 km2 big laguna next to the city of Lezhë. We stayed for one night and in the morning we got the chance to observe flamingos, pelicans and other kind of birds. The night before we made contact with the Albanian hospitality and got many fresh fruit and an invitation for a drink. The conversation was very hard, as in this short time we only learned the four most important words (yes, no, hello and thank you).
The next day we drove close to Tirana to Boville, where we slept in a canyon underneath a water reservoir. With our bikes we explored the region and thought about, where we could go climbing the next day. But we didn’t get a chance, as during the night it started raining and didn`t stop the following morning. Considering to the place where we stayed in the canyon and the condition of the road, we decided to drive further south. After driving through the city centre of Tirana (we couldn’t find another way, as the highway was still under construction), we met two guys who just came back from Georgia and we decided to spend the evening together.
The following day we drove to the south towards Macedonia, where we slept a few villages before the boarder.The boarder we passed the other day early in the morning and then drove first to Ohrid, where we walked through the old town.
In the evening we found thanks to our bicycles a lonesome lawn, close to the lake. But unfortunately, during the night it again started raining and stopped in the following days only for a few hours. That`s why we decided after the third night to leave and look for the sun.
So we drove back to Ohrid, where we parked in front of the stadium, as we got free wi-fi and had a look to the weather forecast. It didn’t look too bad for Greece, so we spontaneously asked Vladimir in Skopje, if we could visit him the next day. We started early in the morning to Skopje, where we were welcomed with a fresh lunch
In the afternoon we passed the river to the Albanian part of the town and went to the huge market and had a coffee.
As we already saw in Ohrid, it is even more obvious in Skopje. The government spends useless money, to build some “kitschy” houses, museums and touristy attractions, sometimes they only make new fassades and behind there is still the old building. And all these in a time, where everybody in Macedonia is happy, if he has a job and they do not even earn a lot of money. People who know Skopje from a few years ago are just shocked.
The evening we spent again with Vladimir, enjoyed the shower and made a plan for the next day. The following day we started very early, at 4.30 we left Skopje towards Greece. Shortly after Skopje, we left the road and got some fresh, warm and healthy mineral water. Then we drove to the boarder of Macedonia, filled again our tanks and passed the boarder without problems.