Unterwegs im Balkan

Italy

Oil and tire pressure checked, refueled and a seal bought for the leaking sink at the camping store, we were finally ready for the long-awaited departure to the south at noon on December 6.

Where to exactly we still did not know. First off through the Gotthard, to the other side of the Alps.

It didn't take long before we reached our first stage destination in the evening, a quiet parking lot above Lago di Como, just after the Italian border. The app park4night is worth its weight in gold to find such places to park for the night. A place for a few hours, where we do not disturb anyone, but also no one bothers us.

We were prepared for the fact that it would be cold. Piles of blankets and thick clothes made it easier for us to stay more or less warm. With shivering limbs we started the engine early the next morning. Further along the lake, further into the mountains and valleys of northern Italy.

In the little ski village of Aprica, at almost 2000m, we took a break in the snow. Our "Green Pass" gave us access to a pizzeria, our first real destination in Italy.

Strengthened, we drove on through Trentino, up and down through snowy valleys. In Trentino, again with the help of the aforementioned app, we found an optimal parking spot for the night below Thun Castle. A wonderfully sunny day said goodbye all too soon to make way for a starry, icy night.

Snow was reported. Snow we got. We canceled all plans to burden our Loki with further passes and took the downhill route. For a long time we were surrounded by white, until the snow turned to gray wetness at lower levels. The area between Treviso and the Slovenian border is hardly worth mentioning. Finally, after several hours of driving, we crossed the border at Nova Gorica in the afternoon and thus also our hiking route, which we had taken last August on the Alpe Adria Trail .

Slovenia

The landscape changed abruptly. Smaller roads, many hills and hamlets. A much less inhabited area, just to our taste. Somewhere in the forest we hid for the night.

Es gibt noch viel zu tun in unserer Loki — There is still much to do in our Loki ("steam train" but also Loki, the Viking God)

Gute Idee, dass mobile Klo mitzunehmen :D — Good idea to take the mobile toilet with us 😀

First rain, lots and lots of rain, pelting the night roof. Then silent snow.

The next morning we awoke to white ground, white trees and white sky. Engine on, fingers on the heater, and off we went.

The white splendor followed us - ok, well, you may also say: accompanied us the whole day through rural Slovenia.

Croatia

At the small Croatian border, our passports and certificates were scanned and we were waved through. Not far from the Plitvice Lakes we found a small, snowy picnic spot for the night. Here we unpacked our wood and warmed ourselves at the romantic campfire.

Insider tip: Plitvice National Park. And that in winter! Where in the high season queues of people crowd along the paths and banks to marvel at the magical falls and lakes, we were almost completely alone. The white trees and low-lying clouds bathed the landscape in a mystical fantasy world. We walked as if through a dream. How much beauty this planet is capable of again and again. Unbelievable!

With delighted hearts and to afternoon sunshine we drove on, away from the mountains, away from the snow. South of Zadar we reached the long-awaited sea. We spent the night at a very special viewpoint over the wide island world of Croatia.

There the storm caught up with us. Lots of wind, rain showers again and again. But the sun also winked out from behind the spectacular cloud formations now and then.

So after just under a week of driving in our Loki, we reached Split. More precisely, a campsite 10km south of the city. Here we allowed ourselves a few nights rest and waited for a sunny day to visit the historic old town of Split.

Who knows us, knows that we can not stand it for long in the vicinity of a city. Now, after 3 days of sitting still, it is again high time to pack the camper and head further south.

Other countries are waiting. Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece. And where else are we headed? We can be curious...

Here's a little glimpse in moving pictures 🙂

We left Split and the campsite in Stobreč behind us and drove south along the partly gorgeous, partly terribly overbuilt Croatian coast. In Baška Voda, we drove through the new tunnel towards the inland with the destination Mostar in Bosnia.

High up we steered our Loki. Without complaining, at her own pace - there she doesn't negotiate - she took curve after curve upwards until the first snow was visible at the roadside.

Bosnia

At the border, we got our stamps and were allowed to enter the next country.

On Bosnian roads, the pace is often slow. This is not only due to the road conditions, but also to the leisurely driving style of the Bosnians. I would not have imagined it.

In Široki Brijeg, I knew of a park4night parking lot half an hour before Mostar. It was at the end of a road by a rushing river that shimmered turquoise and chased through narrow gorges like the Soča in Slovenia.

It was just 3 o'clock in the afternoon, yet the sun was already setting behind the mountains. We took a walk through the hills and gorges that the water had carved into them. What a natural beauty! That immediately made me want to just hike on and on.

The parking lot filled completely in the evening and we were parked by visitors of the restaurant, which was located here on the river. But no one bothered us.

The next day we visited Mostar, probably the most touristy city in Bosnia. But now in winter, we had it almost exclusively to ourselves. The many restaurants and souvenir stores lining the riverbank spoke volumes. Most were open, but empty. I don't recall ever hearing about Mostar and the famous Stari most, the "old bridge" that connects the more Muslim-influenced eastern part with the more Catholic-influenced western part of the city.

That's why I was so surprised by the magnificence of the bridge and the old town of Mostar that opened in front of us. Really a feast for the eyes. Especially when so few people are on the road. How the city looks in the high season, we can only guess. But I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like the tourist nest so much then.

We drove on and soon reached Blagaj with its dervish house built into a rock face at the source of the Buna River. Although this place has also been decorated with restaurants and souvenir stores, it is today, as it was centuries ago, a popular pilgrimage site for followers of the teachings of Sufism and Tasawwuf faith. The simple wooden building reminded me of the traditional tea houses in Nepal.

It became early night again and we looked for a place to sleep at the lake. What we did not realize on the app, however, was the fact that the place was at over 1000 meters and thus below freezing at night. Nevertheless, although it was already dark, we made it well over the snow track and warm through the icy night.

Montenegro

We awoke to a glamorous winter morning in the mountains - snow, sun and a flawless blue sky were to accompany us all day today. True, strong gusts that had shaken the camper and the trucks passing by now and then had not let us sleep well. But for what was being presented to us today, we were more than ready.

We drove through mountainous Bosnia towards the border with Montenegro. There they stamped our passports, scanned the certificates and took the data of our camper. Welcome to Montenegro!

At first, we continued the up- and downhill journey as before in Bosnia. But then a truly glorious panorama opened up to us: from the mountains down we looked into a Norwegian-like fjord in front of the town of Kotor - behind it the Adriatic Sea.

Quickly we were down at sea level. In Kotor, we checked out the spruced up, touristy old town. The stores reminded us of an airport. Duty-free perfume stores and stylishly dressed rich people.

We had already heard that Montenegro had sold itself to rich foreigners. Unfortunately, this was also evident along the coast down towards Albania. The nature and landscapes beautiful, the swanky, sometimes half-finished hotels on the beach disgusting.

We spent the night near the Albanian border directly at the sea. When it was already dark, Sonja stood ready with the flashlight, as if she had only been waiting for us and directed us to her family camping, Camp Utjeha. For 15 euros a night with water and electricity, you can hardly complain.

Weiter geht die Fahrt nach

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On the Road in the Balkans

Italy

Slovenia

Croatia

Bosnia

Montenegro

Simon

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Italy

Slovenia

Croatia

Bosnia

Montenegro

Simon

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