Eight Boots Abroad

How did the Balkan region end up on our radar as a family travel destination? After the breakup of Yugoslavia, from 1991 until 2001 (a significant portion of our young, formative years) the entire region was involved in ongoing ethnic/cultural conflicts and all-out war. If you had asked me to list my top travel destinations while in high school, Bosnia and Albania would have been verrrrrrrry low on my list… and Montenegro wasn’t even officially a country until 2006.

But over the past decades, overall tensions have improved and efforts are being made to establish ongoing friendly relations between these countries. One specific friendship effort is a multi-day, trans-national backpacking trek known as the “Peaks of the Balkans Trail.” The 190km trek is along established shepherd trails, connecting the remote mountain regions of Montenegro, Albania, and Kosovo. Researching the hiking route ahead of time was quite a challenge as there’s not a ton of information online. But by using a combination of trekking maps, podcasts, and trip reports, we were able to choose some highlights of this route for our family. We ended up spending a week and a half hiking and exploring the rugged and remote mountainous border between Montenegro and Albania.

The beautiful Grebaje Valley in Montenegro was our base, where we stayed in a small mountain cabin. Some days we hiked, but we were also able to slow down a little bit, catch up on the kiddos school lessons, and laundry (18 micro-loads done in a tiny sink by hand, hung outside to dry). We spent our evenings catching fireflies and watching the Euro Cup soccer tournament – makeshift screens projecting the evening games at every small restaurant in the valley.

After a lovely week in the Grebaje area, we crossed the steep, mountainous border between Montenegro and Albania by car. As part of the kiddos’ humanities lesson for the day, we listened to a fascinating podcast about the history of Albania as we drove. What a crazy flip from extreme communism to extreme capitalism (virtually overnight) during the 1990’s! Howie and I learned just as much as the kiddos (here, on Spotify – Albania: Communism, Capitalism, Chaos… if like me, Albania was not really covered in any of your history classes).

Once in Albania, we visited a number of sites we hadn’t researched ahead of time, including the Castle Rozafa (amazing!), the last surviving Ottoman Empire Mesi Bridge (unfortunately meh!), and a number of abandoned bomb shelters and concrete bunkers (yikes!).

We then continued to hike portions of the Peaks of the Balkans Trail. Logistics between remote hiking sections were definitely challenging. The journey included long ferry rides, and hours of bus transfers in 95 degree heat without any form of air-conditioning. I honestly think one of the 2hr bus transfers was over 115 degrees (all windows sealed closed, hot air circulating through the bus vents like a convection oven – but with 80% humidity). Multiple riders vomited due to the combination of heat exhaustion and curvy, minimally-maintained mountain roads. We have never been sooooo thrilled to step off a bus into the refreshing coolness of a 95 degree afternoon.

But, it was worth it! The steep, jagged peaks along the hike were stunning, and we stayed in small mountain huts/homestays along the trail which were lovely. It was in one of these homestays we met our first “shoilet.” Of course, most showers in Europe are comically small compared to the showers and bathrooms most Americans are accustomed to – but this accommodation had the smallest bathroom we have ever encountered. It was the size of a very tiny closet and we were quite amused to discover the only way to shower was to stand or sit on the toilet while water from the shower sprayed everywhere (yes, we clarified with our sweet host that this truly was a shower and the toilet/shower combo was the only way to bathe). And so, our new vocabulary word of the day: “shoilet” (shower/toilet).

After we completed the beautiful “Valbonë-Theth” section of the Peaks of the Balkans Trail, we drove from Albania, back through Montenegro, and into Bosnia Herzegovina. We were a bit nervous about poor road conditions and 2 major trans-national border crossings in a single day, but luckily everything went smoothly (except for the lack of cell/data reception and the inability to use Google Maps for directions… that bit was a challenge). Finally, after a looooong day of bus transfers, driving, and border crossings, we arrived at our campsite in Bosnia Herzegovina – our home for the next 3 days.

We camped at the base of Kravice waterfalls – aka, the best swimming hole known to humankind; a massive natural cirque of waterfalls combining into a single crystal-clear, ice-cold swimming hole below. The camping was basic… very basic. In fact, there wasn’t even a shoilet. The campground owner would come around each evening at 7pm, collect €15 for the camping fee and pass out shots of his homemade moonshine. It was hilarious. Camping at the base of the falls also meant we had the entire place to ourselves for family swims in the mornings and evenings, after the crowds had left for the day.

We left our idyllic campsite and swimming hole and headed into the nearby city of Mostar for lunch one day. It was interesting to see the mix of Ottoman and Communist architecture; many scars of the Balkan wars still visible. The kiddos enjoyed watching brave people leap from the famous 100′ high bridge into the Neretva River below. The Mostar Bridge (Stari Most) was built by the Ottomans in 1566, bombed in 1993 during the Croat-Bosniak War, and rebuilt in 2004. The bridge’s current claim to fame is hosting annual insane RedBull diving competitions. Fun fact, apparently ANYONE can launch themselves from the bridge into the river below – it just takes €50 and like 30 minutes of training. As expected, injuries are very common.

Our final stop in the Balkans was the medieval walled city of Kotor, Montenegro. Our favorite moment in Kotor was actually the instant we returned our truly horrible rental car to the airport in Tivat. We had picked up the car 2 weeks prior when we first arrived in Montenegro – the bumper was literally falling off from the moment we drove it off the rental car lot… it felt like it was going to overheat nearly every second of our 2 week journey, and the tires had absolutely no tread. There were moments when Howie and I both ran scenarios through our minds such as: “how does one get help in remote Bosnia Herzegovina at 11pm when our car breaks down/tire goes flat and we have no cell reception?”

With the horrible rental car finally returned, a huge mental weight was lifted. Yay!!! We were able to thoroughly enjoy our last few days, car-free, wandering the charming pedestrian-only narrow streets and alleyways of seaside Kotor. We spent our days doing family open water swimming challenges in the Adriatic, and hiking the old fortress walls on the hillside above Kotor.

The medieval walled city of Kotor was established in the 5th century BC. However, there was substancial architectural influence from the rule of the Venetian Republic during the 14th to 18th centuries. The old town is charming and felt like a smaller version of Venice. Evenings in Kotor were especially magical – we really enjoyed wandering the ancient cobblestone alleyways in evening light.

And with that, our time in the Balkans has come to an end! It was very interesting to be in an area of the world that we had never, ever thought possible to visit in our youth. We were surprised by the stunning beauty of the landscapes, and hospitality of the people we met. Being here definitely challenged us to learn more about the complex history and ongoing tensions of the region.

Balkan Adventure – Howie’s Addendum

Another leg of our trip complete, with more amazing adventures experienced, and more things learned! Most enjoyable moments of our trip through the Balkans for me include:

Our little cabin in the Grebaje valley of Montenegro – stunning hikes during the days among the Accursed Mountains (maybe the best-named range on the planet?), evenings catching fireflies, and recovery from the high intensity of Morocco. I particularly found it amusing when Sonya accidentally spilled the entirety of our emergency cash fund, in a variety of different currencies, at the feet of a group of men who perhaps were local track-suit enthusiasts, or perhaps were local members of a Montenegro organized crime syndicate. I’d give a 50-50 as to which.

Learning more about the history of a region that is so incredibly complex. Being present in locations that were central to our discussions during World History in high school – places that at the time felt like I would certainly never visit – made me want to read and understand more. In particular, driving across the border into Albania while listening to a podcast about the roller-coaster ride experienced by this region over the last 30, 100, and 2500 years was mind-blowing!

The Valbonë-Theth hike was both beautiful and hopeful. It took a lot of work just to get to the trail, but it was certainly worth the effort. Walking among the beautiful limestone peaks and some of the most gorgeous forest hiking I’ve ever experienced was spectacular, and the goal of encouraging of friendship among the countries crossed by the Peaks of the Balkans trekking route is inspirational.

The Kravica waterfall looked make-believe. It was a tourism zoo during the day, but being able to swim in the pools below the falls with just our little family in the early mornings and evenings after the crowds left was extraordinary.

And a few lowlights:

While it feels from a tourism perspective the Balkans are currently a region on the rise, it is clear that the divisions that have driven conflict here are still very much present. We found our individual interactions with people here generally quite friendly, but tensions were clearly apparent between different regions.

The Tivat, Montenegro branch of Budget-Avis rental cars. It’s impressive to be perhaps the worst company in perhaps the worst industry on the planet, but you really seem to be giving it your best try! Hats off to you, Budget-Avis, you are truly a dumpster fire.