We reach the Korça campsite just before the sky empties itself for twelve hours. Michi from Rosenheim rolls in five hours later, soaking wet, but in good spirits. He travels through Albania on his gravel bike and trailer. Today he sleeps in a little house that does not cost the earth. After eight years, he has given up his office job. In a fortnight’ time, he is going to an alp in the Tauern mountains at an altitude of 2500 metres. He has great tips for us and raves about Montenegro, home to Europe’s deepest gorge, the Tara Gorge. You can take the panoramic railway from the capital Podgorica up into the mountains. Sounds very attractive to us, as we are currently on the trip and want to avoid the touristy Mediterranean coast which we already had cycled in 2019.
After leaving the campsites to the left of Lake Ochid – some of which look like car parks along the shore – we struggle up the pass road, cross the border into North Macedonia and stop at Camping Lira. Here we meet Josepha from Neustadt an der Weinstrasse who just graduated from high school and cycles a long tour of Europe.
The Kulla Hopi Tower, near the town of Bulqize with its dangerous chrome mines from the socialist era, is a paradise for mountain bikers and hikers in the centre (of nothing) in Albania. Tourists only come here sparingly. It is difficult to reach and sweaty, although we can recognise it from afar from the road. We struggle over rough, hilly terrain and have to pass a few cows and other livestock. Three or four Albanian limousines in front of us on the gravel track, causing a traffic jam. Eventually we all make it. The Albanians sleep in the tower and we sleep in the meadow in front of it. Before that, we all have a traditional dinner together. We are very grateful that we are allowed to take part as foreigners. It is really special.
In Klos, we sit in a café for an hour with an espresso macchiato – that is what they call it here, when you want a cappuccino and not a Nescafe – and two hard-boiled eggs. A small town where the locals buy everything they need. Walnuts, beans, washing powder, toilet paper, rakes, hand-carved scythe handles, …
Shortly after Shkodra we find a wonderful little campsite. Xhani’s Camping & Farm has everything we could imagine for a campsite, plus extremely friendly people, young and old. A large family lives here, keeps all kinds of animals, grows fruit and wine and is obviously happy to welcome guests.
Contrary to our usual habits, during our time in Albania we eat almost exclusively what is on the table, traditional cuisine, huge portions suitable for travelling cyclists, everything fresh and delicious: sheep’s cheese cream, olives, warm bread, burek, deliciously dressed salad and some meat, if desired.
At dusk, we go for a digestive walk. We are overtaken by a horse-drawn cart with two young men, softly bedded on thick mattresses. How idyllic. A little further on, they throw the mattresses into the ditch and ride off at a pig’s gallop. That is environmental awareness in Albania.
Our trip through the deserted areas of Albania was really beautiful and low in rubbish. There is probably still a lot to be done to reduce air, soil, water and noise pollution in the populated areas of Albania.
Mirupafshim means ‘goodbye’ in Albanian.
‘Embrace the unknown, it could be good’ we say to ourselves and, at Michi’s behest, cycle to Podgorica to take the train into the mountains from there.
A visit to Podgorica (formerly Titograd), the capital of Montenegro. We do not find any sights in a cosy old town. Apart from a clock tower and a mosque, there is not much else. The centre seems to be what is left of Titograd. Buildings from the Yugoslavian era, that means fifty to sixty years old. The international flavour is limited to the embassies, with the American one looking more like a high-security prison and the ‘global stores’ in the two shopping malls, and the Crown Plaza in a spic-and-span new town. Lots of young people. Few strangers. We find green parks where we chill out in the shade to escape the heat.
Our time travel by train from Podgorica to Mojkovac starts here, a good fifty kilometres, 900 metres in altitude in around two hours. The locomotive and two carriages, one 1st class, one 2nd class, the old Deutsche Bahn trains, completely decorated with ‘train art’. The conductor, dressed in smart grey suit trousers and a white shirt, shows us to 1st class. The door is a little wider here than in the other carriage. Our travel bikes with their wide handlebars enter the train with difficulty. We store our bags in the conductor’s compartment. Some passengers board the train from the right and left at the station, some with huge suitcases that probably no longer fit in the luggage compartments.
Let’s go! The train is well occupied. We do not see many other passengers. The windows are all open, because it is stiflingly hot on the train. Fags are lit in the corridor. First or second class, there seems to be no difference here, at least in terms of price. The first class has soft, royal red velvet upholstery. This seems to be the only thing that has been renewed in the last fifty years. The noise level is immense. It is amazing that the conductor cope without hearing protection. He checks the passengers with stoic calm. This is the section of the Bar (Adriatic coast) – Belgrade railway line built by Yugoslav State Railways in 1976 under Tito after 25 years of construction. ‘The mountain railway crosses three mountain ranges in the Dinaric Mountains and has its apex at 1032 metres. To the south of this, the maximum gradient of the line is 25 ‰, to the north 17 ‰. The routing in difficult terrain made 254 tunnels and over 243 bridges necessary. (More facts and figures look at Wikipedia).
We enjoy the journey through time, the magnificent panorama as well as the stay in the beautiful mountains of Montenegro, the wonderful flowering meadows in spring, with sunny days and wonderfully cool nights. We land in the tourist centre for outdoor sports enthusiasts. Mountain hikers, climbers, canoeists and ski tourers will find everything they could wish.
This year we meet as many touring cyclists as in all previous years together. Josepha, the high school graduate from Neustadt a.d. Weinstrasse, is the youngest. Romi from Munich, who cycles this way for her new job to check her prejudices. We are by no means the oldest. There is the whole range. Perhaps an answer to ‘overtourism’ after all. In any case, a chance to find really nice campsites in the next years. A couple of Manchester is travelling with us on Tito’s panoramic train, with a little black bag, and otherwise very British. They flew to Tirana some time ago, with hand luggage and no return ticket. They travel wherever they like. Just like us. Only they do not have a bike or a tent with them. They must be fifteen years older than us and want to travel until they are tired. They get off two stops before us. They remind us a lot of Raynor and Mot, the couple who hiked the salt trail. Enjoy life!