“Montenegro, and the Diary of the Expeditionist”

• July 28, 2020
• By Pen n Daryl
• 4 Comments

We left our hotel with high expectations. With a bowl of raspberries and heavy cream, a bacon omelet with a cappuccino, we are ready to take on the day. We set our course for a Battleground Park just past the fly fishing zone. A famous battle was fought between the Ottomans and the locals, for which a park has been designated, but we never found the site. The canyons are deep here and the waters are a bright turquoise-green color, with fast flowing waters. 

We saw a sign for a scenic route and we could get to a Monastery we wanted to see going this way. The new destination was set. We see an old man strolling down the road with his hands held behind his back. 

The scenery was spectacular and we were following a river passing through many tunnels of solid rock. Pandemic vacations are a nice way to travel, as the roads were mostly empty. We passed whitewater rapids boat trips and zip lines across the canyons; all closed.  We passed an old lady strolling down the road with her hands clasped behind her back. We had been driving for over two hours and we were 15 minutes further from the Monastery than we started out. Every pullout had a stunning view. 

We saw several churches that were down small roads and one we were able to see inside. This was a very old church that the Communists tore halfway down. We took side trips to churches and Monasteries; many having been rebuilt. Communism and Socialism require the destruction of all places of worship. After the fall of Communism the churches and Mosques were quickly rebuilt.

We drove another hour past steep canyons and sharp turns. Again it is further to the Monastery we set out for. The map kept telling us to turn on dirt roads and was acting funny. We keep on going down Panoramic road one. It seemed we had always fallowed a canyon of the same name all the way.  We come to a “Y” in the road, so we took another direction. Soon, we see an old man sauntering down the road with his hands clasped behind his back. That is the same man in the same clothes as we saw from this morning. What the heck is that old man doing way up here?

Then before we figured out what was going on, there was the raspberry stand I went to; twice. How can that be? We went in a six-hour circle! Then our hotel passed by, Bunny covered her face so no one would recognize us. 

We started our trip out to see that Monastery that we never got to. The scenery changed and we passed a fly fishing area in beautiful waters. The canyons got deeper and the mountains rose 5000 feet on each side, and the river was 1000 feet below us. It was just a fascinating drive and soon I forgot about the old man with his hands behind his back and the twilights zone we were in.

The river and high walls of the riverside told a story of a massive Biblical flood forming a permanent signature on Mother Earth. A giant glacier melted super fast and caused this flood, research tells. The drive was like nothing we have ever seen, it made us feel small and the forces of Mother Nature so intense. Soon, we stopped for the night. We told the hotel what we would pay, and like other lodging, they say they will accept it. Our dinner was great and the room was nice.