Aventures Bicyclétales ...

country overview, map and followed itinerary, the journal with the best pictures, the highlight, what I liked / didn't like, useful information.
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Country overview (as of April 2009)

• Capital city : Podgorica.
• Area : 13,812 km2 (= 0.02 x France).
• Population : ~ 620,000 inhabitants (= 0.01 x France).
• Density : 45 inhabitants / km2. 

• Language : Montenegrin.
• Religions : Orthodox (70%), Islam and Catholicism.
• Human Development Index (HDI) : 0.822, the 64th country out of 177. What is HDI ?

• Government : Republic.
• President : Filip Vujanović (since May 2003).
• Prime minister : Milo Dukanović (since February 2008).

• Growth rate in 2007 : 7.0%.
• Currency : Euro.
• Main imports : ??
• Main exports : aluminium (80% in value !!) and wines.

Montenegro map and followed itinerary (in green)



The travel journal in Montenegro with the best pictures

Wednesday the 29th of April : I am riding north along the Albanian side of the Skadar lake … and Montenegro is right on the opposite side.



Border crossing between both countries is as easy at it can possibly be … a stamp here and another there, no visa, no question and no problem.

The only road going somewhere from here goes straight to the capital city of Podgorica … it’s a narrow road but it’s in rather good condition. It follows the lake for a while and then continues in the nearby rolling hills. Nature is pretty, wild and bushy … as if mankind never touched it, and as a matter of fact there is nobody around. I’ve been riding for 20 km since the border and there is another 15 km to go before the capital city … but I haven’t seen any house yet nor any Montenegrin ! I admit I am surprised, but Montenegro is not quite as any other country.

Montenegro is what we could call a mini-country : 50 times smaller than France and with a population of about 700,000 inhabitants, its capital city has less than 200,000 people. Montenegro is also a very young country, less than three years old since it decided to split from Serbia.

Below, the capital city of Podgorica ...



I actually don’t stop in Podgorica, and I continue further west in the mountains towards the city of Cetinje ... with the Skadar lake in the background.




Thursday the 30th of April : Cetinje is the old capital of Montenegro, and much of it remains today, with several Museums and palaces ...



... mansions ...



... embassies ...



... and even a monastery !



Cetinje is a very pleasant little town, with many pedestrian only area and a very big park nearby surrounded by high mountains.




Friday the 1st of May : I leave this morning towards Kotor, taking the old road which goes through the mountains, next to the famous Mt Lovćen (1,749m) … also called « the black mountain » (monte negro in Italian) because of its dark forested slopes. The country was subsequently called after this mountain.

Below : on the way up …



And after a long climb, I finally reach the summit (1,150m) right above the Bay of Kotor …



… where the weather quickly turns to rain with lots of grey clouds gathering around me. The downhill is an endless string of hairpin bends. The rain is icy cold, the road is slippery and my brakes keep getting weaker and weaker. Those are not ideal conditions.

Below : the end of the bay of Kotor with the old town in the background.



Below : one of the many church of Kotor.




Saturday the 2nd of May : Kotor is a medieval city with 4 km of walls encircling it. It was built over a thousand years from the 9th century. Within is an entanglement of small streets and lanes linking squares with churches and mansions.





Below, Kotor's old fortifications ...



... and its mountain church.


Below : Kotor from above ...



... and Kotor's fortifications by night.




Sunday the 3rd of May : I am heading towards Bosnia this morning. I follow first the bay for about 20 km, riding through several small villages and little stone harbors (below is the village of Perast with its two tiny islands) …



… and then the road makes a right straight in the mountains (below on the left), where I start the first climb of the day towards the village of Grahovo, located about 30 km further and 700m higher.



When I arrive in Grahovo, here is the dilemma (above on the right) : a sign clearly shows Bosnia is on the left (BIH stands for Bosnia I Herzegovina) and Trebinje is indeed the place I want to go … but my map suggests I should go right instead, making a significant detour so that I could go through the main border crossing of Vilusi. So, where to go ? Well I finally decide to ask a local truck driver what’s his opinion about it. He tells me, in a mix of Montenegrin, Italian and German, that the left road is definitely the way to go, as it is shorter and far “flatter” than the road on the right. He said the magic words … so here I go, on the left … there is a good climb until a pass at 900m, and then the road dive down in a narrow valley 600m lower. I say to myself, if I have to ride back up this one, this ain’t gonna be too much fun.

I arrive at the Montenegrin border control house. I give my passport, the border officer writes down my credentials in a large book … I think it’s going to be OK, otherwise why would he bother entertaining me … well, to this question, I still have no answer. Because no, it isn’t OK. Once done with my passport, he points at the mountain I just came from, and laughing all he can, he tells me I can climb it one more time !



Back to Grahovo an hour later, I start yet another climb, this time in the direction of the Vilusi official border crossing … and since the day is nearly over, I decide to stay in Montenegro for the night, I will camp just a few kilometers before the border. Bosnia can wait for another day ...


Monday the 4th of May : 8.00 AM, I get up. I had quite a bad sleep last night; hedgehogs have been running around my tent all night long. What a night !

9.00 AM, I packed all my stuff and I am ready to go. The sun is shining, the sky is clear and it should be a nice day.

9.15 AM, the Montenegrin border officer shows no interest in my passport, and invite me to ride through the border … I am heading now towards the Bosnian border control booth.




The highlight in Montenegro

Montenegro is a country with a tiny population (compared to most other countries) … it’s also a country where one feels comfortable immediately, its small cities are very pleasant, and the nature is as wild as it can be, with no trace of human interference. In a world where more, big and oversized is the way to go, Montenegro shows that less, small and little can be really marvelous.




What I liked / didn't like in Montenegro : 

I liked	I did not like
the old capital city of Cetinje	??
the medieval village and fjord of Kotor	-
the overall « village » atmosphere,  with nice and easy-going people	-
the low demographic pressure (only 45 hab/km2)	-
the outstanding protection of the environment	-
wild mountains	-
bakeries ...	-

Useful information about Montenegro :