This summer, I teamed up with my eternal travel companion Danni once again. With a shared passion for jagged mountains and cheap accommodation, we set out to visit new and old landscapes around the Balkans for two weeks followed by a week across the Atlantic in the upper left corner of the US.
We started out in Slovenia where we swam in blue lakes beneath green mountains. Our tent got hit by a thunderstorm the first night. The flashes could have induced a seizure. Being used to minimal necessities, we sat on a dry spot below a pine tree in the morning enjoying a cup of instant coffee surrounded by families with endless camping chairs, canopies, and fairylights. One such family took pity on us and invited us over for cappuccinos fresh from the espresso machine in their campervan. I don't know what warmed us more: The coffee or the kindness.
Navigating the rolling farmland of southern Slovenia, we crossed a lonely border into Croatia and made it to Camp Vivi on the edge of Plitvice National Park. It is illegal to build anything new in this protected area which includes pitching up tents. However, the most charming, elderly woman (who, we found out, was not named Vivi) has opened up her backyard for weary campers as long as you set up camp after the sun has set over the horizon and pack up again before the morning gets too old.
After the dry, sun-bathed Croatian coastline, we left the EU and crossed the border into mountainous Montenegro. We spent some lazy hours in turist-infected Kotor though we understand why. The historic town center is a match for any European city and the bay is a unique and sweet treat for the eye.
We did come to Montenegro for the mountains and we were not dissapointed. I'm usually quick to draw comparions (a horrible habit) but the mountains of Montenegro are something else. Danni and I agree that the hike we did to Prutaš peak in Durmitor National Park is one of our all-time favorites.
Our next and southernmost stop was Albania and the valley of Theth National Park is one of the most beautiful places I've ever slept. We pitched up our tent surrounded by a tapestry of greens and grays.
We hiked up the eastern side of the valley and hidden between the jagged peaks, we found a flat, green plateau where a family of five establishes a small settlement each summer with cows and horses grazing around their hut. From this humble shelter, they brought us cheese, bread, hot coffee and cold cola.
Heading back towards Scandinavia, we decided to cut through Serbia riding rocked hills in the south and cruising on brand new highway in the north. In between, we spent one night on the edge of Belgrade. The most memorable moment from our Serbian adventure is probably (and most unfortunately) getting food poisoning. No fault of Serbian cuisine, this was entirely self-inflicted from eating canned beans that had probably been half-cooked multiple times lying in a car for a week in the European summer heat.
Fortunately, our symptoms were substantially lessened when we reached Slovakia later in the day. More jagged mountains, another wonderful campsite, and probably the cheapest pint of beer I've ever gotten: 9 DKK or 1.2 USD/EUR.
A few days later after some farewells in Denmark, we caught a flight to the Western boundary of the US and drove off in a (way too expensive) rental car. We raced towards our first stop out of three: Glacier National Park in Montana.
A dream of Danni's finally came true when we saw not one but three bears in our week in the States. The first sighting was definitely the most dramatic. We were walking down a narrow trail enclosed by thick shrubbery when I look up and see a black bear 15 meters in front of me (50 feet) coming straight towards us. Backing up slowly, we started clapping and shouting when it was out of eyesight, and that was enough to spook it so we could make it down safe.
Our second stop in the US was a familiar landscape: Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. One of my favorite places in the world, the Tetons look exactly how a kid would draw a mountain range. I can't think of anything else to say and honestly, I don't think I need to.
Our third and final stop was Bozeman, Montana where Danni dropped me off at college. Surrounded by mountains, I also have to spend some time in classrooms and dining halls this fall semester at Montana State University. However, it is be hard to concentrate when you see those rugged, inviting ridges on your way to class.
