a stecci field near Zabljak, in the mountains roughly halfway Pogdorica and Sarajevo
We take two days to drive the 350 km from Podgorica to Sarajevo, again not along the shortest route, but definitely a more scenic one. Taking in some historically relevant sights, as well. (Two days, scenery and sights, so brace yourself for a lot of photographs again….)
an impressive modern viaduct, the Moracica bridge, part of the main motroway in Montenegro
The Moraca River
Just north of Podgorica we enter the Moraca River gorge, along an excellent road providing great views of the steep mountains and the green river below. The road is really pasted against the mountain, it looks sometimes, with a steep abyss on one side – if we are not passing through a tunnel, of which there are many, along the 70 kms, or so. Funny, after about one-third of the way we pass under an enormous bridge: this is where the new highway goes, one we didn’t know existed – but wouldn’t want to have taken, either, omitting the gorge all together.
a tunnel at the gorge in the Morica River
another view of the gorge
with the road plastered against the rocks
past the gorge, the countryside opens into the pretty Moraca Valley
where houses are still of the old standard
needing a bit of maintenance, perhaps
but before that, an explosion of autumn colours
Near Kolasin we exit the gorge, but we continue to follow the river through a wider valley for another 15 kms. As we are getting higher, the autumn colours become more dramatic, with entirely red-yellow forests on the other side, with higher, bare peaks towering above. We then start our ascent, steeply up the mountains, to what I think is called the Semolj pass at 1540 m, and down on the other side into another valley. Which gradually changes in a high plateau, with less and less vegetation, and still the high mountains in the back. Spectacular landscape, especially because of the changes from one area to the next, over relatively short distance, all in one day.
like this variety of reds and yellows
higher up towards the Semolj pass we drive into the mist
this is the mountain range we need to cross
but on the other side, expansive views again
fabulous mountain scenery
and somewhere along the road, an old Yugoslav memento
as well as an abandoned hotel
with the concrete decorated, this time
down in the valley, once again a beautiful countryside
so nice that they have made it into a park, the Durmitor National Park
the first stecci site, called Grčko groblje (Greek graveyard)
some of the stecci have elaborate scenes carved on them
others are just in the form of a coffin
the second stecci site, Bare Žugića
with some recognisable tomb stones
and another one, top part (?) decorated
the sides carved in patterns
Zabljak
Near Zabljak, which is the centre for touring the so nice that they have made it into a park, Durmitor National Park, we check out two sites with stecci (plural of stecak), both added to Unesco’s World Heritage List. Stecci are tomb stones, some carved and some not, that started to appear in Bosnia and Hercegovina and in its bordering areas in Montenegro and Croatia in the 12th C. The practice was discontinued again at the beginning of the 16th C, with the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia. The most atmospheric site is the one called Grčko groblje (Greek graveyard), where one large stecak dominates the low hill top, and is surrounded by 30 or 40 more, some better recognisable than others. Indeed, some of the tombs are carved, either with a cross, with side decorations or – rarely – with a whole scene. The second site, Bare Žugića, is a necropolis with some 300 stećci, right next to the road, but many of those are difficult to differentiate from rock boulders.
and just before Zabljak, another riot of autumn colours
this is the Tara River Valley
Past Zabljak we cross the Tara River, which downstream has cut a canyon of 1300 m deep. We have no time to explore this phenomenon, and will have to contend with the river at the Tara Bridge, which is already pretty impressive – both the bridge, 365 meters long and completed in 1940, and the river, 172 meters lower.
and this is the Tara bridge
and in a bit more detail, very tall
and indeed, the river is very far below the bridge level
the 16th C Hussein Pasha Mosque
and its front porch
with a beautiful entrance door
and an equally attractive balcony over a window
Pljevlja
In Pljevlja we stop to admire the beautiful Hussein Pasha Mosque, built in 1569 and with 42 meters boasting the highest minaret in the Balkans. Like many of the old mosques we have encountered so far, this one, too, has its outside painted with elaborate frescoes featuring geometric patterns and floral motifs; unfortunately, the mosque is closed so the inside remains hidden. The nearby Holy Trinity Monastery is slightly older than the mosque, from 1537. It is open, and because there is a funeral wake ongoing in the front portal of the church, all the lights inside are on – and its frescoes clearly visible. The highlight here, though, is a brilliantly carved and gilded iconostasis. More pictures here.
the church of the Holy Trinity Monastery
witch has a fabulous iconostasis, as well as frescoes everywhere
the monastery buildings outside
more frescoes, wherever there is space to paint
the road to the border, once more full of autumn colours, in between the pines
traffic is light, in this part of the country
hmm, at a certain stage we decided to turn back again
From Pljevlja an excellent road is slowly climbing to the border, along the way deteriorating quickly. The countryside is once again spectacular, the bright autumn colours interspersed with the dark green of the pine trees. There is hardly any traffic, and indeed we are the only car at the border crossing. From where we go down on an even worse road – no more tarmac available to repair the holes.
to Visegrad
the Drina River, or one of the several artificial lakes in it
Just when we thought it couldn’t get worse, our GPS suggests a shortcut for our detour to Visegrad, where we want to see a bridge built by the most renowned architect of the Ottoman empire, Mimar Sinan. But the shortcut is short-lived: not only has the road by now degraded to an unsurfaced track – or perhaps once-surfaced is a better term, there are traces of asphalt left -, we come across warning signs not to proceed any further because of uncleared mines. A nice little reminder that Bosnia and Hercegovica was a war zone not that long ago. So we backtrack to the main road, which runs along the Drina River, with more spectacular gorges, occasionally interrupted by a dam.
towards Visegrad, again multiple tunnels, but creatively lighted
not every bridge is a wonder of engineering, but this one still makes for a good picture
a small town on the way to Visegrad
the Mehmed Pasha Sokolović Bridge
The Mehmed Pasha Sokolović Bridge was built in 1571 and named after the grand vizier who commissioned it. With its eleven arches this is the mother of all bridges we have seen this trip, truly a design and engineering Sinan masterpiece. Entirely worth the detour.
Driving into Sarajevo, a few hours later, the most relaxed entry of a city ever, nothing compared to Prishtina or Tirana, for instance. Before we know it, we are suddenly in the middle of town, no major boulevards, no important through roads, no traffic jams, just right in the centre, in front of our booked apartment
designed by 16th C Ottoman star architect Sinan
another view on bridges
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