Although the Tourist Information staff had been rather interested in me taking the 'scenic' gravel road I decided it was a long enough day ahead to get back to Sveti Stefan. Instead of the longer and slower scenic route I decided headed over the top of the Durmitor National Park which I was sure would be well and truly scenic and slow enough for me.
Approaching Durmitor National Park from Zabljak
Durmitor National Park
Durmitor National Park
Durmitor National Park
It was a wonderful ride up into the Durmitor National Park. The scenery was amazing, the roads were fabulous and traffic was rare. Although it was a rather warm day in the Durmitor National Park in the middle of summer under crystal clear blue skies as a snow lover I wondered what it would be like to be back here in the winter with the snow covering the rocks and grasses of the hillsides.
Durmitor National Park - down the other side
Durmitor National Park
Durmitor National Park
Durmitor National Park
Durmitor National Park - Basketball Court
Durmitor National Park - Basketball Court
After levelling out of the mountains I passed through the grazing and pasture land on the plateau above Pivsko Jezero (Piva Lake..?). The long grass was in the process of being cut and readied for storage - most of the process was being undertaken by hand.
Grass cutting near Trsa
Grass cutting near Trsa
Grass cutting near Trsa
Pivsko Jezero - Piva Lake
Pivsko Jezero - Piva Lake
Pivsko Jezero - Slightly scary tunnels
One the way down the steep hillside to Pivsko Jezero (Piva Lake) the road takes some tight turns and passes through some very roughly made tunnels. Many of the tunnels have very poor sight lines, gravel and potholed surfaces and the last tunnel exits almost directly into the path of the passing traffic on the main road. A bit of a surprise.
Pivsko Jezero
Pivsko Jezero
Pivsko Jezero (Piva Lake) has such a wonderful colour both viewed from high above and from the bridge crossing much lower.
After leaving Pivsko Jezero (Piva Lake) there some wonderfully fast, sweeping and smooth roads heading back towards Podgorica. I was enjoying the flowing riding for quite a while before an uncharacteristically tight corner required me throw out the main and supplementary anchors - the sight of a guard rail and a rather nasty drop got my attention. Shortly thereafter I was also reminded of the importance of paying attention to erratic drivers who, while I was waving to a group of fellow motorcyclists, decided to slam on their brakes and pull off the road requiring the car in front of me to almost stop dead. I am sure the other motorcyclists sighed a little in relief with me.
Podgorica - a little quiet.
It was mid-afternoon when I arrived in Montenegro's capital Podgorica. Since I had barely stopped the previous pass through I had decided I would stop for a late lunch here to try and see a little more of the city and see what it was like…………...
Podgorica - a little quiet.
Although I managed to find somewhere that was open I was not inspired by the service or choice for a cafe in the nation's capital city centre. Admittedly it was close to 4 pm on a hot summer's Tuesday but I doubt it would be this quiet in Canberra. I had some lunch and decided I would need another visit to Podgorica to form a more balanced opinion of the burgeoning capital city.
View back to the interior of Montenegro
View of the mountain range between the coast and interior of Montenegro
Near Zukovica
After getting back to the Mediterranean coast I was soon back into the Sveti Stefan region. I had enjoyed staying in Sveti Stefan and thought I would try my luck at some of the other wonderful locations nearby.
I continued onwards through Budva and down to the beachside location of Hotel Poseidon……it looked very busy but I was hopeful that there might be room for one more….no luck.
I headed back and tried the Tourist and Accommodation booth in Przno……limited choice and availability and they seemed much less professional than the team in Sveti Stefan.
Back in Sveti Stefan the team in the Tourist and Accommodation shopfront were able to offer me several options. I decided after my previous stay I would go for a higher quality option. A short time later I was booked into the Romanov Hotel which although on the water's edge, was in hindsight, a little overpriced.
Sveti Stefan - Romanov Hotel
It had been a fairly long and hot day so I got out of the bike gear and found something more suited to a swim and a relax as the sun set. I took the stairs down to the Romanov Hotels section of beach, found myself a comfy seat and enjoyed a couple of beers.
Sveti Stefan - Hotel Romanov
Sveti Stefan - Hotel Romanov
The afternoon/early evening weather back on the coast was great and I enjoyed a refreshing swim as the sun set in the distance with a fabulous view of Aman Sveti Stefan and the luxury yacht moored nearby.
It is always a pleasure to have a relaxing swim after a fairly long and hot day on the motorcycle.
Sunsets are wonderful at Sveti Stefan
Sunsets are wonderful at Sveti Stefan
The view from Hotel Romanov.
Regrettably I stayed in for dinner at one of Hotel Romanov's restaurants. I had enjoyed several wonderful dinners in Sveti Stefan on my earlier stay and in hindsight I should have returned to them for one last enjoyable dinner in Sveti Stefan.