Balkan

Since we have appointments, we are flying through the Balkans. One country each day, sometimes even two. But there is enough time to go swimming at least once every day. In the clear, cold waters of the Adriatic, very welcome at 37 degrees. At the Bilećko Lake reservoir in the Republic of Srpska with a view of Montenegro. In Lake Ohrid, one of the oldest lakes in Europe, and Lake Prespa, which lies at 800m and feeds Lake Ohrid underground.

Right after the border crossing from Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Srpska, where you can see from every black crossed-out road sign that people are still very much divided here, our audio starts making a strange grinding, rattling noise in the front wheel. Initially, we couldn’t discover anything in the dark and didn’t want to stay overnight in this somewhat eerie area. So we continued, despite the noise. During a daylight inspection, we find a loose, rusty part in the wheel that can be easily removed. Was it important? Nothing seems to be missing at first. Still, there remains a feeling of decay.

We make our first appointment and meet Joni at Lake Ohrid. We spend two lovely days with them before they head to Zurich and we continue our journey.