Balkan Karaoke

30.06.23

Once again breakfast in the beautiful garden of the loving host family, then we set off again to follow the red and white markings. The stage description reads well and already keeps what it promises at the beginning. Even more than that... The landscape scenery is overwhelming for me today. On the narrow paths through enchanting meadows, covered with a countless variety of flowers, I feel once again the sensation of being arrived. Mostly it takes me 1-2 days to get into the flow, to then immerse myself more and more in the hike and everything that comes with it. After today's 1400 meters of altitude, my engine has definitely warmed up.

At the beginning we had a group of 25 people from Ireland in front of us. After we had overtaken them, the trail belonged to us again. Here of course Sammy is meant, but also a new companion who joined us suddenly. The little lively four-legged friend was baptized Oscar by us. We actually met Oscar already in Valbona. No idea what he has in mind, but he seems to feel at home on the PotB. A real trail dog.

Oscar then leads us to a place where we can stop, in a beautiful clearing. The place is a little paradise and ideal for a break. In the guest house, we are welcomed warmly and shown the freshly baked cake and börek. Both are served with coffee and fresh homemade yogurt. One of the best things I have eaten on my entire journey. I estimate the host and his wife to be the same age as me. They have built everything up themselves in the last two years. Kreshnik had previously lived and worked in England for a few years. He says that life there was too fast for him. Not only he and his wife seem to be happy about the visit of the hikers, but also their son, with whom I can have a great conversation about the universal language of 'football'. We play and swing...

We arrive in Doberdol around 15:00. Here too, there are only a few 'houses', which mainly serve as lodgings for the hikers. In winter there is 5 meters of snow here and the valley is inaccessible. The location of the village is particularly beautiful, as the little village is nestled between mountains in a basin.

I can set up my tent here in the meadow. There is also dinner. The group of Irish people also spend the night here. There must be about 40 hikers in total. Either you sleep in your tent or in one of the rudimentary wooden huts. Some of the huts don't even have lighting. The whole thing is run by a family. The son of my age works here the entire season and in winter as an excavator driver in Germany. Even his lively 11-year-old sister is fully committed and is already doing an excellent job as a hostess. She speaks excellent English and even some German.

In the evening by the campfire, she really enjoys entertaining some of the guests with a Bluetooth box and a microphone. Balkan Karaoke, in moonlight, somewhere in the mountains. Crazy what you experience here.