20. - 26. August 2020: Mojkovac (Montenegro)

On our way southeast, we drive from the sea through breathtaking panoramic roads to the inland of Montenegro. We spend our lunch break in Podgorica, the capital, where there is Nutella pizza under shady trees. Not necessarily a Balkan specialty, but the children are happy.

On the further drive, we drive through the mountains, in serpentines to breathtaking heights and along turquoise blue rivers of different canyons to the east of the country, where we have rented a wooden cabin from Radoje near the Biogradska Gora National Park. In the morning, we wake up in the clouds, which then flow down the valley.

On the property above the village, there is a large organic garden with lots of fruits and vegetables next to four wooden cabins. With homemade breakfast or dinner, we try them in really typical dishes.

We adjust our school plan according to the weather forecast and spend two great days in the national park: We circle around the turquoise blue lake Biogradska Jezero and are impressed by 500-year-old trees and endemic plants that only exist in this national park. We also explore the beauty of nature from the water in canoes and by swimming in the refreshing cold water.

Full of motivation, we start a hike to one of the surrounding peaks on the second day. We think of the children and take on the shortest of the various hiking trails, which takes 2.5 hours. But in the end, it's not the children who are heavily panting and sweating: they chat happily, dart through even steeper shortcuts, and only come back running when wild horses block the way. Fortunately, it wasn't one of the brown bears that also live in the national park - but apparently very withdrawn beyond the trails. The horses are not particularly interested in us, and when we arrive at the summit after the last hot meters above the tree line, we are very happy and enjoy our picnic.

We spend the following cooler, rainy days with (school) books and games and get a taste of the autumn days that will come someday. But until then, there is still time, and we are looking forward to more summer weeks in Greece and who knows where.