Thursday 27 October 2011

Colour in abundance


We awoke and our sleep site was just as gorgeous. Eventually we dragged ourselves away to continue north to the Durmitor National Park. The roads we were on were new and fast, not the slow ropey ones we expected so we made good time. Zabljak, the largest town was sprouting loads of new houses scattered about the immediate hills and along the larger roads- many still under construction. I assume both these and the high quality of the roads were due to this area being popular with hikers, rafters and skiers, depending upon the season, and they were mostly being built for holiday homes or let.

Alex was hoping to get on a much rated rafting trip- preportedly the best way to see the 1300m gorge carved out by the river Tara. Unfortunately, as has so often been the way on our trip, all the tourist facilities were closed for the winter so we decided to drive to a recomended peak, walk up and see it from above.

It was stunning, truely awasome, again, I really need more words but wow. It really was so high- the peak, unlike a conventional mountian was the tip of a cliff that towered over the not quite vertical decent to the waters below. The shear scale of it all was what makes it so draw dropping and the glorious colours of the autumnal trees were the icing on the cake.

We decided, having a four wheel drive and having seen a local map, to decend to the river. We found the track easily and Alex was brve enough to give over the driving to me for the decent. It was over 1000m as the stone falls but 14km of tight bends on a rough but fairly regularly used road through woods of goldern yellows, rich oranges and flamaing reds. When we finally poped out at the river bank (to find a wooden hotel obviously built as an overnight stay for the multi day rafting trips), the combination of the turquoise waters of the river, the reds, oranges, yellows and greens of the trees, the white of the rock and the black of the peaty soil, well, words fail me.

After taking it all in Alex drove us back up and we left the park, heading on a road the took us past the fairly impressive Tara bridge spanning the gorge and on upstream, following it's course. Being maked as a minor road on our large scale map it looked ideal to find a quiet track off it to camp for the night. We had forgotten of course that being in a gorge the sides are steaply sloping in most places and we were quite away along before we found any such spot. As it was getting dark we made do. There was nothing wrong with the spot , it just wasn't very nice but this probably has more to do with our five star locations of the last two nights than anything else!

3 comments:

  1. The trick with pomegranates is to cut in half, hold over a container and tapping sharply on the skin until all the little seeds have fallen out.Turn inside out and scrape what is left out with your teeth. Now wash your face!

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  2. Cut in quarters and push insideout and push the seeds off. Very envious I love them.Dad

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  3. He he, thanks both of you, wish I'd picked more now, still there seems to be lots for sale everywhere

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