The path up to the lake on 11th April was, in contrast to my last visit, almost clear of snow. Plants were up in the leaf litter under the high forest. White butterbur (Petasites albus) was most numerous but the vivid blue hepatica (Hepatica nobilis) was more eye-catching. Wood anemone (Anemone nemerosa) and a borage species were…
Month: April 2015
Vranjina’s Pelicans
We came back the other evening down the main road from Podgorica to Virpazar across Lake Skadar. Just before the small fishing village of Vranjina, there is a section of open water fringed by spring green willows that over the past two weeks has had a pair, sometimes three, Dalmatian pelicans. These have always been loitering…
Ascent of Rumija
Yesterday, we set out to climb Rumija mountain, well a goodly part of its 1,595m. The mountain tops were still snow-covered but the target was to reach the steep beech forests at around 1,200m. We began in the ancient sweet chestnut woods and followed the way-marked path, passing through the hamlet of Gornji Briska. The…
Seoce
We walked from the outskirts of Godinje up the long hill to the old village of Seoce. The weather brightened and the east wind was blocked by the hills for most of the way. Blackcaps were as numerous and busy as ever in the roadside trees. There were many Fritillaria messanensis and these were most abundant in…
Ulcinj Solanas
The old town of Ulcinj with its fort above a small, deeply incised bay can trace its history back to the Illyrian times. Yesterday, on a warm Spring evening the smart cafes and restaurants were full, the promenade busy and the air was welcoming and civilised. Earlier that morning, a few kilometres out of town, I…
Crkva Sv. Petke
This little stone church sits high above the town of Virpazar, remote and quiet, with one of the best views of Lake Skadar. The place is always picturesque and this was the sunset on 6th March when winter was still hanging on hard in the mountains to the north. Crkva Sv. Petke or Church of…
Luštica Peninsula – Maquis
The Luštica Peninsula forms one of the two outer arms that protect the Bay of Kotor (Boka Kotorska); it has a narrow neck where it joins the mainland with a large, pendulous tear-drop head. There is only one circular, single track road so it is quiet and isolated such that tourist developments are only just beginning to make their…