Zay Harding travels through two of Europe's least-known and most spectacular countries, Bosnia Herzegovina and Montenegro, which were both once part of the former war-torn country of Yugoslavia.
From Sarajevo, which suffered the longest military siege in modern European history in the early 1990s, Zay hikes through the mountains to Bosnia's highest village of Lukomir, where the traditional way of life has seen little change over the centuries. Along the way, Zay skirts minefields which are still in the process of being cleared and witnesses the ruins of demolished villages, poignant reminders of the horrors of the 1992-95 war.
Travelling onwards to Montenegro, Zay goes mountain biking through the remote Sinjajevina Highlands, spending time with some of Europe's last semi-nomadic herdsmen. The main mode of transport up here is horseback, and Zay witnesses a stunning display of traditional horsemanship when the locals stage a dramatic horse race across the grassy, windswept plateau.
Reaching the Durmitor National Park, Zay rafts down the beautiful Tara River on a traditional log raft, travelling through the deepest river gorge in Europe. In winter and spring the river is way too fast and furious for rafting - the summer months however present a different set of problems, namely shallow water and exposed rocks.
Zay learns the hard way with an unexpected "shipwreck" when his raft gets marooned on treacherous rocks. Zay and his guides are left with no alternative and the raft has to be broken up to free it from the rocks. After rebuilding the raft, they're able to complete their journey successfully, making it through one of the most spectacular and rarely visited gorges anywhere in Europe.
|