We have returned to trekking the Balkan routes. After travelling all over the Carpathians in 2016 and, more recently, capering about between Slovenia and Istria, this time we went hiking through the Dinaric Alps. It is the mountain range that “overlooks” the Adriatic Sea, starting from Slovenia and ending in Albania, passing through Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Kosovo. We were playing at home: Glorija speaks the local language and we did our best to collect brand new stories from the people who live in these mountainous lands.
We stopped off in three specific areas along this line that, for simplicity’s sake, we can call “from Sarajevo to Skopje”: the Bjelašnica mountains in Bosnia, which are just a stone’s throw from Sarajevo; the Durmitor National Park, a mountainous massif in northern Montenegro with the Bobotov Kuk peak, the highest in the group of mountains that reaches 2522m a.s.l.; and Prokletije, more commonly known as the Albanese Alps, a cluster of mountains located on the borders between Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania, where the major mountaintop is Maja Jezercës (2692m a.s.l.), which is also the culminating point of the entire Dinaric Alps.

When we travel through mountain ranges, we feel tiny in relation to everything else: this is what trekking is all about. We carry a small home upon our shoulders, with a vast space around us to explore in total freedom. It is so important to have zero impact on the environment, to be gentle and to immerse ourselves quietly in nature. This is how we at once get familiar with the surrounding territory. We have the privilege of only hearing the charged voices in the most isolated communities, voices which are still able to relate and convey the lands that they inhabit and watch over with simplicity and emotion. Many of our stories also come about in a small yellow tent, where we fall asleep in the early evening and wake up in magical places. We try crossing on foot when the mountain passes are still closed. Not only do we walk to get from a to b, above all we walk to feel good and learn about different cultures. Trekking is energy, it’s life. It regenerates our bodies. It is a calling to nature, where everything is associated with pureness. Back in the city, we often have to adapt our lifestyles to follow strict rules and paths, whereas in the mountains we can express ourselves. We can relax. And as soon as we reach altitude, that originality which sets us apart comes alive once again. We have small daily goals and the sole true purpose of gathering the stories of minorities.

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