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Balkans 2017

The road leading into the base is open. You can just driven in. As I was leaving a crowd of locals showed up in several vehicles. Sunday outing? I waved and drove past. They waved back. Friendly enough. However a visit here should not be taken lightly. It is a dangerous, as in life threathening, place.

According to accounts on the internet, visitors are tolerated. The border police show up sometimes and will stop you and ask for your papers. They will probably take down your details but apparently will allow you to carry on with a warning about the land mines.

The base featured in Aband0ned Arch1tecture on TV. There are also a few websites about it including a w1k1page.

This is a sat image of the base from g00gle earth - credits to g00gle.

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You can see where the runways and taxi ways lead into the mountain in the image.

The border is not accurate on the image above so watch where you go. As far as I know the ends of at least one of the two main runways crosses the border. The other gets extremely close to it, so steer clear of there.

Road access to the 4th tunnel shows up as passing through Bosnia on some maps - not so above. I would suggest against verifying this on the ground. Access to this entrance through the network is dangerous as there have been cave ins at this end. This really is not a place you want to be calling for help from, not that you can make a call when you are underground ... its a bit like space ... no one can hear you scream!

Funnily enough, there are two aircraft flying over the base in the above image, but perhaps its not so strange as it must be a highly visible waypoint from the air, even if it isnt an official one.

Oh, and over on the top right of the image is the M5 :) Maybe I was just west of Birmingham after all :)
 
I am not sure about this 7 ltrs per km economy rate though. That sounds more like what you might get from a tank, rather than a LC100 :)
 
Oh no, gok, its not a tank ... its a battle cruiser, and has a few scars to prove it :)
 
I am not sure about this 7 ltrs per km economy rate though. That sounds more like what you might get from a tank, rather than a LC100 :)

Pssst, :eusa-shhh: I think he meant per 100 km ....

And that’s way more economical than mine...
 
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Sarajevo

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During the seige of Sarajevo,the Bosnian's dug a tunnel under the Nato held airport connecting the city with Free Bosnia. The tunnel was used to supply the city with food, fuel and armaments. It also allowed reinforcements into the city and the wounded to be evacuated.

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The pipe on the right was used to pump fuel into the city. DSC_4321.jpg
 
From Sarajevo I headed to Serbia rather than Montenegro, crossing vi Visegrad

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The Bridge over the Rive Drina, a Unesco heritage site

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Great photos Reinhard.

A few slices of history recorded there as well as beautiful scenery, least we forget...:thumbup:
 
This is taking an embarrassingly lomg time to finish!

After crossing the river Drina I passed the first of a number of monasteries

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And an old steam roller

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I crossed the border into Serbia shortly after. The border crossing turned out to be quite a small one and insurance was not available there!

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There are quite a few old cars in Serbia, some of them could make worthly projects for the right enthusiast!
 
That last one looks like a Russian UAZ 469?? Not sure of the number...

Tough as boots and cheap with cheap parts (in Russia or close, of course). :thumbup:
 
Yes, its a UAZ but I dont know what number. As you say, they are tough beasts. You see a few of them in Easter Europe and probably a lot more in Russia. I like the look of them.

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The campsite near the Danube in the roadbook is not brilliant. There is a promenade with a few bars and restaurants which were quite good, and the swimming was good as well.

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This comms tower is close to Belgrade. It had been hit in an airstrike but is now adorned with some antennas.

At the time I felt that Serbia was not so great, but looking back now I've changed my mind. The scenery and landscape in the west was great - mountainous. I then spent a day driving from West to East. It was mostly through mostly flatish farm land and it was mostly tarmac, and that sort of lost the appeal for me. I stopped to see a few monasteries along the way. To the East is the Danube and I think there are some intersting areas round there but I didnt linger.

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I am not sure whether this was Serbia or Croatia but I dont think I've seen a warning sign for pigs before. I've seen the usual cows and horses, and also slightly more unusual such as red squirrel, frogs, dung beetle, lion etc but this one is a first.
 
The South Eastern part of Croatia is very scenic. There are a few interesting tracks and some restored old villages

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The people of Stara Capela let me camp on the village green just behind a small chapel!

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The village is very pretty and interesting and worth a visit.

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I crossed paths a few times with an 80 and a 90 following the route from the same roadbook.

I passed through a village with old wooded houses in the Natural Park of Lonjsko Polje. Unfortunately it was getting late and couldnt explore the park itself, whoch appears to be a haven for birdlife.

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Onto Zagreb for a bit of R&R

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Zagreb is a pleasant city for a short break.

Then on to Trieste...

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Enough cities - I slipped back into Slovenia to tackle the pass leading to Kranjska Gora

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From Kranjska Gora I headed for the border, crossing into Austria, Germany and the Netherlands to get the ferry back to Hull. Here are some views of Hull you dont often see ...

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I enjoyed the trip to the Balkans, despite the initial set back. The plan, if everything falls is place, is to return next year, but this time to head further south into Montenegro and Albania.
 
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