Visit to "Crna Gora"

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"Crna Gora" means "Black Mountain" and is the Montenegrin name of Montenegro.
Montenegro is a small country with about 600.000 people between Serbia, Croatia and Albania. The country separated from Serbia in 2006 and became an independent country.

In Montenegro they use the Euro as national currency, although they're not part of the European Union (yet). The country is trying hard to promote itself abroad as a tourist destination and they have a goal to convert to country into a destination for upper-class tourists. A lot of Russians visit Montenegro since they don't need a visa to visit.

From Dubrovnik I decided to take a daytrip to this country, which wasn't planned, and I don't regret the choice I made. The border-crossing took about 30-45 minutes to get into Montenegro (less when going back to Croatia) and we drove along the city of Herceg Novi and along the "Boka Kotorska" (Kotor Bay). This beautiful bay looks like the fjörds in Norway, according to many people and one Norwegian tourist I met. We drove around most of the bay, making the first stop in Kotor.

Kotor is a small, historical city on the UNESCO World Heritage List and has about 15.000 people. It's a beautiful city with its old town dating back the 5th century. I found it to be like Dubrovnik, but smaller and less touristy which was great! Kotor is also surrounded by an old city wall and has many narrow alleys and streets to wander across. Outside there is a small, colourful market where I bought some fruit. I try to buy and eat fruit as much as I can and also vegetables, trying to stay healthy and not to become sick. It's not an enjoyable feeling when you're sick; it sucks and when you're travelling it sucks even more! Kotor itself doesn't have that much to do, but would be a good place to stay to explore and hike its surroundings.

Just outside Kotor we stopped on a hill which offered a spectacular view over Kotor and Kotor Bay...very, very stunning! We continued towards the coast and along the way I saw different bays and beaches. We stopped in Budva, a popular seaside resort and historical city. The city has no more than 20.000 people and is known for its beaches and nightlife. It was the 3^rd week of September when I visited and there were some tourists around, but not too much. In the summer it’s supposed to be quite crowded. The historical part is not very big but its history dates back to more than 1000 years ago. It's characterized by the Budva Citadel which contains an old fort from where you can enjoy views over Budva and the coast. I liked the footpath along the beach with its restaurants, cafes, water sports rental places etc. It seemed to be a relaxed place to spend a couple of days and chill...and it wasn't too expensive (maybe in the summer it is!?)



After Budva we started heading back towards Dubrovnik. This time we didn’t go around Kotor Bay but we took a ferry from Lepetane to Kamenari, which saves you 45 minutes by crossing Boka Kotorska at one of its narrowest points.



I was glad to have visited Montenegro, although it was a short visit.
Travel around, going from place to place makes you tired sometimes. Therefore I'm happy to just stay at one place for a longer period of time, especially when I meet my friends. When travelling on the bus, train or plane, I just relax, enjoy the landscape and the views while listening to some music, including some Curaçao music. Can't deny that I miss Curaçao sometimes but glad that I'm doing what I'm doing now.

Thanks for reading and till the next one!

Elton

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Comments

[Rosemary Sint Jago]

Hopi interesante
Elton saludos di nos tur aki banda,vooral tante Carla i famia un abrazo Tante Rose

[Rachael]

The pictures are so real that I wish I was there.All about the Travel Blog is great.

[Petar]

Nice
I am glad you had good time at Montenegro, come again my friend. Greetings