The Balkans - Kotor, Montenegro - Apr 2024

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Saturday 20th April 2024 Well hello Montenegro!! Caught the bus to Dubrovnik bus station, coach turned up early ( not the modern Flixbus but a Jadran Express...( Toilet didn’t work!) white coach with an eighty year old( I’m guessing!!) with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, driver!! This couldn’t be our driver, surely not.....but yes it was. And to be fair he did get us here despite over 2 hours delay at border!! Stunning scenery, especially where went into Montenegro as the coach took us all the way around the Bay of Kotor, which took about an hour!! The Bay was surrounded by mountains and it was definitely black over the mountains by Kotor! NB Sit on right hand side of bus!

Sure enough, as we arrived at Kotor, the heavens opened and we got drenched with rain and hailstones, even reaching our airbnb Monika ( opposite the bus station!!) Waited for it to stop raining a bit, then went out to register where we were staying( required by law in Montenegro!) and to have a bit of a wander. Tried to get a card for internet for the Balkan countries and failed!! Looks like we will just have to manage with wifi!!

Walked up into the City Walls ( Free– Dubrovnik take note!!) and took photos. Not quite the same with drizzle and a grey sky, but then the sun came out for a while before disappearing behind a mountain, so it was a quick run around to take photos again. Looks an interesting old place with a church ½ way up a mountain and fortified walls reaching the top!! (1355 steps!!)There seems to be loads of stray cats around the town – rumour has it that sailors from all over the world, would dock in kotor bay and bring their cats with them!! The stray cats are looked after by the people and protect the Old Town from mice and rats!!.Anyway, an evening meal in the Old Town completed the evening!!

Sunday 21st April 2024– We woke up to a cloudy day but as heavy rain was forecast all day, decided to go to Budva on the coast, as it had a better chance of being better weather there ( and the bus station was a 2 minute walk away!!) Got on a bus straight away (4.50 euros one way) and arrived at Budva Bus Station approx 30minute a later! Headed for the coast ( the road we wanted was being dug up!!) and eventually made it to the promenade – the Old Walled town to the right of us!! Walked about the Old Town. .....and then it started raining! Got absolutely drenched exploring the Old citadell! Stayed in their library to dry off, then as the rain had eased a bit, carried on exploring. The rain came on heavy again and we got drenched again and dried off in a Chinese Restaurant?! Handy for lunch too!! Then the sun came out, so it was back around the Old Town again, seeing that the rain had dropped as snow on the tops of the mountains!

We kept seeing pictures of a stature so we turned left out of the Old Town and walked along the little path by the sea. Found the statue and continued on the path, past incredible strata on the cliffs, to another beach with sea caves!

As It was clouding over again( Icouldn't stand the thought of getting drenched for a third time!!) We got the bus back to Kotor......and then it started raining again. No fixed plans and all that, we had a cup of tea at the apartment & decide what to do next!! The rain was stopping again, so we walked to the Old Town of Kotor.......and guess what? It started raining heavily again!! Walked a bit more and then the sun came out for a lovely evening.

Monday 22nd April 2024 –It had to be done!!This was our only dry day we are in Montenegro as rain is forecast again tomorrow!! Walked up to St Johns Fortress on top of the hill!! I read somewhere it was 1355 steps, whether that was both ways I don’t know!!All as I know is that it was a long way up. So long that we would have missed out boat trip, booked for 12.00, only we managed to postpone it until 3.00pm, thanks to some friendly Germans at the top of the fort, who were able to phone Bogdan ( thats his name!) at the travel agency (Bog for short??!!!)

Which meant we had more time to look at the fort and explore going down stopping at the church – Our Lady of Remedy, ½ way down. It took about 3 hours altogether – we.didn’t hurry at all and my knees meant I was very slow on the way down!!

Had a well earnt drink, sat in the sun in a comfy chair and sorted out a car rental for tomorrow!!

Walked to the office of Motor VIP Boat Tours, in the Stari Grad (Old Town!!) then Jelena walked us to the speedboat!! Great fun – even if it did get a bit chilly later – well....cold!!.

Our first stop was Lady on the Rocks Church– a Roman Catholic Church on an island!! There is also another Island that we passed – St George Island that houses a Serbian orthodox monastery!!

Next stop was to see to a submarine tunnel that was built by the Yugoslavians before speeding out of Kotor Bay to go past Mamula Island, that housed Italian and German Prisoners of War and onto The blue caves!! They were quite fascinating and well hidden and oh so blue!! Anyway, a fast speedboat ride back ( It was freezing cold by now and I was glad of my five layers of clothing!!

Tuesday 23rd April 2024 We awoke to grey skies and drizzle! Chris got the car from the garage up the road at 8.30 and we were on the road by 9.00am! Drive to Budva on the E80, went through the town and turned left on the M2.3 to Pogorica via Cetinje. There must have been an accident or something ( what with all this rain!!) so we found and drove back to the coast road. Drive to Petrovac via Sveti Stefan, with spectacular views of the coast ( well, they would have been stunning if the sun was out & the sea was blue!!) Drive up the M2 and then the E80, across the end of Shkodra Lake, and onto Podgorica. Took the M18 to Danilovgrad, where Ostrog Orthodox monastery was signposted. Followed the road for about 20km, serpentinas( horseshoebends!!) galore – especially after the Lower Monastery!! Parked the car and walked up two sets of steps ( in the rain!!) couldn’t face the third set of steps so walked the road up to the monastery. Weird place! No photos were allowed, but we climbed a staircase , about 60 steps (!) and came out on a veranda with what should have been, stunning views of the valley. The Veranda was cut into the rock face and had mosaics of different saints. There was also a very small chapel, covered in frescoes, with a bloke dressed in black who didn’t say anything!! Back down the stairs (!) and then everyone was queuing up, so we joined the queue, and eventually were ushered in by a priest(?) and then they were getting blessed by another priest or confessing (?) I was out of there anyhow – didn’t stop for any of the mumbo jumbo!! That was it really. Had a cereal bar for lunch as they didn’t have a cafe – just an enormous shop where I bought a cross for 1 euro!! Was it with the three hour drive? It WAS spectacular – I just wish it had been sunny for the views!!

Drive back then, on the road signposted for Kotor, via Niksic, M6 , left onto P11 and through tunnels and gorges to the coast! Drove to Risan, where we decided we would look at the Roman mosaics!! It was under cover but just 6 rooms with just a few mosaics in each room! Read a lot of the info, how Risan had been there before the Roman era!

It had stopped raining ( yay!!) by now so we went for a walk along the promenade at Perast!! Chris got ripped off – 11.50 euros for a cup of coffee (americano) and an aimond cake. Charged 1 euro for the milk!!!Anyway the name of the cafe-bar is Sijavoga and it’s opposite the boats to the islands!! You have been warned!!

Back to Kotor by 6.00pm.

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