Budva - Montenegro

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New day, new beginning.

Just before noon, on 19th of February, I grabbed my backpack and left Kotor determined to catch a lift to Budva.

Budva is a Montenegrin town on the Adriatic sea. It has around 14,000 inhabitants. The coastal area around Budva, called the Budva riviera, is the center of Montenegrin tourism, known for its well preserved medieval walled city, sandy beaches and diverse nightlife. Budva is 2,500 years old, which makes it one of the oldest settlements on the Adriatic coast.

It took me less then hour and two cars to get to Budva. I enjoyed second ride very much as the driver was a football player who played with Stefan Savic (Man City, Fiorentina and currently Atletico Madrid defender) in Montenegrin national junior team. But knee injury ruled him out of professional football.

I was dropped right at the door of hostel where I had only one night booked, as I had my couchsurfing request accepted for following few nights. As soon as I walked into a hostel I knew that high season is still far away. They still had a Christmas tree up and a massive heart next to it. Splendid Christmas and Valentine's day combo. I dropped my bag in the room and walked to the beach for a stroll. I had a coffee (or three) and returned back. I shared a room with guy from Belarus, who most of the time spent on Skype so we didn't talk too much. Most of hostel guests were Russian speaking people so I really didn't have a feeling I'm in Montenegro. Anyway, it was for one night only.

Next day I was picked up by Bato (my couchsurfing host) and moved to his apartment. That guy was phenomenal. His stories were absolutely fantastic. I learned so much about history and life in Montenegro in general and I can not be more grateful for how fortunate I was that he agreed to host me. The same night we picked up another guy who was also couchsurfing in his apartment, French guy, Victor. And I was really glad I had a company because we saw Bato only in the evenings. Bato is a film director who works during night and sleeps through the day. So most of the time during the day I spent with Victor but was looking forward for evening too, to hear more stories from Bato. First night, Bato cooked the dinner. Crepes with pavlaka (similar to our cream), ham and cheese (yummy). Before we went to bed, Victor and I agreed that next morning we'll hike to Sveti Stefan, a small islet and hotel resort, approximately 6 kilometres southeast of Budva.

It was overcast but warm in the morning so after breakfast we left apartment and took off for Sveti Stefan. There's a lot of construction going on in Budva before summer season kicks in but path to Sv Stefan leads right along the shore so we were away from construction sites. Victor, as a real firefighter from Paris, took a dip in the see when we arrived to our destination. I couldn't be bothered, I checked the water temperature with my hand and it was nowhere near the temperature I'd like to dunk my body into. We tried to hitchhike back to Budva but were not lucky so we took the same way back. It was still early afternoon so we headed to old town where I introduced Victor to burek (baked meat-filled pastry). I haven't met a person yet, who wouldn't like that food and Victor loved it too. In the evening we did some shopping and returned to apartment. It was my turn to cook. Vegetable stew with coconut milk and rice it was. Bato woke up just in time for dinner (perfect timing). That evening we were once again overloaded by facts about Montenegro and its people.

Next day we decided to walk to the north of the old town and visit two sandy beaches with a dancing girl statue standing on a rock in the sea. The entrance to the beaches was padlocked so we had to jump over the gate to get there. But we noticed we were not the only people doing so, so we didn't feel guilty at all. These beaches were really beautiful and I could imagine them to be packed with people during summer. I preferred them just the way they were at the moment I saw them, empty and peaceful.

After beaches we headed up town to a monastery Podmaine, Serbian Orthodox monastery build in 15th century. When we got there, the church was locked so we just sat in front of it and chatted until we spotted a monk. I went and asked if there's a chance he could open the church for us, and he did. We felt privileged. Interior was beautiful, full of colourful paintings. We spent few minutes inside and then walked back to apartment. That night was Victor's turn to cook. It was good. It was our last night in Budva so after dinner we went to pub for some beer and of course Loza (rakija made of grapes). Local people were very kind and tried to pay us the drinks but we knew we need to be fit for morning hitchhiking so we politely refused. After pub we thanked Bato for his hospitality and went to sleep.

Next morning, Victor and I had breakfast, packed our backpacks and left the apartment together. Victor was heading north and I was heading south to Ulcinj. My last stop in Montenegro.

I had great time in Budva and this small town will forever be linked to my host Bato and his amazing stories.

Coming next: Ulcinj 😉



Slovenska verzia:

Novy den, novy zaciatok.

Tesne pred obedom, 19-teho Februara som schmatol svoj batoh a opustil Kotor s umyslom stopovat do Budvy.

Budva je mesto v Ciernej Hore, leziace na pobrezi Jadranskeho mora. Ma priblizne 14000 obyvatelov. Cast pobrezia okolo Budvy sa nazyva Budva riviera a je centrom turizmu v Ciernej Hore. Je znama velmi zachovalym stredovekym opevnenym mestom, pieskovymi plazami a divokym nocnym zivotom. Budva je priblizne 2500 rokov stara, co ju radi medzi jednu z najstarsich usadlosti na brehu Jadranskeho mora.

Netrvalo ani hodinu a bol som na mieste. Vystriedal som dve auta. Prave druha jazda bola velmi zaujimava. Zastavil mi mladik (Vlado), ktory kedysi hraval futbal za juniorsku reprezentaciu Ciernej Hory. Hraval v obrane spolocne so Stefanom Savicom, ktory posobil v timoch ako Manchester City, Fiorentina a momentalne oblieka farby Atletica Madrid. Mozno by takato kariera cakala aj mojho sofera, keby mu do cesty nevoslo neprijemne zranenie kolena, ktore mu zahatalo cestu do sveta velkeho futbalu.

Vlado ma zaviezol az pred dvere hostela, v ktorom som mal zarezervovanu jednu noc. Jednu iba preto, lebo dalsich par noci som mal byvat u miestneho pana z Budvy, ktory akceptoval moju ziadost o ubytovanie cez internetovu stranku Couchsurfing. Hned ako som vstupil do hotela bolo vidiet, ze letna sezona je este daleko. V rohu haly este stale stal vianocny stromcek a vedla neho na stole obrovske srdce. Uzasne spojenie Vianoc a dna Sv. Valentina. Zhodil som batoch vo svojej izbe a vybral som sa na prechadzku k moru. Dal som si na plazi kavu (mozno aj tri) a vratil som sa spat. V izbe bol so mnou ubytovany aj chlapik z Bieloruska, ale kedze vacsinu casu stravil volanim cez Skype, nemali sme kedy sa normalne porozpravat. Drviva vacsina ludi ubytovanych v hosteli bola rusky hovoriaca a tak som vobec nemal pocit, ze som v Ciernej Hore. Ale kedze som tam bol iba na jednu noc, vobec mi to nevadilo.

Na dalsi den ma vyzdvihol Bato (moj hostitel) a presunul som sa do jeho apartmanu. Bato bol uplne fenomenalny clovek a jeho pribehy uplne fantasticke. Dozvedel som sa vela zaujimavych veci o historii a zivote v Ciernej Hore. Bol som vdacny za to, ze suhlasil, aby som mohol u neho par noci prespat. V ten isty vecer sme vyzdvihli dalsieho chlapca, Victora (z Pariza), ktory bol taktiez Batovim hostom. Bol som tomu velmi rad, kedze Victor mi robil cez den spolocnost. Bata sme vidali iba po veceroch. Pracoval ako filmovy reziser a mal uplne iny denny rezim ako my. V noci vela pisal a cez den spal. V prvy vecer nam Bato pripravil palacinky so smotanou, sunkou a syrom (mnamky). Pred tym ako sme zalahli, sme sa s Victorom dohodli, ze na dalsi den sa vyberieme peso do Sveteho Stefana, maleho ostrovceka a zaroven hoteloveho rezortu, priblizne 6 kilometrov juhovychodne od Budvy.

Rano bolo zamracene ale teplo a tak sme sa po ranajkach vybrali na planovany vylet. V tomto case v Budve prebieha mnoho stavebnych prac ale kedze cesta do Sveteho Stefana vedie popri pobrezi, boli sme mimo dosahu rusneho prostredia. Ked sme dorazili na miesto, Victor ako spravny hasic, odhodil veci a vbehol si zaplavat do mora. Ja som rukou okusil teplotu vody a kedze bola velmi studena, tak som radsej ostal na brehu. Cestou spat sme sa pokusili stopovat ale po par neuspesnych minutach sme zvolili tu istu cestu, ktorou sme prisli. Dorazili sme do Budvy zavcasu na to, aby sme isli spat do apartmanu a tak sme sa este vybrali preskumat stare mesto, kde som Victorovi navrhol aby sme si dali burek (nieco ako pecivo plnene masom). Este som nestretol cloveka, ktoremu by burek nechutil a Victor tiez nebol vynimkou. Podvecer sme spravili nakup a pobrali sme sa domov. Ja som bol na rade s vecerou. Dusena zelenina s kokosovym mliekom a ryza. Bato sa zobudil prave ked sa servirovalo (perfektne nacasovane). V ten vecer sme opat raz boli zavaleni informaciami o Ciernej Hore a jej ludoch.

Na dalsi den sme mali dohodnuty vylet na sever od stareho mesta, na miesto kde sa nachadzaju dve pieskove plaze a taktiez socha tancujuceho dievcata stojaca na skale v mori. Vstup k timto miestam bol zamknuty, ale to nas neodradilo. Preliezli sme branu a boli sme za plotom. Vobec sme sa necitili, zeby sme porusili nejaky zakaz, kedze sme neboli na druhej strane plota sami. Plaze boli naozaj ocarujuce a ja som si vedel predstavit ako to tu musi vyzerat v lete, ked je tu nekonecne mnozstvo turistov. Ale ja som preferoval to, co som videl v tom momente. Vyludnene a pokojne plaze.

Z plazi sme sa vybrali do klastora Podmaine. Je to Srbsky Pravoslavny klastor postaveny v 15-tom storoci. Po prichode sme zistili, ze kostol v klastore je zamknuty a tak sme sa pred nim usadili a debatovali o hocicom. Po par minutach sme zbadali mnich a ja som za nim vystartoval, aby som sa opytal, ci nam nemoze otvorit kostel, lebo sa chceme pozriet dovnutra. Mnich suhlasil a tak sme sa mohli pokochat uzasnymi malbami a oltarom. Citili sme sa privilegovani, kedze to vyzeralo ako sukromna prehliadka, iba pre nas dvoch. Po niekolkych minutach sme klastor opustili a vybrali sa spat domov. Po ceste sme este nakupili cerstvu zeleninu, kedze dnes bol rad na Victorovi, aby volaco uvaril na veceru. Victor navaril dobre. Kedze to bol nas posledny vecer v Budve, vybrali sme sa po veceri do baru na pivo a lozu (rakiju palenu z hrozna). Domaci sa nam snazili vsemozne kupovat pitie, ale kedze nas rano cakalo stopovanie, museli sme zdvorlio odmietnut. Po odchode z baru sme Batovi podakovali za jeho cas, ktory nam venoval, a pohostinnost a zalahli sme spat.

Rano sme sa po ranajkach zbalili a spolocne opustili apartman. Victor smeroval smerom na sever a ja na juh. Cakala ma posledna zastavka v Ciernej Hore.

Stravil som v Budve uzasny cas a toto male mesto bude navzdy spojene s Batom a jeho neuveritelnymi pribehmi.

Nabuduce: Ulcinj 😉

Doskakavenia priatelia.

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