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Our trip to the south stared in the middle of the night, because of the long journey. After a long wait on the Croatian border (despite the fact that there were only few buses before us) we came to the Bosnian border where, of course, we had to wait. And the same on the Montenegro border, only with the difference that they worked even more slowly there.
First we visited Kotor, a famous medieval city with a little bit over than 1000 inhabitants. Kotor is located in the Bay of Kotor, which is the longest and deepest bay in the Adriatic Sea. It is also called the sautrenmost fjord in Europe. As soon as we stepped out of the bus the salesmen of sunglasses and similar things appeared around us. They were so persistent that they were already disturbing. At the entering to the main part of the city we were waiting for a local guide. She really knew the city and its attractions, but I had feeling that she was talking only because she had to say as much as possible. The locals didn’t seem friendly, so attention to things was certainly not superfluous.
Kotor is surrounded by
very interesting medieval wall and it is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. From 1420 to 1797 it belonged to Venice and you can recognize that in the architectural style. It has a very diverse history - it has been robbed several times, it was shaken by strong earthquakes, plague, it was continuing under another country (under Italy, Austria, France, Serbia ...). Through the city you will walk along the narrow stone streets and the feeling is really like in medieval times. For me, the most interesting street was the narrowest street "let me go" which is so narrow that two people can’t meet. Markets are named according to what was in the market in that times, for example Flour market, Salad market, Milk market, Wood market...
After visiting the Kotor we went to the hotel, which was located in Budva, on the Slovenian beach (Slovenska plaža)(you can read my review about the hotel on the Tripadvisor:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g304074-d622343-r481295719-Hotel_Slovenska_Plaza-Budva_Budva_Municipality.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT ).
The second day we visited Cetinje. It was raining so we just quickly walk through the city and saw Cetinje monastery (where they stored books and manuscripts), the national museum, the Vlach church and the government house (now a
president palace). Then the route leaded us along a very bendy road to Lovcen, the most famous mountain of the Montenegro. It is placed on the border of the mediterranean and continental climates and therefore has a diverse natural environment. It is 1749m high and at the top is the mausoleum of the famous Montenegrin ruler and poet Peter II. Petrović Njegošu. Before you reach the top of the mountain, you can enjoy a truly beautiful view of the surrounding valley and hills. By car or by bus you can reach below the top where a viewing platform is. If you want to see the mausoleum, you will have to climb to the top over the 400 stairs.
After walking in the hill, we went to one good snack-traditional ham and cheese on one of the surrounding farms.
In the evening we walked to the center of Budva. It is the most visited tourist place in the Montenegrin coast and it is placed along the Budva bay. It is the pleasant small seaside town, surrounded by medieval walls and narrow streets in the mediterranean style. It is best known by its long sandy beaches and summer parties. On
the coast, more and more villas, holiday homes and hotels are built. Architectural sights of Budva are the church of St. Ivan the Baptist and the church of Santa Maria and Punta. On one side of the wall is a beach called the head of Richard and on the other side the Slovenska plaža (Slovenian beach), which was named after the Slovakians who were the first tourists in Budva.
The third day we went to the Skadar Lake National Park. Unfortunately we saw a museum very quickly without any explanation because, even we agreement with local guide for the time, he didn’t come. This is Montenegro and the situations are quite unpredictable. If they decide not to go to work, then they just don’t go.
Then we drove with a boat through the Skadar Lake, which is the largest lake on the Balkan Peninsula and it is located on the border between Montenegro and Albania. 2/3 of the lake belongs to Montenegro, and 1/3 to Albania. We were driving through a national park where there are a lot of birds and other animals and I think that it would be a more pleasant ride in the silence without
quite loud traditional Albanian Montenegrin music.
In the afternoon we should visit the Ostrog Monastery but we were stucked in the column and it was already too late to see this monastery.
The last day we stopped for a short trip in Dubrovnik (Croatia). Just during our tour, they had a marathon race so we couldn’t see all of the city sights. We only walked through the main street to Stradun, so we got some quick impression how is in this beautiful coastal city, which I will definitely visit again.
Then we drove back home, again across all possible borders and customs checks.
I didn’t think that the Montenegro has such an interesting and diverse landscape, from beautiful sandy beaches to high mountains. In view of all the events and circumstances on our path, I can confirm that the stereotypes of inseparable and lazy Montenegrins are definitely true.
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