Blogs from Montenegro, Europe - page 10

We rose looking forward to setting foot in a new country for both of us. The forecast was for showers all day, so it was with some trepidation that we made our way to the Lido. We were still making our way to the harbor where we would set anchor and tender ashore. The weather did not look great from the window in the Lido, there was a low ceiling and we could make out the shoreline. I had my Irish Oatmeal, banana and some Swiss muesli. Sharon had some potatoes and toast. We were back in the room getting ready for our tour when they made an announcement over the outside intercom. All I could discern that they were closing the outside decks to keep passengers safe. When we walked into the Showroom to assemble ... read more

"Why did you come to Montenegro?" This is the question the locals ask us when we tell them we have come from Australia. They must underrate the natural beauty of their country (the coast line at least) as we think it is worth a visit. Bar was our first destination (its the name of the town not the type we often visit to drink!) and one that I had not expected to linger in for very long, but we decided that we liked the laid back feel of this rather modern town with a lot of sporting facilities near our apartment. The beach is long and there is a pedestrian path alongside it, which we used for our morning runs. We also passed the large basketball stadium, many football (soccer) pitches, a good athletics track, tennis ... read more

We had a worryingly long wait on the border crossing from BiH into Montenegro which consisted of fifteen minutes of guard changes, papers and passports disappearing into the main office and the booth window being shut on us. At one point we wondered if the rest of our holiday may have to be spent in no mans land between the two countries. The fact that none of the staff knew how to smile didn't help much. Once out we went down a road that was narrow and really poorly made (much like the BiH roads). We eventually came to what looked like a brand new road that had been sliced out of the rock. There were points were you could see tarmac from the old road almost up at eye level, which showed how far they ... read more

The rule was no Christmas music unless the temperature fell below 8°. Leaving the farm, we achieved this, and I tortured everyone and delighted myself with three (or maybe four) Christmas songs. The cold temperatures in conjunction with our lack of cold-weather/hiking/hanging out on the farm-clothes made all of us anxious for the coast of Montenegro with beaches, sun and warmth. We were on our way through Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, with the destination of Budva, a super touristy beach resort town. None of us gravitate toward hanging out in super touristy beach resort towns but we were on the cusp of tourist season, so Budva was serenely empty. We happily settled into our villa near old town, checked out the beach and had salad for dinner to offset some of the pounds of cheese ... read more

MONTEGRENO 2 The French Riviera was along time ago. Ah – those balmy beaches of St Tropez Frejis and Cannes. Bodies laid out on those funny deck chairs. All in columns and rows along a rocky shore, with an azure blue sea and patches of turquoise where snorkelers swim. Well here we are at Ulcinj on the Montegreno Riviera. Not as big as the French show. Not as flash- Indeed markedly downmarket compared to Monaco– like dropping down from Little Cove Noosa to Beachmere instead. Except that Beachmere has year round warmth, grassy foreshores, and sand. Sand sand – glorious sand. No sand sighted yet on the Mediterranean, Adriatic or Ionian seas. Here at Ulcinj its big rocks, little rocks, big pebbles, little pebbles, and sharp edged grit. Not much of a surface to promenade on ... read more