"Zdravo" (hello) from
Kotor, Montenegro
Population: 13, 510
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| We were in all the towns marked by large pink dots |
We arrived in Tivat, Montenegro airport where we walked off the plane into the beautiful sunshine and heat. 28 C in Montenegro and it was only
10 C in Moscow when we left - priceless!
Warning: lots of pictures again!
10 C in Moscow when we left - priceless!
Warning: lots of pictures again!
The passport control area was a little crazy at this teeny airport. It seems that 2 large airplanes arrived at the same time and we were all standing outside waiting and pushing and shoving. It really wasn't pleasant, but was over with soon enough, we rented our car and off we went to try and find our Airbnb in Muo (village across from the town of Kotor on the other side of Kotor Bay).
First stop - grocery store.
The roads in Muo are SO narrow - right along the water. In some parts, when two cars pass - the one car is right on the edge of the road - one minor miscalculation and you're in the ocean!
First stop - grocery store.
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| Here's the road and the sign for our Airbnb - you can't see the ocean in this shot, but on the right is a drop into the ocean! |
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| There it is - no barriers - no edge, just right into the water if you misjudge how wide your car is! |
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| Heaven forbid you meet a cement truck at the wrong time on this road |
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| Francine taking few minutes to enjoy the view |
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| View from apartment balcony |
We checked in and then immediately turned around and drove to Dubrovnik, Croatia (that's how we roll baby). It's a beautiful scenic drive along the way (about a 2-hour drive).
In no time, we were at the border crossing into Croatia (you need to get a visa and special paperwork for your rental car if traveling from Montenegro into Croatia). Craig & I were there in 2011 (on a cruise), but Francine & Alain had never been.
To start things off, we were hungry, so we had a quick bite and then walked around the narrow streets of Old Town in Dubrovnik. I forgot my purse (complete with passports) in the washroom, but luckily the waiter pointed it out and nothing was stolen! Phew! Alain & Craig did the 2 km walk around the city walls. We don't remember it costing so much, but it was $30 Cdn. per person to do so! And it was stinkin' hot - the guys got a real workout climbing all the stairs and walking around.
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| Views on the drive to Croatia |
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| Old Town Dubrovnik, Croatia |
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| Game of Thrones tours, souvenirs, etc. are huge here in Dubrovnik now. I wish I had paid to get a picture in the throne! |
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| You're so cool baby...but you already have sunglasses! 😎 |
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| The outer Fortress walls of Dubrovnik Old Town |
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| Rooftops from Old Town Dubrovnik wall |
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| Don't you just want to jump into that clear, blue water? Ahhh... would be so refreshing. |
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| Alain enjoying the views (and a rest)! Apparently it was a little toasty up there and lots of stairs. |
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| Bye to Dubrovnik ... |
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| Back in Muo for dinner - can't get much more "ocean front" dining than that! |
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| Back in Kotor (Muo)at a truly oceanfront restaurant called Splendido - fantastic! |
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| Hmmm... fresh seafood |
Day 2: Jaz Beach, Budva
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| Amigos enjoying the refreshing water |
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| Craig frying 😱 |
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| Alain cools Craig down after a dip in the ocean 😇 |
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| I wasn't quite brave enough to try the fly board, so we went on this inflatable thingy pulled behind a jet boat. Although the ride was short (5 minutes for 5 Euros each), it was lots of fun! |
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| Happy campers! |
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| Francine saw me trying to push Alain in the water, so she came along and pushed him in! Then, she proceeded to push me in too! Brat! 😘 |
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| Jaz Beach from above as we head to Budva |
Budva Citadel
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| The Citadel from the dock where we were eating lunch beforehand |
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| Yummy beach-side pizza lunch |
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| Francine made a new friend... ahhh |
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| Love the water - gorgeous! |
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| A statue dedicated to Craig! |
Back in Muo (Kotor) ...
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| Our Airbnb |
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| Tight squeeze to the parking lot of our apartment - good thing we rented a small vehicle! |
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| Chillin by the pool - breaking the rules to have glass by pool (they didn't have any plastic cups - what's a person to do?) |
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| Pick out the old couple (hint, not the couple on the right) 😁 |
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| Dinner at Rendez-Vous in Old Town Kotor - good food, decent prices |
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| We put Francine to work |
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| Another Kotor cat photo for you Aunt Judy - he stayed in this position forever like he was guarding the store. |
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| The Kotor mountain beckons me at night also saying "you need to come climb me Kerry"... |
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| A must-do when in Kotor - just look at that path - gotta do it! |
Day 3 - Sveti Stefan & Stari Bar
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| Sveti Stefan Island City(or Saint Stephen) is a small islet and 5-star hotel resort on the Adriatic coast of Montenegro - 6 km SE of Budva. |
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| More rocky beaches - does Montenegro have any beaches with sand? Not that we saw. |
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| I thought this tiered pay scale for 2 uncomfortable beach chairs and umbrella were high until ... |
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| 100 Euros for 2 beach chairs and an umbrella for this beach (free for guests of the resort). My guess is there is NOBODY in their right mind who would pay that - it's just to discourage the riff-raff from being on their beach. One lady walked down just to take a picture from the beach and she was quickly escorted off by a guard. Geesh! |
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| View along our way to Stari Bar |
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| Old Citadel in Stari Bar (meaning "old" bar) - this is a small town a few miles from new city of Bar (which is not so interesting looking). Stari Bar saw its share of battles and after an earthquake in 1979 that destroyed the aqueduct supplying water to the town, it was abandoned and the new city of Bar was constructed. Some years later the aqueduct was restored and people began to return. The population is said to be 1,864. |
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| Alain & I are always climbing into tunnels... |
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| I'm forever climbing on things - still. |
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| Craig doing his part to hold the wall up |
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| Our "light" lunch after visiting the fortress of Stari Bar |
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| The fortress as we are driving away |
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| Back in Kotor...I'm going to hike you soon! |
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| The water smooth as glass with the reflection - gorgeous! |
Day 4: Hike to Kotor's Castle of San Giovanni (St. John)... finally!
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| The entrance to the path is within Kotor Old Town (Stari Grad) through this pathway. This is where the climb starts as the pathway starts to angle upwards. San Giovanni Castle. I'm not going to lie, it's a steep hike of 1350 stairs. The Old Town including the structures up to S. John's castle were named UNESCO world Heritage sites in 1979. |
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| Map of the trails |
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| 👉 Let's go! 👌 |
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| We were on the trail at 7:45 am to beat the heat, so we were in shadow for most of the way up until the sun came up over the mountain. |
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| Hate to break it to ya guys, we're not there yet! |
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| Not a hike for the faint of heart or those afraid of heights (or exercise) |
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| It's not AS scary as it looks standing there |
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| Craig wanted me to go over there too - I said "uh, no". |
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| cause that looks super safe! |
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| 👉 Let's go! 👌 |
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| We just had to crawl through a window to get down to this cute little church where we also saw a herd of goats grazing |
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| The goats enjoying the hillside |
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| The "secret passage" to the church |
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| And tada, we're at the church! |
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| The teeny church with some remaining frescoes - and goat poop! |
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| This is the window we crawled through... |
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| Boys will be boys... |
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| Don't do it Craig! |
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| Old is cool ... I'm talking about the stairs! |
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| Double-black ice cream doesn't look so pleasant on the teeth, but tastes really good! |
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| Our apartment/pool |
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| Ahhh... peaceful views from the pool |
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| Our last night... 😭 but we had a lovely dinner on the water at Galion for Francine's birthday dinner! |
Day 5: Departure day
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| Final coffee from the balcony ... 😭 |
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| As we were leaving the apartment I noticed these goats grazing - too cute! |
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| Bye bye Montenegro ... we will miss you! |
