Montenegro Trip Report

PART TWO

FRIDAY: We walked around the village a little after breakfast. I could be happy here for several days. Just beautiful. My traveling companion commented parts of it remind her of SE Asia.

I never spent time here before because I wasn't sure about the village and I wasn't excited about trolling around a lake for 2 or 3 hours. Just not my enjoyment. Well, just got back from 2 hours on the lake and I could easily do it again. Part the nature, part the singularity of everything, part the boat captain. I avoided this for 10 years? Great to have a traveling companion to pull me out of my self inflicted comfort zone. The travel agent kept telling me I was missing out as well.

My perception is that all but 2 of the tourists here are European. The 2 not are from Montana. Also my perception that close to half of those in the village today are locals. All the locals have been exceedingly kind. Few speak much English and it doesnt matter.

Restiran Stari Konak is cash only. Its lunch time and our driving tour around the lake starts in about an hour.

Next stop was a winery tasting and a tour. The winery is located in abandoned commie air force bunker inside a mountain. Very good. Very well done. Left with 2 bottles.

Then we drove a terrifying switchback road up to a place called Pavlova Strana which is this facinating hillside restaurant with a 50 mile view. Great food and wine too.

Then down to a tiny resort town called Rijeka Crnojevica that appears to exist mostly for the locals where we boarded a small speed boat for a 30 minute terrifying ride on the river. The guide is doing everything well.

PART THREE

SATURDAY. Today a tour and sampling of an olive plantation / press. I went to another one in Montenegro last year and enjoyed it as much as the wineries. Then to Stari Bar for the abandoned old town and the newer old town. There is this hotel I spotted on a previous trip that I want to stay at. Looks so Balkan old world stereotype ... I recommended it to another RS type a few years ago and I dont think she was as impressed as I had hoped. Maybe my taste is different so we give it a try and use it for a base for 2 nights.

It was Less than an hour drive to Stari Bar where we met up with a local guide and began about a 45 minute walk down the hill through olive groves and family produce farms. We did a bit of picking and eating of the wild fruits along the way. Mostly Mullberries, figs and berries. At the bottom was an olive oil production house. The oldest mill in the house dated to the 1950's. The process is interesting to see. Then oil tasting, honey, local cured meats and cheese. Nicely done. Then the walk back up the hill and to our hotel.

Did i mention the Rakija (Balkan hooch) at the olive plantation? We collapsed after for a few hours.

Now a perfectly beautiful evening just feet from the 1000 year old walls of the now abandoned Venetian city of Bar; now called Stari (old) Bar.

Unfortunately they let an occasional cruise ship into Bar now. But from ship to Stari Bar must take close to an hour so they all ran home about 3pm to change for the captions dinner. I doubt on average any were ashore for more than 3 hours. Its quiet again.

Lunch was Ćevapi and Niksicko. Dinner was octopus, squid prawns sea bass, wine. The food here is as good to maybe a bit better than my experiences in Croatia.

PART FOUR

SUNDAY: Turkish coffee for breakfast as Turkish or Balkan coffee is pretty much the norm, then off for the ethnically Albanian/Muslim town of Ulcinj.

We made a few stops for views along the coastal road. The sea and coastline are beautiful. In Ulcinj we did a walking tour of the 600 year old Venetian Hill top fortified "old town". I can not begin to explain how interesting it is. I think of all the old coastal towns, it is the most interesting; and locals still live in it. Learned of the alleged link to Cervantes, pirates and the Ottoman European slave business. https://youtube.com/shorts/HNRBek33jDU?si=BxrZPn-y9usdEV_A.

People say dont talk politics on holiday ... but the guides Eastern European perspective on Yugoslavia and the Balkans war(s) was too interesting not to listen. EDIT: Not long after I posted this the guide and I talked again. I think every American should take the time to have a few political discussions in Eastern Europe. You will be surprised ...

On the way back to Stari Bar we passed the entrance to a woman only beach hidden from male view and a German nudist resort/beach that shoukd have been hidden much better. Then we ended up about 2km up a river from the coast and ate at a restaurant hanging over the river. Maybe the best seafood ever with service to match.

After resting up we headed into the 15th century Stari Bar ghost town on the hill above the current city. After war, bombardment, ammunition explosions and multiple earthquakes the inhabitants moved away. Tito cleaned up the ruins and it now remains a memory of past Venerian glory, and a great backdrop for tourism.

Another warm afternoon and cool evening. Few tourists in town.

PART FIVE

MONDAY: In the morning we did a tour of Bar (the other Bar, not Stari Bar) then drove to Budva Old Town and walked that as well. Much nicer than I remembered. Liked it a lot. Then we went to a restaurant near the docks for lunch (more fish, and a lot, and good). Then got on a boat that had been arranged for us. About a 40 foot sort of typical shore boat; something like this: https://img.getmyboat.com/images/62b1d27332c4f/-processed.jpeg?q=50&fit=crop&w=378&h=245 . The boat did a tour along the coast, the Budva Rivera, to Sveti Stefan https://www.travelsicht.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/sveti_stefan.jpg. Stops for swimming and drinks. It would be so nice to have the sort of money to stay on Sveti Stefan but rooms start at somethig over $2000 a night in the summer. Its beautiful. After a 2 hour boat tour the boat ended up at our hotel on the beach. Beautiful. The agent managed to snag us a room with a balcony that looked out on the sea and Sveti Stefan.

Tonight dinner and talk on the hotel dining terrace hearing the waves break and enjoying the company of Niksicko.

I called the agent and canceled the day that was planned for Tuesday. I apologized, and she responded that this was part of her job, keeping things flexible ... no problem. We had a boat tour of Kotor Bay planned but .... Its been a busy week so the new idea is we sleep late and spend the day at the beach. The beach is literally below our balcony.

TUESDAY: This morning we woke at 6am. Seriously? The plan was to sleep late.

Beach day. A high of about 83F, >85% clear and sunny. Water is a bit cooler than ideal, but no one is staying out of it.

The beach has pairs of lounge chairs with umbrellas and tables with about 12 feet to the next pair in all directions so this isn't high density. Towels and Food and drink service on the beach. Still less than what I paid for a 4 Star the last time i went to Vienna.

Even though its mid June the beach chairs are less than 25% used. The staff said it doesn't get full until late July and even then since its a private beach they can always ensure room for hotel guests.

Our agent sent directions for a 20 min walk to a village down the coast for lunch. The walk through the cedar forest and wild persimmon was pretty. The village was a pretty collection of modern and ancient, a small beach and a handful of nice restaurants. Great lunch ... fish again. Interesting, here it doesnt matter how casual a place is, 8 out of 10 times the waiter will be in a uniform. You know, white shirt, usually with a name on it and sometimes a tie.

Stopped and walked the causway that goes to Sveti Stefan then rested up for the sunset, then bed.

PART SIX

WEDNESDAY: 9am the transfer arrived and we were off to Kotor about an hour down the coast.

First stop was the cable car from near the end of the Tivat airport to the mountain above. Not cheap at 25 euro round trip but the views were spectacular.

Then on to Kotor old town. Two smaller cruise ships were in the bay. And the city was crowded but not silly crowded like Rome in May. Did the required 90 minute tour and saw tye priests singing in tgr church. The best part for me was at the top of the walls on the south side by the most. The other tourists didn't much find it and tgere arr good places for lunch and just enjoying the views.

Dubrovnik is more impressive in scale but i'm not sure any, or much, larger. Kotor is more intimate and easier to appreciate at a personal scale. But I love them both.

This is June and it was 82F at its worst and it was okay, but you wouldn't want to be in Kotor on a late afternoon in Juky or August if a ship were in the bay. So those thinking about day trips from Dubrovnik, ehhhhh. Door to door with the border crossing is probably a little less thsn 3 hours. So you arent arriving before 11 or 12 which I will guess is when the boat people arrive. Do 3 hours, 4 if you want the cable car, then 3 hours back. 10 hours total with in 90F heat in the old town packed with boat tourists? No thanks.

But if you stopped a few places along the way and spent the night in Perast or Tivat then saw Kotor early morning before returning to Dubrovnik that works better. Best yet, dont return to Dubrovnik and fly home or onward from Tivat or Podgorica. The coast alone is not less than a 4 day tour for the highlights. I remember when Tivat only had Turkish Air service. Now between Tivat and Podgorica there is non stop service to the UK, Germany, France, Doha, Georgia and the list goes on and on. A lot are discount airlines.

THURSDAY:
Stopped for home cooked breakfast with friends. Everything made from scratch. Best breakfast ive had in years.

But it ended with homemadr medicinal Rakaji. Plum brandy infused with herbs. A way to say safe and healthy travels.

Arrived at the airport about 90 minutes before the 11:15 flight time. The departure hall is small so they close security between flights and you have to wait for folks to leave to access the departure hall. Passport control was a smile and a stamp. Everyone walked across the tarmac and boarded the flight about 15 mintues early, so we left early. Took 1:05 to reach Budapest. Budapest, for me because of residency, was a stamp in my passport, nothing else. The others had to do the fingerprint and photo thing but it was going realy smooth. A couple of guards were working a line taking the photos and sending them to the passport workers at the counters. For the fingerprintes you wave your hand between two parallel pieces of plastic and a light turns green and you are done.

From the airport to home took the 100E and walked up Kiraly utca.

PART SEVEN

MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS: I wish I were better at this. I’ve been here 5 times, but each trip has been about half new.

The weather, the natural beauty from mountain to coast, the architecture .. mostly 12th to 16th century Venetian. But what always makes me the happiest to be here are the people. So typically Eastern European kind and respectful ... even to tourists.

What do they think of Americans?
a few took the time to say they love Americans, many said welcome to our country.

How does one dress for Montenegro?
Tourists wear shorts and t-shirts. Local men wear pants and mostly collard shirts. Local women wear stylish magazine advertisment style long dresses.

How civilized is it?
My traveling companion has commented on how clean the public restrooms have been.

How safe is it?
Statistically Montenegro is as safe or safer than some of the top destinations in Western Europe. Watching the locals its evident that in the places that I have visited on this and previous trips that pickpockets and phone theft is not a thing here.

The cost?
Hotels and food are quite a bit less expensive than Croatia.