Once we had decided on Dubrovnik as our destination, we knew that we would be making a side trip to Montenegro to check it out. We had several groups of friends that had been and had told us that it should not be missed. To be fair though, they had all spent considerable time in the country, hiking, hitting the beach and eating well. We would only have about 13 hours to explore but we would give it our best shot! We booked the trip and were excited to see what this tiny country had to offer. But first, we had to get across the border. We had heard horror stories about waiting in line for 2 hours just to cross, and we were prepared (iPads and Pods charged). And suddenly we were across in 15 minutes! Yay for small miracles.
Soon after stamping our passports, we found ourselves at the Bay of Kotor and ready for another crossing, this time of the southernmost fjord in Europe. Although, technically it is not a "real" fjord but rather a ria, it is still gorgeous. Our bus hopped a ferry and crossed the water in no time leaving us in awe of the blue skies and the water that seemed to merge into one.
Having saved ourselves a bunch of time (there is only one road around the lake, and it can be slow going) we were at our first destination, Budva by mid-morning. With a few hours to roam free we explored on foot for awhile and then, with skies threatening rain and rolling thunder to verify it, we ducked into a lovely restaurant to read up on what we had quickly seen and then enjoyed a pizza and beer while watching the rain come down in torrents.
Budva is known for its beaches and its booming nightlife and not particularly for its sightseeing.
That book was finished by the time we left!
Downpour over we met up with our group and headed off to our second stop, the UNESCO protected city of Kotor. With its Venetian walls surrounding the town and its castle and church on the hill, there is a bit more touristing to do in this town, so we took off quite quickly and sincerely hoped to beat the rain again!
The Venetian walls wind 4.5 km (almost 3 miles) around the city and then up that mountain. The entrance to the city is on the right and out of the picture. The church we would climb 300 slippery steps to is just above center at about 2 o'clock.
The Cathedral of St. Tryphon - it is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church in the area.
The Church of St. Nicholas - with a gold gilded depiction of St. Nicholas himself.
The entrance to the steps leading up to St. John's Fortress. With 1350 steps between us and the top, and only about an hour to do it in, we knew we would never make it up and back again in time. We had to be satisfied with the 300 steps to the Church of Our Lady of Health. And its spectacular view.
I stopped for a quick half way up shot, Stinkerbell stopped for a selfie.
We were running out of time, so it was time to navigate the steps back down. Which are slippery and not even and were treacherous in sandals. Wear tennis shoes if you plan on doing the hike.
And somehow we were already headed to our final stop of the day, Perast. It looks a bit like the other small towns we had seen dotting the highway as we drove the Adriatic coast, but this small town has something a bit different - a man-made island named Our Lady of the Rocks. The legend says that sailors spotted the image of the Virgin Mary on a rock out in the bay. So each time they completed a prosperous voyage, they added another stone as an offering. Pretty soon, they had made an island, and the grateful sailors decided to build a church. Once a year the villagers continue to add rocks, and though there are no services there, visitors come by the boatful. Literally.
We sailed away from the church and boarded our bus to once again cross into Croatia and back to Dubrovnik. It was a long day. And to be entirely honest, it was not one of the best countries we have had the pleasure of seeing. Sure, it was gorgeous. And it had history and red roofs and old churches and crystal clear water. But in the end, it seemed like it was just a reiteration of what we had already seen many times before. We had a fun day as a family though so I don't regret the trip in any way!
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