Monday, November 29, 2010

Road trip to Montenegro

We left Split, Croatia in the afternoon around 3pm which meant we only had about 1 hour of daylight left. I didn't get to see much of the coast the first day.  I won't deny that I was a bit stressed out about traveling on steep cliffs, in the rain, at night. But hubby is an experienced driver and we had a reliable car. We drove about 8 hours  along the coast and up the mountains to Podgorica, capital city of Montenegro. We passed Tivat, Budva and Kotor towns we planned on visiting on our way back. I noticed many monasteries along the way and my brother-in-law translated some of the towns we passed such as the Deaf Valley and Little Devils.When we arrived  we were tired and just wanted to find a place to rest. We saw a huge advertisement for a hotel so we pulled in and I will spare the details (not a good experience, I'm considering posting a review, what do you think? should I let it go and say karma will take care of it?)

The following day my brother-in-law had a business meeting so hubby and I tagged along. This would never happen if we lived in the States! By the time the meeting was over, it was 3pm, we had lunch and drove back in the rain to the town of Budva. We noticed the Hotel Splendid and hubby pointed out that a few scenes from the James Bond movie were shot here.

After dinner it stopped raining so we walked around town, it was nice to take a stroll since half of the trip involved sitting in the car!


The next day, we had a break in the weather. We drove first to see the Sveti Stefan Island  from the road.



 I read that Andrea Bocelli gave a concert there. Afterwards we drove to the town of  Tivat to see the construction of Port Montenegro, a marina for mega-yachts. I was surprised how pedestrians were allowed to walk around. Again, this would never happen in the States. Probably because there are no law-suits here if  you get injured? Our last stop was the city of Kotor.

Kotor in the night ,old walls


When we drove through it the first time, it was at night time and my jaw literally dropped when I saw the city walls illuminated in the mountains. It was like seeing a mini version of the Great Wall. 









We walked through the Sea Gate, the main entrance to the old city.






Found our way to the entrance of St. John's Fortress



 and we began climbing the 1,350 steps 
 Half way there!

 The Bay of Kotor. In Croatia ,Montenegro is known as Crna Gora which literary translates to Black Hill. 

Our new friend








Despite the rainy weather I wasn't disappointed with our trip. Montenegro is a beautiful country to visit. I'm thankful we made it back safely. On our drive back we heard reports of snow and accidents and in a way I was glad Beli didn't travel with us and that she was safe with her grandparents. Today is hubby's birthday and his parents' anniversary. We have many reasons to celebrate! How was your weekend?

Our Lady of the Rocks Island: 
According to legend, the islet was made over the centuries by the seamen who kept an ancient oath after finding the icon of Madonna and Child on the rock in the sea. The tradition was to throw rocks into the sea after each successful voyage. Even today the tradition remains as every July 22, an event called fašinada takes place were local residents take their boats and throw rocks into the sea.




18 comments:

  1. Another very nice tour you took us on!! I don't know if I would have gone myself, just because of the many steps to climb {I'm getting too old for that kind of adventure! ^_^}. I would have given new meaning to the term "Dog Tired"!! But I'm so thankful for wonderful bloggers like yourself who take me along on all kinds of wonderful adventures I'd never get to see otherwise!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. These are soo beautiful! Thank you! I feel like I just went on a mini-vacay :) (And loved the little legend you related). We celebrated (re)arriving in the States with a Friendsgiving.

    Hope the week ahead is filled with more lovely adventures!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This place looks ancient! Thanks for the tour, love love love the pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  4. WOW those views are gorgeous!!! I think I'm adding that to my must visit list. And one of the things I remember most about driving to Split was driving on that steep cliff with nothing but a drop next to you. And big buses going the other way...and people who are crazy and rode their bikes on it...would not like to do that in the rain!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Absolutely incredible! I have always wanted to go to Montenegro and this feels like I was there. Gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  6. What an amazing trip you take us on in Montenegro. It looks amazing, would love to visit, who knows maybe one day :) the pics are great

    ReplyDelete
  7. This looks amazing, especially the island! I think the whole area there is a hidden gem from the outside world. Was the hotel you stayed at terrible? It sounds like there's a good story there.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Poetess, it would have been impossible to climb during the rain, the steps were slippery, so glad i had my walking shoes.


    Jude, I like that, Friendsgiving, sounds like a fun celebration. and thanks for the donut post!


    Ana, there is so much history here!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Krystal, yes, that's exactly how most of the driving was, it was scary. I don't know how bus drivers do it.
    In my opinion, city of Kotor is a must see for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your photos are absolutely gorgeous!! I love seeing all the ancient sites and buildings. They look like they came out of a painting!! Bay of Kotor must have been breath taking if the picture is that gorgeous! I assume you didn't take Beli with you since it's such a hike. Lovely photos!! Thanks for sharing!! Kaho

    ReplyDelete
  11. I always wanted to go there...Its such a stunning place and The Bay of Kotor is out of this world...WOW!! Kisses,sweetie
    Happy Tuesday

    ReplyDelete
  12. @Dancing Branflake, the views were spectacular!

    @Babs, hey anything is possible right?

    @Tee, the night view of Kotor was breathtaking.It made a very good impression. yes the first hotel we stayed at was not such a good experience.

    ReplyDelete
  13. We wish we had made it to Montenegro - we're glad you did. Loved the photos. One of our days in the south of Spain was rainy too, but somehow rain doesn't spoil a magical place.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Kaho, I wish we had spent more time.two days was not enough. glad you also went on a weekend getaway.

    Diana. oh thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the virtual tour.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Kelly it will always be a memorable trip, rain or no rain right? especially when visiting another city/country.

    ReplyDelete
  16. This is absolutely amazing!! At first sight I had the impression of Sveti Stefan Island being unreal, like a model, because it's so perfect as an ensemble! Thank you for negotiating that large amount of stairs to show us this fantastic view!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I can never get over how stunning your road trips are. You are one lucky lady!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thanks for the information..

    I was looking for this kind of travel agency. This informative post will help to find out more details about Hiking Holiday Montenegro.

    Thanks for sharing it.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comments!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...