Hello from Montenegro! I was actually supposed to leave for Albania this morning, but between some very effective peer pressure and my love for this country, I'm staying for two more nights. I arrived to Kotor on Saturday the 21st from Dubrovnik, which was absolutely lovely.
I spent 3 nights in Dubrovnik, after heading south from Split. The bus ride to the city was incredible, and I made sure to arrive to the bus station early so I could get a prime seat on the right side. The bus drove down the western coast of the country, and view of the Adriatic Sea was seriously mesmerizing.
I think I can technically say I was in Bosnia too, because we drove through a tiny strip of land that intersected Croatia. I spent the next few days exploring the Old Town and and surrounding areas. I thought that Split was hilly, but it has nothing on Dubrovnik-- the Old Town is bowl-shaped and full of steep steps, while the rest of the city (where my hostel was) is on the side of a hill. Out of practicality, I ended up wearing sneakers my entire trip!
Dubrovnik is known for being a filming location for Game of Thrones, and having not watched the series, I felt a bit guilty that I couldn't appreciate it for that. However, there was plenty more to appreciate, as the city is gorgeous. The stunning blue waters juxtaposed against the orange terracotta was a beautiful sight, and walking around the city made me feel like I was living in medieval times. My one main complaint about the city is that it's packed with tourists. Granted, this is compared to Marrakech and Split, cities that have relatively few tourists compared with major cities in Europe. The Old Town is fairly small, and cruise ships brought in hoards of well meaning, but slow walking tourists. Combined with the narrow streets and already small center, it felt a bit cramped. The Old Town also felt very tourist oriented compared to the Old Town of Split with few businesses other than restaurants and souvenir shops. Nevertheless, the tourism is well deserved.
Over the next few days, my highlights included walking the city walls, climbing Mt. Srd, and visiting the island of Lokrum. The Old Town is walled in, and you can pay to ascend the stairs and walk around the perimeter of the whole town, which gives postcard-worthy views. I walked with a couple friends that I had met in Split, and it was a lot of fun. I later decided that the million stairs in Dubrovnik weren't meeting my climbing needs, and climbed to the top of Mt. Srd, a small mountain outside of the walls which was also the home to a battle during Croatia's war in the 1990s. It's incredible think about how much things have changed in the Balkans in the last 20 years. It's more common to take a cable car up, but it was a beautiful day I didn't want to pay to ride up something I could walk, so I hit the trail. At the top-surprise!- views were abundant and beautiful. After stopping to rest and appreciate it all, I headed down and went into the Old Town to catch a ferry to the island of Lokrum. Lokrum is known for it's lack of any human inhabitants and abundance of wild peacock inhabitants, so I knew I wanted to check it out. Only a 15 minute ferry ride away, it's a great getaway from the town. I explore the island for a bit, and then settled down on the rocky coast where I alternated reading, swimming, and trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I am living the dream.
I boarded my bus to Kotor on Saturday morning, and have been relaxing here ever since! Kotor's Old Town is more quaint compared to the Croatian cities', but what it lacks in that it makes up in stupendous natural surroundings. It's adjacent to the beautiful Bay of Kotor, and surrounded by Orjen, the towering green-gray mountain range. This hostel is very social, so it has been great to meet people and make friends. I met up with a friend who I met in Split, and we enjoyed some kayaking in the Bay on my first day, which was a great introduction to the town. One of the top things to do in Kotor is to climb up about 30 minutes or so to the old Fortress of the city. There are stairs, but it costs a hefty 3 euros to enter-- far too much for your favorite budget backpacker. I had heard there was a separate way up with switchback trails that was longer, but prettier and far less crowded than the stairs. I had also heard about the house of a "cheese and prosciutto man" and given very vague directions, yet I was determined to find it. About 20 minutes in, another trail emerged, creating a bit of a fork. The main way was clear, but I was curious to see what was down the other trail, so I headed down, and found about fifty mountain goats. It was incredible. Most of them were in a secluded field, but some were on the path, about 50 meters ahead from me. I ventured further, and then all of a sudden they stopped and looked at me. They started walking towards me, and then picked up their pace. I'm not sure what's typical of mountain goats, but at this moment their horns seemed extraordinarily large and pointy. I ran back out to the main trail, and they followed me out, stopping once they were sure I was out of their territory. Close call. I continued climbing, and after encountering two docile cows, I eventually came across a small house withs some tables outside. I lingered for a moment and a girl who looked about 15 came out, asked me what I wanted, and served me a hunk of cheese on cutting board. Not bad. Later, a man who I assume was "The cheese and prosciutto man" was fiddling with a tree, and a moment later produced a bowl of fresh cherries for me! And all with a view! After my snack I continued climbing, but realized that I missed a turnoff. I debated retracing my steps and going back, but decided to keep hiking up and see what I find. I ended up not finding much, but I did summit a small peak! It was lovely atop there, but view was obscured a bit by some ominous looking clouds. As I descended the mountain, the dark clouds turned out not to be deceiving, and the heavens opened up. I scrambled down the mountain, stepping carefully around goats and stray piles of cow poop, and finally reached the bottom! Today I climbed up again, this time taking the right turnoff to get into the Fortress. Full of towers, stairs, gates, and bastions, it was beautiful, but not quite as thrill inducing as getting chased by goats.
Late last night, while preparing my bag for my trip to Albania the next morning, I was convinced to stay two more nights. With no good excuse not to, I agreed, and I'm glad I did! Although there aren't a million things to see and do, being surrounded by the mountains and water, not to mention fun people, is something that I'll always value. That being said, I am looking forward to unpacking and settling down for a little bit in Albania. I will be working at a hostel there for a month, and I can't wait for that new experience!
I spent 3 nights in Dubrovnik, after heading south from Split. The bus ride to the city was incredible, and I made sure to arrive to the bus station early so I could get a prime seat on the right side. The bus drove down the western coast of the country, and view of the Adriatic Sea was seriously mesmerizing.
Dubrovnik is known for being a filming location for Game of Thrones, and having not watched the series, I felt a bit guilty that I couldn't appreciate it for that. However, there was plenty more to appreciate, as the city is gorgeous. The stunning blue waters juxtaposed against the orange terracotta was a beautiful sight, and walking around the city made me feel like I was living in medieval times. My one main complaint about the city is that it's packed with tourists. Granted, this is compared to Marrakech and Split, cities that have relatively few tourists compared with major cities in Europe. The Old Town is fairly small, and cruise ships brought in hoards of well meaning, but slow walking tourists. Combined with the narrow streets and already small center, it felt a bit cramped. The Old Town also felt very tourist oriented compared to the Old Town of Split with few businesses other than restaurants and souvenir shops. Nevertheless, the tourism is well deserved.
Over the next few days, my highlights included walking the city walls, climbing Mt. Srd, and visiting the island of Lokrum. The Old Town is walled in, and you can pay to ascend the stairs and walk around the perimeter of the whole town, which gives postcard-worthy views. I walked with a couple friends that I had met in Split, and it was a lot of fun. I later decided that the million stairs in Dubrovnik weren't meeting my climbing needs, and climbed to the top of Mt. Srd, a small mountain outside of the walls which was also the home to a battle during Croatia's war in the 1990s. It's incredible think about how much things have changed in the Balkans in the last 20 years. It's more common to take a cable car up, but it was a beautiful day I didn't want to pay to ride up something I could walk, so I hit the trail. At the top-surprise!- views were abundant and beautiful. After stopping to rest and appreciate it all, I headed down and went into the Old Town to catch a ferry to the island of Lokrum. Lokrum is known for it's lack of any human inhabitants and abundance of wild peacock inhabitants, so I knew I wanted to check it out. Only a 15 minute ferry ride away, it's a great getaway from the town. I explore the island for a bit, and then settled down on the rocky coast where I alternated reading, swimming, and trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I am living the dream.
I boarded my bus to Kotor on Saturday morning, and have been relaxing here ever since! Kotor's Old Town is more quaint compared to the Croatian cities', but what it lacks in that it makes up in stupendous natural surroundings. It's adjacent to the beautiful Bay of Kotor, and surrounded by Orjen, the towering green-gray mountain range. This hostel is very social, so it has been great to meet people and make friends. I met up with a friend who I met in Split, and we enjoyed some kayaking in the Bay on my first day, which was a great introduction to the town. One of the top things to do in Kotor is to climb up about 30 minutes or so to the old Fortress of the city. There are stairs, but it costs a hefty 3 euros to enter-- far too much for your favorite budget backpacker. I had heard there was a separate way up with switchback trails that was longer, but prettier and far less crowded than the stairs. I had also heard about the house of a "cheese and prosciutto man" and given very vague directions, yet I was determined to find it. About 20 minutes in, another trail emerged, creating a bit of a fork. The main way was clear, but I was curious to see what was down the other trail, so I headed down, and found about fifty mountain goats. It was incredible. Most of them were in a secluded field, but some were on the path, about 50 meters ahead from me. I ventured further, and then all of a sudden they stopped and looked at me. They started walking towards me, and then picked up their pace. I'm not sure what's typical of mountain goats, but at this moment their horns seemed extraordinarily large and pointy. I ran back out to the main trail, and they followed me out, stopping once they were sure I was out of their territory. Close call. I continued climbing, and after encountering two docile cows, I eventually came across a small house withs some tables outside. I lingered for a moment and a girl who looked about 15 came out, asked me what I wanted, and served me a hunk of cheese on cutting board. Not bad. Later, a man who I assume was "The cheese and prosciutto man" was fiddling with a tree, and a moment later produced a bowl of fresh cherries for me! And all with a view! After my snack I continued climbing, but realized that I missed a turnoff. I debated retracing my steps and going back, but decided to keep hiking up and see what I find. I ended up not finding much, but I did summit a small peak! It was lovely atop there, but view was obscured a bit by some ominous looking clouds. As I descended the mountain, the dark clouds turned out not to be deceiving, and the heavens opened up. I scrambled down the mountain, stepping carefully around goats and stray piles of cow poop, and finally reached the bottom! Today I climbed up again, this time taking the right turnoff to get into the Fortress. Full of towers, stairs, gates, and bastions, it was beautiful, but not quite as thrill inducing as getting chased by goats.
Late last night, while preparing my bag for my trip to Albania the next morning, I was convinced to stay two more nights. With no good excuse not to, I agreed, and I'm glad I did! Although there aren't a million things to see and do, being surrounded by the mountains and water, not to mention fun people, is something that I'll always value. That being said, I am looking forward to unpacking and settling down for a little bit in Albania. I will be working at a hostel there for a month, and I can't wait for that new experience!
Goats! Cows! Peacocks! Cheesemen! How much wildlife can you pack in? Thanks for the news. Looks beauteous. On to Albania. Pops
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