Montenegro is a country, or more accurately a sovereign state, that I didn't expect to visit or know too much about. For starters, it has a approximately 630,000 inhabitants, is about the same size as Connecticut and is bordered by Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Albania. The capital of Montenegro is Podgorica (once know as Titograd during the existence of Yugoslavia) and she has a long history of changing hands (i.e. Byzantines, the Venetians, Yugoslavia, etc) and being independent .
The location over the border was a photo stop for the two islands in the Bay of Kotor. Our Lady of the Rocks which is a man-made island and home to a church built in 1452, and the island of Saint George which has the 12th century Saint George Benedictine monastery. I love the look of the island of Saint George with its cypress trees and stone building.
Island of Saint George (left) and Our Lady of the Rocks
Next was Kotor, a coastal town of Montenegro located on the Bay of Kotor which some say is the southern-most fiord in Europe. Kotor is another lovely town to wander around and it feels like it was built right into the Orjen and Lovcen mountains. You can see from the photos below how the mountains seem to hug the town. Kotor has become better known due to visits from Princess Caroline and Grace Kelly. I would have loved to have walked the city walls but as this was just a day trip from Dubrovnik time did not permit. I'll just have to come back (she laughs) when I have more time to walk the 4.5 km track of 1200-1400 steps.
St. Triphon's Cathedral, 1166
Town Clock Tower, 1602
After Kotor, we took to the road via Mount Lovcen and took an old winding road to the top which included a long section called the Serpentine's. Called the Serpentine's, it snakes it's way up the mountain with 25 hairpin turns. The views along the way were pretty spectacular but it was a nerve-wracking ride for most of it. Although a two-way road, there was usually only room for one (particularly when you're in a bus) and one or the other would need to pull over (or reverse and pull over) to let the other pass. The drop over the edge was a bit hard to deal with at times but the views towards the top, 840 m above sea level, were worth it though (I think).
The view I chose when the drop over the Serpentine's got too much.
I'm alive, on firm ground and with a great view of the Bay of Kotor
Further up the mountain we came to the village of Njeguši, about 1,000 m above sea level. Apparently a few Montenegrins have summer homes up here and there are even little huts for hikers to rent. I think I'd like to do some hiking around here - the views are amazing and the huts are so cute!
Hikers huts to the left of the pink wall
Views of Njeguši
On the way back down, the local guide pointed out a number of 'hot spots' such as Sveti Stefan where Ivan Djokovic got married, the Hotel Splendid Spa Resort on the Budva Riviera where Casino Royal (James Bond) was filmed and Jas Beach voted #1 Best European Beach by Lonely Planet. Again, no time to validate the Lonely Planet claims. Oh well, I'll just have to come back another day.
Jas Beach (Lonely Planets #1 Best European Beach)