While in Croatia we decided to take a day trip to Montenegro since it was so close and we had heard great things about it. We hadn't rented a car so we went on a bus excursion for the day which took us to the cities of Kotor and Budva, with a quick lunch stop in the village of Njegusi. After arriving in Montenegro we drove along the almost clover-like shape of the Bay of Kotor, taking in the mountainous scenery and water.
Our next stop was the city of Kotor, which was built between the 12th and 14th centuries. The medieval architecture and various monuments make this city a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The small, walled-in coastal town has a maze of narrow streets and marble-like paths to explore. We browsed the boutiques, cooled down with gelato, and took in the amazing scenery just outside the walls of the city.
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| Outside of Kotor |
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| Random flying broomsticks |
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| Now that's a big clothesline! |
Next, we drove to Njegusi in the mountains via the "Serpentine Road", which is a narrow road of twists and turns zigzagging up the mountain. It was very reminiscent of driving on the Amalfi Coast and we're glad that we didn't have to do it! At the top we were given beautiful views of the fjords, mountains, Kotor, the bay, and beyond to the Adriatic Sea.
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| From the base of the Serpentine Road |
We stopped in the very tiny village of Njegusi for a quick lunch and had their specialty: ham and cheese sandwiches.
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| That's a lot of ham! |
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| Our lunch stop |
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| Hello rooster! |
Continuing on, we headed to the city of Budva which is a coastal beach town on the Adriatic Sea. It is a very popular tourist resort and has a lively nightlife. We went inside the walls of the old city and walked around the small squares and narrow streets. The streets reminded us of the streets in Venice or Positano. We wandered around looking at the churches, monuments, and small shops. When we couldn't take anymore heat we rehydrated with a beer, a pina colada, and a nice ice cream sundae :)
After we left Budva, we took the ferry in order to cut across the bay to drive back to Dubrovnik.
It was a long day of travel, but we are glad we went - our day trip to Montenegro provided us with amazing landscapes to gaze at, an insight to a different culture, and a background on the history of these cities and beautiful country.
Grandma and I were so pleased with your pictures of Kotor and vicinity We were lucky enough to see the same sights and have lunch at the same restaurant when we were there while it was still Yugoslavia. Enjoy the broad expanse of Europe and appreciate your roots here.As I remember te restaurant, the waiters wore tuxedos and white gloves. Don't think that has carried over. All our love, G & G
ReplyDeleteBeautiful architecture and very quaint! It always seems like there's a clock tower in every city! (Meet me at the clock tower!) (hahaha)!!
ReplyDeleteI love where you stopped for lunch! Very charming! And I absolsutely love the cobblestone streets! So beautiful! So many European towns are gorgeous and the building are so colorful (orange roofs, red, blue and brown shutters on the houses!) Do you know what my favorite pic is? It's the one of Jon and that delicious, yummy, ice-cream sundae! Sounds like you had a great trip and a lot of fun!!
I want to live at the base of Serpentine Road!!! Gorgeous!
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