BALKAN HOLIDAYS,MONTENEGRO

   The idea to go to Montenegro arose spontaneously. Initially, completely different countries were planned. And although the weather forecast was disappointing, we bravely boarded the plane and after 3 hours left in Tivat.

   Within walking distance from the airport there is a bus station, from where you can get to the city of your interest. And we were waiting for a transfer to Budva. On the way, we admired the stunning panoramas of the mountains, the sea and Budva.

Budva turned out to be a small town where you can get around everything on foot.

Old city

The symbol of the city “Dancer”

Beaches. Slovenian beach and Mogren beach

A new water park was opened in Budva this year.

   Excursions are  sold everywhere. We need to communicate with sellers, somewhere they will make a discount for the child, somewhere for the quantity. The quality, it seems to me, is about the same. I can advise “Montelain” and “Gardashevich”. The tour operator prices were very high. But buying with locals, it must be remembered that groups can be mixed with English speakers.

   Because our Schengen visa expired, we hastened to go to neighboring Croatia and visit Dubrovnik.

DUBROVNIK.

   A bus ticket cost 20 euros. It takes about 4 hours. The peculiarity of local buses is that they can drive up to the wrong platform that is indicated on the ticket (in this case, the driver goes out and announces the direction). And despite the seats in the tickets, everything On the way back, the driver transferred half of the passengers to another bus in Herceg Novi and did not call at the bus station, we were dropped off in the middle of Budva.

 All the way to Croatia, we admired the views of the Boko-Kotorska Bay.

We stopped in Tivat and Kotor, passed the Church of the Virgin on the reef and the city of Perast.

   And although the weather did not indulge, the views outside the bus were delightful. Boka Kotorska Bay, which we drove around, reminded of shots from films about Vikings. So it seemed that now there would be drakkars.

   By the way, there is another way to get to Dubrovnik – by ferry through Herceg Novi.

   When approaching Dubrovnik, a view of the Old Town opens.

   We passed the border quickly, and upon arrival we immediately bought tickets back. The surprise was that neither euros nor cards are accepted at the box office. ”Know euro-kuns.” Okay, there is an exchange in the next window. Two tickets cost 246 kunas (about 35 Euro).

   It’s a long way to go to the Old Town, besides, it started raining. But we got to it, wandering around the streets a little. A local woman did not understand my English, and in the end we were told the way not by a local English-speaking couple, who, apparently, was just returning from there.

   So, the Old City, during the rain and after.

   We wanted to visit “Aquarium”, but they did not accept cards and euros, but there wasn’t enough kunas. Although they did accept euros in some shops. There is also a Maritime Museum, but we didn’t go to it. Due to bad weather, we could not swim to Lokrum Island. But when the rain stopped, they climbed the city walls and walked around the entire Old Town.

   The trip turned out to be a little more expensive than if we went with a guided tour, but we had enough free time to see everything. There are many shops with all sorts of things, cafes and restaurants in the Old Town, but everything is quite expensive.

BOKO-KOTORSKAYA BAY.

   After being impressed by the views of the Bay of Kotor, we took a separate excursion around it by boat, with a visit to Kotor and Herceg Novi. We got to Kotor by bus.

KOTOR.

   The old town is impressive. I would like more time to wander around it, climb the walls. Feel the spirit of the times. For this, I recommend coming here on your own. There is also the Croatian Embassy, ​​where you can get a visa to travel to Dubrovnik.

   Then we boarded a boat and began our journey along the bay.

We sailed the city of  Perast .

And they landed at the  Church of the Virgin on the reef.

   According to legend, the island was made over the centuries by sailors, who thus fulfilled ancient vows after two sailors escaped on a rock and found an icon of the Madonna and Child there. It is believed that this happened on July 22, 1452. The rescued sailors decided to strengthen the rock with stones in order to create an island and build a church on it. Since then, local sailors have developed the custom after returning from each successful trip to throw a stone near the rock. This rite is still alive today, every year on July 22nd at sunset an event called Fašinada takes place, when the locals get into boats and throw stones into the sea, expanding the island’s base.

   In Crkvi there is a museum and an icon of the Mother of God, embroidered for 25 years. It was made by a woman who was waiting for her husband from the voyage. She embroidered with small knots through a magnifying glass and eventually became completely blind, but created a masterpiece that is kept in this church.

   Then we sailed the port of Tivat with expensive yachts.

   Further, after swimming in the open sea, we visited  Herceg Novi.

They call it the city of steps, and we understand why.

   In fact, the voyage was boring, except for visiting the cities. From the coast, the Boko-Kotorska Bay seemed more beautiful to me.

   After that, we decided to enjoy the natural beauty of Montenegro and went on an excursion along the canyons of the Tara and Moraca rivers.

   The road went up all the time and the views were simply mesmerizing.

We passed  St. Stephen.

Skadar lake.

First we visited the  Moraca Monastery.

   In addition to the ancient Monastery, there is an apiary. They sell black and all kinds of other honey. Nuts in honey, rakia on fruits and herbs, and much more. There is also a source where we were recommended to get water.

And finally, we saw the canyons.

Then we drove to the Beogradskaya Gora National Park 

   We saw Lake Beogradskoe and a maple tree, which is 400 years old (shown in the photo). In the park itself I immediately wanted to put up a tent and stay there indefinitely. (We will add this to the list of our next trips). By the way, it is inexpensive (8 euros a day, approximately). There is where to cook, there is water.

Tara river canyon.

   The Tara River, also known as the “Tear of Europe” due to its crystal clear waters, is the longest river in Montenegro. The Tara River Canyon is the deepest canyon in Europe and the second deepest in the world after the Colorado Grand Canyon.

Djurdzhevich Bridge.

The bridge is impressive. To get even more impressive, you can take a zipline ride. They sell honey and souvenirs again.

Upon arrival in the city of Zabljak, where lunch was planned, we saw mountains with snow caps. Here, in the north, it was noticeably colder. From here we went to another national park  “Durmitor”

The air in the park was so thirsty, my head was spinning, I wanted to breathe and breathe it.

Black lake.

   In general, the trip did not seem tiring, although it started at 6 a.m. Everything was dynamic and very beautiful.

CETINIER.LOVCHEN.

   It was possible to take an excursion, but again we missed the dates, there was no time and decided to go on our own. We took a bus in Cetinje. The ticket costs 3.5 euros. In the bus we met two women with whom we shared the cost of a taxi to Lovcen. costs 25 euros. No other transport runs. Distance is 14 km. And although the weather let us down again, everything was covered with fog and terribly cold, we climbed to the very top. At the top is the Mausoleum of Njegush. We did not go inside, we tried to catch the views.

   Having gone downstairs, we were taken directly to the  Cetinsky monastery. 

   The monastery houses a museum displaying the vestments of the Metropolitans of Montenegro, the crown of St. Stephen of Decansky, the rarest manuscripts and printed books of the 13-19th centuries, church utensils and ancient banners.

   The monastery is located in the very center of Cetinje, at the foot of the Eagle Mountain. The Cetinje Monastery is the main residence of the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

   There is kept the right hand of John the Baptist and the Particles of the Holy Cross, the shroud embroidered in gold.

   Also in the monastery you can buy brojanits (amulets), medicinal cosmetics, honey, brandy tinctures, handmade medicinal soaps, tea made from local herbs and much more.

   The ancient city of Montenegro – Cetinje is located 30 km from the sea and is a unique city-museum, founded in the 15th century. Cetinje is the ancient capital of Montenegro and has earned this title by right. In 1482 the Zeta prince, being oppressed by the Turks, was forced to move the capital of the country to the wild forests on Mount Lovcen. In 1484, a monastery was erected in Cetinje, which, along with the city itself, is considered a symbol of Montenegrin independence.

   When we drove back, the mountain serpentine was periodically covered with fog, and from a height down to the sea and coastal cities, stunning views opened up. Budva was at a glance.

   We also planned a trip to the Ostrog Monastery, but the weather improved and we decided to spend the last days at sea.

   Right before leaving we went to  the Mogren fortress.

   The fortress is dilapidated and is not being restored. It is not far from Budva, you can walk along the road to Tivat to the tunnel. It offers a panoramic view of the sea, Budva and Jaz beach.

What to bring.

  I’m not a fan of useless magnets and other knickknacks that collect dust on the shelves.

   In Budva, I recommend visiting the market. There you can buy prosciutto, cheeses, homemade wine, olives filled with peppers and something else. Kaimak, fruits, vegetables and berries. All give a try, so if you are a budget tourist you can go there instead supper. They will be fed prosciutto and cheese and the wine will be tasted at last. Everything is packed in a vacuum, you can safely take it. I really liked the cheese with sesame seeds and cheese with garlic.

   Also a good cosmetics store opposite the market (there are two of them).

   There is a Serbian textile store in the Old Town. We ourselves did not reach it, but we heard about it. You must enter the Old Town from the side of the Mozart restaurant.

   The recommended wine is Vranac (there is a pro corde, good for the heart, but I didn’t get it). It is red, pink and white (Crstac). The price tag is from 2 euros in the supermarket.

Olive oil. It used to be “Barsko Gold”, now they recommend “Lori”.

Honey, especially black.

   Very tasty figs. I am not a fan of this fruit and did not dare to try for a long time. In the end, it turned out to be unrealistically tasty. Moreover, the green one seemed tastier than the dark one. Dried figs are also sold in boxes.

Broianitsy, medicinal cosmetics from monasteries.

   As for clothing shopping, you need to go to Bar or Podgorica.

   A new Plaza shopping center has opened in Budva, next to the Old Town, but prices are high and there is no choice.

   When planning a trip, this site helped a lot http://montenegro.in-facts.info/suveniryi-pokupki-v-chernogorii/

   Montenegro is a country with stunning nature, wonderful people. You want to return there.

Successful travels!