Monday 15th September 2014
With Shelina’s wedding over and our last morning in Radisson Blu Dubrovnik, we woke up nice and early as our car was being delivered at 10am. Calling Mitens and parentage’s apartment we said we would be going down for breakfast now at 8am. Miten was still getting up… There were a couple of the guests around so we said hello to a few and hello to my parents who were in their usual area for breakfast.
We wanted to eat out in the sun, so we took a table just outside on the balcony. All was going well, I went to get some more food, but when I got back, Bhavni was being shown to another table, with a bemused look. After settling down I found out the reason we moved was that Bhavni had a furry friend visit her enjoying her milk and cereal, and when telling the waiter they said it lives just there. Miten and parentage appeared a little while later as we were finishing, so we sat for a bit longer before going up to get our bags and check out.
Well the car was not going to come at 10am, it was going to come anytime from 10-11am, and indeed it came just before 11am. After signing the documents and loading up, we were on our way in the white estate. We stopped at the lookout point to get some good views of Dubrovnik, before driving past the airport and towards the border. The border crossing was easy and did not take that long, even with me being amused at the singing security guard. Now in Montenegro we drove for a bit before making a pit stop for some drinks and coffee, which was surprisingly good. After all of us had a wonder in a supermarket there, to get some supplies for dinner and the next few days, before heading on.
Soon enough we were at the optional ferry crossing, which we drove passed and instead started driving around the bay of Kotor – a big sheltered bay with lots of little villages around it and monasteries and other ruins on island dotted around. We stopped at a village on the way, parking just outside, which was 1euro. It was a nice village and Bhavni, Miten and I went for a little bit of a walk, letting the parentage walk casually at a slower pace. It was quite nice on the shore, with old buildings and restaurants. After getting to the main church, we made our way back, stopping for ice cream for most. We joined the parentage, looking at table cloths from street sellers, but luckily they did not have any big ones.
Back on the road, we only had a short scenic ride before arriving at Kotor, a world heritage site also. The parking was near, and we soon were entering one of the gates of the city. The city is a bit like Dubrovnik, but more older feeling, and we had a slow walk around a few of the streets, before stopping for some lunch at one of the numerous cafes. Chips, pasta and salad later we carried on our walk, up to the water gate.
I was eyeing up the walk to the walled positions up the mountain and luckily Miten took the parentage, whilst Bhavni and I made the walk up. We asked at the entrance how long it would take – 25 minutes to the church – we were there in 10. What a great view as we were going up and at the church, being able to see a lot of the sheltered bay and the yachts on it. A pity we could not go higher as we did not have the time. We spotted Miten and Co near the entrance to the city and took a couple of pictures of them.
Getting back down, we went by another way, which was not quite as nice as the way we ascended as the path was more broken. We met at the entrance where the rest were having a drink at a cafe. After a bit we were then back off. We drove to Budva, and just past to the hotel where we were staying. We checked in and soon found our selves unloaded and on floor 9, where we relaxed for a bit, using the balcony and having snacks. Just before it got dark we headed down to the boardwalk for a stroll along the beach front. Soon enough we had started to break into groups, with the parentage first taking their time, then Miten slowly disappearing behind. Bhavni and I walked to the end of the beach front, found our selves a little grocery store and got some milk, before starting back. Eventually we met up with Miten, then found the parentage at the ramp up to the hotel. We managed to go in without inviting a stray dog in.
For dinner I made some pasta, which was ok as I went a bit past al dente. There was also some thepla and nasta. After a bit of tv it was then time to retire.
Tuesday 16th
After a decent night, we awoke and had breakfast, with the usual waiting around with there only being one bathroom, and Miten not being a morning person. Nevertheless we managed to get out by 9.30am. We were soon at the lookout overlooking Sweti Stefan, an amazing looking town, in that its on a small island connected to the mainland by a small causeway. We took plenty of photos and Bhavnis mother got lots of photos from tourists who had not seen a sari before. From here we drove to Vranjina, which is a small town in the Skadarsko national park. We stopped at the main stop and had some coffee.
Bhavni and I went for a bit of a walk along the road bridge, to look at some of the ruins. On the way back we got talking to one of the boat owners and after a bit of negotiation we had booked ourselves for a boat ride to see some of the island monasteries. We were soon enough on the small speed boat with our friendly but not English speaking driver. On the way we saw an old Turkish prison – a ruined building on an island as well as lots of other ruined buildings and bird life.
Our destination was a monastery 20 minutes away. On arrival we all eventually disembarked (after a bit of discussion) and made our way up to the walls of the monastery. We knocked for a while but there was no answer, so we went back to the boat (stopping to look at the terrapins). Just as we were getting in the Monk appeared and started talking to our guide, before welcoming us in (we joked the terrapin that I held called for backup).
The monk spoke good English and as he showed us around the place. He had help today, but normally he lives on his own and has been for the last 20 years. He used to be an electrical engineer from Serbia. We all sat down and he gave us some fresh home made pomegranate juice form the trees on the island, which was really nice and refreshing. We sat for a while on the benches taking in the view, before thanking him and going back to the boat. He gave us a parting gift of grapes.
On the boat ride back we got the obligatory shots of everyone steering the boat- (except me :). From here we carried on on the E80 to Podgorcia, the capital. Driving right into town, we found parking (Miten having to tell the attendant there is a space), then had a wonder. As usual there was a bit too much shopping going on, but we did see some cool robot statues made from recycled bits and pieces as well as some older buildings.
We had food at one of the cafes, outside on a walking street – the usual affair – chips and salad.
Our next agenda was the Ostrog Monastery, which is a serbian monastery, set high up on a cliff face. From the capital we had to go north north west. Unfortunately the marked road was under repair and impassable. So we went another way. Initially it was really good going, as the road was hardly used, and we could drive at a good speed. But then we came to a small village, and asking the directions we found we had to go up a really small high gradient track road, which wound up the mountain. More amusing we had to pass a broken down van, which involved getting out and moving boulders and branches and slowly squeezing past trying not to go too near the edge. Really interesting driving for me.
Eventually we got onto the more normal road and made our way up to the monastery. I lost count of how many switchbacks in the road there were. Eventually getting to the top we parked and went into the monastery. The base was a big plaza, which had some building and religious shrines on one side and a view on the other. But the actual monastery as at the end, completely carved from the rock face. Up 3 flight of stairs was the top, where there was another nice lookout at the cliff and the route up. We stayed a little while taking in the sight before heading back. Next we drove towards the lower monastery, which was a much more conventional place. There was a service going on, so we only briefly had a look around before leaving.
We were then on our way back. We had to drive back almost towards Podgarcia (an alternate route via cevo was a bit hilly and had too narrow roads for the fading light). We then drove onto Centine, the old capital. Parking we walked all the way down the main walking street, before giving up and having dinner at Obolisk Pizzeria, having – you guessed it – pizza and salad. We then had a quick driving tour of the town before heading back to Budva.
As we came back to the city we found our selves well above the city, with it shining down below – really nice. At the hotel, we settled in and called it a night after the obligatory tea.
Wednesday 17th
Our last day. We were a bit lazier getting out today, having a longer breakfast and getting out and checked out just before 10am. After a bit of debate about the time today, I (as it was me driving) decided to go into Budva historic town and have a look at the city. We found some parking and walked a bit near the waterfront into the walled city. We left the parentage sitting and relaxing, whilst we walked around, with us to meet in 20 mins. Miten and Bhavni were looking at shops whilst I walked around looking at the buildings. The town is similar to Kotor and nice to walk around.
At the 20 mins I went back to the meeting place, but no-one was there, and no-one was near the wall entrance either. I found Miten asking where the parentage are… This was followed by all three of us looking for them for the next 20 mins. Eventually Miten found them, in some shops. So a little late we headed off.
Retracing our steps from yesterday we headed towards Centine, and then to Lovcen National park. This was also with lots of switchbacks as we went ascending. There were a few stops on the way, but we continued going higher, until we got to the end. I drove right up to the end of the road as the parentage would not enjoy the steep climb up. There was not much space up the top, but one of the people there let me park. After enjoying the views at the bottom, Bhavni, Miten and I ascended the steps – up 100m to the top. Talk about amazing views, even with the large amount of clouds. At the top (Vidikovac) is a shrine to one of the founders of Montenegro, but we did not know at the time, so did not go in. Instead we enjoyed the view. You could see the Bay of Kotor and the Skadarsko national park as we recognised the hills we saw from the boat trip yesterday. Apparently on a clear day you can see all of Montenegro and even the coast of Italy. Bhavni and Miten went down first, but I stayed a while longer enjoying the view. I finally came down, but instead of the stairs, I took the outside path. The rest spotted me coming down.
At the base was a restaurant and we went and sat in an outside area, having drinks. Luckilly we just avoided a large group which would have meant that the drinks would have taken ages. I enjoyed the cold, but everyone else slowly stated buttoning up their clothes.
On the way back to the car Miten got talking to the owner of the souverneer shop, his name was Vladamir and he explained the history of the park and montenigro as well as giving Miten some free gifts. Saying bye I managed to turn the car around and start driving towards Kotor, slowly making our way down. There were some amazing view points, where we could clearly see the Bay of Kator and also Tivat and its air strip – though at one I had to go first as Miten was worried about the insects around, but he followed soon enough after seeing I was unharmed.
Soon we joined the road before Kotor, and drove past, then around the Bay itself. Retracing our route in, we got to the border crossing. It was a bit busier here and the lanes were not clearly marked (cutting in time), but soon enough we were through and entering Croatia again. You can see that the state of the roads are just a bit better in Croatia than Montenegro, so we made good time, such that we were driving past the Airport at 5pm. So the general consensus was to go to Dubrovnik, which by the time we drove to the old town, found parking (and got a ticket from a person who had got too many and approached Miten) was around 6pm.
We ate ate one of the restaurants near the harbour area – Chips and salad, before going to the airport, with the setting sun and Miten and Bhavni competing for pictures (and me getting told of for not stopping). We had a bit of fun returning the car as they took a while before inspecting it. Checking in, we were at the same time as Dilen and Hetal. We also had a few others around going back to the uk.
The flight back was ok, I even managed to sleep for a bit. At Gatwick, the bags took a while to come out, but the worst bit was that the taxi to pick us up did not show up, so we ended up getting one of the expensive cabs back and sending the parentage with Dilen and Hetal.
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