Montenegro: From Herceg Novi, through Kotor and Budva to Albania

And once again it was time to leave one country behind and welcome a new one. The border crossing went smoothly this time as well, although we were initially confused when leaving Croatia because there was no visible border control for Montenegro. But a few curves later, it appeared and this time we even got a stamp in our passport!

Shortly after crossing the border, we visited a well-stocked supermarket where we could pay with Euros again. It's really crazy that a non-EU country also uses the Euro as its currency, but even crazier is that the previous currency was the Deutsche Mark!

First, we wanted to visit the small town of Herceg Novi. We wandered through the beautiful old town located by the sea, which is surrounded by a city wall and has several fortresses and churches. Unfortunately, some sights were already closed due to the season, but we almost had the city to ourselves, which was a bit eerie. We have discovered that while cities may not be so great, the old towns in the Balkans are definitely worth seeing.

About 1.5 hours later, we returned to the car and continued to the chosen park4night spot, which Karl and Elina had also chosen. The road led directly along the sea into the Bay of Kotor. As we sat by the water and observed the surroundings, the name of the country became clear to us for the first time, because steep, massive, dark mountains rose on all sides.

Day 59: The next morning, our first stop was an information center in Kotor, as we had read at the border and in blogs that we had to register within 24 hours to pay some taxes. We were directed to a registration center, but were not successful as we did not have the necessary data. When we asked what would happen if we didn't register, the very competent employee told us that she had no idea :D We decided to solve this problem later.

We still had some time before our check-in at the Air BnB, so we strolled through the old town, which was filled with narrow streets, souvenir shops, leather shops, cats, and Germans. Shortly before, a cruise ship had arrived in the harbor.

Around 12 o'clock, we were able to check in at Goran's place. The road to the apartment on a mountain was really spectacular, as it was both steep and narrow, but with the appearance of two campervans, we had the right of way :P From the apartment, we had a beautiful view of the valley where Kotor is located. And the rooms were perfect for the four of us - 2 bedrooms, a living room with kitchen, and two bathrooms, including a washing machine. And so began the laundry marathon, which ended with hanging clothes in every room.

And there it was! The already missed oven! And with that, it was clear what kind of food we would have for the next three days. On the first evening, we decided on a lasagna with spinach and eggplant. After a joint shopping trip, chopping, and waiting, the four of us sat around the dining table and felt quite strange. A real table in an apartment had already become strange.

The rest of the evening was enjoyed with the second missed item: the television. Quickly connecting the hard drive and selecting an English movie.

Day 60: After a leisurely breakfast, we set off towards the old town of Kotor, where we wanted to climb the St. Jean Fortress. Even from below, it looks really cool because you only notice it at second glance, as the fortress seems to be made of the same stones as the rocky mountain behind it. And so we climbed the nearly 1,300 steps until we reached the fortress, slightly out of breath. The view of Kotor and the sea from the top was breathtaking, and we could even spot our accommodation from above.

As we descended the 1,300 steps, we suddenly had a craving for cappuccino, so our next destination was clear. However, the prices inside the old town were very expensive, so we looked for something outside the city walls. There, we found delicious cappuccino and chocolate cake. Fresh chocolate cake from that day, as the owner emphasized several times.

The owner was super nice and contradicted what we had read on various websites, namely that we should never talk to the locals about language, religion, and politics. He told us quite a bit about Yugoslavian history on his own, which was really interesting.

On the way back, we stopped at the market stalls lined up along the promenade to buy ingredients for our dinner: wraps with cauliflower and cheese filling - it may sound strange at first, but Elina and Karl made something incredibly delicious.

This time, we were able to enjoy the evening even more in an apartment, and we spent it watching TV, Skype-ing, and chilling on the sofa, surfing the internet with the WLAN.

Day 61: And then the day came, which was actually the reason for renting the Air BnB. The day when a 100% chance of rain was forecasted at all times, and it turned out to be true! It poured down heavily and didn't stop. As we learned from Goran the next day, it rained so heavily that the entire old town was knee-deep in water, and Goran couldn't even go to work.

Stuck within the confines of our apartment, luckily, we spent the entire morning and afternoon chilling and watching movies. When the rain eased up a bit and we were already getting restless, although we had already done yoga, we ventured out of our apartment to go shopping. Against Goran's advice, we walked and encountered newly formed streams on the road, lakes in front gardens, and a raging brown river that was previously a small brook. We almost managed to escape the rain, but it started again halfway back.

And so, we fell back into our chill mode, interrupted only by cooking, eating, and skyping. Since the rain never seemed to end, we decided to ask Goran if we could stay for another night, which was of course not a problem.

Day 62: Fortunately, it turned out that this day was going to be much better than we thought the day before, so after breakfast, we decided to go on a day trip. We wanted to see Lovcen National Park, the Mausoleum of Petar II Petrovic, and the former capital Cetinje. Initially, we planned to drive through Budva to reach the park, but Goran recommended taking the direct route, which winds its way up the mountain in switchbacks, offering a gigantic view of the Bay of Kotor. The road was really beautiful and worth it, even if it became a bit foggy at the top.

So, we continued to the mausoleum, which is located in the middle of the park. At first, we thought the road had become muddy due to the rain, but we decided to continue driving together. Later, it turned out that the road was being renovated and we drove almost the entire route on an unpaved road, which was not great for our nerves.

And then, suddenly, it appeared. Although only in small amounts at the roadside, it was hard to overlook! Snow! And with that, we decided not to venture further inland but to head further south in the coming days. We really didn't think it would be this close to us already.

Just before reaching the mausoleum, the road became a bit slippery, so our two Swedish friends with their old summer tires couldn't continue. The four of us climbed the mountain together with Freudolin, which was completely engulfed in fog. We climbed the 461 steps up to the mausoleum, located on one of the two highest peaks of the national park. Once at the top, we were above the fog, so we were able to explore the mausoleum, but unfortunately, the promised view all the way to Italy was denied to us.

This viewpoint must be gigantic on a clear day.

Then we went on to Cetinje. Unfortunately, we were disappointed here as well, as we couldn't find a nice spot. Since we had read that this city was much nicer than the current capital Podgorica, it was also off the list. With groceries for pasta in tow, we returned to our accommodation in Kotor and spent our last evening on a double date. Because we learned from Karl and Elina that it is considered a date when two courses are served. So, after the pasta, we had a cheese platter with crackers.

Day 63: Our water canisters filled, our laundry clean and neatly packed, everything back in place in the van, we left Kotor that day. But about 20 km south, we made another stop, because here is Budva and we also wanted to visit its old town. After a short search, we found a free parking lot and walked along the beach promenade towards the old city walls. Along the promenade, there is restaurant after restaurant, and one can imagine how busy it gets here in high season.

Inside the city walls, the scene is similar to Kotor. The old town, built in the Venetian style, is filled with countless small alleyways that felt like a little maze to us. But it's not too big, so we were outside again after about 30 minutes.

Back at the van, we had a little snack before heading to our overnight spot. This was located directly on the cliffs with a wonderful view of the Adriatic Sea. While exploring the surroundings, we followed the road down to the beach. It felt like tourism was going to be huge here, as there were several hotel buildings, but either the hotels were not completed or they were up for sale. Something seems to have gone wrong there somehow.

The beach was incredibly beautiful and deserted. The sun was shining, but we didn't have any swimwear with us. So, only our legs got a refreshment. It's crazy that you could still swim in the sea here on November 22nd.

After the exhausting climb back to Freudolin, we cooked and ate while enjoying the sunset, and then fell into a deep and restful sleep.

Day 64: After the night, we realized that our bed in the van is even more comfortable than the one in the apartment we stayed in for the previous four nights. We had breakfast in the sun and shared our cheese with a meowing cat.

Since we want to avoid the north due to the weather, our last destination in Montenegro was Lake Shkoder, the largest lake on the Balkan Peninsula. We planned to drive along the southern shore. Upon arriving at the lake, we quickly realized that we had different expectations. Instead of a leisurely drive along the shore, the road quickly led up into the mountains. Access to the water was practically impossible. It was quite adventurous how the single-lane road wound around the mountains. However, we were rewarded with wonderful views at several viewpoints.

We bought local mountain honey and blackberry juice from an elderly lady at a small roadside stand. We also walked through a chestnut forest. A few weeks earlier, we could have filled Freudolin with chestnuts up to the roof.

The final act of Montenegro was crossing the border, which made us a little nervous. We were worried that our lack of registration in the country would lead to problems and a fine. We had read about it on the internet. The border police checked our passports and let us pass. No problems at all, as Goran had predicted. However, we strangely did not receive an exit stamp.

And so, we close the chapter on Montenegro and look forward to Albania.