The smallest of the Balkan states with a population of only 600,000 this pocket sized state packs a scenic punch. When planning this trip my initial plan was to drive through all 6 independently. For some reason all car rental companies refuse to insure you for half of them including Montenegro and Bosnia. The compromise is to day trip through tour companies from Dubrovnik. For Montenegro in particular this results in a comprehensive overview of the country. So in the darkness at 6:50 am we board the bus and sit back and enjoy the tour.
Montenegro’s capitol, Kotor sits on a wide beautiful bay. A compact old walled city is perfect for aimless perambulation past palaces, cathedrals, orthodox churches and, of course, tourist shops and cafes.
The city walls climb steeply up the surrounding ring of mountains, which of themselves are a natural barrier from enemy forces, in particular the Ottomans who controlled the areas north for 450 years. Climbing 800 steps up the rampart yielded panoramic views of Kotor and the bay.
For lunch it was the local speciality of mussels farmed from Kotor bay with a lovely glass of the intense local red wine known as “black wine”.
After lunch we took a boat out to the church of “Our Lady of the Rocks”. The story has it that a pair of mariners started depositing rocks into the middle of the bay in the 15th century. Beyond their death the locals continued the work until an artificial island was created. Stabilised by scuttling ships around it they built a small chapel.
A wander around the picturesque bayside medieval town of Perast completes a perfect day.
