Kotor, Montenegro

This is the third time on our trip that we have spent a whole month in one location. The first was Mykonos, Greece, the second was Durrёs, Albania, and now we’ve been in Stoliv, Montenegro near Kotor for a month. In August we will spend a month in Switzerland, but in two different cities, Zürich and Lausanne. Switzerland will end up being the country we have spent the most time in, at 50 days.

I value depth more than breadth in my travels, yet even still I recognize that we are just scratching the surface of each place we visit. I’m a bit of a homebody, and I would rather spend a month living in only one city in a country, than a month bouncing from place to place. My blog would probably be a lot more interesting if I traveled in that manner, but it would also be less authentic. This is my journey, after all.

That being said, I can promise you 17 days of whirlwind travel through 5 countries coming up shortly. Before that, though, you have to slog through a whole month of me working and sitting by the water in Kotor, Montenegro, and two weeks of me watching World Cup soccer in Russia!

The Bay of Kotor

To set the stage, I want to orient you geographically and help you imagine this remarkable region. The Bay of Kotor is the stuff of fairytales. You know how fantasy writers include elaborate maps for their world at the beginning of their books? This inlet of the Adriatic Sea could only have been dreamed up by the most whimsical of authors. It’s not difficult to imagine why settlers of antiquity chose to build their strongholds in this uniquely protected bay surrounded by mountains.

I can’t believe how convoluted this bay is, and how narrow it gets!

The perimeter of the bay is dotted with well-preserved medieval towns, each boasting stone buildings with red clay-tiled roofs and orthodox Christian churches with their stately towers and domes.

St. John’s Fortress can be seen at the top of the hill

Due to its topography with steep hills rising straight out of the water, the Bay of Kotor is one of the rainiest localities in Europe. We witnessed this firsthand nearly every day, watching the clouds descend and build up around the mountains, before clashing with the heat of the valley in fierce thunderstorms.

A bolt of lightning during a particularly bad storm

Thunderstorm at sunset

We once got caught in one of these rainstorms. The rain began to come down while we were on the bus, and by the time we had reached our stop it had escalated to a torrential downpour. The road was a river and our driveway was a waterfall. We couldn’t help but laugh.

Sunny days can quickly turn to stormy ones in the Bay of Kotor

The severity of the incline from bay to mountain also means there is very little flat land upon which to build roads. On one side of the road is water, and on the other are historic buildings. On the south side of the bay especially, this leaves room for just a narrow passage that to us in the States would hardly qualify as a one-way street. The road to the north (on the other side of Kotor in the direction of Perast) is wider and has lanes. Near Stoliv though, where we lived, the road ranges from as narrow as nearly the exact width of the public buses to being wide enough for two buses to squeeze past one another – and only when one is pulled to the side and the other passes with just inches to spare. And when I say road, singular, I mean it. There is only one road to get from Kotor around the south side of the bay. Let’s just say that driving in Kotor is not for the faint of heart.

Riding the bus in Kotor is also quite the cultural experience. Our time in Montenegro began on a bus, and buses played an important role during our visit to this area. We arrived from Croatia on a coach which took us to the station in Kotor. Our host had given us instructions to walk to the post office where we could catch the local bus to our apartment. She told us that the bus leaves at the top of the hour. It turns out that this means up to 45 minutes after the hour. Knowing the condition of the roads, this is no longer surprising. We caught the bus and arrived at our Airbnb without incident, requesting our stop by walking up to the door while the bus was moving like we observed the locals do.

We soon learned that every bus ride would be a new adventure. The buses (and locals in their cars and scooters) barrel around the winding road, which for the most part has no barrier between it and the bay. When taking a particularly tight curve, drivers will give a quick honk to warn those coming in the opposite direction. This works surprisingly well for seasoned Montenegrin drivers, who reflexively weave in and out of the way of one another. Things go less smoothly when you throw tourists in the mix. It’s not uncommon to see a visitor in a rental car reversing down the road trying to get out of the path of a bus. Meanwhile, the bus driver and anyone else on the road will be gesturing at them animatedly, leaning out of their windows to conduct them out of the way.

Montenegrin bus drivers must be superhuman. They navigate the treacherous roads while chatting on their cellphones, smoking, steering with their elbows, honking “hello” to their buddies, blasting folk or electronic dance music, and taking bus fare – all more or less simultaneously. Since there is only one road and driving is such an experience here, many locals and tourists opt to take public transport. This means that the bus is always packed, and if you’re standing (which, being young and able, we almost always were), you better hold on tight.

One morning we were taking the bus to the grocery store when traffic suddenly came to a halt about a mile out of town. Without saying anything, the bus driver opened the doors and walked out. The locals followed, and us clueless tourists, glancing around nervously, eventually followed suit. All around us people were getting out of their cars and walking. It turned out that there was a car accident blocking the road – recall that this is the only road – to town. Everyone, without protest, walked the remaining distance to their destinations. The bus driver stopped at the scene of the crash to give his expert advice, along with the entirety of the neighborhood. The other drivers stuck on the road simply left their cars and wandered off to grab a coffee. After getting our groceries we ended up walking the four miles home. We spotted our bus driver still overseeing the police working at the crash site on our way back from the store, not looking too upset over the change of pace. You just have to go with the flow here in Montenegro.

Stopping to smell the “roses” while carrying our groceries home

Kotor

While on the coach ride into Montenegro, we met a couple, Yegor and Stacy, who are just a few years younger than us and are also exploring Europe for a year. We exchanged numbers and had the chance to meet up with them in Kotor before they continued their travels down to Turkey and then on to Russia.

With Stacy and Yegor in Kotor

It was refreshing to be able to talk without either party feeling self-conscious of their snooty travel commentary, with such observations as, “You must try Rosé wine in France” or “We stayed in a Chianti vineyard in Tuscany.” Though both born in Russia, Yegor and Stacy both grew up in the States and speak perfect English. It is always such a relief to have good conversation in your native language, not having to worry about speaking too quickly or using slang. Both of us couples will be in Russia in June, though we are sadly staying in different cities. We are keeping in touch, though, and they have already been helping us out by giving us tips for our time in Moscow.

St. John’s Fortress can be seen at the top of the hill

A rare lull in tourist traffic in the main square of Kotor’s Old Town

Montenegro’s 11th Independence Day

Kotor Rock on Independence Day

 

Cats are highly regarded in Kotor, and it is rare to turn down any street or alleyway without seeing one walking along a wall or sunning itself. As an old port town, Kotor has been visited by ships from all around the world for many hundreds of years. Along with cargo, ancient ships also brought cats.

The residents of Kotor and many businesses care for the cats by leaving out food and allowing them to wander wherever they please. Once while on a walk in Stoliv we saw a family examining a litter of kittens mewing by the side of the road. On our way back, we saw that the kittens had already been rescued, having been placed in the pouch of the child’s stroller. We imagined the kittens in the future, relaxing at a cafe in the historic walled city of Kotor.

St. John’s Fortress

One of the best ways to see the Bay of Kotor is to hike up to St. John’s Fortress. This is something you can do even if you’re just stopping in port for a few hours on a cruise. Jake and I stopped by a little sandwich shop to grab a picnic lunch before beginning the climb. 1,350 stone steps will bring you to the top. The stairs are medieval, and as such are steep, narrow, and uneven.

No one will judge you for taking multiple breaks, though, as the views demand this as much as the exertion. I have never before seen any place in the world quite like the Bay of Kotor from above. The walls of the fortress are stunning from below as well, snaking up the rocky slopes. I’ll allow the photos to speak for themselves.

Jake, as a travel agent specializing in cruises, was excited to catch a ship leaving port.

Perast

Although we didn’t do much traveling beyond our neighborhood area of Stoliv and the town of Kotor, we did have the chance to take a day trip into Perast. Everyone we had spoken to about Montenegro had told us that Perast was the one place we couldn’t miss.

Despite being just across the bay from our apartment, we had to take a bus into Kotor and another the rest of the way into Perast. We finally arrived after spending around two hours on buses and standing outside in the 90-degree humid heat waiting for said buses to arrive. Already exhausted, we sweated through lunch before finding a water taxi to take us out to Our Lady of the Rocks island. Both of us had been in a rotten mood all morning and were finding it difficult to show the day the gratitude it deserved. Once on the boat, though, our spirits began to lift with the cooling breeze.

 

A song with special meaning to us came on over the radio, suddenly sending a powerful reminder to be present and appreciate the time that we have. After the moment had passed it was as though a weight had been lifted.

 

We marvelled at the light blue dome of Our Lady of the Rocks and admired the diminutive Sveti Đorđe island and exquisite Perast from across the water.

Our Lady of the Rocks

Sveti Đorđe

Perast

After touring the church and museum we sat with our feet in the water, enjoying the moment.

Sveti Đorđe

Living in Stoliv

Our month in Montenegro seemed to slip by, as we spent our days working, walking down to a tiny open-air food store, and relaxing by the water or on our balcony. While Albania felt like home to us, Stoliv admittedly never did. This is not to say we didn’t enjoy our time here, as we absolutely did. Kotor stole my imagination in many ways. I have little doubt that we will return in the future, but for whatever reason, it did not speak to us as a home so much as a beautiful destination to visit for a week or two.

One morning we hiked up to St. Anne’s church above Stoliv. The path was well-maintained and paved with large stones.

On our way up we encountered an Englishman who informed us that the way to the church was blocked by an unfriendly looking horse. He showed us pictures and we had a good laugh before continuing on. Sure enough, as we crested the hill we were greeted by a huffing and stamping horse standing in the middle of the narrow pathway to the church.

Our attempts to show that we came in peace had no effect, and not wanting to squeeze past an irritated horse we had no choice but to snap a few pictures and head back down the trail. As the saying goes, “Every step of the journey is the journey.”

The church we didn’t make it to at the top of the hill

Perast from afar

Our Lady of the Rocks and Sveti Đorđe islands from afar

World Cup

With our month in Montenegro coming to a close, we are looking forward to the FIFA World Cup in Russia. Our tickets traveled all the way from Russia to Corvallis, Oregon, before being shipped to Montenegro. Our apartment doesn’t have an address, but our host generously offered to have the tickets shipped to her home. She ended up going into Kotor to collect the package and hand-delivered it to us without us asking her to do so. Balkan hospitality is alive and well in Montenegro.

We fly into Moscow a couple of days from now, and will spend a little over two weeks there and in Saint Petersburg. If you follow us on social media you can see our daily posts and if you don’t already, please do! Just search Legendary Traveling on Facebook or Instagram. See you in Russia!