Montenegro - Week 38

Monday 4th March

After spending a quiet night in the marina at Bar, we went to ask if we could have some water and empty the toilet. The guard rang his colleague to ask if it would be ok, then let us through the gate and got the hose pipe ready for us. How nice is that. We emptied the toilet, thanked him and went to the exit barrier to pay. We’d worked out that it would cost approximately €17 for 22 hours, but the lady said no charge, for us, free. Wow, what an introduction to Montenegro!!

We drove 16 miles along an excellent road to Virpazar so we could visit Lake Skadar. The lake is in one of Montenegro’s many National Parks. When we got to the tiny village, a man appeared (like the shop keeper from Mr Ben) out of nowhere and showed us where to park. 

He offered us free EHU and water if we wanted to stay the night and couldn’t wait to tell us about the boat trip he offered. We followed him to his restaurant, where he gave us home made donuts and coffee. The excursion on offer wasn’t cheap but it’s why we wanted to visit, so we agreed.

First, we were taken to a small hotel a couple of doors away, where a lady took us to the attic. It was full to bursting with old artifacts from a bygone age. 

She explained that one of the old men in the village had saved them to preserve the history of the Montenegrin people. She showed us water carriers made out of animal skin and some made out of hollowed out gourds/pumpkins. She showed us various fishing baskets and national costumes and told us a bit about the history of the area. It was very interesting.

We went back downstairs and walked to the boat. 

There were 5 of us in total, 2 girls from London, the captain and me & Andy. We sailed down a channel with tall reeds either side 

and as we got out onto the lake, we could see the ruined castle the Turks built on the banks of the water. 

The captain pointed out another castle in the distance that belonged to the Montenegrin's, a prison on a small island (which was their version of Alcatraz) used for political prisoners, murderers and tobacco smugglers, 

and various other buildings. We saw loads of different species of bird including herons and cormorants. 

The captain was hilarious and had us standing on the bow and driving the boat. It was great fun.

The scenery was stunning.

After having a quick walk around the village, 

we drove another few miles up the road to the capital of Montenegro, Podgorica. 

It had been described as the most boring capital in the world. It was nearly flattened in WW2 so most of the buildings were new. We found a parking place in a square surrounded by flats. 

Various shops took up space along the ground floors and we soon found the one we were looking for, the launderette. 

We changed the beds, did the washing and went for a walk. The best thing we’ve found about launderettes is that they usually have tumble driers. Much easier than trying to dry stuff outside. After tea, we went for a walk in search of the Hard Rock Cafe where we bought yet another hat pin and walked back in the dark.

The parking area seemed to be a good place to stay for the night and we weren’t disappointed.

The road from the new capital, Podgorica, to the old capital, Cetinje, was great. The views of the mountains were stunning. The weather could have been better a bit better but, I’m sure it could have been a lot worse too.

Walking around the town we saw remnants of snow drifts and although it was a bit cold it didn’t put us off. 

Snow Drift

We were up in the mountains after all. There were information boards dotted around the place for us to read, but it’s one of those towns that needed a walking tour or guide to really bring the history alive.

Russian Embassy, now an art gallery

Street Art

We left the car park and drove to Budva.

We stayed in Budva that night in a gravel car park overlooking the sea and an island with some very posh appartments.

In the morning we walked along the busy seafront to the Old Town. 

The Old Town was such a gorgeous place to visit. It's over 2500 years old and had narrow cobbled streets, a citadel with library and lots of tourist shops. 

As always when you get up high, the views are amazing, and walking around the walls of the citadel, they didn't disappoint.

With the marina full of expensive yachts and the walkway around the rocks to a beautiful sandy beach, it's no wonder that it’s a popular place to visit in Montenegro. We loved it.

On our way to Budva, we managed to clock up 17,000 miles in Harriet the Hymer!! 

To celebrate we treated ourselves to lunch in one of the cafes along the sea front. Not sure if the “English Breakfast” was what Andy had expected lol, but it must have been OK as he ate the lot.

Sometimes you become travel weary, so when we found Camping Maslina open a few miles up the road from Budva, we decided to take a break for a few days. It was 200m from a pebbly beach and had some nice footpaths for walking where we could appreciate the little things that nature provides.

The downtown allowed me to catch up on the blog and do some much needed research. Andy spent the time giving Harriet a polish and washing the carpets. Just what we needed.