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| A Budva beach |
We really enjoyed our stay in the Bay of Kotor, and now we’re moving
on to other parts of Montenegro, this time south, to the Montenegro Riviera and
beyond.
We call it the Montenegro
Riviera because of the huge number of beaches along this coastline.
We arrived in Budva, to find the place is full of them, and each
beach seemed more and more developed, with restaurants, tourist facilities etc.
It’s one long riviera.
Budva also has an old town, another reminder of this country’s
antiquity. It was founded by the Greeks in the 4th century, then fortified
during the middle ages.
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| Church of Santa Maria, Budva |
We visited the old town, and were rewarded with
ancient churches, stone buildings, and winding cobbled streets.
A standout for us was the 9th century Church of Santa Maria with its position overlooking the sea. It is the oldest and smallest surviving church in old Budva.
A standout for us was the 9th century Church of Santa Maria with its position overlooking the sea. It is the oldest and smallest surviving church in old Budva.
We also loved the strong cafe-culture, with cafes, bars and
restaurants spilling out onto the narrow cobbled areas.
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| Sveti Stefan island hotel resort |
As we drove along the coastal road, we had great views of the sea and many more
beaches.
Then, as we came around a bend, we spotted a very beautiful looking
small village, perched all by itself on a rocky outcrop, with bright scorched
ochre roofs atop grey stone buildings, backed by a glistening blue ocean. What
a lovely sight. We learned that this is Sveti Stefan.
Sveti Stefan dates back to the 15th century, having once been a
fishing village. After a turbulent past, it is now a hotel resort for
the rich and famous.
We didn’t go down to investigate, believing that a view
from the top was well worth stopping for. It was stunning.
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| Lunch in Bar |
About one hour and a few stops later, we were in Bar, and heading to its old town, up behind the current
main township.
We drove partway up the winding road, but it became very narrow, so we stopped in the nearby car park.
We found a restaurant there with lovely views, so had lunch first, then walked the rest of the way up.
We drove partway up the winding road, but it became very narrow, so we stopped in the nearby car park.
We found a restaurant there with lovely views, so had lunch first, then walked the rest of the way up.
Stari Bar (Old Bar) is a ruin nestled at the base of Mount Rumija. The most interesting part was
the old fortress with its sturdy walls, the view from its windows, and its
elegant clock tower.
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Clock tower in the ruins of Stari Bar fortress
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Bar has Montenegro’s biggest port. But it's best known for its beaches, we learned that there are at least 20 of them nearby. The main town has modern architecture and a marina with fancy yachts.
Deciding not to linger in Bar central, we drove back down the hill through the winding street again, found the main road and kept driving south.
A short while later, we were in Ulcinj.
Deciding not to linger in Bar central, we drove back down the hill through the winding street again, found the main road and kept driving south.
Ulcinj has an old town dating back to the 5th century, and as with other areas along this coast, a plethora of beaches.
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| Ulcinj old town Castle and walls |
We enjoyed visiting the old town, and especially liked the fortress aspect. It has a castle surrounded by a beautiful wall and citadels.
After walking through its wonderfully ancient, winding stone streets, we enjoyed a meal at one of the many cafes.
We hadn’t travelled far today, but had made a lot of photo stops and the
day was closing. So, we looked around for a campsite. Seeing a place on the
side of the road advertising autocamps, we stopped and asked about it.
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| Leigh after breakfast at Tropicana Beach Camp, Ulcinj |
It was at the Tropicana Beach Camp. The photo was really a photo of
the beach, not the campsite, which was overgrown with no facilities. But we stayed anyway as it was very private, and
was on the beach front.
On our second morning there we woke up find that one of Marg’s shoes was
missing from our front door step. After scratching our heads and a fruitless 40
minute search, a local man came running up to us apologising for his dog’s
misbehaviour.
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| Podgorica's ancient Turkish clock tower |
The next day, we moved on, driving inland from Ulcinj, to Lake
Skadar. This Lake forms the border between Montenegro and Albania, with
two-thirds being in Montenegro. We followed the length of the lake, heading
north to the capital and largest city of Montenegro, Podgorica.
It’s quite an old city, and was very busy when we were there. We drove around a lot, but didn’t manage to
find parking for our big campervan. In the end, we drove around a bit more, and
satisfied ourselves with a drive-by of the main sites.
We managed to see quite a bit, including the
monument to King Nikola in the park across the street from the Montenegro's
parliament; Hercegovačka pedestrian street in the city centre; the impressive
Millennium bridge crossing the Morača River, and parts of the old town,
including the ancient Turkish clock tower. However, the place was dirty with rubbish which spoiled it somewhat.
All up, Montenegro was very interesting, and full of history.
We have learned that, since splitting from Serbia in 2006, Montenegro has begun to reinvent itself. We can see that in the coastal places we have visited, where the plentiful beaches are geared to tourism, the towns have new high-rise hotels and the roads are being developed. But poverty is evident, notwithstanding the sleek yachts docked in the many small harbours along the Adriatic coast.
We have learned that, since splitting from Serbia in 2006, Montenegro has begun to reinvent itself. We can see that in the coastal places we have visited, where the plentiful beaches are geared to tourism, the towns have new high-rise hotels and the roads are being developed. But poverty is evident, notwithstanding the sleek yachts docked in the many small harbours along the Adriatic coast.
It’s time now to move on to our next stop, which is in Albania.