The Gulf of Kotor [Montenegro]

To continue on from the last post - Montenegro is unbelievably beautiful. Kotor is set at the end of the gulf of Kotor (surprisingly)... A small, mid-evil village surrounded by towering mountains. There is a large fortress that extends up into the hills, providing amazing views right out over the bay. I have no idea why this place is not more popular; it should be on the main tourist circuit! It is honestly one of the most beautiful countries I have visited. But I guess I am glad that it is not; it is quite cool to wander the old cobble streets alone, or surrounded only by locals. It has an authentic feel that would probably be lost with more tourists. My advice - go check it out now before it is overrun!

        


While in Kotor I was staying with Micky - a crazy Montenegrian guy who lives right in the old town. I was sharing with three other couch-surfers and Micky while there, in his one bedroom apartment. It was... cosy! But a lot of fun. We hung out most evenings drinking beer and cheap vodka and playing 'pigs' or poker.

One day we went fishing off the rocks near an old monestry - no fish unfortunately, but lots of good times. We also visited Tivet (a small town) where we decided to take a dip, it was actually warm(ish). And the weather has been amazing most of the time; really hot, sunny days.

We made another excursion south to Sveti Stefan, which is kind of an island connected to the mainland by a thin strip. You can't go out there; it is just a hotel. But it is kind of cool to look at... for about five minutes. Then there is not much else to do but sit on the beach. In saying that, the beach was very nice! Around Sveti Stefan there are a lot of very exclusive hotels, all with small private beaches. It felt a bit like I didn't belong... It was all so up market. Not far away is the town of Budvar - another midevil, walled city. Instead of mountains like Kotor, Budvar has the beach. While it is a beautiful beach, it just cannot match up to the beauty of Kotor.


So overall, an awesome few days hanging out with cool people. Montenegro is unbelievably beautiful, what more is there to say? It is slightly more expensive than the other Balkan countries I have visited, but still cheap, and I have been told it is nothing compared to Croatia, which is where I am heading next... I hope they are wrong!