We had the picture postcard view of Dubrovnik as we drove up and out the city toward the border this morning. Windy road over the mountain and road works then a very slow border crossing out of Croatia - but straight into Montenegro no stopping.
It was fascinating in Kotor, a bit poorer here with a population of only 680,000 for the entire country, so not much renovation of the historic sites and not much war damage either ( much too complicated to even try to understand !!! ). The city has a intact wall around the port side which then extends up the very steep mountain to high up forts and towers which we wished to climb up to but no time to get further than the first level - perhaps for the best at it was a mighty climb and my legs are still sore from yesterdays stairs !!
The old town was small but pretty with good pizza and many little streets and although it tried to rain we managed to stay dry.
This town is deep in a sheltered twisted bay with a narrow fiord like section in the middle so was a pirate haven and not so much captured and recaptured like other towns down this coast. Also has Orthodox churches from Serbian times, which are very pretty inside.
Next stop was another port town of Budva, which also had an intact city wall to walk, but was on the trashy side with big motor cruisers pulled up outside and tanned, middle aged women in too skimpy outfits and flashy jewellery and thick set husbands. The walls were good, although in places you could see through the stones (laid like thick planks ) to the ground below, a bit disconcerting so high up !!!
We came back the quicker way via car/bus/ truck ferry across the water instead of around the bay and then waited again at the border into Croatia as once again our passports were taken away for closer scrutiny - other buses went by with the guards stamping on board - but we must have had to pass muster with the Interpol database before they would let us pass !!!
Any way last dinner at the Rixos and our last on the coast as tomorrow we head back to the continental side and Bosnia Herznegovina.
See you soon
Love Wendy and Graeme