Vacation had been necessary for the new year and this time it went for my girlfriend and me to Montenegro for about a week. How did we come up with Montenegro? We always have many ideas where to travel to but because of COVID the trip was limited to Europe. We also wanted to fly away but not spend too much which is why a search on Skyscanner suggested Podgorica in Montenegro. We thought why not? A country we hardly know and is always mentioned as an insider tip. Flights were quickly booked, rental car as well and also the first accommodation in Podgorica was reserved. Then one day before departure all flights from Frankfurt for the next day are canceled because of strike of the security forces. Great 😵. Luckily we booked with Lufthansa, so that the rebooking went without problems. We could stay one day even longer and also walk for a few hours through Vienna. So it went for us just a day later and we spent a nice half day in Vienna, where we could not resist to eat Asian food lol. In the evening we took our flight to Podgorica, whose airport is really tiny. From the airport we were picked up by our host and the first impression was that the fuel prices there were also very high. Podgorica seems to be a bit bigger but it looks like the city is not so densely populated, which is probably due to the weak economy. The very first night we had a really good time there with a meat platter, homemade bread and schnapps, which was so strong we could hardly get it down. Unfortunately for us, we spilled the schnapps and were served two more. In order not to leave a bad impression, those disappeared in another way...
On the next day we went to get the rental car first, which was also quite funny because I booked the car through a local provider. The provider just stood with the car on the side street from the station and everything was settled in cash. We finally equipped ourselves with internet and enough provisions for the upcoming car trips and so we went that day to the Niagara waterfalls, which are highly recommended if you are already in Podgorica anyway, the Ostrog Monastery, which was built in rocks and to Slano lake, where we then spent the night in the neighboring town Niksic. To our surprise, the city center there was quite busy in the evening. Probably also because of the bars that were in the pedestrian zone. There was even a mall there. Unfortunately the food we ordered or rather mine, a 4 cheese sauce penne was not so nice. The lodging for the night was sweetly local and run by an older woman who rented out the little house next door for guests. She kept dogs and cats in the garden who were always begging to take them inside. Overall a bit old fashioned but really very nice for the night.
Then it went further north where we made a small detour at the Tara Bridge. There it also became quite clear that we are completely off season, because when we asked if we could zipline we were told that this would not work because it is not worth it for the operator to call another employee for us. Very sad but the bridge was worth it. We continued on to Zabljak, where we really didn't think we would be completely surrounded by snow in March. But so it happened that we went skiing the following day. Also for the reason that it was impossible to climb the Durmitor because there is too much snow (yes we actually planned to do that lol). On site at Savin Kuk Ski Center you could rent ski equipment for 10€ and the ski pass cost only 11€ per day. My last time skiing was actually in the seventh grade. The more I was surprised that I could still ski and yes, it's lots of fun. We were also able to round off the day with a visit to the national park around the Black Lake. And last but not least, we really wanted to enjoy ourselves that day, which is why we checked into the 4-star Hotel SOA, where we also had the sauna by ourselves in the evening. A very nice and exhausting day with a very relaxing evening.
The next morning still in the hotel we get told by the reception that the road through the mountain is not passable, because it is fully covered in snow. So we had to change our plan again and drove a big circle around the Durmitor to get to Pluzine to see the Piva Canyon. It was really worth it, because the view from up there is breathtaking. Lake Piva is bright blue and the mountains in the background add the scent to the view. On the way to the coast in the direction of Kotor we stopped at a nice cafe, which is located at the cliffs. In addition to a beautiful view of the Piva there were also various Etno houses as accommodation. The roofs of the houses are sharply pointed to the top and are very popular for accommodation. For us however to have seen those was already enough haha. Arrived at the coast, where my girlfriend has longed for the whole vacation, we stopped for a few hours in Perast, a small village with only one big road along the bay, where we enjoyed the sunset. The accommodation we booked in Kotor was unfortunately a flop because there was hot water only for a few minutes and the heating did not work either. So we both had to freeze, which should not be the only time in this vacation.
The next day we wanted to visit Lovcen via the Kotor Serpentine which gave us numerous of beautiful views. I must also say that the serpentine roads are really damn scary as a passenger and me with my fear of heights had almost to shit my pants. Lovcen was completely snowed in and so it was unfortunately no wonder why the fortress was also closed there. We then drove on and have stopped in Cetinje, a small town that is known for the Lipa Cave, a stone drip cave, which was also closed 🙃. So after a break in the pedestrian zone there we went back in the afternoon to Kotor, where we went hiking to the fortress of Kotor. Highly recommended and with a weather full of beautiful sunshine the view from every point on the way up was super nice. Also the old town of Kotor, which is surrounded by a wall, offers many small cute alleys. There are also cats chilling everywhere, which is why Kotor is also known as the city of cats in Montenegro. We then ended the evening in a local restaurant with seafood, which also brought its own experience for us. In any case the owner of the restaurant really took forever for a pizza.
For the next day we decided to join a boat tour that goes to the Blue Cave. Before that we snacked some Palacinke (Pancakes) and then the boat took us already to the first spot, a beautiful coastal town. Perast, surprise! Nevermind, it was still nice to be there again. Then we went over to the Island of Our Lady of the Rocks and then finally full speed towards the Blue Cave in the south. And oh boy, the waves got more and more violent. We drove past a former prison, which is now to become a hotel. Let's see how it will be in the future. From there it didn't take long to get to the Blue Cave. The special thing about the Blue Caves is the water, which lights up in blue and in the cave inside, it looks really beautiful. On the way back we drove against the waves and so it happened that the wave hit half the group on the boat including my girlfriend and me. And oh man, that was a fucking cold trip back to Kotor. All clothes were wet, the wind was cold and we were freezing like hell, so right after we were back on land we quickly got into the car to get dressed even though it was almost 20 degrees with sunshine. It was really not funny and fortunately we both did not get sick. Before we wanted to leave Kotor to drive from bay towards the coast I have to mention that we spent a little time in the city to eat something at Pizzeria Pronto and wow, we still rave about those slices. Arrived in Budva in the evening, we went to the old town where there was not much happening. The next morning we gave the old town a visit again, but overall I must say that I did not like it there so much, because the city is also completely covered with hotels and the typical tourists there make their summer vacation.
So we didn't want to waste our last full day in Budva any longer and decided to stop at nice spots along the coast. And indeed we saw very nice spots like Queen's Beach or the view of Sveti Stefan. Unfortunately we couldn't swim there either, but it was enough for a few seconds with our feet in the water. We drove to the city Bar, where we also expected a little more from the beach, which is located directly next to a port and factories. There we ate something and went into the evening, where we drove through the Skadar Lake National Park. This was actually one of my unexpected highlights of the trip because the drive through the winding roads and the views from above the lake, the mountains and the green landscape is an experience in itself. For that alone, I really enjoyed the time in Montenegro. Back in Podgorica we have searched in the city center for a fine dinner and got to an Indian restaurant, which was already very upscale for Montenegrin conditions. It was alright, but we have thought in retrospect that a simple local restaurant would have been quite enough. It was also funny that our accommodation was near the student dormitories and the university next to it just looked depressing from the outside. I really wouldn't want to study there.
On the day of departure, we spent a couple more hours in Podgorica, where there was not so much to see for a capital city and then went to the supermarket to go grocery shopping for our families. The flight via Vienna was relaxed and so a week has really flown by. In retrospective the food in Montenegro was very very meat-heavy. There are various meat dishes, such as cevapcici or sausage mostly served with bread and oil. Taste very good, I personally miss some kind of sauce. Once had for lamb, which tasted very interesting. On the coast we thought that we could eat a lot of seafood, but the search for such a restaurant was not always easy. What I liked more though were the breakfast dishes. Pastries like börek, baklava or dried ham with bread and feta cheese, which we actually got served unexpectedly for breakfast in the one accommodation in Zabljak. Those are really delicious and quite cheap to get.
Overall, the vacation was very nice with my girlfriend. We had nice weather, could make a side trip in Vienna and got around relatively inexpensively. What was a shame was of course that a lot of things weren't doable because we were just there at offseason time. Rafting, skydiving, Lovcen, Zipline, Durmitor. All this would be possible in summer and the landscape probably looks even more beautiful at that time. But still we got a good insight about the country and got around a lot. Also we could always book the accommodation the day before or even the same day, so we could travel very spontaneously. Montenegro again? Maybe in summer! 😊 But for now: "Hvala" to the very friendly inhabitants and the country for the experience!