Leaving northern Albania, we headed through a fertile agricultural area to the border with neighboring Montenegro. Borders between European countries are transparent if you remain within the Schengen Zone (a group of 29 countries and, no, it’s not the same as the European Union). While Montenegro is part of the Schengen Zone, Albania is not. It has its own border controls that we had to pass through. The amount of time this takes is unpredictable. We were lucky that Kledi was able to facilitate our border crossing and we were able to complete the formalities in less than 15 minutes. He was a wonderful trip leader (and a real mensch, as we say in Yiddish) so it was hard to say goodbye. Fortunately, Kruno, our very capable and engaging OAT leader for the main part of the trip, was waiting for us.
We were now in the historical region on the east coast of the Adriatic Sea called Dalmatia. Soon after crossing the border, we got a glimpse of the sea when we made a restroom stop. It brought back memories of my trip sailing down the west coast (the Italian coast) of the Adriatic a couple of years ago. The mountains tumbled right down to the coast, with rocky fingers of land extending into the beautiful blue waters.
When I wasn’t looking out the window of the bus, I spent some time studying a map of the former federation of Yugoslavia. After the death of its founder, Josip Tito, in 1980, Yugoslavia faced severe economic and political challenges that led to its gradual dissolution. This was a time when communism was weakening throughout Europe and ethnic tensions were flaring up in the Balkans. In 1991 and 1992, four of the republics – Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia – declared their independence. The union of Serbia and Montenegro lasted until 2006, when voters in Montenegro chose to declare independence. According to Kruno, Montenegrins feel that they have a lot in common with neighboring Serbians. One reason may be that both countries are primarily Eastern Orthodox. The story of the breakup of Yugoslavia is extremely complicated and quite bloody. During the course of my trip, I learned a lot about it.
Given the beauty of Montenegro’s coast, it’s not surprising that the country’s economy is heavily dependent on tourism. As we drove a never-ending series of switchbacks along the coast, we could see countless tall hotels and apartment buildings under construction, often blocking lower, older houses. Our driver stopped so we could get a photo of a 5-star resort that was formerly the property of the queen of Serbia.
We stopped for lunch when we reached Budva, a popular resort town that was established in the seventh century BCE as a Greek colony. It’s one of the oldest settlements in Dalmatia. While the year-round population of Budva hovers between 18,000 and 20,000, the summer population soars to over 100,000. Kruno commented that many Russian oligarchs try to hide their yachts in this area.
On the hillside above the town, we could see a fortress that was built to repel the Ottomans. One of the main goals was to prevent Ottoman slave traders from capturing local residents and holding them for ransom. This was a common practice starting in the 15th century.
The restaurant had a beautiful setting overlooking the water.
From the restaurant terrace, we could look down at bathers on a sandy beach. Kruno told us that this stretch of the coastline is filled with high priced resorts where it’s not unusual to pay $200 a day for a couple of chairs and an umbrella at a prime spot on the beach.
After the previous day’s food extravaganza at the agriturismo, I was grateful that we had a reasonably sized simple lunch today – a salad followed by fish and potatoes. The single dessert was the ubiquitous tres leches cake. (I’m not complaining; I love it.)
We spent a few post-lunch moments taking in the views before we had to hop back into the Sprinter and continue our journey on to Dubrovnik. We made a quick ferry crossing across the narrow channel of water that separates Montenegro from Croatia.
I’ll tell you about Croatia in my next post. For now, I want to focus on Montenegro. While we were based in Dubrovnik, we made a full-day trip back to Montenegro to explore the fjord-like Bay of Kotor (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the fortified medieval city of the same name. The bay, like the mountains, was formed by the shifting of tectonic plates. As we drove along the road that encircled the bay, I looked out at the mirror-like surface of the water.
We stopped when we reached the quaint town of Perast. This is where many people start their exploration of the bay.
In Perast, we boarded a small private vessel that brought us past two tiny islands. On Our Lady of the Rocks, an artificial island, you can visit a 17th century Roman Catholic church and see the Saint Nicholas Tower, built by the Venetians to resemble Saint Marks.
The natural islet, Saint George’s, has the remains of a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery and cemetery dating back to 12th century.
We spent an hour or so out on the waters of the bay, soaking in the serene beauty our surroundings. The mountains that surround the bay are made of limestone.
I’m glad we weren’t there in the summer, the height of tourist season. Kotor is a popular stop for mega-sized cruise ships that sail up and down the Adriatic coast. When we disembarked at the town of Kotor, we saw one of them docked outside the walls of the old town.
Our local guide, Christo, met us at the entrance gate to the walled medieval city.
Kruno had told us that Montenegrins have a reputation for being both tall and lazy. Christo laughingly concurred. He certainly wasn’t lazy, however. After letting us know that he was a big fan of Elvis, country music, bourbon, and barbecue, he led us through the streets, pointing out landmarks and giving us a wealth of information about Montenegro.
Here are a few highlights from his lengthy remarks:
-Montenegro is the size of Connecticut and 89 percent of the country is mountainous. The mountains are 5000 feet high. Because of the many mountains, rivers, and canyons in the country, it’s difficult to build roads. Jewish refugees from the Iberian peninsula who arrived in the 1500s saw the dark tree-covered mountains and called the land monte negro, which means “black mountains.”
-Most Montenegrins identify as Orthodox Christian. There’s no pope or central authority figure in Orthodox Christianity. The Montenegrin Orthodox Church falls under the authority of the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
-Montenegro was allied with the Venetians for 350 years. Some areas of Montenegro eventually came under Ottoman control while other areas retained their autonomy within the Ottoman Empire.
-Montenegro was liberated from the Nazis on November 21, 1944, by Yugoslav partisans, a communist-led resistance group. (You may recall that Josip Tito and Albania’s Enver Hoxha were both members of this group.)
-Montenegro is a member of NATO, and its currency is the Euro. The economy relies heavily on tourism. In addition, the country exports electricity produced in hydroelectric power plants. They’re currently building a solar power plant in association with Israel.
The weather was ideal for exploring Kotor’s small but delightful fortified medieval town. The clock tower, in the main plaza, dates back to 1602. The Pillar of Shame, a tall elongated pyramid of stone, stands next to the clock tower. In medieval times, a person accused of a crime was forced to stand there as a punishment so that the public would know of his or her offense.
The 17th century palace that was the residence of the wealthy Pima family is notable for its beautiful balcony.
The Roman Catholic Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Tryphon, dates back to 1166. This Romanesque structure was severely damaged by a major earthquake in 1667. Its two bell towers were rebuilt in the 17th century.
The oldest Orthodox church in the old town is the small Church of Saint Luke. Built in 1195, its architecture contains Byzantine and Gothic elements. A larger and more modern Orthodox church, the Church of Saint Nicholas, was built in the early 20th century.
For several centuries, there has also been a Jewish community in Kotor. At one time, there were three synagogues and a cemetery. Nowadays, the Jewish community has shrunk to only 326. So the last thing in the world that I expected to see in the old town was a large gathering of bearded Orthodox Jewish men, chanting prayers and singing Hebrew songs. It turned out that they were there for a regional meeting of Chabad rabbis.
Kotor is definitely a good place for eating.
Just outside the gate to the old town, we stopped for a tasting of some of Kotor’s specialties, including cheeses (sheep, cow, and goat), sausage, prosciutto (both beef and pork), olives, and a very dark wine called black wine.
Anita and I returned to the old town for an al fresco lunch at Scala Santa, one of the oldest restaurants in Kotor. We shared two dishes: black cuttlefish risotto and homemade pasta with shrimp and truffles. Both were superb. A Hugo spritz was the perfect accompaniment.
And then it was time to head back to our hotel in Dubrovnik. There’s so much to share with you about the fortified city of Dubrovnik, the subject of my next post.
Amazing! You are the new Baedeker!
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