An introduction to Montenegro (3): the coast

After our five-day hike in Durmitor National Park in northwest Montenegro we felt it was time for a less active mode of existence: beach time! So we board the bus from Žabljak to Kotor again. At the bus station we are greeted by the wonderful Radu, who drives us to his coastal hometown, Bigova. Before we drive out of town, we stop at the stall where we bought our gas for our hike – we have a full canister left and we want to return it without asking our money back. We have a hard time explaining ourselves to the extremely suspicious lady who runs it though, so Radu comes to our help and in the end she accepts the offering. On the way to Bigova, he tells us stories about it: one of the first things we learn is that everyone in the village has the same surname: Lazarevic. As does Ranca, our host who awaits us at the too-good-to-be-true apartment we will be occupying for the next six days. To do nothing much, apart from sleeping late, having breakfast in bikini, strolling to the beach, going for a swim, having dinner at one of the two seafood restaurants, and strolling home again.

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An introduction to Montenegro (2): Durmitor

So, Montenegro Part Two. After exploring the ancient coast town of Kotor and getting used to the heat for a couple of days, we ventured on a bus ride to Žabljak – the gateway town to the Durmitor National Park in the northwest of Montenegro. I say ‘ventured on’ because we’d heard a thing or two about Montenegrine roads and drivers, and it turned out to be true: it was a wild ride. After about three hours of fearing for our lives and enjoying drop-dead gorgeous scenery we arrived in Žabljak.

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An introduction to Montenegro (1): Kotor

Yes, I’m straying from my first love, finally: this is the first blog post that deals with hiking in another country than Romania! Last summer was my first chance to explore other territories after having done research for the guidebook for three years straight. We ended up picking Montenegro: humble in size but chock-full of mountains and with a stunning coastline to boot. Who said you can’t have it all? It definitely left an impression, and the only reason I haven’t written about it earlier is that other writings (the book) and tasks (the job) got in the way. But Montenegro is still there, and worth your attention, fellow-adventurers! Now that corona is here and the book is published I’ve got a little more time to idle away on the blog. In this post: the old town of Kotor.

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