Ever considered Montenegro? You should.
Sometimes you know almost immediately if a place is going to get under your skin. This will be different things for different people – you probably know what it is for you. And it changes. But for now, my soul needs a combination of natural beauty I can walk in, a fairly small, charming town full of history and some great food available at prices that won’t cut my trip short! I want to explore and learn about a place and see its sights, but not all day, not to the exclusion of having time in the ocean or lounging somewhere in the sun with a book and not where I can’t take some time to study and write. Kotor was perfect.
So, if you are making the journey to Croatia and tossing up whether it’s worth going south from Dubrovnik to check out Montenegro? Just do it. And stay in Kotor. I wish I had switched my time to five nights in Kotor and three in Dubrovnik (which deserves five, but I am not known for my love of crowds!). Kotor is one of those spots where there is a lot to do if you are that way inclined, equally it’s a place where you can very happily just pass the days jumping off piers into the sea that constantly tricks your brain into thinking it’s a lake because it’s flat and surrounded by mountains.
It’s located in a jaw-droppingly beautiful bay, with mountains soaring above on either side. You get long dawns and dusks because the direct sun doesn’t come over the mountain until around 9am and is gone again at 6:30pm, but it’s light from 6am to 8pm. The long purple and pink light at either end of the day infuses the place with a sense of calm and serenity. When the sun is at full strength in the middle of the day it is blazing hot – a good time to retreat to a cool cafe in the shade of the old town or an umbrella on one of the small beaches or piers with regular dips. There are little piers every 5-10 metres along the waterfront between Kotor and Dobrata with ladders or rocks to climb out of the bay. For me, it encouraged quick dips and enough sun to dry out but I wasn’t lying out all day getting covered in sand.
I stayed in Dobrata, which is about 2km along the waterfront from the old town of Kotor. It’s a beautiful walk along the sea, although very hot in the middle of the day in late August.
There is a fantastic produce market along the walls of the old town. An Airbnb with a kitchen was great for me to cook up a few simple meals with fresh veges or just pick up some cheese and salami and figs and some good local wine and you’re set!
You can jump on a boat tour from the main park in town, there are leisurely, large, slow ones to the nearby town of Perast. Or do as I did and spend the best 30 euro possible and get a speed boat! I went with Submarine Tours, our driver was Goran and he was great. Only two couples and another solo traveler, a lovely Serbian woman shared the boat. We sped 40 minutes to check out the secret tunnels in the hills along the bay where they hid submarines in WWI and then onto the Blue Cave to swim in water so blue it was almost fluorescent. The feeling of racing along the water, wind whipping your face, gorgeous scenery, a sunset and that swim – totally thrilling!
A walk up to the castle walls is a must. Go early. As in no later than 7am if you can. You will beat the crowds (I saw about 8 other people) and be walking in the cool of the morning (it took me about 40 mins to do the climb to the top with photo stops, lots of stairs but a reasonably easy climb if you’re fit and I saw a few people who were not at all in great shape doing it slowly but surely).
When I first got to the top, there was only one couple there. They were sitting in a great vantage point, chatting in English and taking it all in. Perhaps 20 or 21 I would say. As I walked up to them, I said, ‘Did you two get up early or are you still going from last night?’. Then I noticed their pub crawl wristbands and everything about them – their body language, the look of complete serenity but with an underlying frisson, their cute, sidelong glances at each other – told me that this was a first meeting. On the night they met, they had climbed up a mountain at 3am and had this stunning place to themselves for about 4 hours. I told them I was super impressed they were still going. What I wanted to say was, ‘You will remember this night for the rest of your lives. Odds are you will probably watch each other’s lives on Facebook and go on to live and love other people and work and struggle and fall into routine. But this night will never fade in your memory. And if you’re very lucky and choose to cultivate it, it will shape a sense of adventure and possibility for rest of your lives.’ I didn’t, because weird old lady, and in any event, I kind of got the sense they already somehow, subconsciously knew this. There were so gloriously still and present with each other in that moment. I spent 30 minutes walking around that site, looking at the stunning beauty around me, but it’s those two I will always associate with Kotor.
