Fun (at a slower pace) in Montenegro

It seems as if the pace of my trip has suddenly slowed and as a result, not only have I been feeling like sleeping a lot in the afternoon, I really feel as if I don't have very much to write about.

After my eventful trip to (or rather return journey from) Novi Sad, I really didn't feel like another evening of dancing on the Sava and so opted for dinner in the Old Town and then bed. It was a really nice way to spend my last evening in Belgrade and gave me a chance to have one last walk around the city and take a few last minute snaps.

My plan, for the next evening, was to catch the overnight train from Belgrade to Podgorica in Montenegro (and you'll be pleased to know that this plan came off without any hitches or alterations). I packed my stuff in the morning and then went to buy my train ticket, and then pretty much did nothing for the rest of the day - a bit of internet 'research' and then I went to see Harry Potter. Luckily, almost all the English movies shown in Serbia aren't dubbed and just have sub-titles down the bottom. (FYI - I really enjoyed it but there were a few parts that should have been in and weren't. Also, who knew that the Dursleys lived near Surbiton - I play hockey near there!)

Anyway, it was a good way to waste away a few hours and even then I still had to wait another three hours until my train left at 11:10pm. I had bought another book, 'The Bridge on the Drina' (written by a Bosnian Serb, Ivo Andric, in the 1940s, who had won the Nobel Prize for Literature) so I spent my evening and some of the time on the train reading that. I wasn't too sure about the train and, after meeting people who had been robbed on the train (whilst asleep) I was extra carefully - I really didn't want to have to repeat my fun with the Bulgarian Police (in Montenegro). I did manage to sleep but what with the noise of the train, the boiling temperature and getting woken at four in the morning by the Serbian Police and Boarder Control, it wasn't as restful as it could have been. Needless to say, I didn't get robbed and, after a short wait at the Podgorica bus station, managed to get on a bus to Kotor.

Kotor is right up the coast near the Croatian boarder and sits on the edge of the deepest fjord in Southern Europe. I found a little apartment, underneath an old ladies house - own bathroom and kitchen AND 2 mins from the bus station and old town. Kotor is a really pretty town with amazing fortifications... although, as it is built into the side of a cliff, I can't really figure out why the fortifications needed to be so extensive! There are very few tourists here but a lot of super-yachts! Jade and I went for a walk through the town on Saturday evening, after she got here from Croatia, and we felt a little bit under-dressed and... well poor! I guess, though, Kotor is what you hope an old town will be like; narrow, cobbled streets, shuttered windows, big open square with cafes and bars, and pretty empty of people, (which means more photo taking opportunities).

Yesterday, Jade and I went to the beach for the day. It was brilliant to not be too crowded (very different to Varna) and the water was beautiful - clear and warm. Unfortunately, a year and a half in the UK has made me a little bit less careful about the sun and, as a result of the clear, sunny day and the tyrannical beach hire men, who wouldn't hire me an umbrella, I am now walking around on two very pink legs. (I have invested in some after-sun but keep forgetting about how burnt they are and accidentally slap them... often while I'm laughing.)

Today we headed up the fjord a little way, to a town called Perast. For the last 550 years the inhabitants have been building islands out in the fjord - once a year they sail out into the fjord and drop rocks in the same place. The result has been 2 islands; one which has a monastery on it (which you can't visit) and one which has a church on it 'Our Lady of the Rock'. Again, this is a gorgeous little town and we were pretty much the only tourists there. After having lunch by the water and having a little walk around, we caught the boat out to the island, took some pictures and headed back to Kotor. (See! I told you the pace of my trip was slowing down... Jade and I both felt like going to sleep on the bus back to town too!)

So that is pretty much it - the last few days of very relaxed sightseeing and, well, relaxing. We are going to head down the coast for more beach time (well a little less sun time for me) at a place called Ulcinj. Then, from there, the plan is to go to Tirana and explore Albania for a bit.

Will write soon... I'm sure we can muster up a little bit more drama before then!

Rose x