Montenegro
It took us 24 hours from Corfu to Budva, past the lights of Albania, on a calm sea with little wind and traffic, and a beautiful sunrise. It is mandatory to check into Montenegro on the day you arrive, no anchoring in the bay around the corner and popping in the following morning, and you have to tie up at the Q dock, fenders and lines out even if it is for only 15 minutes, but the greeting was warm and welcoming and once you have had your passport and crew list stamped and paid your cruising tax (vignette) and tourist tax you are free to go. We spent a total of eight days in Montenegro, five on our way up in August and three on way down from Croatia in October and loved it.
Data is always uppermost in our minds when entering another country, and the trick of course is to have data so you can get data, whether it’s buying a roaming package or figuring out where to buy a local SIM. Enter www.airalo.com – Mike on Soul had suggested this as an alternative, I thought really? Surely it can’t be this easy and affordable, but yes it is and a real game changer for us. And not only can you buy and activate your SIM before crossing the country specific telecoms border but you can also buy a regional and a global card.
So with data sorted we spent our first night in Budva, strolling through the old walled town with its pizza stalls, bars, live music and people, good vibes.
Then it was up the coast and into the magnificent Kotor Bay (Boka), impressive 19th century Austro-Hungarian forts guarding the entrance, past Cold War Yugoslav submarine tunnels (cleverly disguised by fake rocks) and the very picturesque Otok Island (Gospa od Milo) before anchoring off Stradioti Island; developed in 1962 as a Club Med with Pacifica styled huts, it fell into disuse during the Yugoslav wars 1991-2001 and has slowly reverted back to nature.
Kotor Bay is stunning; alpine lake like with medieval villages dotted along the green coastline, backed by the spectacular grey karst Dinaric Alps. We spent three days in the bay, warm 30 knot winds in the evening with spectacular lightning shows and sadly, fires in the green hills above, growing steadily through the night with the air irritatingly smoky.
At the head of the bay lies old Kotor, a 9th century Byzantine walled town at the base of the impressive fortified St John’s Hill; a morning hike up the 1,350 steps to get sunrise light on the town (and free entry before 0800) was worth the view, and fun - exiting though a narrow stone window and down a rickety ladder to a ruined village and picturesque Sveti Juraj (St George) church behind, followed by a thirst quenching chilled pomegranate juice at a small cafić before winding down a zigzag donkey track. Kotor itself was full of tourist shops and cruiseliner crowds, not our scene.
Nearby Risan was close to pick up next crew Simon and Jeanette, finally being let out of Australia after two long years! A small town with Roman mosaics, we spent a morning sitting in a shady seaside park watching helicopters filling up buckets from a fire engine pool on the wharf, before heading off to fight the fires. Between Kotor and Risan lies two very picturesque church islets – Our Lady of the Rocks (Gospa od Škrpjela) and St. George (Sveti Đorđe). Legend has it that Gospa od Škrpjela was created by local seaman who in keeping with an ancient oath, cast rocks in the sea when returning home, and in time the islet emerged. The custom continues. But best of all was catching up with Saba mates Lady Roslyn again. Forced to isolate in Montenegro (it was either that or Namibia) they fell in love with the place and bought an apartment near to Porto and the main town Tivat. Porto has a Monacesque feel about it, palm lined docks, beautiful superyachts (Black Pearl), high end fashion shops, a Murrano glass gallery and live Croatian music from the 1980s….
