November 2008: As part of a two-week journey through the Balkans and Eastern Europe, my friend Dan and I visited Montenegro, one of the world’s newest countries. Formerly part of Yugoslavia, Montenegro gained independence in 2006. We traveled overland by public bus from northern Albania to the historic town of Kotor, which dates back over 2,000 years. We spent two days and one night exploring Kotor before continuing our journey to Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Location of Kotor, Montenegro
We arrived in Kotor after dark and walked through the old city gates with our backpacks from the bus station. With it being the low season, tourism had yet to pick up as it would in the following years, especially with the influx of cruise ships. Most guesthouses in the old city had vacancies, so we easily found a place to stay. After dropping off our bags, we went out to celebrate Thanksgiving—the holiday happening that day in the U.S.—with a large dinner at one of the nicer restaurants popular with Montenegrins.
Dan when we arrived at kotor
Old city church in kotor
With only a day in Kotor, we made the most of it by hiking through the mountains and along the fortified walls that climb high above the city. We followed steep stone steps that wound past old stone houses, where farmers tended goats beneath towering limestone peaks. Along the way, we encountered ancient stone churches and grazing billy goats, but the highlight was the sweeping views of the fjords—ocean inlets from the Adriatic Sea—set against dramatic cliffs.
Old city of Kotor
Dan in the Old city of Kotor
One of the fortified walls along the emerald waters of the ocean inlet of Kotor
Overlooking the Old City on the climb up into the mountains
View of Kotor Fjords
Hike into the Mountains
Me standing in one of the old stone archways
Stone walkway into the mountains along the fortified walls of the old city
Old crumbling stone church in the mountains
I’m grateful I had the chance to experience Kotor before mass tourism took over. It was a beautiful, charming town and the perfect place to spend a day and night. From Kotor, we continued our journey by public bus to Dubrovnik, Croatia.