Making our way to Montenegro...

May 19th, 2009

Another early morning departure took us from Dubrovnik into a whole other country…literally.
We drove across the border of Croatia into the Republic of Montenegro and the breathtaking Bay of Kotor. (It is the longest and deepest fjord in the whole of Southern Europe.) By mid morning we were already at our first stop in the town of Perast. A sea side dwelling in a nook of the bay Perast is drenched in history concerning fishing ships, tales of crews lost at sea, and legends dripping with seafaring tales.
Once there, we boarded a boat that would take us a short distance into the bay and delivering us onto a man made island that was home to a Baroque church called “Our Lady of the Rocks” (Gospe Od Skrpjela). Build in 1452, the church was teeming with paintings, religious relics, and regional history. The walls, from floor to ceiling, were lined with silver molds of arms, legs, organs and such. When we questioned the reason for them we were informed that people in the town would bring these plates of silver to the church for the priest to pray over. If your husband had an ailment with digestion or stomach the wife would bring in a silver mold of the intestines. It was kind of strange to see these items hanging all around us but also quite fascinating attaining a little glimpse into how the people facilitated their own form of holistic healthcare. After a tour of the small museum on the back side of the church we were back on the boat and headed towards land.
We were headed away from the bay but not in the North, South, East or West directions…we were headed UP! A narrow road, 2 lanes to be exact, took our little travel bus along sheer cliffs to the top of a very high mountain. From the windows the Adriatic Sea gradually came into view and the Bay of Kotar was getting smaller by the minute. A number of sweaty palms and frayed nerves were present on the bus, especially when the side of the vehicle you were sitting on became an unobstructed view of a whole lot of nothingness below you. I personally was unnerved and frazzled, but Dax was the picture of calm collectiveness.
Once we reached the top of the mountain we were greeted by a very different landscape. Lush open fields of grass were comfortably nestled between the tops of the mountain and dotted with small cabins. To our absolute delight a lunch was planned at a local restaurant smack in the middle of this new area. We arrived and were greeted with delight and hospitality. Our lunch area consisted of picnic tables covered with lovely white cloth, bottles of local red wine, fresh green salads, homemade bread and the most amazing cooked lamb and potatoes. The meal was a mixture of delectable homegrown ingredients sprinkled with the love of the team that prepared it. The effort put into the food was palatable… We were lucky enough to be joined by the local dog, name unknown, but bared a very striking “Benji” resemblance. He was sweet, well mannered and quite the hearty eater. His cuteness abounded and it was obvious he was not a stranger to anyone or their handouts. After offering him a few scraps from our plates, which he had no problem accepting, we held out our last piece of bread. He politely refused. Thinking he was at capacity of fullness, we laughed it off and continued to enjoy our wine and desserts. Not more than a minute later, we observed that our furry little friend had found a new table to introduce himself to. He happily received yet another meal of lamb scraps leading most to believe that a previous meal had never happened. At that moment we realized that our offer of bread wasn’t rejected because he was full, rather because it wasn’t drenched in yummy lamb goodness. We giggled and couldn’t blame him…most of us would have done the exact same thing.
The combination of fresh air paired with an amazing meal and wonderful company made for an almost euphoric mood with the group. We happily loaded the bus and headed to our next destination. In this city among the mountains above the clouds, we felt as if we were in heaven.
We muddled into a small town, the name forgotten, and found ourselves running in a torrential summer downpour. The streets released steam in response to the chilly rain…a small group of us found refuge under a huge restaurant table umbrella and waited out the rainfall.
After we made our way back down the mountain we found ourselves back in a city we passed through before the accent upwards named Risan. A small city tour and ice cream break were had and enjoyed by all.
We settled back onto the bus and headed toward the costal city of Budva, our overnight destination. It boasted 17 beaches and a coast that is over 21km long. A repeat of a “less than desirable” hotel establishment was present…but hey, what’s one more night of mandatory flip-flop usage in your shower going to hurt? We topped off the evening with a great game of spades with Dario and Allister in the lobby…drowning our smelly room sorrows with the rest of the table wine from lunch. Our spirits were filled with love and admiration. We were so grateful for being able to experience such beauty in such a short amount of time. Our honeymoon was only half over…and our excitement of the “adventures to come” was tangible. Croatia was way more than we had expected.