Wild. Beautiful. Montenegro. About me Moving to Montenegro for permanent residence
Before I visited Montenegro, I knew exactly three facts about local wine.
Firstly, wine began to be produced in Montenegro long before Montenegro itself appeared there. For many centuries, these lands were under the serious influence of Rome, which means that winemaking in the territory of modern Montenegro dates back to at least antiquity.
Bunches of unripe grapes
Secondly, Montenegro is the birthplace of the Vranac grape variety, from which the red wine of the same name is produced. However, in addition to Montenegro, this grape is also actively grown in Serbia and Macedonia, so other countries may well have their own opinion on this matter.
Thirdly, Montenegro is home to Europe's largest vineyard, which is owned by local agricultural giant Plantaže.
In the labyrinth of old Koper there are many small bars where you can try local wine
Going to a small Balkan country, which, if not the cradle of winemaking, is clearly somewhere very close, I expected to find wine there of at least good European quality. If not at the level of recognized winemaking giants like France, Italy and Spain, then at least no worse than the neighboring one, where, along with passable wines for consumption “on the spot”, there are original and very strong examples. In reality, everything turned out to be somewhat different.
Most small wineries are family businesses that have been in business for several generations.
Wines in Montenegro are divided into two unequal parts: those produced by Plantaže - and all the rest. This division is especially noticeable in stores, where finding wine from another manufacturer can be extremely difficult. Restaurants, of course, try to include third-party wines on their menu. There is also a completely pragmatic interest in this - it is difficult to sell wines that anyone can buy for more than half the price in the store across the street.
Officially registered wineries are marked with a special sign
At the same time, Plantaže must be given their due: they really produce relatively high-quality wines, and in different lines for any budget. At the same time, when you open a bottle from a small winery, you don’t know what to expect. In most cases, it is better not to wait at all. True, the local winemakers, one and all, rolled their eyes when I asked about Plantage and said that Plantage is an industry, but I was unable to understand whether this assessment was more of a curse or a respectful one.
Oddly enough, kiwi grows in Montenegro - and not only does it grow: they make good rakia from it
By the way, winemaking is a licensed activity in Montenegro, but licenses have been issued for the entire country, if only... about ten of them. This is despite the fact that, in general, every home produces its own wine. But if it is not forbidden to make wine without a license for your own consumption, then the legality of selling it to restaurants is questionable. To my question, how is this possible, the winemaker I interviewed answered: this is Montenegro.
Some wineries have received many awards...
Winemakers also have their own recipe for longevity. It consists of a special order of drinking drinks during the day: at breakfast - a glass of rakia, at lunch - a glass of wine, at dinner - two glasses of wine. The main thing is not to exceed the norm, and you will be a vigorous and healthy long-liver. That's what they told me.
To summarize, there is wine in Montenegro, but if you consider yourself at least an advanced user in this area, I don’t recommend counting on many positive impressions. If you were able to finish an open bottle, say thank you for that. However, this applies less to Plantage and more to everyone else: Montenegro, at least for now, does not encourage wine experiments.
…in others, the main attraction is the pets.
In order not to get up twice, I’ll tell you about beer. The only mass-produced Montenegrin beer is Niksic; the plant, as you might guess, is located in the city of Niksic. A passable lager that quenches your thirst in the heat, but drinking it just for fun is not an easy task. There are several small craft breweries, the easiest way to try their products is to visit the Hoste bar in old Kotor, although I have seen it in a couple of other places.
That's probably all.
The main post of the press tour to Montenegro with the tour operator TUI. Something without which you can’t start a virtual trip around the country from a series of photo reports. The post that the other forty-odd participants of the trip are waiting for and the only one similar to the reports of the others: we experienced these impressions together.
Why did I want to return to Montenegro and agreed to Tui’s invitation? After all, I was already here three years ago and rode on my own. Elementary: I passed through this country the fastest of the seven Balkan states visited then. There are a lot of things left unseen. I didn’t go to tourist places.
So, today I present Montenegro as a purely tourist destination. The one with the slogan that sounds like Wild beauty. For “True Montenegro” it is a little different, but first things first.
1 It is the youngest country in Europe, less than 10 years old. It was formed as a result of falling away from Serbia “on the sly” with the independence of Kosovo. Thus, the Serbs have lost access to the sea and now come here on vacation: the language is the same, the money is just different, euros are used in Montenegro. Along with Kosovo, the country is an unofficial member of the eurozone: this is scary at first, because the dollar is already thirty-eight, and the euro is already fifty. But I have never met such a cheap European country! It’s definitely worth coming here out of season and being amazed by the prices!
2 And it’s really beautiful here, as you noticed. As elsewhere in the Balkans, red-tiled roofs dominate. Girls think it's sexy, men think it's natural. Over there on the peninsula is the old town of Budva. Every Montenegrin settlement on the coast has an Old Town. This is great. This means tourists will wander around there and a million shops can be opened. Tourists are also interested in seeing one of the Old Towns to choose from. There is no point in driving around all of them, they are all the same. And not only in Montenegro, but along the entire coast: in neighboring Croatia they are exactly the same.
3 It’s not for nothing that for the first time I remember Montenegro as the most high-altitude and vomiting serpentines. No other Balkan country has such a road chopper. Except Albania. Albania again. Exception country. But there is added to all this bad asphalt and terrible traffic, smoking trucks climbing the hill at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour, and reckless drivers in old Mercedes flying centimeters from the cliff.
4 A trip on such roads on a large bus is a good test for the vestibular system for passengers and honing driving skills for the driver. If there are grandmothers on the bus, they will squeal, complain about life and say: “Well, how do they live here?” Verified.
5 Our first destination is the village of Njegusi, where the famous prosciutto is made. In fact, they make prosciutto in every basement here, but it’s the Negush variety that’s popular. For this reason, buses travel for an hour and a half along those same serpentines.
6 A village is like a village. Very small. And you cannot say that the only Montenegrin royal dynasty of Petrovich-Njegus originated from here. I strongly advise you to read about this dynasty, although it will not convey even a tenth of the expression with which our guide Biljana chewed on the microphone on the topic of Montenegrin kings.
7 In Njegushi, everyone also does what they chew. Nice village. If there's anything they come here for, it's to eat. There's nothing else to do here. This most famous prosciutto and less famous cheese are sold on every corner.
8 Russians are the main foreign tourists visiting Montenegro. Therefore, a lot of things are found here in Russian. They don’t consider Serbs and Albanians as foreigners, for example.
9 So what is prshrut? Dried meat is like jamon or prosciutto, but a million times tastier. Frankly, when I first tried it in Montenegro on that big Balkan trip, I only ate it every day, bought it in all countries. Hamon wasn't even close.
10 But the cheese is so-so. No. Fresh. Absolutely no taste. So, answering the question, was it worth the hassle of an hour and a half along the serpentines to come to the village for lunch - it was worth it. Here we were fed wonderful meat, whereas on the coast tourists are treated to nothing but fish. And this despite the fact that Montenegrins themselves practically do not eat fish.
11 But we never bought the prosciutto. I convinced the group that it would be cheaper in the supermarket in Budva.
12 The reverse serpentine was no less amazing.
13 And from the point of view of species, it’s even more so. Panorama of the Bay of Kotor.
14 I had already ridden along this road on my own and remembered it. Almost next to the highway there is an abandoned one, very interesting and colorful. For our bloggers, climbing is the best! How I tried to persuade the guide to taxi there for a minute. She almost agreed, but then it turned out that the path to her was too narrow, or the bus was too wide.
15 Frankly, I almost didn’t take photographs of our group. They are all interesting and bright people, and you probably already subscribed to half of them. Real artists. Every stop, when we broke out of the cage of the bus, we rushed to photograph every branch. And then suddenly there won’t be enough material for the post!
16 Serpentine shoulders.
17 The bus driver explains to the tourist that he will have to turn back. Otherwise we won't leave.
18 But here we had to surrender. There's no point in explaining it to cows.
19 Coast again. What's good about it is its straight roads!
20 We went for a walk in the Old Town of Budva. I haven't been there before.
21 Biljana says something fascinating. Probably about Pyotr Petrovich Njegush. I just don’t remember about the first and second. But it's not that important. Both of them were smart and handsome.
22 There is an interesting ship on the pier in Budva, right next to the police station. Isn't he arrested?
23 Yacht “Severina”, home port of Taganrog. Interestingly, this is not just a yacht owned by a Russian: it was made in Russia to a special order. Perhaps we don’t make such ships today. The project is called "Ob-47". For the Owner and his guests, there are two blocks of VIP apartments with an area of about 100 square meters each, consisting of a bedroom, living room, office, dressing room and a large bathroom equipped on the principle “for him and for her” with separate entrances. The owner's salon is connected through sliding doors to a spacious balcony forming a common relaxation area. On the deck below there are four more large passenger cabins and a special staff cabin, all with separate bathrooms. If you're interested, you can Google it further. At the same time, find out who the owner is. I'm betting on Abramovich!
24 Well, God bless them, the Russian rich, there will even be a separate post about them. Let's go see the color, because if there is any, it will be in the old city.
25 The most colorful thing here is the old gate with an icon.
26 The boy and the dog are fine too.
27 Beach with tables - nice.
28 But that's all. The old town of Budva is completely dull. You can hang yourself on these very gates. There is absolutely nothing there. Well, that is: narrow streets made of stones, a million shops with souvenirs and another thousand shops with clothes. Thirteen restaurants with fish. All.
29 The next morning there was a second attempt to fall in love with the Old Cities. We were taken (already along a relatively straight road) to the city of Kotor. By the way, it is much larger and more interesting even for an experienced bus tourist. Well, again, this is directly the Venetian heritage of those times when they were an independent state.
30 Beautiful fortress wall and river. Which of the blog tour participants did not take such a shot, admit it!
31 Inside (if you compare it with Budva) it’s interesting. But I was bored, because I had already seen hundreds of thousands of exactly the same cities, including in Italy itself.
32 City guests carefully study tourist maps.
33 Inside - real Italy. Those who have never been there will really like it.
34 See for yourself, am I not right?
35 Many fellow bloggers did the best thing: they climbed up to the fortress wall and the church. Firstly, there is a cool view from there, and secondly, very, very few people get there. I didn't get there, for example.
36 The church where everyone takes pictures.
37 An attempt to portray something original. dmitry_trunov
, ilyavaliev
, dervishv
, nasedkin
and an unknown young lady.
38 Finally, having finished with Kotor, we drive along the coast to another city. Traveling by bus is incomparably cooler than sailing on such a huge ocean liner. I've never tried it and don't want to.
38 I like small boats better.
39 Another small town on the shores of the Bay of Kotor. Which, however, I liked the most. It's called Perast.
40 It is exactly the same grey-red, stone-tiled, but there is room to climb. And there are no people.
41 I tried to climb this tower, but the streets were so deserted that I didn’t even have anyone to ask where the keys might be.
42 But I found an ancient cat man.
43 And the Yugoslav banner. In Montenegro, people are as nostalgic for Yugoslavia as in Russia for the Soviet Union. Not understanding that we need to move forward.
44 Tables right by the water are some kind of distinctive Montenegrin feature, I like it.
45 What's wrong with men's faces?
46 Fifteen minutes were allotted for independent exploration of Perast, but in general our goal was to travel to this small island. It is man-made, built about a hundred years ago and is called Our Lady of the Reef.
47 There is nothing here except the church. All that was left was to walk in circles. It was possible to come up with an exciting reality show: leave bloggers here for a day and offer to film the most original report about this place. Despite the fact that there is absolutely nothing to film on the island. They took pity on us: we spent only an hour on the island.
48 The third day of the trip around Montenegro was independent. As I already wrote, we, together with aquatek_filips
And sicheslavets
took the car and left for Albania. The car was rented for two days, why should it sit in the parking lot? We went to explore the beauty of the country following the bus.
49 It didn’t work out for the bus: our conductor sasha0404
, who has been living in Budva for three years, kept showing us really interesting places that are rarely visited by tourists. Here, for example, is an old staircase on the top of a mountain above the Budva Riviera.
The staircase was built by a Russian man, Yegor Stroganov, who emigrated to Montenegro and became a monk. The story of his life is just a legend, but there is such a Santa Barbara mixed in there! Like, this guy had a daughter who slept with someone before the wedding. He went berserk and cut off his daughter’s hand, and then his own. Afterwards he moved to the Balkans and became a monk. There is indeed a monastery nearby. And when he was sad, he built this staircase. I built with one hand for ten whole years.
A hundred years later, grateful residents erected a memorial plaque for him. Here's the story.
50 And from here there is a good view of the island of St. Stephen.
51 Bloggers were so busy writing posts about this island hotel that they didn’t notice a couple more islands just a kilometer away. Or these are not even islands, but reefs. On one there is a mini-forest with ten trees, on the other there is a single house. It would really be interesting to get there.
52 Serpentines again. In a passenger car, and even when the driver is driving, they are completely different.
53 If I were a nature fan, then this entire post with six dozen pictures would consist of only species. It's really wildly beautiful here. But I'm not a fan :)
54 However, this place was most memorable in landscape terms. Canyon of the Moraca River. Starting out shallow, it eventually turns into adorably scary!
56 There is also beauty from above.
57 Montenegro is the country where hiking and trekking need to be developed. Do you know anything about this?
Thanks to whom?
To friends, comrades, and fellow bloggers with whom we discovered Montenegro together. In the journals of these brave and sometimes desperate guys you can find many stories about the small Balkan country. These are the heroes: sicheslavets aquatek_filips lovigin kuderova mashkind
The great journey through Montenegro continues. our author Elena inspired you to travel by talking about cities, islands, bays, and today she will share practical information: where to stay, how to get around and what national cuisine to try.
I have heard a variety of reviews about holidays in Montenegro: starting with “it was the best holiday of my entire life” and ending with something like “I will never go here again, and I don’t recommend it to you.” Once upon a time, a holiday in Montenegro was more like a country holiday than a resort, but those times are in the past. A well-maintained coastline, transport links, access to museums and monuments - it all exists, and the country continues to develop. One thing has remained unchanged: people still come here not for first-class service and five-star hotels, but for the stunning nature: lively beaches give way to high mountains, coniferous forests suddenly fall into canyons, serpentines lead to mountain lakes and wild rivers. And all this on the territory of one small Balkan country.
Of course, in order to see Montenegro in all its diversity without sacrificing comfort and budget, you need to think about earthly things: transport, accommodation, food and beaches - in a word, about the most important and vital.
Transport: taxis, buses, cars
To avoid getting wasted money when getting from the airport, it is better to order a taxi in advance. Here are a few services you can use: Taxi Montenegro, Taxi in Montenegro. You can also order a taxi by phone directly from the airport. The operators speak English, so they will accept your application without any problems: in Tivat this is the Red Taxi company, in Podgorica - ALO TAXI.
Another option is to order a transfer from the hotel. On Ostrovka, each hotel has a section “All services and amenities”, which indicates whether a transfer is provided to guests. If such a service is available, indicate when booking that you need to be met, and the hotel will send a car to the airport.
It is also convenient to travel around Montenegro by buses - they run throughout the country and will take you to almost any point. The most convenient and informative website with schedules - http://busterminal.me/ . If you need a train, then look http://www.zcg-prevoz.me/ , but tickets will need to be purchased at the box office before departure; this cannot be done online. For those who want to rent a car, I can recommend MyRentacar. In winter, a budget and middle class car can be rented for 9-15 € per day, in summer it is already two to three times more expensive. You can now rent a car on Ostrovka. Just write by email[email protected] , tell us about the details of the trip and indicate your wishes for the car. Specialists will contact you and select a car.
Accommodation: hotels and apartments
If you are flying during the high season, book your accommodation in advance - the best options are sold out several months in advance. I advise you to stay in the suburbs, where the beaches are not as crowded as city beaches, and in principle there is less noise and fuss.
For example, a village is located 20 minutes from Budva. It’s better to live there, and come to Budva for bars, restaurants and clubs. Another good option is . The town is surrounded by pine groves and olive trees, there is a main city beach, which stretches for 600 m, and there are small beaches in the bays. Budva, Kotor and Tivat can be reached in an hour. And here known for its sandy beaches, a rarity for Montenegro. In addition, due to geographical features, the sea here is a couple of degrees warmer than in other places. From here it is a bit far from Budva and Kotor, but there is also something to see in Ulcinj: the Old Town, the Eastern Bazaar, the Balsic Palace, the Palazzo Venice.
Tourists pay a city tax for their stay in the country - about euros per day. If you are staying with friends, you can pay the tax yourself at a travel agency; if you are staying in a hotel, the tax will be collected from you at the reception upon arrival. Just in case, ask that you be added to the register immediately - the employee may get overwhelmed and forget. And be sure to keep your tax receipt: when you leave Montenegro, at passport control they will check whether you are on the register and how many days you spent in the country. If you are not on the list or the number of days does not correspond to the stated number, you may be fined 140 euros or more.
Among the types of accommodation in Montenegro, apartments are especially popular. You will have several rooms and a kitchen at your disposal; you cook and clean yourself. There are also hotels that offer apartments in addition to regular rooms (for example, in Becici or in Budva), and there are apart-hotels where apartments are the main type of accommodation (as in in Tivat). In both cases you receive standard service with cleaning and meals included. If you want to cook yourself, just choose the plan without meals. On Ostrovka you can apply a special filter and find apartments in the region you like.
As for hotels, the most luxurious, perhaps, are And in Budva, island-hotel Sveti Stefan, in Tivat and Kolasin.
If you are going to walk a lot and you only need a roof over your head for sleeping, then an apartment is your option. If service, cleaning, animation, and included meals are important to you, then choose hotels or apartment hotels.
Cuisine: prosciutto, kachamak, trileche
Food in Montenegro is a separate story, worthy of an entire article. In almost all cafes and restaurants you can have a tasty and satisfying meal. They feed, as they say, for slaughter, the portions are huge, and it is not always easy for one person to cope. The menu is dominated by meat dishes: steaks, soups, chops, meat wrapped in meat. I’ll tell you what, in my opinion, cannot be ignored.
- Prosciutto is a smoked or dried pork ham. The most popular place where it is prepared is the village of Njegusi on Mount Lovcen. If you are there on a tour, be sure to try it.
- Njeguš steak is a beef or pork chop in which cheese and prosciutto are wrapped.
- Popezi - meat rolls in batter with cheese.
- Telecha chorba is a thick, rich veal soup.
- Trilece, or “three milks” is a famous Montenegrin dessert. The most delicate sponge cake soaked in a mixture of cream, condensed and regular milk and topped with natural caramel. Perhaps my favorite local delicacy, although I don’t consider myself a sweet tooth.
The “chorba index” or “capricciosa index” will help check the adequacy of prices in restaurants and pizzerias. The average cost of chorba is 2-3€, and pizzas - 4-6 € . If they offer you a chorba for 5, then the cafe is most likely profiting a little from tourists.
Here are a few restaurants where you can try all these dishes:
- Giardino on the way from Budva to Petrovac. Meat from under sacha is prepared here - another national dish. Sach is a large metal frying pan with a dome-shaped lid. A hoop with coals is placed on top of it, and it turns out that the heat comes from both below and above. This cooking method gives the meat special tenderness. In addition to meat, they serve fish, seafood, and soups.
- Niagara in Podgorica. It is located on the banks of the mountain river Tsievna, and the Niagara Falls are nearby - hence the name of the restaurant. The portions here are huge, so feel free to take one dish for two. And here they also prepare delicious trileche dessert. I have ordered it here more than once, and the local chef, with tender love and pride in his eyes, shared the recipe with me.
- "Savardak" in Kolasin it is stylized as a yurt. Be sure to try kachamak - potatoes baked with cheese - here they are prepared according to a secret family recipe.
- "Alexander" in Rafailovichi is located on the embankment, you can sit on the terrace and admire the sea, or you can ask for a table inside. Here you can not only have dinner, but also have breakfast. If you come in the morning, order the pancakes - they are magical here. As always, the portion is very large. The menu includes European dishes and a separate section with national cuisine. Excellent selection of wines and desserts.
Language and mentality: “Prichas crnogorski?”
Wherever you vacation in Montenegro, do not try to show off your English: in 80% of cases the locals will not understand you. Their English is not very good, and you are unlikely to understand Montenegrin. Some words are similar to Russian, but they do not mean what they seem. For example, in Montenegrin “right” is “straight”, and “maniac” is “deficit”.
Of course, in resort towns the service staff speaks English, and often Russian, but the closer you go to the north, the fewer Russian speakers there are. So it’s better to immediately ask whether the interlocutor speaks Russian or English - this way you won’t find yourself in a situation where you spend half an hour explaining to the administrator that the air conditioning in your room doesn’t work, and he, after listening to you carefully, says “I don’t understand,” that is, “ I don't understand".
As for character, Montenegrin people are calm, friendly and sociable, taxi drivers are especially talkative. If you are traveling with a child, do not be surprised when every second Montenegrin will, with a smile spreading on his face, pull your baby’s hair with the words “how sweet beba.”One of the disadvantages is that Montenegrins smoke a lot, and even those same “sweet bebes” are not a hindrance to them. They smoke in cafes, on beaches, in front of children, under the “no smoking” sign - for them this is the norm.
Beaches: coast and islands
Most beaches in Montenegro are pebbly, but there are places where the pebbles are very small or there are none at all. Kamenovo beach near the Rafailovichi resort has small pebbles, but the entrance to the water is rocky, so buy rubber slippers right away - sea urchins often rest on the rocks, and meeting them can end in disaster. From Budva to the beach it takes 10 minutes by bus, it runs quite often. If you come with your own car, parking costs 5 €.
Half an hour from Budva and 15 minutes from Tivat there is a sandy beach called Plavi Horizonty. Mostly families with children vacation here, and at the height of the summer season it becomes a bit crowded. But if you arrive in the morning or after five in the evening, there won’t be many people.
The two most popular beaches near Budva are Jaz and Ploce. Both there are sun loungers and umbrellas (10 €), showers and changing cabins, cafes and shops. In summer, of course, there are a lot of people, but the beaches are spacious, so you can easily find a free place. In Budva itself there is a picturesque Mogren beach. To get there you will have to walk along the rocks, the landmark is the Avala Hotel.
The desire to visit the Adriatic coast of Montenegro in September last year did not appear immediately, not suddenly. Initially, we considered and calculated options for traveling to a neighboring country - Croatia. But Aeroflot airlines (22 thousand rubles Moscow - Split - Moscow in 2008), our complete reluctance to use the services of travel agencies and charters, as well as the slightly confusing visa issue changed our opinion.
The organization of any trip is based on the same patterns. What we will fly (travel) on, where we will live and how to eat, and what interesting things we plan to see. In Montenegro, we tested the formula for our family vacation - two weeks, the first week in an apartment, in a quiet place not far from the place of arrival, the second week also in an apartment, in a quiet place not far from the place of departure. A prerequisite is that there must be a sea near the place of residence (my daughter does not yet understand how a vacation can be without the sea), and there must also be interesting places to see (my wife and I will no longer understand).
S7, as a carrier, was not satisfied with its price. But Montenegro Airlines, with certain roughnesses, turned out to be a very interesting option. At that time, they did not have the opportunity to buy tickets on the site, and the site itself regularly froze. However, you could call the Moscow office, select the desired dates and arrival airport (Tivat or Podgorica) and book tickets. Moreover, the reservation was valid for two weeks (!!!).
Montenegro Airlines has a unique fleet; last year they flew Fokker 100 aircraft. When my wife learned about the name of the plane, she was surprised:
- Weren’t they all brought down during the war? - We’ll fly on a non-shot down one)
The plane itself turned out to be a completely normal means of transportation. Slow, with a narrow fuselage, narrow seats, but with good distance between rows. On the plane there is a very conventional division into business and economy classes.
The village of Becici was chosen as the first place of residence. We deliberately did not choose Budva; reviews spoke of cleaner beaches and a more peaceful atmosphere in Becici. Both are true.
The villa was chosen using a complex algorithm. First, a Serbian friend sent me a Montenegrin website, on which we liked one option from the listed offers, but we didn’t like the conditions - full payment before arrival, and the price also left much to be desired (80 euros per day). The name of the villa was not specified. Through a long search and easy learning of the Serbian language, another site was found with a photograph of the same villa and, most importantly, with the contacts of the owners. Then it’s a matter of technique, price negotiations, transfer of the deposit, agreed upon transfer (free) and that’s it.
We immediately found an option for the second week. In the suburbs of Kotor, on the shores of the Bay of Kotor. The owner of the apartment often deals with Russian tourists and did not raise any questions about the transfer of the deposit. He also promised a free transfer from Becici to Kotor.
Nutrition. Breakfast and dinner on your own, lunch in a cafe. My wife was very pleased with the availability of a variety of chorba (soup). The prices were no less pleasing. 12 - 15 euros allowed a family of three to have a very hearty meal.
Well, I won’t describe the visa issue in the absence of a visa itself. When arriving and departing, the passport is simply stamped. No vouchers, return tickets, etc. they don't ask.
July 1st, 2015
July is the most “vacation” month in Russia. If you work in a government office where there are many middle-aged women, then there will be a real war for the right to take a vacation in July.
This is what I mean. Friends asked me to tell about Montenegro. In our circle I am known as a guru on Montenegro. I have been there more than once (twice), you can only hear rave reviews from me, which means that I have been imbued with the ethnography of this country, and I know where I definitely need to go. Everything that I will tell below has not been verified by any Wikipedia or other encyclopedias, but has been “recorded” from the words of local residents, or has been mastered and tested on my own skin.
The friends for whom I am writing all this are family people, with a small child and a small teenager. Therefore, I will give them my advice taking into account these circumstances.
At first I thought that I needed to tell the story with a caveat, like I was there several years ago, a lot has already changed, and in general, the Russians occupied this small country, etc. and so on. But then I realized: this small (but proud) state resisted the attacks of the Turks, recovered after an earthquake (it seems to me, more than one earthquake). It was good there 300 years ago, 30 years ago, and three years ago, and it will be great there for another thousand years.
So, casting aside all doubts and reservations, let's begin.
Where you should definitely visit in Montenegro.
Petrovac.
Locals pronounce it with a slight emphasis on the first syllable, the sound “e” is close to “e”.
The best, most beautiful, cozy and magnificent beach in Montenegro is L at Chitsa, in Petrovac. Arriving in Petrovac, you can see a pleasant, fairly large city beach, and think that this is the best beach in Montenegro.
But no, Lucica is hiding behind the mountain, which is on the left (if you look at the sea). Walking along the path past h at From the bottom of the houses, surrounded by greenery and flowers, you will certainly come to Lucice. 
This beach cannot be confused with anything: two rocks form a cozy bay, pine trees hang over the sea, the water is dark turquoise, in some places picturesque boulders and rock fragments come out of the sea, and in front you can see a small island with the chapel of St. Nedelya.
The shore is rocky, there is a cafe right on the beach, behind the cafe the southern trees form a shady park. People leave their cars there and play tennis and volleyball. In the distance you can see mountains and rare, lonely houses. To be honest, none of this matters. Because, in my subjective assessment, Lucica beach receives the highest category only because when I swam there, I received incomparable pleasure. Apparently, in this bay everything came together in ideal proportions: water, sun, stones.
In Petrovac itself, the beach that anyone who comes to this village sees is also not bad. But for other reasons. It's nice to stroll through the ancient streets of the old city along the sea. Right there, right in front of you, they will bake pizza, give you wine, and offer you ice cream. You can dine in fish restaurants, comfortably located under the right rock of Petrovac (if you look at the sea). And on the left rock there is a bar, which is located above the sea, right in the rock itself. You can also have lunch and swim there... An unexpected combination, but right in the bar there are baths and a descent to the open sea. If there is a storm, then it’s an awesome feeling: sitting in a rock above the sea and catching the salty spray that flies from below. If you happen to be there in the evening, it’s great to watch the sunset in this bar. Naturally, with wine. We also took fried bananas - a kind of Montenegrin dessert (desserts with bananas are often found in Montenegro. I remember in one cafe they served bananas in a boat, with cream and chocolate).
If there is still time, energy and desire left, then there is one more place in Petrovac. I don’t know if they write about this in guidebooks; we stumbled upon it completely by accident. So. We stand facing the sea, go towards the rocks that are on the right hand (this is where I advised you to look for fish restaurants). A fortress with a Montenegrin flag hangs directly above the restaurants. And somehow you need to find a path to the right of the sea leading to the forest that grows on this small mountain. The path is very picturesque, on the left hand, the sea splashes below, pine trees rise on the right, pomegranates bloom on both sides, and then the road unexpectedly ends in a cave...
It’s scary to enter this cave without a flashlight because it’s very dark. But if you have a real flashlight (the glowing screen of a mobile phone will not work, because you will have to wander around the cave for 20, 30 minutes, and then come back!!!), then you can safely set off on an adventure. Yes, it’s scary, but it’s incomprehensible. But how else can you find out where this cave leads and what is in it?! Many pleasant emotions and unexpected discoveries await those who overcome their fear.
Kotor.
Emphasis on the first "o".
Kotor makes you fall in love with yourself immediately. You just need to choose the right moment to visit it. It is better to do this either early in the morning or late in the evening. During the day, this small town is bursting with tourists, who are transported there by ferries and also by buses.
I'm afraid that if you get there at the wrong moment, you can lose the lion's dose of admiration, awe and love. Therefore, fellow travelers, plan your routes correctly to explore the city of Kotor!
It was previously believed that Kotor is located on the shores of the longest fjord in Southern Europe. Scientists have long debated whether it is a fjord or not. I prefer to think of it as a fjord. Here's a picture. If you exclude the southern vegetation and red tiled roofs, it looks like a Norwegian fjord.
So, what to do in Kotor. Firstly, admire the fact that it is a fortified city (almost like Smolensk, haha). The old city, with its streets paved with white ancient stone, laundry hung over the heads of passers-by, ancient drinking water pumps, Catholic churches and Orthodox churches, so the old city with all this magnificent stuffing, is enclosed in the arms of a fortress.
I don’t know whether the gates of the old city are closed at night, but I know only two entrances to the city: through the central gate, and those on the left. You can, of course, rush to explore the city. Or you can just sit down in the first cafe you come across, take a strong black coffee and watch the people, and think about who built this ancient city, who lives in it now (by the way, families of sailors), who is now visiting it.
You can also go to conquer the fortress, which protects the city from the attacks of the Turks from the mountains. The climb there is long and difficult. You need to climb several hundred steps. Meeting tourists and snakes along the way. (my dear I.A., please, we will still go to this mountain when we find ourselves in Kotor. Yes, Lena and I met a snake and even a Japanese tourist screamed at the top of her lungs “snake,
snake”, but history knows no cases of tourists being bitten by snakes while climbing this fortress).
After each stage of the climb, an increasingly wonderful view of the city and the bay (or fjord) opens up. And at the very top you can sit among the red poppies and photograph the boats from a bird's eye view. A lot of tourists begin the climb, but only a few reach the final point of the route - the fortress with the flag. Therefore, when going down, you can feel like a winner.
Kotor is also a must see in the evening. Because the illumination of the fortress wall turns on and then you get the complete feeling that you are looking at a pearl necklace.
Kotor is practically the central point of the roads in Montenegro. From it, roads diverge like a cobweb in all directions in different directions. Therefore, if you have a craving for adventure, you can choose any one and go at random. In any case, travelers are guaranteed an encounter with beauty. If you choose the direction to the mountains that rise to the right of Kotor, you can get on the old “country” Montenegrin roads. They are old not because of their physical condition, but because of their state of mind. These roads, like serpentine roads, lead higher and higher, of course, revealing magnificent views, and then they lead deeper into the interior, showing the real life of Montenegrin peasants. These places are not noted in tourist manuals, which is why the thrill of visiting them is especially acute.
By the way, it’s difficult to get lost in Montenegrin junctions and directions. We, two girls, not burdened by topographical intelligence, traveled in a small red car without a navigator. Once you carefully study the map of Montenegro, you understand where each city is located and navigate the country using road signs. The only time we felt scared on the road was when we hit a cloud for the first time in the mountains. Finding yourself in a cloud in the mountains means suddenly finding yourself in a thick, impenetrable fog, when nature becomes quiet, it even gets a little colder, and all this makes you feel eerie. When this happens the second time, you already understand that there is no danger, this is not Armageddon. But I’ll write about the road in the clouds separately. Here I will only note that there are no other dangers, except for being scared by a cloud, for tourists on the roads of Montenegro. It is difficult to get lost; populated areas are encountered periodically. The tourist will definitely not go hungry, because... You can easily choose any roadside cafe (especially if it’s crowded with local guys sipping beer or coffee) and enjoy delicious food. In the mountains you need to be careful on serpentines, not break the speed limit on unknown sections of the road (in principle, you shouldn’t break it at all), and that’s about it.
Returning to the topic of Kotor as a road center. If you go towards the Bay of Kotor, then you can take a ferry across the fjord and go along the picturesque bays towards Croatia. Or you can drive past Kotor along the fjord. There is also a lot of beauty and amenities there. For example, Per A st and good O those are the cities. There are islands with churches right in the waters of the fjord. But everything is written about this in detail in the guidebooks. I’ll just write that somewhere in the depths of the bay there is a restaurant lost, considered the best in Montenegro - all sorts of important Montenegrin people are frequent guests here. Called Konoba Ćatovića Mlini
. Its main feature: a bamboo grove around. By the way,Konobaoften found in restaurant names. This word means a thing like a cauldron-pan, which the ancient Montenegrins hung over the fire, above the stove at home. I associate this with the picture of the hearth from the book about Pinocchio. For Montenegrins, this word is cognitively associated with something homey, cozy and tasty. The word is ancient, not every Montenegrin knows what it means. A "Mlini" - this is a mill. There is one on the territory of the restaurant, functioning (at least externally). There are still a lot of living creatures, ducks, and other birds. The place is pleasant in all respects. Therefore, you can choose it as the highlight of the program and travel from Budva to this restaurant purposefully.
http://www.catovicamlini.net/
Somehow I can't get a quick overview.
Next I will write a story about Cetinje - the historical capital of Montenegro. Of course, about Budva, Sveti Stefan, Milocer and Skadar Lake. It is also worth noting the Ostrog Monastery and the Moraca Monastery, and the Tara River Canyon. These places are beautiful, but not so easily accessible for capricious travelers with children.