Visiting Montenegro: Kotor and Podgorica

Caitlinepstein415/ May 7, 2019/ Europe/ 1 comments

Visiting Montenegro: Kotor and Podgorica

Stop number two on my adventure through the Balkans, after Dubrovnik, Croatia, was Montenegro, where I visited the coastal city of Kotor and the capital city of Podgorica. First, Kotor.

Kotor, Montenegro

Getting here took way longer than it needed to, as seems typical of the Balkans, unfortunately. To start, my bus was an hour and a half late. Then, when it finally arrived, it seemed that they overbooked the bus by over 20 people, and only those that claimed a seat would be able to stay on the bus. Cue a mad rush to the bus. I was super nervous about getting a seat, as I had to put my rolling bag underneath before getting on. Fortunately, while waiting around the bus station, I chatted with a super nice family from New Zealand, and one of the daughters brought my backpack on board and saved me a seat.

What a lifesaver. Seriously, shoutout to the awesome family from New Zealand. Thanks so them, I got a seat on the bus and made it to Kotor three and a half hours later. It was supposed to be a two hour bus ride, but whatever. I made it.

After checking into Pupa Hostel, I immediately set out to grab food and head into the Old Town. I went to a restaurant recommended by my hostel that was right around the corner called BBQ Tanjga. There, they serve up tons of grilled meat and delicious sandwiches. I grabbed a huge chicken sandwich with a ton of veggies and sauces for only €4.5.

I took my sandwich into the Old Town, where I found a quiet square to sit and eat. While enjoying my sandwich, I found myself surrounded by no less than six cats. I couldn’t help but give them bits of bread.

Kotor is known as the City of Cats, and for good reason, because they’re everywhere. I could hardly turn a corner in the Old Town without coming across a cat or two. It was like torture for me, because I am ridiculously allergic to cats while possessing a huge soft spot for them. Such is life.

Hiking Up to St.John’s Fortress

The next morning, I got up early so I could beat the cruise crowds up to St.John’s Fortress that rests above the city of Kotor. Just two days before, I climbed up to Mt.Srd in Dubrovnik, and now once again I found myself preparing for an hour long hike up a mountain. Quite a lot of climbing and such for an asthmatic non-hiker.

I would soon find that this climb is well worth it, though, especially if you go the right way.

There are two ways up to the fortress:

1. 1,350 rough and potentially slippery stone steps. Also, there’s an €8 entrance fee, and it is often referred to as the “Huff n’ Puff” Trail.
2. A winding path up called the Ladder of Kotor – on the way up you may pass some mountain goats, you’ll have the opportunity to stop at a little restaurant owned by a sweet old Montenegrin couple selling cheese and things, and you can crawl into a window of the fortress for FREE!

A staff member at my hostel so helpfully explained the second path, and I cannot be more grateful. To get there, you leave the Old Town through the North Gate, where you will cross two bridges and then go right. From there, walk down a bit until you see the zigzagging path cutting up the mountain.

I started weaving my way up the path around 8:30, and it didn’t take me long to make it a good ways up, where I made friends with some mountain goats. I am coincidentally also super allergic to mountain goats, but I could not resist the temptation to pet them. Could you?

After bidding adieu to the mountain goats, I came across the aforementioned restaurant up on the hill, simply called The Cheese Shop. I didn’t stop, but I did greet the little old couple running the place up there with their dog. If you’re on the path later in the day, I recommend stopping here for a sandwich, the view, and possibly a glass of rakija, the liquor of the Balkans.

The Cheese Shop also helpfully marks where you need to turn right towards the fortress. From there, it’s just a few more meters and the fortress comes into view. This is when it gets fun. To the right, there’s a small path leading to a hole in the fortress. You just climb on through it, and voila! You’re in the fortress for free!

Through the window I found myself standing surrounded by fortress walls, that I immediately began to explore. You can climb over anything you like at your own risk, and I found myself up pretty high for the best possible views of the bay.

Being up there was one of those heart bursting moments I get sometimes while traveling. That feeling that you’re so small in this big wide world, and that you couldn’t be more thankful that you ended up right here in this moment. It’s hard to describe, but it’s powerful, and I was awash with gratitude and awe as I sat above Kotor.

Eventually, I made my way back down. This time, I took the stairs, passing those poor souls that did not know about the second route and were toughing their way up 1,350 stairs. Suckers. I mean, aww, bless their hearts.

A Three Hour Tour

Upon arriving back into town, I signed up for a three hour boat tour through my hostel and Golden Wave tours. It cost €30, and was worth the cost for all that we covered over what ended up being three and a half hours.

Our first stop took us out of the Bay of Kotor and around the nearby town of Tivat, to one of three submarine tunnels built into the mountain. These tunnels were originally constructed during World War II, and they were expanded and used extensively during the height of Tito’s Yugoslavia. Now, they have fallen into disrepair and disuse, and are really only used to intrigue tourists.

Next, we headed out to Mamula island, a former prison, while our driver pointed out features of the surrounding areas. When we got to Mamula island, he told us that it was built in the mid-1800s, but that it gained its infamy through its use as a concentration camp by Mussolini during World War II. He said that many Yugoslav soldiers were tortured and/or lost their lives there, and that he believes it should be a monument. Unfortunately, it is instead going to be turned into a luxury resort.

On that sad note, we took off for the blue cave, a cave with unbelievably bright blue water. They aren’t sure why it is that bright, but the water is practically luminescent. Boat tours in the warmer months drop visitors off to swim, but it was chilly when we visited, so we admired the water and then took our leave.

It was then that our driver tried to race the rain back to the Bay of Kotor. We did not win that race, and found ourselves bracing against cold, pouring rain that hit like little darts on our speedboat. Our next stop on the island of Our Lady of the Rocks was very welcome. It was still raining, but at least the water wasn’t flying at my face at top speed.

Our Lady of the Rocks is an island built by locals in that very spot because two men reportedly found a painting of the Madonna and Child there back in 1452. Cue people carrying rocks out there and deliberately sinking ships to create an island. Eventually, the islet emerged from the water, and they built a church upon it. We were given 20 minutes or so to visit the church and walk around the tiny island. From that island, you can see its neighbor, Saint George island, which was used as a cemetery and is currently closed off to visitors.

Then, because we didn’t take time to swim at the Blue Cave, our driver gave us some time in the cute little village of Perast. Some elect to take a day trip to Perast from Kotor – it’s only a 20 minute bus ride – where they take a boat for €5 out to the islands. I was fortunate enough to have it included in the tour. Unfortunately, I spend all of my time in Perast in the rain, but I was still able to appreciate the quaint cobblestone streets and beautiful architecture.

It was after Perast that we made our way back to Kotor. I thanked my guide for a great tour despite the crappy weather, and then I headed to the Cat Museum of Kotor! I did say they were known for cats, right? Well, besides the seemingly never-ending number of cats roaming the Old Town, there is also a museum filled to the brim with cat-related memorabilia. You probably have to be obsessed with cats to truly enjoy this museum, but I still found it cute and worth the €1 admission fee.

After my visit to the Cat Museum, I grabbed a slice of pizza at Pizzeria Pronto and bid the Old Town of Kotor farewell. I headed back to the hostel for a good night’s rest to head to Montenegro’s capital the next morning.

Podgorica, Montenegro

After my disastrous bus to Kotor, this one was blissfully on-time and uncomplicated. Unfortunately, not everything could go smoothly – when I arrived at my hostel, I was sent outside to wait 30 minutes to check-in because of a huge group arriving there from Bosnia. When I was finally able to check-in, I was upgraded from a 10-bed dorm to a 3-bed room. Great news, right? Well, you’ll find out later why it wasn’t ideal.

Once I got settled in my room, I set out for a traditional meal at the city’s highest rated restaurant for traditional Montenegrin food, Pod Volat. There, I had delicious goulash, rice, and freshly squeezed lemonade. It was warming and filling, and it only set me back about $5.

Following lunch, I wandered around the town, finding myself at their few points of interest – the Ribnica bridge, built during Roman times, and the Millennium bridge, a massive and modern structure that has become emblematic of the city.

But, I did not come to Podgorica to see some bridges. No, I came to Podgorica because it is home to the only Hard Rock Cafe in the Balkans. If you know me well, you’ll know that my collector’s item of choice is guitar pins from Hard Rock Cafes. I have over 30 now from all over the world, from cities such as San Jose, Costa Rica; Athens Greece; Dublin Ireland; and more. It was super satisfying to get this pin, even if it meant spending a night in a lackluster city.

Now, speaking of spending the night, back to my hostel dilemma. I returned back to my hostel later in the day after walking around, expecting to meet two French girls that would be staying in my room. Instead, I walked in my room to find two guys. Not what you want to see when you’re a single female abroad. I talked with both, and they seemed nice, so I tried to tamp down my worries.

However, I was talking to my mom later that night, and mentioned it in passing, and she confirmed that my worries were not just valid, but that I needed to switch rooms. Well, I talked with the guy at reception, and he said that the only other free bed was in a room with nine Bosnian boys…far from an improvement. So, I stayed put. It ended up being fine, but I was pretty anxious going to sleep that night. I firmly believe that 1. hostels need to do a better job at protecting females, even if it simply means giving them peace of mind by putting them in big mixed rooms or all female rooms and 2. hostels need female employees. They would be able to better understand where I am coming from and then help work towards a solution. The male working at reception was not sympathetic in the least, which was certainly frustrating.

And, like I said, nothing happened. I went to bed, woke up, and headed off to Tirana, Albania no worse for wear, so don’t worry too much about little ole me! I left Montenegro in love with Kotor and happy with my newly acquired Hard Rock Pin. Kotor is one of the most amazing places I have visited yet, and far better than Dubrovnik in my opinion, so it should definitely make people’s travel bucket lists. Podgorica is interesting on a more everyday life level, but is skippable unless you’re Hard Rock obsessed like I am!