Montenegro is the second newest country in the world and has only separated from Serbia since 2006. Still, the country has plenty to offer, and the coast is particularly worth seeing. The formalities at the border between Croatia and Montenegro went smoothly, and after 30 kilometres, we made our first stop in the country. We strolled through the coastal town of Herceg Novi and were immediately surprised by its beauty. The facilities are modern, the roads good, the people friendly and the views priceless.
The highlight of Montenegro is the beautiful Bay of Kotor. From Herceg Novi, the road slowly ripples around the bay. At a narrow stretch of water, we see that another bay is hidden. This is not a bay but a veritable fjord: the largest in southern Europe. The road continues so that we can drive around the entire fjord. At the end of the fjord is the medieval city of Kotor.
Kotor has the most beautiful location of any city in Eastern Europe (in our opinion). Behind the old centre, the mountains rise steeply; the mountains do exactly the same across the water. The old town is entirely walled and beautifully maintained. We have a bite to eat at a Montegrine restaurant and then find a place to sleep along the waterfront. The following day, the sun shines brightly. Thus, we sit on a terrace all day. We fish a bit, read a booklet and wrote this article.
Toward the evening we decide to leave the fjord via a steep mountain road that offers unique panoramas of the fjord and the Adriatic Sea. The route is indeed fantastic. We watch the sun sink into the water and prepare a meal on our gas stove. Finally, we can camp and not freeze in our car. At least for now.
We drive a little further and reach the summit just before darkness. You usually descend again after reaching the summit. Not here, however. We stay at about the same altitude, and within 10 minutes, we are stuck in meter-deep snow. Montenegro is facing its worst snowfall in memory. We had hoped that the coastal region would have no inconvenience, but alas. A large amount of snow fell onto the road from the roof of an abandoned house. There is nothing left but to remove this snow using a saucepan. Fortunately, that worked out quite well.
In Cetinje, we spend the night, and the next morning we drive to the Skadar national park. Again, the scenery is beautiful, and we enjoy the snow-capped mountains. Since we prefer warm weather anyway, we travel back to the coast. First, we see the coastal town of Budva, and then we drive to the bar. The route along the Adriatic coast remains as beautiful as ever.
