Adriatic Sailing Day 5: Montenegro from Every Angle
• KOTOR — CETINJE — LOVĆEN — TIVAT •
If it involves a challenge and a little hard earned sweat, I’m in… so I wasn’t going to come to Kotor and not climb the 1350 steps to St. John’s Fortress for some pretty spectacular views. With Croatia’s World Cup victory the night before, everyone was feeling the adrenaline, so we all agreed to set our alarms a little earlier than preferred to ascend the 1200 meters first thing in the am.
Kotor’s fortifications stretch nearly three miles in length as they zigzag up the nearly inaccessible cliff backdropping the Old Town below. The walls are impressive to say the least… especially when you think about how they were built beginning in the 9th century, with most of the work being completed in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Even at 7:30am, it was hot, but we set a mean pace and were 853 feet above sea level in just over 30 minutes. Upon arrival at the top, we had to take a minute to catch our breathe before the selfie stick made an appearance to capture our achievement. The views from up here really do live up to the hype… the mountains, the fjord, the terra-cotta rooftops below. It was breathtaking and well worth the climb.
We didn’t have much time to linger, so we hoofed it back down to the boat for a quick shower and outfit change and were ready to go by 9am. Today we’re headed into Montenegro’s interior to see more than just the scenic coastline where we’ve been spending all of our time.
Montenegro is smaller than the state of Connecticut and it’s native title, Crna Gora, means “Black Mountain,” named for the pine-forested, rugged terrain covering most of the country. The highlands give Montenegro it’s bold and adventurous personality and while the Adriatic Coast is responsible for luring visitors, you wouldn’t be experiencing all this country has to offer without venturing inland.
Our first stop was Cetinje, the Old Royal Capital of Montenegro situated on a small plain surrounded by limestone peaks high above the Budva Riviera. Cetinje was founded in the 15th century and quickly became the center of Montenegrin culture. The capital was moved to Podgorica (then known as Titograd) in 1946 after the Second World War, but the country’s culture and history has been harder to migrate and Cetinje has been preserved almost as it was left. Our quick stroll through town gave us a glimpse into Balkan life before World War I and a chance to sit down and enjoy the ambience for some coffee and breakfast.
From Cetinje, we headed further up into the mountains to Lovćen National Park, which many locals refer to as the Heart of Montenegro. Mount Lovćen is a prominent peak within the Dinaric Alps, mainly because it’s home to the mausoleum of Montenegro’s beloved hero, Petar II Petrović Njegoš, one of the country’s most devoted cultural and political leaders, as well as, a renowned poet and philosopher.
As if we hadn’t conquered enough steps for one day, we ascended another 461 of them to reach the peak where a striking building stands proud and the greatest hero of the Montenegrin people is buried inside. On the north side of the mausoleum is the famous setting for many Lovčen photos… a path out to a circular lookout point offering 360 degree views of Montenegro and as far as Croatia and Albania. Having this birds-eye view puts everything into prospective, connecting the dots to the places we’ve already visited and where we’re heading next. It makes the country feel a lot smaller than it seems traveling nautical miles on the water.
From here we headed to one of Nik’s friend’s houses, who he claims makes the second best prosciutto in the world (his favorite is just outside of his hometown). We enjoyed some homemade grappa, red wine and some damn good prosciutto with a side of cheese and bread. It’s been nice getting off the water today, exploring new parts of this beautiful country and connecting with more of the locals.
Back in Kotor we boarded the Baltra and set sail for Tivat. Yesterday, as we sailed through the Bay of Kotor, yacht after mega-yacht passed us en route to Porto Montenegro, Tivat’s relatively new multimillion-dollar redevelopment project that turned its old naval base into a glamorous marina attracting super yachts and their uber-wealthy passengers. As you can imagine, we’re excited to rub elbows with the rich and famous. That hair dryer Nik bought us will probably be working overtime tonight.
Before heading into the marina, we dropped anchor for an evening swim. Nik cooked us a light dinner while we floated in the bay and took turns jumping off the boat. We opened the monastery wine and enjoyed a nice little happy hour as the sun set over the Adriatic. It was spectacular. We are so lucky to have such a great group of girls who all get along and it’s been so fun getting to know everyone and sharing these moments with new friends.
Now it’s time to put our pinkies up and sail our modest little Baltra into the land of luxury. When you see these yachts and have an idea of what they cost, it’s hard to grasp how this many people have that much money. Clearly I’m doing something wrong with my life… Anyway, Nik told us the showers here are the nicest around, so even though it was already after 8pm, we were all planning on a nice long shower courtesy of this marvelous marina. Nik is meeting his friend for a drink tonight, so we’re on our own… girls night!
By the time we were ready it was almost 10pm and it’s a Monday night, so the town was quiet, but it definitely resembles a Monaco or West Palm Beach destination. A beautiful promenade flanked by elegant buildings housing extravagant hotels, luxury shops, trendy bars… this place is posh to say the least. I wish we had more time to explore, but maybe one day when I have my own mega-yacht, I’ll have my crew bring me back here… What? Stop laughing! #LetMeLive
At dinner, it was revealed that the hair dryer Nik bought us doesn’t have a plug. Apparently it looks like it’s one that’s supposed to connect to an electrical wall mount. So no one was able to use it and we’re all calling “not it” on who has to break this news to him. We decided we’ll wait until the next time he’s drinking with us… alcohol should help, right?