Dubrovnik, Croatia & Montenegro
/(May 26th - May 29th, 2015)
The drive to Dubrovnik was long but again the highways are so well maintained it was smooth sailing for us. On our way down the Dalmatian coastline we even passed through the 20km coastline of Bosnia & Herzegovina, but didn't get a stamp on our passport :( We got lost a bit while trying to get to our apartment because again the gps wanted us to drive through Old Town (a pedestrian only area). The gps would always let us down right at the end of our journey, when we were running late to meet our next Airbnb host. We decided to just park the car and walk down to meet our host and come back for our bags later. Our host suggested moving our car to a free parking lot on the side of town because overnight parking was very expensive. She told us multiple times to be careful before turning into the parking lot and we just thought that the turn was easy to miss…but we definitely misinterpreted her warning. When we made our way to the free parking lot we realized why she told us to be so careful. The road was barely wide enough for one small car, yet supported two-way traffic. The road curved uphill for about 200 meters, with no mirrors to help drivers see if anyone was coming from the other direction. As we were trying to go up the hill, we encountered cars coming down the hill twice…and then it turned into a game of chicken to see who would reverse to allow the other to pass. Naturally, the nervous and lost tourists were the first to give in, so after about 10 minutes we finally made it up the hill without being stopped. It was pretty hectic and we decided to minimize any further outings that would require a car, as we didn’t want to have to repeat the parking process more times than absolutely necessary.
We dropped off our stuff in the room and then set out to explore Old Town Dubrovnik. We stopped in at D'vino where we sampled both white and red Croatian wines and enjoyed an incredible selection of meats and cheeses. We walked around the city a bit more, wandered down to the harbor, stopped in at churches and shops as we passed them and took photos of the incredible buildings and town walls. We made dinner reservations at Azur and then walked over to a bar on Buza beach to relax and have a drink while we waited for our table. The food at Azur was really good and offered some different spices and flavors that we had been missing while travelling. It’s a Mediterranean-Asian fusion restaurant and the smells coming out of the kitchen were fantastic. We enjoyed ceviche salmon tacos, sesame seared tuna, and a red curry. Everything was delicious, but there were two waiters for the whole restaurant so everything took a very long time. By the time we were finished we were definitely ready to head straight to bed.
On our second day in Dubrovnik we got breakfast at a nearby cafe and then did the 1-mile walk on top of the city walls. The views were spectacular, but the walk definitely tested Allen’s fear of heights. Afterwards we planned on going kayaking, but it was extremely windy and the guide highly advised against it. We thought we would be fine, but as we were counting our cash to see if we had enough on hand to rent a kayak for a couple of hours, a large gust of wind came through the bay, blew over chairs and umbrellas and we took that as a sign that we should listen to the guide. Instead, we walked over to a restaurant called Taj Mahal, that was suggested by some friends, for a traditional Bosnian lunch. The food was different but delicious. Allen got a rumpsteak marinated in spicy mustard and covered in caramelized onions and I enjoyed a salad with some Bosnian wine.
After lunch we changed into our swimsuits and set out to enjoy some sun. We took the bus to Lapad where we visited the famous cave bar at hotel More. We were a little underwhelmed by the bar itself but enjoyed some tasty drinks while we laid on a circular day bed just outside the entrance to the cave. Allen tested out the water, but it was too cold to swim so he listened to podcasts to try to entertain himself while I soaked up some rays. After a nice nap in the sun we headed back to Old Town and booked a full day tour of Montenegro for the next day. We were originally going to drive ourselves but after some of our driving mishaps we decided to leave it to the professionals. We ended the night with a nice dinner at Stara Loza. We enjoyed a culinary experience in their top floor dining room. The food was incredible, the presentation was impressive, and the service was top notch. Allen tried some oysters, I had Adriatic Turbot crusted with pine nuts and pistachios served on cauliflower cream and I can’t remember what Allen had because he started eating it before I could take a photo…but he must have liked it :) We finished with a chocolate dessert and complimentary truffles. It was an expensive meal in the end but well worth it.
We woke up early on our last full day to meet up for our Montenegro tour. When we first got on the bus we were a little worried we had booked yet another tour where we would be the youngest couple by 30 years. Luckily, two other young couples joined us on the bus just before heading out. We drove along the coast until we hit the border into Montenegro (which reminded us of an entrance into a paid parking lot) and we got our passports stamped! We made a quick stop at a gas station and cafe to stretch our legs and use the bathroom. Both of us were pretty hungry since we hadn't had breakfast, so we went straight to the gas station cafe to order what we expected to be bad coffee and a pastry. To our surprise the little gas station cafe made great espressos and even better chocolate croissants! Later on our way back to Dubrovnik our tour guide was telling another couple how much he loved the croissants at the gas station and how bummed he was that they were already out when we got there…Allen fessed up to taking the very last one and everyone gave him a hard time for it the rest of the ride back to Dubrovnik.
After passing the border, we drove along the coastline of the Bay of Kotor. We stopped at a viewing point along the way to take pictures of two islands in the bay, one of which was created over hundreds of years by inhabitants throwing rocks and sinking old and seized ships loaded with rocks.
In Kotor we were met by a local guide who walked us around inside the fortified Old Town while telling us about its history. A large number of monuments (including four Romanesque churches and town walls) were severely damaged by the 1979 earthquake, but the town has since been restored with significant help from UNESCO. We were then given 1.5 hours of free time and we made the most of it. We hiked partway up the fortress walls to the Church of Our Lady of Health and got some incredible birds eye views of the town and bay below. We hiked back down to Old Town, did a wine tasting of two Montenegro wines, and finished up by a stopping in to the “best bakery in town” so Allen could get a little snack. We then grabbed some gelato on our way back to the tour bus…we just can’t help ourselves anymore :) I don't think we could have been more efficient with our time!
The next stop on our trip in Montenegro was the city of Budva. As an entire city, Budva is much larger than Kotor and is the center of Montenegrin tourism due to its preserved medieval Old Town, sandy beaches and diverse nightlife. However, the Old Town is significantly smaller than Kotor’s Old Town. Our guide informed us that the city of Budva doesn't have many building codes or restrictions. Therefore, the area surrounding Old Town looks like a city struggling with its identity. There are many new modern buildings, hotels, shopping centers and nightclubs near Old Town. There is also a private island with an extremely exclusive hotel on top. An average room on the private island can be rented for anywhere between 1,000 and 4,000 euros per night. We stopped as a group on the road above to take some photos of the island before heading into Old Town. We were given 2 hours of free time to explore and eat lunch. We decided to eat with the two other young couples on our tour. It was nice to spend time with other people and share stories and experiences much like we did in Florence and Paris. One couple was from London and was expecting their first child and the other couple was from Australia (although one of them was living in London temporarily). We finished lunch and walked around the fortified city together as a group (which took maybe 20 minutes). After some exploring we hopped back on the bus and headed back to Dubrovnik.
The Australian couple was staying in Old Town as well so we met up for dinner. We ate at Moskar Konoba and enjoyed a great dinner together. Allen and I shared a salad, I had sea bream with vegetables, and Allen had roasted chicken. We had such a great time sharing stories of our trips, laughing at all the similar annoying quirks of our significant others, and talked about our love of food. I think if we both lived on the same continent, we’d be great friends!
We woke up early the next morning to pack up our things and check out of the apartment. We grabbed breakfast and relaxed for a bit before heading to Barba so Allen could try the octopus burger. At the last minute he changed his mind and went with the shrimp burger, but was unimpressed with his choice. Even though we had both already eaten, I convinced Allen that we still had enough time to go to Nishta (a vegetarian restaurant our Australian friends raved about the night before). We walked up to the restaurant and found our friends eating there as well! I had the bean burger that they told us about the night before and it was one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. If anyone every goes to Dubrovnik, you MUST eat there! I wish we had found the restaurant on our first day, as I probably would have eaten there every day! After saying farewell to our new friends, we headed to our car and set out for the Dubrovnik airport. Next stop... Prague!
