A weeks worth of Montenegro…

Well Montenegro came as a huge culture shock after Albania… the increase in wealth on show was outrageous!! No wonder the poor Albanians are constantly feeling like the paupers of the area.

We check into Bar by “sneaking” into the main harbour and parking outside the Police office. Nowhere said you couldn’t and the radio went unanswered so we just rocked up. 
Our first experience of the Montenegrins is that they like a good joke and are very friendly… paper work done in less than an hour and we are happy to go and anchor off, even if it be somewhat lighter in the purse department. Total cost: 125€ per week for a cruising permit… damn our extra 48cm over 12m, otherwise it would have been 40€!!

Immediately we feel more relaxed as we hit the shore and realise how wired up Albania had made us worrying (needlessly- of course) about inadvertently breaking some rule we didn’t know about.  Bramble is also happy as pet dogs are everywhere… woof woof!
We take a taxi up to Stari Bar and poke around this lovely place for a couple of hours.  Again the locals are really friendly and surprised we think they are rich… wait till you see Croatia they say…
They are using the euro even though they aren’t in the EU yet and prices seem to be on a par with NZ.

 
When we come to go down the hill again we realise the promised bus is not going to materialise.  Lucky for us an enterprising young family slap a magnetic taxi sign on top of their car and offer us a ride… good thinking people! 

There is a lot of development going on but unlike Albania it is all pretty tasteful. Shame about the love affair with the jetski though… very irritating L

 

We throw out the hook in Stevi Stefan expecting a trip to the old town only to find out the entire island is now a private hotel… Djokovic had his wedding here recently… and a very expensive one at that!  Still it all very beautiful and we wander about the rest of the “village” before turning in for the night.

Next stop Budva… and if we didn’t think it could get more flashy, Budva kicks it up another notch! We anchor near the harbour. Not sure if we are entirely in the right but no one hassles us so we go with Albanian style parking, working on the assumption that is OK until someone tells you otherwise! Ashore the place is overrun with dour young Russians whooping it up.  The caterwauling music starts up as the sun goes down but luckily only till 1am when, after a final rousing nationalistic dirge, it thankfully goes quiet.  Phew thank goodness for that – it so bad it was hilarious!

 

The next night we opt for the bay at Bigova. Very peaceful in comparison to Budva but unfortunately we have to pick up a restaurant buoy.  We are pleasantly surprised that the food it not too expensive and the walking lovely.  A run in the morning is a little more alarming with first shotgun fire then 308 and then automatic.  The rabbits must be quick here!  I wisely(??) run the other way!  Again we are impressed how friendly the people are and interested in what you are up to.  There are only 600,000 of them so they are not too jaded by large population.  It is a beautiful part of the world.

 

On to Kotor and today is the hottest day this summer and we are in the hottest place in Europe at 42+ degrees… fans are erected and Bramble soon learns how to get the best breeze and trim your toenails at the same time!  Luckily they are only computer fans so no permanent damage done! Ashore town is a mix of broken down hotels and quayside and the ye olde worlde done up starigrad.  A strange combination compared with Budva and Bar but I am sure they will get round to fixing it up eventually.  We get back to the boat to find a strange note attached to the stern.  Must be in the wrong place but strange no one came in the three hours we were still on the boat and we are not the only ones anchored here.  Chissa??? Sure we will find out tomorrow. Meanwhile we fall asleep to the pleasant sounds of some famous(?) Spanish singer.

 

First thing in the morning Bramble and I visit the harbourmasters office. Turns out we are anchored in the wrong place. The man in charge of putting the note on board is an officious git with no sense of humour and waffles on a bit and gets all crotchety etc and I just smile and say things like “Well I never” and “Silly me” until he loses the will to live and gives up… no fine but apparently he is sure it is illegal to leave your boat unattended in Montenegro without informing the port police/harbour master so we move and have great fun calling them up every once in a while to inform them of our status ashore or not ashore.  I don’t think the rest of the office was much interested. Turns out the bloke is not very popular and is well known for this kind of malarkey.  He used to be a maker of shoes so what he says might be a load of old cobblers. 

Still it doesn’t put us off the town, which is lovely and we enjoy a long hot climb up the old walls to the top.  Bramble declines to be involved in such ridiculousness and chills out in luxury on the boat.

Next day we pootle over to the ”Russian” island near Tivat and kick back with the locals and Serbs that have taken over an old campground.  For a squat it is rather pleasant and Bramble finds a tortoise so all is well with the world.

Our week is nearly up so we move on to Zelenika and check out… more wasted trees; why do Europeans love paperwork so much… and then anchor off Hertceg Novi.  It’s a lovely spot.  Very tranquil at times; with a lovely little old centre and some eclectic bars and funky houses.  Luckily we didn’t pay the 44€ to go on the quay as the “All Boys Russian Choir” kicks off at 2 in the morning as usual… they just love to sing these lads!  I wonder who the Croats cultivate as tourists?  It’s mainly Kosovans in Albania and Serbs and Russians here… I guess we will find out tomorrow.

 

Thoughts on Montenegro…  A really nice place with really lovely people but, maybe, it is not such a great sailing destination.  It is expensive to check in, expensive to moor up and there aren’t that many secure anchorages. However, looking at the maps it looks like it has great walking potential and perhaps we will make it back for a land based visit sometime.