Montenegro
Trip Start
Mar 15, 2006
1
5
18
Trip End
May 16, 2006
Perast, Budva and Kotor, Serbia and Montenegro
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
After realizing that it wasn't possible to make a day trip to Montenegro via public transportation, I reluctantly booked a guided tour. It was me and four old people (one British and one American couple) who kept boring each other with their travel stories. The Americans said they had been on *about* 32 cruises. Sadly, for such a well-traveled pair they didn't appear to have learned much. They were fussy, uninterested, culturally insensitive and spent most of the time looking for a Montenegro plate (the tacky, tourist kind) to add to their collection. Sorry for the rant, but it really irks me when I meet tourists like that.
Back to Montenegro. The country is about an hour's drive south of Croatia. It was the smallest republic of former Yugoslavia, but now, according to Lonely Planet, it is in a "suck it and see" union with Serbia. At the border, we had to get our minibus fumigated for bird flu. Vladimir, our guide, surmised that the spray was water and that it was simply an excuse to collect a fee.
Montenegro is a beautiful place, and its inhabitants enjoy a leisurely pace of life. When asked what people do in Montenegro, Vladimir replied, "sleeping, drinking brandy and making philosophy". Some, however, interpret their lifestyle as being...er...lazy. There's a joke that goes something like this: two Montenegrins get married. On the first night, nothing happens. On the second night, again nothing happens. On the third night, the woman asks the man, "what are you waiting for?" He replies, "an earthquake." Get it?
We visited the towns of Perast, Budva and Kotor. Perast has a long nautical tradition that's produced some renowned seamen. Across from Perast are two islands: a natural island with the church of St. George and a man-made island with the Church of The Madonna of Schrpjel (Madonna of the Rocks). We took a small boat to the latter. According to legend, two seamen saw an image of the Madonna on a rock. They showed the image to a priest, and he commissioned a church to be built on the spot.
We ate lunch at a waterfront seafood restaurant in Budva, where I had a very nice stuffed squid. The others seemed grossed out by my choice, having ordered spaghetti, pork chops and chicken with french fries. What the hell?!?!
Comments
Old tourists
Old grumpy tourists can be soooo annoying. I need to do more traveling before I get like that :-)
Re: Old tourists
hey steve! i just RSVPed for the festivities. i'm always looking for an excuse to go to the bay area, but your wedding is a particularly good one. can't wait to see you guys!