Kotor - Battlements Going up the Mountain. Occupation History; credit cards

Walled City of Kotor - Montenegro
Curtain Walls

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Kotor, Montenegro, curtain walls






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Curtain walls;  These extend as a total barrier, often in a broad perimeter around a castle, here going up the mountain as an escape for an entire town, there, in the back.

Why need such extensive wall structures apart from the main walled town.  The separate curtain wall is a familiar sight in the Balkans, going up the mountains.  The curtain wall was needed because of the location of the town, at roadways and ports invaders used through the years. Occupation after occupation. With mountains as a backdrop, the city could be better defended, but. Kotor still has been in many hands - warfare upon warfare.

Occupation history:

• Illyrian 300 BC or so (Old Greek),
• Roman 168 BC,
• Byzantine then until the 1100's,
• Serbian to the 1300's,
• then Hungary in the 1300's,
• then Bosnian at the end of the 1300's,
• Venetian in the 1400's as a voluntary transfer of protection against the Turks, and to 1797,
• then Austrian to 1805,
• Russian to 1807,
• French to 1813, temporary fight for independence, lost, and
• back to Austria to 1918,
• liberation after WWI,
• then the Germans,
• and liberation from Germany 1944.
• part of Yugoslavia,
• then part of Serbia after the breakup of Yugoslavia, and
• in 2006, independence from Serbia
  

Add to that plagues and earthquakes.

The city is over 2000 years old. No peace. There used to be an upper town and a lower town. See ://www.destination-montenegro.com/kotor-history.htm

Kotor - look closely at the mountain to see the curtain walls going up the side, another defense.


At Kotor, as in places in Croatia (especially Ston, see Croatia Road Ways, Ston post), you can see curtain walls going most all the way up a mountainside, with a large fortress at the top. These serve as another line of defense, if the the city walls are breached the population flees up the mountain. There is refuge there, better than below.

Kotor is a UNESCO World Heritage site. See whc.unesco.org/en/list/125; and thesalmons.org/lynn/wh-montenegro.

There are also palm trees, just as there are in the warm parts of Scotland even, and the old buildings. See the old town at www.photo-montenegro.com/home. Go further to these notations if that is helpful: php?akcija=rezpret&fKategorija=Kotor&fPodKategorija=Old+Town. Kotor was less damaged by invasions than many coastal towns, I understand. See www.matf.bg.ac.yu/konferencije/kotor/.

Getting around:

There are many ATM's, but you may find that only selected cards will work, and the money is not Euro. We ran into five currencies this trip - different in Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Serbia. Some will accept Euro, but we preferred to use the country's cash and withdrew some for each day.

Credit cards.

Before you leave US: You should alert your credit card or debit card places that you will be in specific countries so they will not block your getting cash. We did that ahead of time, and still found that one card could not be used. Much fraud out there.

Kotor Bay. Perast Islands - on way to Kotor

Kotor Bay
Perast Islands

Drive to Kotor, Montenegro, Around the Bay

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From Dubrovnik, Croatia, it is an easy drive to Kotor. Leave late in the day from Dubrovnik, spend the night anywhere, such as old Cavtat, on the Croatia side; and leave in the morning to catch the views to Kotor.  Montenegro: see the cities and descriptions at http://www.visit-montenegro.com/croatia-dubrovnik.htm/.

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And, there are buses, of course, and rental cars from Cavtat for a day's junket.

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For maps, see this site that covers all the old Yugoslavia countries, the Adriatic coast - at http://www.atlapedia.com/online/maps/physical/Slovenia_etc.htm; however, this site as others may not be updated as to the independence of Montenegro from Serbia in 2006, so check this one: ://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/yu.htm/

Kotor Bay, Montenegro, Our Lady of the Rock, Perast Islands; Island of St. George














The island of St. George, as well as Kotor itself, has a long history, from 229 BC as an Illyrian city, see http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Bay_of_Kotor


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Our Lady of the Rock, Perast Islands, Kotor Bay, Montenegro














On the left, and in the center right, is on Our Lady of the Rock Island, off Perast, on the way to Kotor.

 The road goes around the equivalent of a fjord. See close-ups at http://www.perast.com/html-ENGLESKI/islands.  Navigate from the home page, using the further address information only as needed . Our Lady of the Rock is man-made - an island created over 550 years of dropping rocks on an underwater ledge, and then sinking captured ships over the same spot. Ingenious.
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The buildings on the right are an island, really a reef, called the Island of St. George. It houses a Benedictine monastery. See more on the islands off Perast at www.montenegro.com/en/Fascinada,_Our_Lady_of_Skrpjel,_Perast_Islands.
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This would be an excellent geo-tourism site because of the geological sites and attractions. See book "Geotourism" by Ross Dowling at http://elsevier.com/wps/find/bookdescription.cws_home/706060/description#description.

Kotor area- on the Balkan equivalent of a fjord

Near Kotor, Montenegro

Kotor, Kotor Bay, fjord, Montenegro


Here the mountains go right into the water, with little towns clinging around, and fortresses for last resort, up the cliff-side, fully walled. There are palm trees below, and where it is flat, lovely walled areas and twisting streets. This is a World Heritage area: see whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=125.

Here is a summary of the town's history, and a fine photo gallery for Kotor at www.barakatravel.com/?action=galeria&galeriaId=68. Go to home page first at the dot com.

The Financial Times has an article including Budva, see issue April 26-27, 2008, at page 10 --A flawless pearl - for now, by James Owen.  He notes that Budva was flattened in 1979 by an earthquake.  The restorations are not evident - so well done that we thought they were original. This is different from Germany where the devastation from bombing was so extensive and covered so much, that the renovations and reconstructions look Botox.

Cetinje. Is This Jovan Simonov Plamenac? Cetinje Memorial, Monastery area. WWI, WWII, Leader. Strove for Independence, Montenegro

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Cetinje
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The Firing Squad Memorial

Is This Jovan Plamenac
Jovan S. Plamenac
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Firing squad. Cetinje, Montenegro. Jovan Plamenac memorial? Jovan S. Plamenac

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Behind the monastery at Cetinje is this memorial of a man tied and apparently killed by firing squad. We think we have found his identity, finally, through Wikipedia, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jovan_Plamenac/

See his biography at Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Princedom of Montenegro, Serb Land of Montenegro, History of Montenegro OnLine, at http://www.njegos.org/past/ministers.htm

Spellings from the Cyrillic alphabet and any foreign language into English produce many variations, so we will continue to look for his history.

This tentative identification has been years coming, and was found in front of our noses - Wikipedia. We were there in 2006.

Why the silence about him, an academic, a humanitarian? There is a splendid array of Cetinje photos in an online gallery at http://www.pbase.com/xerius/cetinje - see all the old embassy buildings - but even there no identification of the man at the stake here.
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This does seem to be, from the background information given, Jovan Plamenac. Click on the photo caption and see the enlarged picture and read the caption in Cyrillic to check for us. Please.
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Rough Biography of Jovan Plamenac, through WWI. We need to continue to WWII
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1873-1944 - Information framework from Wikipedia, to be augmented as we learn more, here vastly condensed, giving gist only:

• Montenegrin Serbian,
  
• teacher,
  
• Minister of Education,
  
• Minister of the Interior, involved as such in the Balkan Wars,
  
• berated King Nicholas for leaving the country WWI, 1916,
  
• became Speaker of the Serbian National Assembly, Kingdom of Montenegro,
  
• 1918 opposed unification of Serbia with Montenegro,
  
• gathered armed forces to fight, Italian units repelled (here we get mixed with who were allies and who were axis in WWI in the Balkans, Italian as axis),
  
• led the "Christmas Rebellion" at Cetinje against Italian forces, rallied peasants and others,
• this time Allies including French defeated them,
  
• guerrilla attacks went on for years,
  
• Plamenac fled to Albania,
  
• Nicholas in exile was critical of the insurgents, but appointed Plamenac to his government (alliances fluid during those times, apparently) in exile,
  
• Plamenac continued to work for independence, against Serbian annexation,
  
• League of Nations no help, none came,
  
• blame for unrest fell on Italians and Plamenac,
  
• Britain no help,
  
• Plamenac wrote Woodrow Wilson,
  
• and this goes on for more than we can learn now - have to go back to the WWII era
• ultimately in WWII Plamenac apparently collaborated with the Nazis and was killed by firing squad, by the Allies
  
• have to go back and read all that to see what happened. We are interested here: If the Allies were no help in Montenegrin independence from Serbia, and obtaining Montenegri independence were the life's work of a patriot, wouldn't a patriot go for help to the other side, regardless? Germans/Nazis were all over the Balkans - look at the Ustach government in neighboring Croatia. He was killed for collaborating with the Nazis? The Vatican collaborated also. See Croatian entries, Jasenovac death camp, Cardinal Stepinac, etc.
  
• See Plamenac entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jovan_Plamenac.

Much more to be found out here - independence was achieved in 2006.
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So: patriot, educated, cosmopolitan, sought independence.  The Axis Italians beat them back WWI, on the one side: Allied French beat them back when they tried again. 
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WWII: Montenegro went with Germany that was occupying at the time in WWII, in this land that has been occupied by at least 8 nations in the last 1000 years, always occupied it; and the Allies kill him for collaborating.
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There has to be more sense than that. Hold on.

Cetinje - Monastery and caves.

Cetinje, Old Mountain Capitol, 1400's;
Elegant, 1700's rebuilt
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Cetinje Monastery

Cetinje, Mongenegro, Monastery, Orthodox






















Note the wheelchair for one of the worshippers, a young girl at services inside. Cetinje: To pronounce it, say the first C as a "ts." Say the J as a "y."
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This is the old capital of Montenegro, with its historic monastery founded in 1484, rebuilt 1785. See http://www.montenegro.org/mon_cet.
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Behind it are cave-cliff areas, with the memorial to a person apparently shot by firing squad, that we now think is Jovan Plamenac, WWI and WWII patriot seeking independence for Montenegro, see post at Montenegro Road Ways, Jovan Simonov Plamenac.
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Shrines and caves are all around, and with young men coming and going in clusters, heads together. Was this because there was a vote coming up for independence or not, and people were being cautious in what they said around others. Also clusters of older men in overcoats, at the hotel and elsewhere, equally intent.
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The monastery has had a variety of uses, while remaining a church. It housed the first schools, and once housed the manufacture of zinc cannon balls. See www.montenegro.org/mon_cet.
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The area is rocky "karst" and the cliffs are riddled with tunnels and caves. Anyone hiding would be nearly impossible to find. See landscape photo at http://www.visit-montenegro.org/english/kultura/msv_petar.
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The monastery there is one of the oldest and most revered in Montenegro. Symbolic. See www.cetinje.cg.yu/engleski/istorija/cetinjski_man. People carried a young girl from the wheelchair there, into the service.
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Religious rivalry. Christians East and West.

This has been intense between the Orthodox Christians and the Roman Catholic Christians has been part of the landscape for over a thousand years. At least.
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 There was a tragic culmination of it in the treatment of Orthodox in the Nazi era concentration camp at Jasenovac in Croatia, say the Orthodox, where Orthodox were killed while priests stood by, merely offering to convert the condemned to Catholicism before they were killed. Unrest by many who want to bring that issue into the open. See www.serbianna.com/columns/savich/063. See also Croatia Road Ways post: Jasenovac.
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Roots of people's divisions - subterranean, bursting. Who to believe. Each believes self.
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Attending the Orthodox service:
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Stand in the back for a 10AM chanted service. People came and went during it. We stayed for nearly an hour. More about the monastery at http://www.barakatravel.com/?action=galeria&galeriaId=36. Many young men were there, and entire families, and this was on a non-holiday weekday.  Many of the young men gathered behind, at the memorial.
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The wheelchair:  the monastery bells rang for the morning service, and a young girl, perhaps with cerebral palsy, was carried-helpwalked to it. There is her wheelchair. The church was full, but many people came and went, some stayed as we did. Standing. Relics are here, in the museum attached, with many guards.

Cetinje, Montenegro, Orthodox Monastery facade

Read the history of the monastery at http://forum.verujem.org/index.php?topic=8068.0/ This presents its story from the point of view of piety, tradition, the meaning of the place and its suffering.

Few websites convey the religious depth of a monastery like this one. Take time to read this one. It sounds like one of the monks wrote it. Salute the reverence, the relics.  Live the razing by the Turks, the rebuilding, the importance of foundations.
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The monastery is the center of the universe for the monk, is written. It is Serbian Orthodox, and many Russian pilgrims come. See http://www.spc.rs/Vesti-2006/06/05-06-06-e.html/ In what ways do the various Orthodox churches differ? Need to find out.
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The religious divisions in Montenegro show a strong majority of Orthodox: There are 74% Orthodox, 18% Muslim, 3.5% Roman Catholic, see US Embassy Religious Freedom Report 2008 at http://podgorica.usembassy.gov/religious_report_2008.html/
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Behind the monastery is this shrine, a martyr from a modern war, we think Jovan Plamenac. His life extended from WWI, WWII.  He was killed by the French. There are fresh flowers, always the young men moving about. We kept at a distance. Other sites focus on the struggle for survival over the centuries, wars. See http://www.yuta.rs/en/TRAVELGUIDE/MontenegroM.asp/
The area is full of caves, for living, hiding, munitions.
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Cetinje, Montenegro, cave area, behind monastery

This also would be an excellent geo-tourism site because of the geological sites and attractions, as we also suggest for Kotor Bay. See book "Geotourism" by Ross Dowling at this site: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/bookdescription.cws_home/706060/description#description.

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Montenegro is now independent, as of 6/06.
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Centuries of struggle here, and in all the Western Balkans. The area has been a crossroads for monolithic and violent movements in religion, empire, and just plain greed-treachery. Hard to put it all together; but clearly the mountainous terrain made foreign settlement difficult. See http:////www.cetinje.cg.yu/engleski/istorija/istorija for History of Cetinje.
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Can someone translate the shrine and email us so we can double check our identification as Plamenac?

History sites - History of Central Europe. Grounding.

Grounding Yourself. Cetinje - Old Capitol

How to Find Your Way in Unfamiliar Areas - The Balkans

Cetinje Monastery, Montenegro, signpost at exterior



















Finding your way. Here, signpost in Cetinje - We were glad to see on this signpost, outside a venerable monastery,  the directions to the Louvre and the Vatikan, complete with kilo-mileage.

1. The old Yugoslavia.

History for this region is a complex matter of boundaries, and inclusions in larger entities, then those entities falling apart.

To organize your own thinking about Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, and more, go to //mysite.du.edu/~etuttle/misc/europe.htm#Mong. Go to the section labeled "Yugoslavia," the old name for several countries united, now separate.

2. Also read the 1905 book, now a Google book, "The Burden of the Balkans,"

This is by M. Edith Durham. M for Mary. Do a search for the book title and look for the google, because this address is long: //books.google.com/books?id=xBgCAAAAYAAJ&dq=burden+of+the+balkans&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=jGupLav4rc&sig=ODOQwqAjCVdIvFsELGJSl6ykgBI

3. The saw. Reading technique for too-thick paperbacks.

This little saw from a Victorian-Edwardian hatpin, see Hatpins Collection Tour, Simonds Saw, relevant because Cetinje in particular was thriving during those years.  

Hatpin, Victorian, Edwardian, for the big hats, saw 

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For this particular saw, see Immediately slice into sections with your kitchen carving knife,  "Black Lamb, and Grey Falcon: A Journey Through Yugoslavia," by Rebecca West, published 1941, in full as a Google Book at books.google.com(over a thousand pages) or start with enotes at www.enotes.com/black-lamb/.

The paperback is unmanageably thick. The margins get lost as you bend, bend to try to read.

Take the countries or areas that you will be seeing, and saw them off and carry separately.  As you reach an area, pull out the more manageable paperback bit.

Montenegro finally getting travel news headlines. Travel Market.

The Wisdom of Russia in Investing.
Travel Market.

Montenegro's Recreational, Ski, Travel Destination/Resources
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Our US interest in footholds for our markets:  We go too fast for military advantage.  Foreign policy may be a side effect of investment in travel and recreation - but look at what we are missing in Montenegro.  Business opportunities flying past us.

We understand that Russia and other countries are buying up whatever they can in Montenegro for the travel market.  And with good reason.

Montenegro, Kotor Bay










See the New York Times, Sunday, July 22, 2007 - "Montenegro, An Adriatic Stretch is Awaiting Its Riviera Moment," by Clay Risen. A fitting tribute to a jewel. The country is between Croatia and Albania on the Adriatic Coast; and to the south west of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the southeast of Serbia. It is now on the euro, making travel easier, and prices are still excellent compared to Croatia and its tourist-filled Dubrovnik.

Apparently Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor visited here - is that an endorsement? Yes. The article summarizes Budva, with its Venetian fort, and the resort of Sveti Stefan, on an island with a causeway, Boka Kotorska, the Bay of Kotor, and Perast, all the topics of posts here. New information - Perast had a fine nautical academy where Peter the Great studied; and the islands were the meeting place for towns to work out disputes.

Casino Royale and maybe one Montenegro Backdrop

 Hollywood at the Bay of Kotor?

Casino Royale Film

There are scenes toward the end of Casino Royale that could well be the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro, and not Lake Como in Italy at all. But it has been too long since I was at Lake Como in Italy to be sure, and the screen credits only show Lake Como.

Lake Como also has high mountains around. One thing clear - James Bond 007 was not in Montenegro except for perhaps a backdrop (see our home page for the bay, and the monasteries on the islands). The screen credits show only Italy and the Czech Republic, appropriately.

So, go to Montenegro.

More blogs about Montenegro Road Ways.

Skiing in Montenegro - Durmitor National Park

Skiing, Durmitor National Park, Montenegro

Durmitor, National Park, Montenegro












In the distance is the mountain range that offers superb skiing we hear. We did not go up to these alpine-like areas, because spring roads can be in poor shape with the snow melt and we were short on time,  but sports enthusiasts will want to look up www.adriatic-tour.com/en/ski_resorts, and especially Durmitor National Park. See www.durmitorcg.com/jezera_eng.php.

Budva - Where Zeus captured Europa

 Budva, Montenegro - A Place of Myth
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This is where the god Zeus captured the lovely Europa. Its mythological roots run deep. See http://www.montenegro.com/en/Little_tourist_guide_-_The_Old_Town_-_Budva.

Archeological people say that the town was settled, with records and all, in the 4th Century. It has a readily identifiable rock formation, the Island of St. Nikola. It helps to do an Images search if a photo in your own camera is unclear when you get back. Looking up those third-party photos is the best way to check which picture of a walled city is which.

For Budva, see also www.photo-montenegro.com/home, and navigate about. The rock formations are the identification for sure.

Budva, Montenegro. View from castle to sea.














Budva is a fine walled city, with impressive rocks to dash invaders.

It shows how dangerous many of the harbors were, and why walled cities on peninsulas were effective defenses. Little chance to hover about and think. Do see this overview gallery - www.pbase.com/bauer/montenegrohref.

Here is an etching of the town map in 1615. At historic-cities.huji.ac.il/montenegro/budva/maps/beauvau_1615_budva_b.j etching. Numbers 3 and 4 on the map look like Kotor and Bay of Kotor, from the location, not the spelling, and number 2 could be Cetinje, but I am not sure. Walls and battlements.

Ostrog - The Monastery Built Into the High Cliff

Ostrog Monastery

Ostrog Monastery, Cliff top, Montenegro


















This cliff-top monastery was built in the 17th Century as a refuge from the invading Turks and at an altitude that seems impossible. It is set into the mountain itself, a cave.  There are two church areas, upper and lower. See ://www.destination-montenegro.com/tours-ostrog.htm/ The lower church was built in the 18th Century. See ://www.wayfaring.info/2009/08/12/discover-montenegro-ostrog-monastery/  The relics of St. Vasilije, who built the monastery, are at Ostrog here.

For an overview, see www.barakatravel.com/ and go on to these further identifications for that site if helpful - ?action=galeria&galeriaId=37.

The road snakes up and up, and buses can only go so far. Then walk.

With a car, creep around each bend.

Ostrog Monastery facade, Montenegro, cliff top





















At the base, is a good restaurant (I think it was the only restaurant). Ask the waiter for something the waiter would order if his mother were there. Great approach always. What would your mother cook? Order local dishes.

Be sure to take the left fork up to the monastery. The right fork takes you deeper in the valley. We enjoyed the junket but then were pushed for time getting back.

A white-knuckler but the road is quite good - watch the heights, and lack of guardrails.  For the nervous,  stop midway up and walk the rest of the way. More details atwww.montenegro.org/mon_ost.

Cetinje, 500-year capital (until move to Podgorica)

Cetinje: Former Capital


Old Ruler Ivan Crnojevic, Hotel Grand

Cetinje, Ivan Crnojevic Statue, Monastery, Montenegro (Orthodox)

















Here is Ivan Crnojevic, in the courtyard of the monastery at Cetinje.

He ruled 1465-1490, took on the Turks as well as the Venetians, and ultimately moved his capital here, to the now Cetinje.

This site says that marked the beginning of a more national consciousness for the Montenegrins. See more on Ivan Crnojevic at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeta_%28state%29. Good for Wikipedia.




Cetinje, President's House, Montenegro













Cetinje was the capital for 500 years - with buildings showing many periods and styles, and many in disrepair after the move of the capital to Podgorica, a more accessible location. Cetinje is high in the mountains.

Here is the President's house. This would make a fine capital again.


Cetinje, Grand Hotel, Montenegro












This is the Grand Hotel, and I believe it is the only hotel. We saw no others. See www.cetinje.cg.yu/engleski/turizam/grand.

If there had been no hotel at all, we would have headed for one of the many schools' dorms to try to get a room, or introduced ourselves to the local police and slept in the car behind the police station.

That is the game plan, never had to use it. The area values education highly, and many of the old embassies from the glory days are schools. Before 1918, this was a political and educational hub. See www.montenegro.org/cetinje.

Choice to go on to the next town? Not up here. Rule: Avoid unfamiliar or any mountains after sunset. See www.cetinje.cg.yu/engleski/turizam/turizam. That site has links to the area's history, economy, attractions also. Wander there.

The hotel. Hotel Grand. This was built in 1984, see ://hotel-grand.tripod.com/It really looked like we were the hotel's only tourist visitors. There were clumps of men in suits, always in corners, talking. Secrecy. This was the month before the independence vote. Connection?

The heat arrived, everyone courteous, no inconvenience at all. The concierge had someone bring us in a heater, and the hot water came on by morning, so we were fine. Any big place has to conserve on utilities, and the food was good and the staff helpful. No complaints at all. It is reasonably kept up.

See the new government forming at www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aQdBXJG9o5XY&refer=europe/ Montenegro New Prime Minister. Tensions were obvious when we were there May 2006, with a waiter telling us he could not really talk, groups hovering about, and so we took our photos quietly. The smooth transition in the news is welcome news.

Another fine photo gallery for Cetinje - see ://www.montenegro.com/phototrips/central/Cetinje,_the_old_capital.html/

Cetinje - Guides: Kids Anywhere

Soccer and Logo Clothing

Cetinje, Montenegro, Schoolboys



















Our thanks to these fine gentlemen who stopped their soccer to give us some tips on the town and where the hotel was. Soccer news at www.einnews.com/serbiamontenegro/newsfeed-serbia-montenegro-soccer.

As I recall, each fellow has on an American logo shirt.

They also showed us the bunkers they had built (their words). These were cardboard constructs, and then one up a tree, like we do.

The difference is, their experience is direct. War has been in their back yard.

They knew good English, especially the scholar in the Gap shirt. I wrote the school administrator to find their addresses and send each of them this picture, and the US consulate, but no response.

Children - soccer is everywhere. Read more soccer news. With independence, Montenegro and Serbia probably will no longer share the same team. See www.topix.net/soccer-fifa/serbia-and-montenegro.

Expect the exotic and find just fine regular people. Same the world over.

Flag. If I were teaching with those boys in the class, I think they would like this website, for flags of the world, because they were so proud of their beautiful city. Go to www.allstates-flag.com/fotw/flags/cs-cg..

"I hope you like our beautiful city," said one boy as we left. The city is no longer beautiful in the way we think, because it is badly in need of repair, everywhere. But it is beautiful in what it evokes, and the treasure it clearly remains for Montenegrins.

Mountains and Six Checkpoints, Ostrog area to Dubrovnik; Cyrillic and insurance

Views. What Can We Say.

Montenegro, mountain views












Magnificent views. Breathtaking. And we didn't even get to the high mountain ski areas.We alternated high enough mountain areas with vistas of glacial plains below, and six border checkpoints: Montenegro to Serbia to Bosnia to Croatia. We had a basic map, but no real directions, and did fine. Just keep going down. There are few choices in the higher reaches.

Montenegro, valley, with mountain views



Illegible road signs in Cyrillic.

The biggest problem driving back to Croatia from Montenegro was in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where the Cyrillic alphabet suddenly was the only choice. We couldn't tell what was what. So you pick a sign somewhere and go.

We had wanted the town by-pass but ended in the middle of it - enjoyed that as well, but difficult finding our way out. Maybe you luck out, maybe you don't.

Documentation. Be meticulous and careful to have it ready. At one checkpoint, the guard looked at us and our wet laundry spread over the back seat and just waved us on. We were obviously hopeless. Other guards at other checkpoints went into the trunk, looked all around, and asked many questions.

Car insurance. Be sure to tell your rental car company when you rent that you are going into the specific countries you plan to see. They will write that on the insurance, and without it, you may be turned back.

Border patrols will ask to see the insurance.

Itinerary After The Fact - Montenegro, Looking Back

Montenegro was part of a Western Balkans drive - that also included Slovenia, Croatia, and parts of Bosnia. We passed through part of Serbia.

For Montenegro, we started at Dubrovnik, south to Cavtat, Croatia; then in Montenegro: Zelenika and Kamentari, going around the large fjord: Risan and Perasi, then Kotor, the destination. Rather than take the supposedly vertical S-curve route up to the old capital of Cetinje, we went around the coast to Budva; and north to Cetinje. From Cetinje, to the old cliff monastery at Ostrog (impossibly high, and set in the cliff itself), then cross-country and down through mountains through Bosnia and part of Serbia to Croatia. Six checkpoints in one day.

Fish stews, and other Montenegro recipes

Try these. Fish stews: www.visit-montenegro.org/english/wine/recepti. Other Balkan area recipes: www.europeancuisines.com/The_Balkans. For uses of vegeta, a particular seasoning, see posts at Croatia Road Ways.