When I arrived in
Kotor a little after noon I quickly figured out I’d have to hoof it
to find a place to stay for a couple of nights. Tourist information
was not very helpful but pointed me in the direction of the bay. Yes,
somewhere by the bay would be nice. My Lonely Planet guidebook
recommended I check a place on the way.
With time on my side
I figured I’d stick with the Rick Steve’s rule of when you show
up and have options check three places. The first place I checked was
a hotel. When I approached the lobby a woman in a white dress shirt
and black leather plants sat at a coffee table with a poker faced man
with dark skin and black hair. Both were smoking a cigarette. I asked
if they had a room. The woman with a very thick accent, that sounded
Russian, said yes. How many nights? I said 2. She showed me the room.
It was perfectly fine for $30 euro a night but I was still thinking I
should look by the bay.
There’s plenty of
accommodation by the bay but you need you need a phone. A lot of the
rooms are located in buildings where the manager doesn’t reside.
You call and they show up. Anyway, the second place I found was what
I had in mind but only available for one night. The third place was
kind of weird. When I knocked on the door an older man and younger
man, who may or may not have been the son, answered the door. The
younger man was wearing nothing but a t-shirt and underwear. They had
a room but I wasn’t too interested. So, I figured it was back to
the hotel with woman in black leather pants.
On the way back I
stopped at a hostel for grins and it was packed with kids. Yep, I am
officially at the age where I can call college aged people kids. Why?
Because they are. The brain doesn’t fully develop until 25. Anyway,
The manager was a super nice and friendly young local guy who spoke
really good English. It was worth the stop just to talk with him
about the area. He informed me that they had another building where I
could get a nice quiet single for $25 euro. He showed it too me but
couldn’t confirm that the room was available until his boss got
back. I waited awhile for his boss but knew the first place I looked
at was good so I might as well grab it while I could.
When I returned to
the first place it looked even better and the owner/manger couple
turned out to be super nice and friendly. Home for two nights. I
dumped my stuff and went for a hike up the old town fortress wall
built up into the mountainside. Pretty amazing.
Kotor is quite
stunning aside of the very busy main road. Steep rocky mountains with
exposed cliffs surround and rise above a salt water bay. The old
town, although not as big as Dubrovnik, is just as impressive. Maybe
more so in regards to how the city wall is built up high behind the
city on a mountainside. My hotel room has a balcony with a wonderful
view of it all.
The 10 am bus trip
from Dubrovnik was a little long due to border crossings but quite
comfortable. The bus was only about ¼ full and very comfortable. I
got a couple of more stamps in my new passport which is always kind
of fun.
Today I went for an
excellent hike up a trail that climbed over 3,000 feet above the
valley. There were tremendous views and a nice forest stretch. What’s
so nice about Europe is that often times the trail you are walking is
an ancient donkey path or something of the sort that leads to a
village. The trail I hiked today led to a village and roadside
restaurant with an incredible view. I stopped and had a lovely omelet
with coffee. I then walked along the road about ½ mile to another
village and an airy zipline high across a valley. I did the zipline
and descended another trail to join up a little lower to the one I
ascended. I saw just a few other hikers so I talked to everyone. A
German girl on her own, a Finnish couple, and a British couple. I
also meet a couple of young girls who had a map on a smart phone
which was very beneficial because I couldn’t find a map anywhere in
town. Anyway, not sure where they were from but I’d like to thank
them.
At this point I’m
picking up the pace. Tomorrow I’m headed to Dormitor National Park.
There’s supposed to be some incredible hiking there. I’m on the
11:18 direct bus to Zabljak. So far Montengro feels much more
cultural and a tad bit exotic. The people appear more vibrant and
come across more outgoing and friendlier than Croatia.
No comments:
Post a Comment