Kats of the Old Road: Travel to Kotor

Bosnia and Herzegovina , a land known for beautiful mountains, presented itself rather impressively when we traveled to the nearby country of Montenegro. One of the most spectacular sights was the Neretva River, which flows through the Herzegovina region along the way to Montenegro.

 

 
Such sights were complemented by immense rolling hills, engulfing the eye across all that one can see.

 
Along the way, we spent a solid 10 minutes in traffic at a tunnel under construction. Only one half was available for driving, presenting a pretty rare blockade holding us in place. We showed our passports and vaccination cards and easily entered the bordering country. Crossing over to Montenegro, the scenery changed -- flatter, greener, with a different set of plants. To my eyes, this was a mild disappointment, but still awe-inspiring in scale.

 

Our main attraction in Montenegro was the Bay of Kotor, along the Adriatic Sea. This bay is known for Mediterranean weather, where it is warm and very scarcely cool. After many hours -- around 8 by my count -- we arrived in Kotor, a town with much history. This town was actually cooler than our point of origin, reflecting the moderating influence of the bay. There was immense sunshine for us, however. Our Airbnb placed us right within the old town, featuring cobblestone and wizened wise walls. The St Tryphon cathedral (shown below) was an immaculate centerpiece for the town.

 

 
The guidebooks suggested we try out a place called Restaurant City -- to this we obliged, feeling hungry from going around and around the Square. Surprisingly, despite the popularity of this place, we ended up going for a simple pizza. Each of us ordered a pizza for 8 Euros -- to our surprise, it was a whole pie, rather than a slice. This trip allowed us to fill up and continue our sight seeings. Without this food, the headaches surely would have resumed immediately.

 

 

 

 

The Old Town had a sight that delighted me personally. To give you an idea, one store was selling t-shirts focused on the Cats of Kotor. There were many wild cats strolling around within the ancient walls. They lay down, they posed, and they hid in the bushes. Some were even gracious enough to pose for photos. As tourists, this was maybe the greatest aspect of our trip to Kotor.

Of course, the beautiful bay against the ocean, shimmering for us awaited just outside the Old Town. Many boats could be seen parked in these waters, which surely was a grand attraction of this place.

 As one might imagine, the walls looked downright castle-like in the Old Town of Kotor. A magical moat awaited us at the very entrance. A short bridge ran by the water, always lined up by tourists. This naturally included us.

We did try out other areas like Tivat, which ended up being pleasant yet nondescript. Kotor admittedly reigned supreme. 

 

The next day, we had coffee at the Hippocampus cafe just outside our place of stay. Then, we checked out. Our last point of order, other than taking photos, was collecting bakery items from the local Pekara.

Ready to go, we drove along the Bay of Kotor, by way of the town of Herceg Novi. This was our chance to experience the coast along the way out. This granted us more direct access to shots of the water. Such a route also allowed us to see the rising features of the land, gazing at the water from higher and higher. A scenic drive led us out of Montenegro all the way. 

 

A great detour awaited us in the town of Trebinje, located in Bosnia near the border. It had been hours since our last meal. Here we ate food in a shockingly recent restaurant building. My dish was Pileca Becka Snicla (essentially fried chicken), which was shockingly nostalgic. Here, such dishes are not common, even if they are in the US. 

 

 

Despite looking like a modern town, this area held many architectural delights back from earlier history. An especially impressive sight awaited us. A 16th century bridge called the Arslanagic bridge, from Ottoman times, gave a stunning vantage of the river.

 

 

From afar, this bridge was clearly the most stunning that I saw during my travels. Though this was simply a stop on our way home, it dominated my memories of our time going.  For good reason, this town of Trebinje was known for this sight.

Driving back, given that we took the same route, there were many of the same beautiful mountain-and-river photos. Montenegro may be fine, but Bosnia is an exceptional series of landscapes. We did, however, run into more traffic than on the way, giving chance to admire the scenery even more.

This trip, lasting only a couple days, was not especially long. Despite its brevity, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the landscapes blur past me. Such scenery kept the car rides fresh, even when we could only eat snacks we packed, or coffee we bought.

In the near future, I look forward to another travel, witnessing the beauty of Croatia's coast. Such a trip will also be well worth a travelogue.

Until then, take care!