Europe, with an Arctic cruise, a Balkan tour and bits of France and Malta

[RooFlyer]

Then the boat dropped us off at out hotel with nice views along the way.









I skipped dinner but had a walk along the foreshore at dusk after a beer at the hotel.







The cruise ship sailed








And again, the city wall lit up, going up the hill.



This was taken by someone else in the party about the same time and shows the old town really well. Our hotel probably 3/5 up the other shore.

 

[RB]

I am going to be disappointed in you if you didn't get your step count up and do the Ladder of Kotor hike.

 

[FlyingFiona]

Wow this is such a beautiful part of the world. So grateful you've opened my eyes to Montenegro as a destination.

 

[Pushka]

Wow this is such a beautiful part of the world. So grateful you've opened my eyes to Montenegro as a destination.

As I mentioned earlier we did a 7 day small cruise in this area, years ago. And rooeys photos now have got me thinking about another one next year. It's stunning. We'd visited this area before on large cruise ships but the small boat ones go in and out the islands.

 

[Quickstatus]

“let’s have another cup of coffee“ just as we are about to leave lunch or dinner. And the usual two or three who only decide to go to the loo once we are boarding the bus.

= Mrs QS
Only orders coffee when its time to leave. Then wants to use the loo when its really time to leave.

 

[RooFlyer]

I am going to be disappointed in you if you didn't get your step count up and do the Ladder of Kotor hike.

Can't do these days, I'm afraid

= Mrs QS
Only orders coffee when its time to leave. Then wants to use the loo when its really time to leave.

No comment

 

[RooFlyer]

Today I'm calling the Day of 100 Hairpins. I don't know the actual count, but it was a lot, coning at 15-25 at a time.

First brekky. A good buffet spread, but no toaster.







There were 2 cruise ships in overnight. One was in port, the other moored out in the bay and tendered in - a long way.



Today's route takes us to Zabljak, in the Montenegrin mountains.



We began the drive up the mountain behind Kotor. It needed the drivers utmost concentration and this was only the start.



The road up the mountain was narrow - any car we met had to pull over if they could, or back up. Busses can only go up the mountain, not down, as passing would be impossible.

He lost.





Yeah, na.

 

[RooFlyer]

At the top, simply stunning views all the way out to the Adriatic sea.



Panning west to the Adriatic and Titvat airport





The old town, mostly concealed by the mountain drop



Hotel Splendido

 

[RooFlyer]

We then drove though the mountain plateau and valleys to Cetinje, the 'Royal Capital' of Montenegro. Quite pleasant farming land. Montenegro named from 'Black Mountain', with the black being the Black Spruce, which covers Mt Lovcen, in the pic below, where a great Montenegrin poet and writer Petar II Petrović Njegoš, whose mausoleum is up there





Montenegro was ruled for centuries by Prince-Bishops, often under other empires. In 1852 Danilo I Petrović-Njegoš was proclaimed secular Prince. He was assassinated in 1860 and was succeeded by Nicolas I who ruled as Prince until 1910 and then as King of Montenegro to 1916 when he fled to Italy in the face of advancing army of the Austro-Hungarian empire and he was formally deposed in 1918.

He ruled from Cetinje and had a palace built there, which we visited after lunch.

Town square and pedestrianised streets. Palace on the right





Lunch venue. it is a very pleasant town.





I asked for something traditional and was recommended Montenegrin Popeci- fried rolled ham and cheese. Nice but terribly heavy and I got through 2/3 of one.



Some of the Palace rooms. Nickolas I

 

[Quickstatus]

What is the town's attitude toward cruise ships?

 

[RooFlyer]

What is the town's attitude toward cruise ships?

didn’t hear from the town but our host -guide says five cruise ships permitted at a time is far too many. And you can see how they swamp the town. Even Dibrovnik only allows I think it was two ships versus the five allowed here.

It’s not just the old town where people swarm it’s virtually everywhere along the waterfront. I guess people would be glad for the town and personal income.

 

[Major]

The temperature appears to be quite mild

 

[RooFlyer]

The temperature appears to be quite mild

About 28 in Kotor, 22 up in the mountains where we are now.

 

[RooFlyer]

What is the town's attitude toward cruise ships?

update. The town hates them. Don’t spend any money.

 

[tgh]

The town hates them. Don’t spend any money

Indeed.., and well they might.
Breakfast onboard, a bus tour in the morning, lunch aboard and a walk to check out the natives in the afternoon before returning for high tea or an early pre dinner drinkie or 3...

 

[RooFlyer]

After the tour of the Palace, a quick look around

The Court Church is located on the historical site of Ćipur in the historical core of Cetinje. It was built by King Nikola I of Montenegro in 1890, on the place where there used to be a monastery that Ivan Crnojević built in the 15th century dedicated to the Mother of God.





Wikipedia tells more about King Nikola I

He gave Montenegro its first constitution in 1905 following pressure from a population eager for more freedom. He also introduced west-European style press freedom and criminal law codes. In 1906, he introduced Montenegrin currency, the perper. On 28 August 1910, during the celebration of his jubilee, he assumed the title of king, in accordance with a petition from the Skupština. He was at the same time gazetted field-marshal in the Russian army, an honor never previously conferred on any foreigner except the Duke of Wellington. When the Balkan Wars broke out in 1912 King Nikola was one of the most enthusiastic of the allies. He wanted to drive the Ottomans completely out of Europe. He defied the Concert of Europe and captured Scutari after a siege, despite the fact that they blockaded the whole coast of Montenegro. Again in the Great War which began in 1914 he was the first to go to Serbia's aid to repel the Austro-Hungarian forces from the Balkan Peninsula.

In January 1916, after the defeat of Serbia, Montenegro was also conquered by Austria-Hungary, and the King fled to Italy and then to France. The government transferred its operations to Bordeaux. After the end of the First World War, a meeting in Podgorica voted to depose Nikola and annex Montenegro to Serbia. A few days later, Serbia (including Montenegro) merged with the former South Slav territories of Austria-Hungary to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which was renamed Yugoslavia in 1929. Nikola, who was in exile in France, continued to claim the throne until his death in Antibes in 1921. He was buried in Italy. In 1989, the remains of Nikola, his queen Milena, and two of their twelve children were re-buried in Montenegro.

The King and Queen in this church








More buildings in the vicinity

 

[drron]

Not all cruise passengers spend nothing. This cruise passenger has had lunch on 3 occasions in Kotor and surrounds.

 

[SuePa]

I've been in Kotor when the cruise ships were in (3 I think ) and it was horrendous.
One ship was docked right outside the main gates and completely blocked the view of the bay and the announcements over the pa from the ship could be heard all over the town.

 

[RooFlyer]

Next stop was the Ostrog monastery, a bit of a drive further and skirting the capital Podgorica



View of the capital



Past the capital, mountain scenery with fields and farms on the river flats





The monastery is the white structure in the distance, upper left - its built into a cliff face



Wikipedia:

The Monastery was founded in the early 17th century by Vasilije Jovanović, the Metropolitan of Herzegovina, and is first mentioned on a geographical map of Montenegro from 1640.[2] Vasilije died there in 1671 and some years later he was glorified. His body is enshrined in a reliquary kept in the cave-church dedicated to the Presentation of the Mother of God to the Temple.

The present-day look was given to the Monastery in 1923–1926, after a fire which had destroyed the major part of the complex. The two little cave-churches were spared and they are the key areas of the monument. The frescoes in the Church of the Presentation were created towards the end of the 17th century.

No photos of the frescoes where ST Basil is entombed, but great views outside





Mosaic work:

 

[RooFlyer]

Final leg was to drive onto Zabiljak, a developing ski/hiking centre in the mountains. Many more hairpins!





And of course continuing stunning scenery. These just taken from the coach window.










Our digs for 2 nights is the Hotel Zabiljak



Alpine basic





View from my room, out the back