Final stop in the Balkans - Kotor, Montenegro

A small medieval town in Montenegro around the corner from the Adriatic coast, completely surrounded by mountains, Kotor is a hidden gem in the Balkans and well worth exploring. The main language spoken is Montenegrin, but locals also intertwine it with Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian and Russian, so I didn’t have too much trouble figuring out what people were saying.

I also happened to be in Kotor during Montenegro’s Independence Day on May 21, so the streets were lively and the city had a concert in the evening.

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Walking tour - my first day in Kotor I joined a walking tour and explored the old town. We stopped at the Sea Gate, which gets its name from the time when the sea came up to the walls. Inside the sea gate was an old post office envelope drop, with stone sculptures above. Next stop was the main square, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, the main Cathedral of Saint Tryphon and a few other landmarks. The old town was charming with lots of hidden alleys and had a magical sense in the evening.

San Giovani Hill + Fortress - hovering over the city on the north side sits the 16th century church, Our Lady of Health and above that the fortress. Only accessed by foot, the view from above is incredible.

Green market - just left of the Sea Gate is the daily market. On Saturdays it’s much busier with farmers selling a variety of products. We tried various fruits, meats and cheeses, and bought some prosciutto and strawberries to enjoy throughout the day.

Cesarica - a great restaurant recommended to me by a local with a friendly cat that comes by to say hello. We stopped by twice to enjoy the fresh seafood. One classic from Montenegro’s coast is stuffed squid, traditionally stuffed with squid tentacles and plenty of garlic. We also tried the squid stuffed with shrimp. Northern Montenegrin food includes heavy meats and cheeses, but since I was along the coast, lots of seafood was served.

*traditional stuffed squid

*stuffed squid with shrimp

*side of potatoes and swiss chard

*mussels in white wine broth

*grilled octopus

*spicy seafood stew

Kotor Bay - right outside the old town walls is the port, with the beach and coast for fishing. A couple of friends and I spent an afternoon trying to catch some fish using mussels as bait, but unfortunately we caught none. Nevertheless, the bay was also the perfect spot to watch the sun go down behind the mountains.

Day Trip to Perast + Our Lady of the Rocks island - I took a bus to the city of Perast, where I explored the small town and then took the ferry to the nearby island. The island is named after the church “Our Lady of the Rocks”, which is meant to protect sailors while on their endeavours.

Car race - while I was in Kotor, the hill climb car race took place. I joined some friends to watch the race and spotted some cool cars from different Balkan countries as they drove up the mountain.

#StandWithUkraine - I happened to be in Kotor on Vyshyvanka Day, May 19 and wore my non-traditional Vyshyvanka around the town. While at the port I spotted a boat with a small Ukrainian flag at the top and then in Perast at the Our Lady of the Rocks Island I found messages of support in the guest book and also added my own. I was happy to see support for Ukraine even in such a small town.

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I was pleasantly surprised by Kotor - from the culture to food, people, nature and music. Montenegro was beautiful and left me wanting to explore more. Hvala Kotor!

Grateful to have met some new faces, and hope to see them soon! Leaving the Balkans and off to explore Greece.