Trip to Switzerland was supposed to be adventurous and an absolute joy. Instead, it ended right where it started: in Swiss Embassy in Dubai. You see I’m an expat living and working in UAE. Hence, all the procedures go through the governmental institutions in this country. If you are like me, an unfortunate holder of a Belarusian passport, then you do know that we have troubles applying for and getting Schengen visa in case your passport passes the 10-year border. Keep it in mind that Belarusian passport is valid for 20 years. Ta-da!
I’m not planning on digging into a long description of the entire “bureaucracy” trip, all I’ve got to say is that THAT Swiss vacation never took place. Being left without any other choice but trying to find a destination that doesn’t require a Schengen visa, I was led to an exceptionally affordable yet entertaining place called Montenegro.
Oh, Montenegro! Where have I been all my life without knowing you, your stunning views of a sea side and mountains, your delicious frutti di mare, your endless curving roads?
Finding words to describe this place is hardly possible. But I’ll do my very best and put it in writing.
Montenegro is anything but expected: being a country in Balkans, yet a part of Europe, you arrive in something very different. While getting ready for the trip the research was done thoroughly. We were on a mission to get the best vacation ever: hence local food and excess to nature and major sight-seeing were our most valuable possessions on the list to do.
We arrived in Tivat around 2.00 pm and were off to our first destination. Herceg Novi is a picturesque place right by the sea. The water is extremely cold, and the beach is literally nothing but a trail of pebble (note to those travelling in summer: swimming socks are a must, thank me later) but the view is spectacular. Water surrounded by mountains is something everyone must experience in life.
By the time we reached our Airbnb destination, we had a very little time to get ready for our first dinner. The place we booked was a typical local food: Catovica Mlini offers lots of different types of meat, seafood and an excellent choice of rakija – well-known locally made spirit based on fruits and berries. This drink quickly became our favorite both aperitif and digestif. We never had a clearer head or better mood in the morning than the one we had to spend the night before with rakija.
There is this nice popular however very simple in pretty much every restaurant of the country starter that I highly recommend trying: tomatoes, thickly sliced, with a drizzle of homemade olive oil (yes, Montenegro is another well-respected place for making olive oil AND wine, but about it some other time). To accompany this goodness always order a portion of salty goat cheese. I promise you: no regrets there. Our waiter was very kind to suggest us the mains and the wine to go with. Saying it was the perfect ending to a first perfect day of our trip is pretty much saying nothing, but that’s exactly what it was.
Since the entire trip was about exploring and discovering the place neither one of us saw before, we rented the car and decided to drive around. BUT being real grown-ups there, we prepared and booked things and places in advance. Early morning, we headed out to our next destination. You know the coverage of a small country can be very challenging and yet exciting, so imagine a long drive from the seaside to the mountains within 4 hours and raising to 1500 m above the sea level. Do you? Well, I couldn’t until I could: the change or scenery and weather conditions were so drastic and impressive, we hardly managed to hold our breath. Finally arriving in the Prokletije Mountains +15C we were both in shock and a slight shiver (bear in mind it’s the end of July, so you get the surprise, right?). The hostess of these little one-bedroom huts (and when I say one bedroom, I mean exactly this: one bed and nothing else room) but the warmth and hospitality we experienced that evening were unbeatable. Local food, the portion of which could feed the regiment, the rainy cold night outside and home-made rakija (yes, again) made it unforgettable. The next morning, we were up and ready for a hike: because who doesn’t hike while in the mountains, right? Almost three hours for going up and seeing the spectacular view of the downhill situation and gathering some blueberries on the way back down made the morning and early afternoon a magical countryside experience.
To be continued…
