Montenegro
Our ship takes us to mountainous Montenegro. We sail into the Bay of Kotor, then take a tour around Mount Lovćen, enjoying some local delicacies and visiting the former capital of Cetinje before finishing in the ancient city of Kotor.
Our ship snaked its way through the Bay of Kotor in the early morning, surrounded by rugged massifs of the Dinaric Alps. The deep-teal water beneath us was tranquil and opaque. It felt weighty. It was easy enough amongst this earthy terrain to sense the many centuries of history that had passed through these channels. We had arrived in Montenegro, a land with ancient roots, yet one of the newest countries on earth.
The Dinaric Alps are a range of mountains that run along the Adriatic Sea, from Albania to Italy. They give the country of Montenegro its name, derived from a translation of the Serbian phrase, “Crna Gora,” or Black Mountain.
There is a good variety of mountains in Montenegro, including the Accursed Mountains in the south (also known as the Albanian Alps), with violent peaks like the plates of a stegosaurus. But the particular mountain referenced in naming the country is Mount Lovćen, whose dense evergreen forests give it a dark caste. On a gloomy morning with sprays of light rain, the effect was in full force.
Our tour bus drove up a winding road to an overlook in Mount Lovćen National Park, 24 square miles of protected land in this relatively small, 5,333-square-mile country. Established in 1952, the park preserves the natural beauty of this landmark as well as some of the nation’s cultural heritage, represented in protected settlements and cottages.
Njeguši
We continued clockwise around the mountain, stopping next in Njeguši. This tiny village nestled against the foot of the mountain was the birthplace of Petar II Petrović-Njegoš, the Prince-Bishop of Montenegro — plus a philosopher and published poet — who ruled the country from 1830 to 1851. His ancestors here in Njeguši represented one of the oldest tribes in Montenegro, dating back to the 14th century.
Our group milled into a patio with tables fronting Restaurant Zora, where we sampled some local prosciutto, cheese, wine, and beer.
Cetinje
A nice morning buzz in effect, we headed to Cetinje, Montenegro’s former capital and the official residence of the president. The town of about 17,000 residents was founded in 1482, when Serbian Ivan Crnojević moved his capital here, close to Mount Lovćen, to help defend against attacks from the Ottomans.
We parked near Cetinje’s Castle Church, also called The Church at Ćupur, built in 1886 on the site of a 15th-century monastery.
Our primary destination in Cetinje was King Nikola’s Museum, named for another ruling member of the Njegoš family, Nikola (or Nicholas) I of Montenegro, the last monarch of Montenegro and its only king. Nikola and his family lived in the house until he was forced into exile during World War I. The museum opened in 1926 and contains collections focused on the history of the region: weapons, flags, medals, coats of arms, stamps, furniture, photographs, art, and the first printed book of the southern Slavs.
(Unfortunately, no photography is allowed in the museum.)
The history of this region has been every bit as rugged as its defining mountains. It was first settled by the Illyrian Empire, then conquered by the Romans. In the 11th century, Slavic principalities in the region declared independence from the Roman Byzantines, and in 1186, these territories became part of the Serbian Empire. After a brief period of local rule, the Venetians and Ottomans vied for control of the coastline. The locals fought the Ottomans for hundreds of years, right up until Austria-Hungary invaded and occupied Montenegro in World War I.
The land of the black mountain became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1922, which transformed into the communist Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia after World War II. When that country dissolved in 1992, Montenegro allied with Serbia in the Bosnian War and the Croatian War, playing a key role in the bombing of Dubrovnik. After independence in 2006, Montenegro joined the EU and NATO, but as recently as 2016, the country withstood a coup d'é·tat attempt by leaders of the Montenegrin opposition, Serbian nationals, and Russian agents. Just before our arrival, the people of Montenegro voted to unseat long-time President and Prime Minister Milo Đukanović, who has been frequently accused of organized corruption.
We left the museum to explore the pedestrian streets of Cetinje. But most shops were closed, and the old town was largely quiet but pretty.
On our way back to the bus, we stopped at some festival stands just outside the museum. Many were selling pastries, and we took some time to consider our options. We settled on some tiny plain doughnuts drizzled in chocolate sauce. They looked great — quite a bit better than they tasted.
Road to Kotor
As we carried on with our circuit around Mount Lovćen, we passed Fort Kosmač, a gloomy and battered outpost that had been the southernmost fortress in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Toward the coast, we descended to the resort town of Budva, with beaches and nightlife serving as a stark contrast to the wild mountains close by. Budva’s old town — jutting out on an island into the harbor — was fortified by the Venetians and contains a church that dates to the 9th century. We passed through the town quickly on our way back to Kotor.
Kotor
Kotor sits on a strip of land at the foot of Mt. Lovćen, nestled closely against steep limestone cliffs, with an attractive harbor along the opposite side. A three-mile fortified wall encircles the town, extending impossibly up the cliff face, more than 900 feet high, before tumbling back down again toward the city. Started in the 9th century under the direction of the Roman-Byzantine Empire, the wall was not completed until the 14th century.
An influential Dalmatian city-state in the Roman Empire, the city was sacked by the Saracens in 840, then conquered by the Bulgarians. Serbians ran it for a few hundred years after that. Hungarians and Bosnians ruled it briefly in the late 1300s before the Venetian Empire took control in 1420. It was later besieged by Ottomans and ruled by the Hapsburgs and Napolean. Kotor is a jewel that has passed through many families.
Partway up St. John Mountain directly behind the city, intrepid hikers will find the Church of Our Lady of Remedy, built in 1518. We elected to “find it” from a distance.
Marianne and I entered the town through the arched Sea Gate and headed to the most promising shops we could find. We discovered two that glowed with colorful glass and ceramics, but the one with the original-stone ambiance was doing much better business than the one with the fluorescent lighting.
We moved on through the narrow passageways of the city, coming upon a small square filled with churches and cafes. Directly in front of us stood the weathered façade of St. Luke’s Church, a Serbian Orthodox church built in 1195. To our left was a much brighter and more modern place of worship, Saint Nicholas’ Church, completed in 1909.
We strolled a bit more through Kotor, checking out shops, browsing menus, and finding cats around several corners. It was time to get back to the boat for a daylight departure through the bay.
Bay of Kotor
We managed to spot our nine-deck, 930-passenger cruise ship amongst the sailboats in port.
The Viking Sky left the dock and pulled away from Kotor, gliding along in the calm of the protected bay towards the Adriatic. The ship passed little villages dotted with resorts, spilling steeply into their harbors. Spots of sunlight brightened the austere mountains in places, bringing a late-afternoon glow. The views demanded constant attention.