Montenegro and Albania

Apr 3-7
AC840 YYZ-FRA, LH1454 FRA-TIA, A3971 TIA-ATH, AC897 ATH-YYZ

Having just returned from Serbia, we had now visited 5 of the 7 countries that used to make up Yugoslavia. On our trip to Albania/Kosovo/North Macedonia in 2019, I had also considered traveling to Montenegro, but we did not have enough time to visit in that trip. With cheaper and more frequent flight options, we again flew to Albania, but focused entirely on the very scenic Montenegro.

Apr 4

After our overnight flight and another typical, but long Frankfurt connection, we landed in Tirana around 1:30pm, picked up our rental car, and headed north to the Montenegro border. Having previously experienced the delays and bureaucracy in the region, we weren’t surprised that it took about an hour to cross the border, and we didn’t arrive at the capital Podgorica until around 5:30pm.

Niagara Falls (not that one) on the suburbs of Podgorica

Not as large as our Niagara Falls, but was nice to stretch our legs out and explore

Stray dog along the fall trails

University Park and the 7m high Saint Petar of Cetinje dedicated to the military and church leader of Montenegro

Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, the largest church in Montenegro

Impressive interior of the church completed and consecrated in 2013, after 20 years of construction

The scale of the dome is hard to capture in photos

There doesn’t seem to be any non-painted surfaces in the church

Relief of a traditional guslar, a significant cultural icon in the Balkans, particularly among Serbs and Montenegrins

Before leaving, another perspective on the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ

Looking up the Moraca River that cuts through the capital

Ribnica fortress remains along the Morača rivers

Equestrian statue of King Nikola I - the last monarch of Montenegro

Clock Tower (Sahat Kula) at Bećir Beg Osmanagić square

Osmanagic Mosque features a combination of traditional Islamic designs and modern elements

Another view of the Mosque as we approach 8pm and the last of the twilight

Independence Square, still active for a Thursday night

Having reached the end of the day and our walk, we found dinner near Independence Square, and then made our way back to the hotel.

Apr 4

Having already covered the highlights of Porgorica, we had the entire day to make our way to Kotor Bay. Before arriving in Montenegro, I had not recognized that the name of the country literally translates to Black Mountains. We headed north to the Prekornica Mountains.

Our first view of the mountains

The road winds up the mountain

Making my way up the winding stairs

Enjoying the scenery as we climb towards the Ostrog Monastery

Mosaic icon depicting Saint Stanko a child martyr in the Serbian Orthodox Church at entrance to Monastery

Looking up at the Monastery built into the mountain

Up close to the main building of Ostrog Monastery

The Upper Church of Ostrog

Another perspective on the Monastery as we continue our trip through the mountains

Switchbacks cutting their way up the mountain

Continuing north towards Niksic

Slansko Lake and surrounding mountains

More of the Black Mountains

Heading out of the mountains towards Risan Bay

Looking across Risan Bay to Saint George Catholic Monastery

Looking down onto the coastal town of Risan

Looking across Risan Bayh to the Gulf of Kotor, our final destination for the day

Large complex of Roman Mosaics at archeological site in Risan

One of the floor mosaics dating from the 2nd century AD

More floors with the foundation bricks

One of the more complete floors with intricate mosaic pattern

Church of St. Peter and Paul (1601), Risan

St. Peter and Paul church tower

Risan Monument near the church

Cross section of the memorial

Getting closer to Saint George Monestary on its man made island

Our Lady of the Rocks Catholic Church

Balovic Palace on the Perast Promenade

Looking at the town of Perast and the Gulf of Kotor

Perast’s Church of Saint Nicholas (1616)

Looking back to the mountain pass we arrived on earlier in the day before working our way along the bay

Ruined historic building as we make our way out of Perast

A number of boats recruiting business to take to the Monastery and Church islands

Final view of Perast with the black mountains

After a long day of driving we checked into the hotel and caught a view of sunset from the patio outside our room

After settling into the room I went for a walk along the Kotor Bay and to avoid another long winding car ride decided to have dinner in the hotel.

Apr 5

As we knew that the weekend might be busy and expected parking and traffic might be challenging we decided to start the day early in the town of Kotor.

Walking in Kotor

Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Remedy (1518) perched on the slope of St. John Mountain

The many water taxis can be more efficient than the narrow winding roads

Exploring the walled city pedestrian streets before the tourists arrive

More of the UNESCO old town

Rijeka Gate

The Kotor town walls

17th Century Clock Tower

Blue skies make their first appearance for the morning along Kotor Bay

One of the pilot boats that help navigate the bay

WWII Monument for Freedom on the Bay of Kotor 

Touring by submarine wasn’t on our radar, but available

Old Fountain Karampana outside the fortified walls

Cathedral of Saint Tryphon, one of two Roman Catholic churches in Kotor, originally built in 1166

Our final view of the bay before we head back to the hotel for breakfast

Heading in the opposite direction west on the south west shore of the Bay of Kotor

On the opposite side of the bay, now looking across to the Our Ladies of the Rock Catholic church with Perast in the background

Using zoom to look across the bay to Perast

After crossing Verige Channel on the ferry we continue along the south coast of the Bay of Kotor and see more water taxis

Church of the Holy Savior (1713) in Herceg Novi

Monument to the chimney sweep in the centre of Herceg Novi

Old Clock Tower

Continuing to explore the Hercig-Novi old town

Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Belavista Square

Making our way through the winding streets

More of the old town with the bay in the background

Church of St. Jerome (1856)

Enjoying one of the viewpoints

Showing off my Canada hat

Kanli Kula Fortress, also known as the "Bloody Tower" part of the fortification originally built in 1539

Looking down on the lower town and the harbour

Another perspective on the Kanli Kula Fortress

Monument to King Tvrtko the first king of Bosnia and founder of the city

Herceg Novi Old Railway Station

Harbour

Hillside cemetery

Taking in the views as we continue clock wise around the bay

Closer view of the lower fortified city wall

Looking back across the bay

Almost all the way back around at Kotor, if you look closely you can see the city walls extend up St John mountain

We didn’t climb up to Church of Our Lady of Remedy on the slope of St. John Mountain

Higher walls show more gaps

Where the higher walls meet the town at Gurdich Gate

Cats of Kotor living on the city wall

Cathedral of Saint Tryphon (1166)

Cats lounging close to the town feeder

Collegiate Church of St. Mary (1221)

Church of St. Luke (1195) with the fortification in the background

Back at the Century 17th Clock Tower

Outer side walls

Where the fortification climbs the mountain on the north side of town

Capturing sunset at the hotel pool

By 5:30, we arrive back at the hotel, completing our loop. We relax at the hotel and enjoy our bayside patio before an earlier dinner.

Apr 6

Our streak of good weather was coming to an end, so I got out early for a run along the bay. Unfortunately, I was just a little too late to completely avoid getting wet, but avoided a downpour. After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and headed back to Albania.

Heading south, we drove past the ferry we took the day before, and took a photo across the Verige Channel to the town of Kamenari

We stopped briefly in the town of Tivat

Going across the land, the road starts to hug the Adriatic Coast

After parking we explored the old town of Stari Grad with a short walking tour

The Dancer of Budva, bronze statue created by Gradimir Aleksić in the mid-1960s

The walkway to the beach hugs the coastline

The Square of Poets in Budva old town, most of which was rebuilt after a 1667 Earthquake

Following the Cat

1st century Roman altar

Church of Sveti Ivan, Catholic church originally built in the 7th century, with the current structure dating back to 15th century

Church of Saint Sabbas has changed between Catholic and Orthodox through the years

Church of Santa Maria in Punta, one of the oldest buildings in the city, with construction believed to have started in the 9th century

Citadel located at the southeastern corner and highest point of the Old Town's fortifications, construction dating back to antiquity, but took specific form in 840

Making our way back through the narrow streets of old town, before the skies opened up

The Golden Bell is associated with the 1964 movie The Long Ships

Fortified island village of Sveti Stefan, a jumble of 15th-century stone villas overlooking the Adriatic Sea, now a luxurious Aman resort

The rest of the ride back to the Tirana airport was very rainy, so we didn’t stop further along the way. The Albania border crossing added about an hour to the journey, but we made it back to the airport safely and dropped off the rental car. We had dinner at our airport hotel and got some rest before the morning flight home.

Apr 7

Because of some earlier flight cancelations, we ended up with a very tight connection in Athens on our way home.

Polyfytos Reservoir on our way to Athens

More of the mountains and lakes enroute from the air

Thankfully, the flight from Tirana to Athens was on time, and I flexed my Air Canada status to get some assistance in Athens to ensure we didn’t misconnect. We arrived home in Toronto after a great long weekend, crossing Montenegro and Country #112 off the list.