Montenegro > From Budva to Sveti Stefan

I have breakfast on the terrace by the Bay of Kotor. The mountains on the opposite side are reflected in the calm water. What a wonderful location. At exactly nine o’clock, Vlado drives up. Today he will accompany me to Budva and Sveti Stefan. I discuss the program for the coming days with him. Vlado is pessimistic about my travel bag.

Montenegro - The view of historic Budva

From what I understand, there is a strike at the airport in Italy, leaving behind hundreds of pieces of luggage. It’s chaos there. Before leaving Kotor, I buy a pair of swim trunks and a T-shirt for canoeing. Altogether, I am still collecting quite a bit of luggage. With my new purchases, I drive through the long tunnel to the coast in the direction of Budva. As we approach the coast, Vlado points out the beaches. Many beaches are private property of hotels and resorts. Around Budva this is no exception. I see numerous tourists heading toward the beach and the old town. Vlado parks close to the old town. I follow him to the main gate of the walled city.I stroll through the narrow old streets. Old Budva resembles Kotor in many ways, but Budva is located more on a peninsula. The peninsula is surrounded by a tall Medieval city wall, built by the Venetians in the 15th century. At the very tip of Budva lies the citadel. On the central square stand the Catholic Church of St. Mary of Punta and the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church side by side. I find the Orthodox church, with its colorful frescoes, the most impressive. Just behind them are two small chapels built into the city wall. These ancient chapels from the 8th century look somewhat dilapidated and are unfortunately closed. As an alternative, I visit the Citadel of Budva. From the fortress, I have a fine view of the old town and the bay. I do not find the citadel particularly special—it has been a bit too heavily restored. Old Budva was badly hit by an earthquake in 1979. The town has been restored as best as possible, sometimes a little too well in my eyes.

Montenegro - The peninsula of Sveti Stefan

I end my visit to Budva with a walk along the city walls.It is around noon when Vlado drives me into the mountains above Budva. I get out at Brajici for my last hiking day. Via the fortress of Brajici and the monastery of Ogradenica, I will walk to the island of Stevi Stefan. A hike of fifteen kilometers. I first climb up to the Kosmac Fortress of Brajici. The ruined structure stands out against the dark sky. Although it is still sunny in the bay, dark clouds hang over the mountains. I doubt whether I will stay dry. From the fortress, I follow the old military road over the ridge. Through the clouds, the first stretch of the hike is in mist. Luckily, it clears up further along. In the sunshine, I gradually climb to about 700 meters. After three hours of walking, I arrive at the monastery of Ogradenica, only to find the small monastery closed.I struggle a bit to find the continuation of the route downhill. I don’t think the map matches the reality on the ground. After walking back and forth for a while, I decide to take the widest path downward. The semi-paved path descends steeply. I have to be careful not to slip on the loose stones. Before I realize it, I slip and fall right on my knee. Luckily, there is no damage or injury. Since I don’t have my travel bag with me, I also don’t have any first aid supplies. With a slightly sore knee, I continue my descent. The semi-paved road turns into asphalt, and at a bend I descend via an old staircase toward the Praskvica Monastery.

Montenegro - The beach of Prno

From the steps, I have a beautiful view of the monastery and the island of Stevi Stefan behind it. A Kodak moment. Around five o’clock, I reach the small church by the monastery. From there I have to continue along the main road to Pržno.Just at that moment, it suddenly starts pouring. It feels as though warm water is raining down. With my new umbrella, I walk into Przno. At the seaside promenade, I sit down at a little table. The waiter immediately comes up with a tray full of different types of fish. I choose one and add salad and fries. Meanwhile, I enjoy the evening twilight over the Adriatic Sea. The meal tastes excellent. After dinner, Vlado has arranged a taxi to take me back to Virpazar. The taxi driver shares his music preferences with me while driving in three quarters of an hour through the mountains to Virpazar, on Lake Skadar. I watch the evening fall. The driver drops me off at Hotel Vir, a somewhat cold-looking former state hotel. The room itself, however, leaves nothing to complain about. On the terrace of the hotel, I end the day with a glass of local wine.