Wine Country and Montenegro

Following our Wednesday morning carillion wakeup call, we ate a quick breakfast of pastry and espresso at the local bakery, then headed off to explore the local wine country at the suggestion of our waiter the night before.  The countryside is beautiful, steep and rocky, with vineyards that must be hand tended because the slope is too severe to bring in equipment of any kind. The wine was interesting with a rich flavor full of minerals.  Maybe in another generation it will be making headlines but it was fun to experiment with it.




We enjoyed visitng the Grgic cellars in the Dingac region, and we also stopped at a tiny winery operated by a couple out of their home.  The winemaker and mother of three young children was really sweet to talk with and it was interesting learning about how they make their living with the wine, olive oil and assorted grappas they produce and sell from their farm.

On the drive home, we stopped at Mali Ston to try the local oysters and walk through the town.  After spending a couple of hours on the road, we returned home and did a little more hiking around the Cavtat hills, coming upon the unusual Hotel Croatia. From the front, it has a sleek look with decks, pools, and a polished, crisp lobby.  However, from the back, there is crumbling concrete and unkempt paths everywhere.  Signs leading to the beach and the nudist beach lead guests down uneven, broken stairs to ugly concrete platforms poured at a slant on the rocks. A far cry from the beautiful beaches of Montenegro and even the pretty pebbly beaches at the Cavtat harbor.  

The next day, the air was refreshingly less humid as we set off to explore Montenegro and the Bay of Kotor. It was an exceptionally pretty day, with clear skies and turquoise water in abundance.  We arrived in Budhva and did not really like the town - very commercial, lots of cheesy tourist shops and cheap looking concrete or cinderblock hotels ala 1960.  It is known for its beaches, which were nice but there were much nicer places to stop further south so we kept on driving. Our final destination was St. Stefan where the main attraction was a monastery-come-luxury hotel built on a small island connected to the land with a short causeway.  The beach and grounds were exceptional - a great spot for a honeymoon or romantic tryst for only 700 - 2000 EUR per night (but definitely worth it!).

We spent a while strolling on the beach and enjoying the wanna-be lifestyle of the rich and famous, and then headed inland to  the old fortress of Kotor.  Bay of Kotor is incredibly beautiful.  The old walled city is built into a steep hillside and the rock walls surrounding the fortress hug the cliffs upward for a thousand feet or more.  Bob and I hiked/ struggled through the heat to the top to enjoy the views and burn a few extra calories to justify all the delicious meals we've been eating.