Christien had decided that he was missing both of us, so he jumped on a plane and arrived at the apartment late Monday morning. Even though we talk to the boys regularly, it was nice to spend some in-person time together. Since he had an early start, we spent the first day chilling by the water, catching up, before grabbing a late lunch and taking a walk around the neighborhood. Christien started to melt in the heat, so we headed back to the apartment for an early night.
The next morning, after our usual exercise routine, we caught the 9:00 am white-knuckle bus ride into Kotor to beat the heat and crowds. We spent a few hours showing Christien around before conceding to the weather and returning home. That evening, I had booked a table at Al Posto Giusto, which we believe has the best location in the marina. We watched the sun go down and the boats come in to moor for the night. The walk along the coast was lovely, with the lights twinkling through the old part of Donja Lastva and small sailboats anchored nearby. After watching England beat the Dutch, we all retired happily, preparing for an early start the next day.
Christien’s last day started with an hour of paddle tennis. While we all play tennis, it was our first time trying paddle tennis, which turned out to be really enjoyable. I can see why it’s become so popular. Afterward, we quickly showered at the beach and had breakfast, which was exactly what we needed.
I had arranged with Radenko, our driver during our stay, to take us to the cable car. He picked us up and dropped us off at the cable car station. It felt a bit strange getting into a cable car in 35-degree heat with not a single snowflake in sight. The ride took about 15 minutes to reach the start of Lovćen National Park. The views on the way up were beautiful, and the vista across the Bay of Kotor was stunning!
At the station above, we had the option to hike 12 km to the Njegos Mausoleum, which would take over 4 hours, or take an air-conditioned minibus to the steps leading up to the mausoleum. Ten minutes later, we were at the foot of the 461 steps that led to the world’s highest mausoleum, where Montenegro’s greatest hero, Petar II Petrović Njegoš, rests beneath a golden mosaic canopy. A 28-tonne statue depicting Njegoš, carved from a single block of black granite and resting in the wings of an eagle, stood nearby. It was hard to imagine how they got it up there.
We stopped for an enjoyable lunch at Restaurant Vidikovac, which is actually woven into the side of the mountain, so you can enjoy the views while you eat. Along the way back to the cable car, we also stopped at the Monte 1350 bar, which is perched on the cliff-edge, with deckchairs laid out to relax in. It was another fantastic trip!
Dream Chasers 