My Travel to the Adriatic – Budva

First Tour to Sveti Stefan
Second Tour around Budva

My first travel to the Southern Adriatic comprised of a series of tours, motorized and afoot, along its eastern shores. Without taking into account Serbia, which I had to pass in order to get to the targeted destinations, with the consequential stops made there, my overall visits included two countries, Montenegro and Croatia, two World sites of UNESCO, Kotor and Dubrovnik, and few other places of interest such as the Lake Skadar, the island of St Stefan and the old town of Budva.

As only one of these listed above is situated in Croatia, I can figuratively split the tour into two basic legs. The longer of them, both in time and visits, unites all of the Montenegro tour walks while the shorter is the trip to Dubrovnik itself. Whatever I call and classify them, they were a part of an organized tour, which I undertook together with a company of friends and a group of strangers. Even though I shall most surely try to avoid another social adventure of the kind, my experience with travels was enriched with the unforgettable sceneries and emotions that I was rewarded to focus and feel. As always, I hope you will enjoy them too!

First Tour to Sveti Stefan

My first visit to the south-eastern coasts of Adriatic began in blue and white. Some of you will exclaim, this is typical for the region, what do you think you surprise us with; and will be right, yet only until the moment when I turn your visions into utterly unexpected direction. After I myself half-opened locks and these two colors, overflowing with waves, bursted inside myself from the saturated space through the slots of my drowsy look, I needed some time to clarify whether I had caught the sea in my fishnets or I was the one still a captive of my own sweet dreams?! Waking at dawn is always surreal; even more when you slightly know this particular phase of reality, but mostly the unearthly vision before me fed my senses to mysticism. I had to walk through a labyrinth, winding along asphalt curves and thrusting my imagination among arrays of vegetation to find a way out of the magic. The blue-white gap, from which I was sloping down from the heights, revealed before me as Moraca River canyon.

From this moment onwards, the colors would pour into its bed and, already in its power, would acquire the shades of emerald. Following along its crystal thread, the water flows would alter their shapes and sizes, the river into lake, lake into the sea, but nothing would be of power to disturb the eternity of this noble blue-green presence. My memories from the journey until my first meeting with the Montenegrin Adriatic are dominated by nature. Forests, rocks, waters, remarkable companions, rather often in contrast with the human creations. The modern architecture in Montenegro is similar to ours of the times after socialism and its capital makes no exclusion. The buildings are chaotic, unseen, emptied of ideas, but compensating with rich colors and materials. Overbuilding is characteristic of the entire coast; a process, fully valid for ourselves and antipode to the state in its western neighbour, Croatia. Taking in account the fact that I crossed Podgorica transit and despite my desire, I did not remember it with anything distinctive, other than the peculiar array of cypresses, grown bent due to the winds or in a bow to meet us in a duly manner; also that crossing the city together, Moraca would sooner after that farewell with us to flow into Lake Skadar.

There, at their home, I rinsed and filled my eyes gazing at its immensity; with fingers sunk to be hand in hand and save the memory. Therewithal fish, the waters of the lake abound with notable facts. Namely to it, the largest in the Balkans, the honour is given, according to the mood, to connect and divide Montenegro and its other neighbour. Looking at the horizon in the east direction, armed with sharp eyes and more imagination, you may be lucky to catch a glimpse of the lands of Albania. Not with its highest rank, however, but with its stronghold enclosed within Lesendro fortress it won my favour. Sweet meeting to remember, it is time now to keep ahead, because my main hosts are waiting for me. It is time that Budva Riviera meet me and be my kind companion. We shall speak with our glances only, because we need no words to understand each other; will it have a look into my eyes, it will see depths full of craving. My true friend, it will take me quickly by the hand to the island where my heart is, to my beloved sea. A touch between us and now we both are one…

Sveti Stefan is a small dreamy island, first sea-nest for my love and once a secure haven for its residents. Protected alongside with thick fortified walls, it is almost entirely preserved now in its original. From an authentic medieval fishing village, in the middle of the late century it turned into a town-hotel with renovated into luxurious interiors and romantic atmosphere reserved in its ancient appearance. Even then, it is a famous among the famous resort. Three remarkable ladies have been among its guests, mesdames Monroe, Loren and Schiffer. The island is accessible by a narrow artificially laid isthmus, but currently with a “private” and “in construction” status, it is closed for visiting. However, its two irresistible beaches welcome willing without limitations; with their only conditions for little pocket money and plenty of desire.

Second Tour around Budva

The visit to Budva turned out unexpected in many aspects. The foreplanned single tour was actually executed in two separate parts. Even the first of them, the one from the travel program came a surprise to us when they dumped us into the town before we could accommodate in а hotel and despite of the scheduled later time. Thus, tired of the long and uncomfortable journey, with no chance of making a morning toilet and even taking a breath, unprepared, spared of choice and given no time to recover, all in a natural born manner, we were taken around the Old Town to be only able to see its sites as if on a speeded up filmstrip.

The marina of Budva by the Old Town walls where almost all of its preserved historical sites are located.

Given the “organized” travel, the “professionalism” of the domestic tour operators and the company of “fellow” countrymen, all of them recently centrifuged in the European laundry, there was hardly a way to avoid such kind of incidents, relying solely on the personal skills. After all, a relationship takes two at least. Experience comes often unwanted, but then it could only be useful, alarming you with its red signals of never repeating a risk without having serious reasons and or considerable preparation.

All this said, the rebound was much higher and successful due to the beneficial mix of personal choice and improvisation. In the adequate afternoon hours, after getting back all we had been taken in the first round, with satisfied tummies ahead and blissful expectations to be even more rewarded after dinner, my small selected company of friends rushed into a new campaign with the impressive medieval citadel of Budva as its main target. The atmosphere in such dreamy Mediterranean towns is balm for every human soul, at least they are for me. The month of May is irresistible and experiencing even a moment of it at the Adriatic Sea, atop of a seaside fortress is a cosmic feeling, without exaggeration.

Budva is among the oldest settlements along the Adriatic coast and of the warmest in the entire Mediterranean. In contrast to the poor service of our hotel in a nearby village, the desired host we found here, and seemed not the only ones. In addition to the romantic Venetian architecture, exotic vegetation, cosy beach, and chic marina, all gathered in the same small, old but vibrant place, our meeting was surprisingly enriched to coincide with the World Carnival City Congress and the concert hence organized near the yacht harbour under the solid town walls. I should add yet another recognition to the many “best” of this Unsleeping Beauty as the smallest venue where not else but The Rolling Stones have ripped rock chords.