Tirana to Kotor

We travelled today from Tirana in Albania to Kotor in Montenegro. It is amazing what crossing a border means. The countryside in northern Albania is beautiful but getting through it is as slow as there are people along the highway boarding the bus. Our trip from Tirana to Schkoder was 3 hrs and both our arrival and departure points were random spots near the centre of town...there is no such thing as an Albanian bus station. When we arrived in Schkoder a guy greeted us asking if we were going to Montenegro, I didf a 360 spin to see if there was a sigh hanging from any of us. In any case we eventually decided to take his private car across the border and all the way to Kotor. (As we were unsure of the existence of an afternoon bus across, this was a good option, plus there would have been multiple transfers) It was a great ride in a clen Mercedes Benz, and we even stopped for photo opps.

Montenegro is unbelievably rugged and beautiful. The coast is soaring mountains that drop in to the crystal blue waters of the adriatic. When we arrived in Kotor we were spell bound. The old city is unreal and its walls stretch up into the mountainside. We checked into our hostel and got ready to hike the city walls. Before departing we got some supplies (food, beer, sunscreen) and bought our bus tickets to Dubrovnik. (They have a bus station in Kotor) with helpful if not grumpy staff.

We set off on our hike and it is a challenging 45 minute switchback route straight out of the Stari Grad (Old Town) up the old walls. The views were unbelievable and the exercise invigorating in the late evening sunshine. We all plan to come back to Kotor and visit more of Montenegro! Upon returning from th hike we went out to the lonely planet recommended La Pasteria and ate some of the best pasta ever. So no we are watching Srebia v. Cameroom looking out over the old town and playing some crazy 8s countdown.