“If you drive non-stop along the primary road, you can complete the loop in about an hour.”
Faial is not a very big island, home to about 15,000 inhabitants, a large caldera at Cabeço Gordo (more on that in a separate post), a relatively new land mass called the Capelinhos, and if the name of one of the hiking trails is anything to go by, a series of 10 volcanoes on a route of 20km (it’ll take 7 hours to hike). To us, Faial is more green from the vegetation than blue, for we didn’t see quite that much blooming hydrangeas that help earn the island its nickname of the Blue Island…
Like Pico, micro-climate is everywhere but we largely got lucky and managed to stay ahead of the rain cloud most location we went, unless it happened to be raining heavily islandwide… I managed to get a bunch of postcards written up while waiting for the sky to clear, even as we lamented the loss of time to be out exploring. Or go on a marine excursion.
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A short walk from Slotsholmen via Knippelsbro took us across to Christianshavn, a neighbourhood laced with canals and cobblestoned streets. For an area considered part of the city centre of a capital city, it has all the charm of the countryside by the sea. It oozes an unique vibe of cosyness, perhaps reflecting the philosphy of hygge that the Danes subscribe to. Or maybe it’s the waft of herbal joints from the freetown Christiania?
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We travelled to Montenegro by way of Dubrovnik, thanks to reasonably priced air tickets that were half the price of those to Podgorica. Quite naturally, we opted to spend the final day of our trip in Dubrovnik before flying home, so we won’t be at the mercy of some long-distance and cross-border public bus while racing to the airport to catch our flight. More importantly, we were glad things worked out the way it did because we absolutely love the stari grad Dubrovnik!
Having arrived later than expected on Friday (due to wrong timetable found on the internet, plus further delays because of heavy traffic and slow border crossing) we decided we would make the most of our full day on Saturday by starting very early in the morning. By that, I meant 6am early. And even then, it was already a little late to catch the sunrise by the time we were out the door!
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Our final morning in Montenegro (already!?), we packed our bag and were glad to leave the dingy and increasingly humid cave apartment, which had been letting water seeping in through one of the walls after nearly an entire day (and night) of rain. It was barely 8am but the right time to catch a bus to Bar, where we would take another bus at 1.30pm to get to Dubrovnik. It also meant we had a few hours to kill, and Stari Bar seemed like a good option.
Bar derived and shortened its name from the word Antibari(um), given its location just opposing the Italian town of Bari across the Adriatic Sea. There are regular sea crossings between Bari and Bar for anyone wishing to hop between Italy and Montenegro! The port/coastal side of Bar is newer, built and favoured following destructions of an important aqueduct that used to feed into the Stari Bar, or the Old Bar. Unlike most towns where the newer parts are built surrounding the historic centre, Stari Bar and modern Bar sit a good 5-6 kilometres apart, the former at the foot of Mount Rumija and the latter by the seafront.
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You may have noticed that we’ve been very active throughout our trip in Montenegro, and our second day in Lake Skadar was no different. We had had a hike to the Walnut Valley scheduled and booked with Ben, but due to forecasted storm on the next day, he had to bring forward another excursion and our walk was cancelled. Moreover, another couple who were supposed to be on the walk with us decided to rescind their booking, effectively left us with less than minimum number of persons required.
Nonetheless, understanding that we’d still like to give the walk a go on our own, Ben stopped by our cave apartment with a map and instruction on how to locate the trail ourselves. Armed with these two pieces of paper, we set out for the Walnut Valley, in the direction of Dupilo.
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You’re probably thinking “she’s looking for punishment”, and trust me, I wondered the same too. Barely recovered from our little escapade in the Bay of Kotor, we were on a pre-booked taxi at 7am the next morning, making our way to Virpazar in the south so we would not missed a kayak excursion of Lake Skadar. We would pretty much deposit our bags in our “cave apartment”, get changed, and run out the door for the meeting point. Oh yes…
Our new adventure actually began in Vranjina, a short drive away from Virpazar. In the jeep, we met with our fellow kayakers – a family of four from Scotland – and Ben, the owner/operator of the tour company. Once in Vranjina, we were put under the care of Vuk, who is familiar with the lake and had been paddling here for a few years now. He would guide us as we paddled, and share some history and story of the lake and the Kom monastery, our ultimate spot of discovery.
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We had initially planned to hike in Lovćen National Park but soon learned that “daily departure” and “minimum 2 persons” indicators on a tour website could not always be counted on. A change of plan was needed, so we opted to rent a kayak for two for the day and head out for a paddle in the Bay of Kotor. This would be my very first kayaking experience, and the fact that the ria is deep enough for cruise boats to get in and out made me a little nervous. I’m still a fledgling swimmer afterall!
We started out from Mua, the small town that’s right across from Kotor. After being instructed to try to stay by the coastal front, and advised on the safest strategy should we ever wish to cross the width of any part of the ria, we were sent on our merry way, our bag tucked into a waterproof drum behind us and a small waterproof daypack inside the kayak itself. I had swapped our regular dSLR for my trusty old compact to take photos on this excursion to avoid potential problem, like, I don’t know, drowning the dSLR in salty water?
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In search for clearer water than those surrounded the town of Kotor, F and I hopped onto a local bus that took us to Perast, a small town (or is it village?) northwest of Kotor. The bus deposited us by the side of an undistinguished motorway and had us wondering if we were told to get off at the wrong spot, when we realised we were at a level above the town. Off, downhill we went.
Perast is as quaint as it can get, surrounded by grey, rocky mountains and deep blue sea. Unlike Kotor, we were not jostled about by scores of day-trippers and it felt relaxing to be here. The water was a bit choppier but it was clearer too. The only downside I guess would be the lack of proper beaches. We did find one at the north-western end of the marina which was completely packed, and further south, well, we’d have to launch ourselves into the water from small piers-slash-parks by the waterfront.
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It was already rather warm at 7.15am, an estimated 26°C. From the terrace of our temporary home, we could see a cruise ship that had docked overnight and would probably unleash a large group of visitors into the teeny tiny walled old town of Kotor. Unhurriedly, we finished our tea-and-cookies breakfast, lathered up with dollops of sun cream, and checked that the large bottle of water that was chilling in the fridge was now ensconced in the backpack. We were set for a hike up the mountain of St John.
There are two entry points to access the ramparts and fortifications that grace the slopes above Kotor: the main one near the North/River Gate, and another somewhere mid-town (which clearly we didn’t use since I have no idea what that entrance is called). Officially, the “door” opens at 8.00am, but when we got there just a little bit ahead, a ranger was ready to start his work day. For the sum of €3 per person, we each received a multi-lingual information brochure (with route map) and the official permission to commence our hike. I suspect anyone who got here much earlier could have just walked up without fee, since we were already encountering people coming down when we’ve barely started…
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Between the very early start in the morning to catch our flight, and the heat that we were yet unaccustomed to, F and I struggled to stay awake during the hour-long bus ride from Herceg Novi to Kotor. I think I gave in to a few minutes of nap but as I jolted awake, I looked out the window in amazement. The Bay of Kotor was breathtakingly beautiful.
A World Heritage Site, Kotor sits at the farthest pocket of the bay, backed by steep, rocky and grey mountains on its rear. Its medieval centre is enclosed within impressive city walls, filled with small streets that form a labyrinth of sort, and perfect for exploration by foot. Having been under the Venetian rules for several centuries, traces of this old empire are easily, most notably the relief of the winged lion at multiple locations within the stari grad.
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