The Prettiest Day In The Prettiest Place | Perast, Montenegro

So!
It's time!

I present to you... the final post from our 2016 Balkan Extravaganza. Yes, it took me two whole years to finish recapping the magical, wonderful, unbelievable two weeks that my three best friends and I spent in the region. Clearly I'm on Team Slow and Steady, but at last we've crossed the finish line.

Our final day together took place in Kotor, and starred a leisurely breakfast, cappuccinos and ice cream in Old Town, a lazy afternoon nap, and a fancy dinner at Restaurant Galion celebrating six years of friendship. A regular day in our world, just you know... halfway across the world. We were absolutely exhausted after two weeks of traveling, and a restful last day was much appreciated.
But! On our penultimate day, we expended the last of our energy on one more adventure.
The destination? Perast, a small town along the Bay of Kotor, about a 20 minute trek from Old Town Kotor by bus (and also allegedly where Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones own a vacation home).

Of course, we couldn't go a day without stopping by our newfound favorite eatery: sandwiches from Tanjga. Because we're not always gluttons, we ordered two sandwiches to share between the four of us... only to be sternly reprimanded. No sharing... you're in the Balkans, he insisted. Noted: sharing is for wimps.

One each, then!

And so we started the day by easily polishing off four gigantic sandwiches the size of our heads. Almost too easily.

What was expected to be a 5 minute wait turned into a 50 minute wait at the bus station because the Kotor to Perast bus broke down on its way to pick us up. We whiled away the wait by finding stray kittens to feed and play with until the replacement "bus" (a glorified mini-van) arrived.

Before long, we came upon our second hurdle:

the fact that the bus literally dropped us off in the middle of a highway.

Luckily, a couple of other travelers were on the same bus and lead the way to Perast - a short walk down from the "bus stop." Our first peek at Perast stopped us in our tracks: the downward climb boasted views of not only familiar terracotta roofs against the glittering bay, but also the two picturesque islands (Our Lady of the Rocks and St. George - man-made and natural, respectively) that Perast is known for, and that we'd only so far admired in photographs. 

Without having done much research or needing to follow a set itinerary, the natural thing to do seemed to be to head in whichever direction felt the most enticing. The promenade alongside the water was particularly lovely, so we opted for a slow stroll, taking in the picturesque isles and sleepy town (it's often called the quietest town in the Bay!).

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Kotor, Montenegro's Most Breathtaking Views

...and I do mean breathtaking in two very literal ways.

But first, let's back it up a minute and talk about making our way to Kotor in the first place. Short story: it was hell. Long story: we didn't buy bus tickets from Dubrovnik to Kotor in advance, and the bus to the bus station was delayed, and then the station didn't accept credit cards, and it was SO crowded and overwhelming, and so so hot, and this girl was not a happy camper.

UNTIL. This:

I know I keep on saying this about roadtrips in the Balkans, but you guys, I think this takes the trophy for Most Stunning Drive Ever.

It took a couple of hours longer than usual to make it through the border, but once we reached the Bay of Kotor... well, I don't have any words. I was in a state of shock, paralyzed by idyllic snapshots like the one above. Through all of the twists and turns along the bay, we had a front row seat to mountain peaks rising dramatically in the perimeter, hugging the edges of the bluish-green waters. 

This drive was bookended by us being hot MESSES, for sure - see: the situation above first of all. Second of all, there's only one road into the center of Kotor, so we were stuck in one-lane traffic for the last hour. Then, we were all hungry, tired, and pissed at each other (traveling! with! friends! so! fun!!!!) and seething at the injustice of it all as we dragged our suitcases to our Airbnb, red-faced and sweaty. Like a mirage, our host Gordana emerged in sky-high wedges, a crop top, with the prettiest blonde hair, all smiles and warm greetings. We were quite the juxtaposition, I'll tell ya!

That night, the plan was to wander over to Old Town - only a 5 minute walk away - and hit up the top-rated restaurant on TripAdvisor, then take it easy at the apartment.

Except that we didn't realize that the restaurant was closed for good. We walked around in circles for much too long, getting hangrier and hangrier by the minute. Finally, calling it as a loss, we sat down at the first restaurant we saw along the water and ordered the first things we saw on the menu. I'm not even exaggerating right now - the waiter couldn't even put down the appetizer before we inhaled it. He literally just picked up the plate again and took it away. That's also the closest I've ever come to vomiting from over-eating, I shoveled down my entire plate of pasta so fast that I almost choked.

That is all to say - even in the most beautiful of circumstances while traveling, you'll still hit  plenty of roadblocks. But I'll take it!

The next day was so much lovelier.

Alarms rang extra early, and we headed over to Old Town once again.

Old Town Kotor is very similar to Old Town Dubrovnik - a little less polished, a little smaller, a little sleepier, but no less enchanting. We ordered takeaway coffees from a corner store, and then...

it was time to hike!

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