We got a lift from our host up to Stari Bar, the old inland town that like many fortressed towns had many different leaders, and has been battered by time, war and in this case earthquake (1979). We only had time to visit the old fortress, but at 2 euros it was a bargain - interesting ruins, worthy attempts at reconstruction and restoration (most definitely a work in progress), and simply breathtaking views over the mountains, the port and the coast. (Photos to be posted later - having a bit of a technical issue...)
We didn't have much time for exploration, but the main street is quaint, cobbled and very steep! It's pretty and we'd have liked more time, but we had to get back to pack up and get the bus to Dubrovnik. We really liked Bar - it tends to be the holiday destination of choice for Serbs and Russians, so it's not terribly commercialised yet. It's a bit scruffy but is definitely up and coming, and I suspect may become a bit of a destination in years to come - but whatever you do, don't go there by train from Belgrade....
The bus journey took us through the kind of magnificent scenery we missed out on when we hurtled through Montenegro in the dark on Monday. It was just stunning, jaw-dropping stuff, with the aquamarine of the sea and the green forests of cypress trees and foliage covering the rugged mountains. For the most part we hugged the coastline so we had the best of both worlds. There was a little bit of a hold up at the border with passport controls, and there were no "facilities" on the coach, but we arrived in Dubrovnik after about 4 and a half hours, and managed to get a taxi straight away.
The weather was glorious, and after a bit of freshening up, we three headed off into the old town as the sun set. The buildings are so beautiful and enhanced by fabulous lighting. I had forgotten how shiny the cobbles are - it's like someone's been through with a floor polisher. It's busy but not overwhelmingly so - there was a nice buzz around and we had no problem finding tables. We enjoyed some really good local wine and ice cream - dinner was a bit of a disappointment, but we had a lovely evening catching up.
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| The view from our apartment |
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| Sunset over the old town |
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| Cheers chaps! |
As I write on Thursday, it's cloudy with thunder in the distance. The boys have gone on a Game of Thrones walking tour and I'm heading out to meet them as I had a phone interview for a volunteer post at Crisis when I get back - fingers crossed. There's plenty for us to do indoors if it does rain, and I'm still rather hoping the sun might shine on us later, but this is such a lovely place to be it really doesn't matter!
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