This weekly wrap-up covers our journey from June 30 to July 6. It seems crazy to report that we visited three countries this week (after all, part of our reason for taking a RTW trip was to enjoy slower travel), but when you realize one of the countries (Montenegro) is the size of Connecticut, it seems much more reasonable.
We left Dubrovnik on Monday for Kotor, Montenegro. After several days exploring Montenegro, we took an overnight bus to Mostar, the largest city in the Herzegovina region of Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Favorite thing we ate: The Balkans have really impressed us with their delicious cheese plates! Bokun, a wine bar in Kotor, had quite the selection of platters [pictured above]. Of course, we’re also continuing to enjoy cevapi at least every other day.
Favorite thing we drank: Jonathan has been looking forward to Bosnian coffee since we arrived in Europe a month ago, and he finally got to enjoy it in Mostar [above left]. And lest you think we only drink alcohol and coffee, Megan is continuing to enjoy the refreshing Jana iced tea she first drank in Croatia [above right].
Favorite thing we did: Tara Canyon, located in Montenegro’s Durmitor National Park, was absolutely gorgeous. Jonathan specifically enjoyed ziplining over the canyon; Megan loved simply gawking at the river.
Biggest splurge: Speaking of Durmitor National Park, we had originally considered driving up to the park and spending a few days there after Kotor. But then we found a day trip on TripAdvisor that visited the parts of Durmitor we were most excited about: Tara Canyon and Black Lake [pictured above], plus a stop at the Ostrog Monastery [pictured later in this post]. At $57 USD/person, it was a great value, but considering our daily budget is $75/person, it was definitely a splurge.
Best deal: The city walls of Kotor wind up the hillside behind the Old Town to St. John Fortress. The walls are open 24/7, but admission is only charged during popular times (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during summer months). This means if you start before 8 a.m., like we did, you can hike the walls for free! And honestly, in July, you probably don’t want to start after 8 a.m. 😉 This saved us 16 euros (and a lot of sweat!).
What we’re reading: We both finished Black Edge by Sheelah Kolhatkar on audiobook this week. (Our jaws dropped at the end. Only read this one if you want to be in a very bad mood after!) Megan also read Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips this week, and Jonathan is continuing to read The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang.
Total walking distance: 27.99 miles (Oof–this was a low week. Megan was sick for a few days, which meant there wasn’t much walking, and then she forgot to wear her Fitbit during our free walking tour in Mostar, so we lost out on the few miles we actually walked!)
Up next: Exploring more of Bosnia & Herzegovina.
