Saturday just seemed to roll on by and I realised that I hadn't completed an update. We spent most of the morning helping Ella to complete her weekend 'chores'. More visits to the laundromat!
There was a minor panic when we received an email from our Montenegro accommodation for Monday night, notifying us that there had been a fire and our booking was cancelled. Thankfully, as it's shoulder season, we had no problem in finding an alternative place to stay.
We met Amira for lunch, Ella's oldest friend after they met at daycare when they were three. Amira has always been a special part of our whanau and it was wonderful to spend some time with her. She lives 'out East' so it was also a part of London that we haven't really explored. The weather was absolutely stunning which just added to the enjoyment.
Having packed our bags, we set off for Gatwick airport where we spent the night at hotel inside the terminal. It was literally a box without windows and, with the lights off, completely dark. Easy to see why it is popular though as we were able to get up at 4.10 am, shower and be at the checking counter by 4.30.
Mother's Day
Didn't plan this part of the trip well as we flew out early to Montenegro so didn't get to spend Mother's Day with Ella. She did surprise me with some treats yesterday though and a hug is the best gift ever.
Our Wizz Air flight was supposed to leave at 6.10 am but think we were about 25 minutes late, landing in Podgorica. It was fascinating looking at the country side as we flew in - high rugged mountains dipping down to long flat valleys. Arriving at the airport reminded us of Rotorua years ago. Disembarked and walked across the tarmac and people waiting to board standing behind a wire fence - felt very unsophisticated.
Another rental car, this time a new Renault Clio - it even smells brand new. Very exciting to get an auto as we thought it would be a manual. One less thing to think about when driving on the wrong side of the road.
Shops, including supermarkets, are closed on Sundays but we managed to find a bakery that had the most enormous slices of pizza, to keep us going.
Our first stop was the Ostrog Monastery near Niksic. It was built in the early 17th century, against an almost vertical rock face, high up in Ostroska Greta and is dedicated to Saint Basil of Ostrog and is the most visited pilgrimage site within the Serbian Orthodox Church. It is traditional for pilgrims to walk the 3 km stoney path barefoot - we didn't! The climb felt like hundreds of steep steps, as was certainly a good workout. There were a number of other, smaller churches around the area with beautiful ornate pained ceilings and walls. Unfortunately it was Sunday and two days before the celebration of St Basil's birthday, so it was pretty crowded. Well worth the stop and the effort though the tight, narrow, winding road was a bit hair-raising.
Driving further north we called in to see the Ramparts of Onogost in the village of Niksic. The walls were built on the foundations of a former Roman military camp from the 4th Century. Some of the original walls are still standing and they are open to the public to visit at any time. An open air theatre has been established amongst the ruins.
The rest of our drive included a winding road with plenty of tight hairpin bends, that took us above 5,000 feet, before wending our way back down to the valley on the other side. There were a couple of tunnels along the way and I did think that they could have built more to avoid some to the interesting driving we witnessed. The locals have a very 'relaxed' attitude to the importance of staying on the correct side of the centre line.
Zabljak is our home for the night and is in the entree the Dumitor mountain region, at an altitude of 1,456 metres. It was a relief to arrive and to find that we were expected, especially as there is limited English spoken. Apparently the area was predominantly farming but many people moved away. There is huge development taking place as people are trying to get ahead the tourist boom. It feels very like Croatia did when we visited 15 r so years ago, before the crowds arrived. The buildings all have steep pitched roofs and are very cute. Our cabin is in a row of four, on a farm, and has a lovely view across part of the valley.
Dinner was delicious gyros, overflowing with chicken and salad. So far we are loving Montenegro and are very pleased that we took Ella's advice and planned a visit.
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