It’s not very often you get to say that whilst on holiday in a very beautiful country that you get to spend a day in another very beautiful country; But that is what we did. On the third day of staying in Dubrovnik we decided to book with an excursions and tour company to go on a day trip to Montenegro, we were not disappointed! Croatia is stunning and Montenegro is similar to Croatia however it’s beauty is magnified by hundred, this place is a little piece of heaven surrounded by lush mountains and lakes. Even the locals here are beautiful, their beauty is effortless and organic, no wonder many Montenegrin women become models! We almost booked another day trip to Bosnia however we sadly ran out of time plus needed to keep to our spending budget. During the day trip we spent time in three separate places and it really gave us a taster of what Montenegro has to offer. That being said, our guide even stated that Montenegro is rather small as a population in comparison to the country and it’s civilians are proud of that because they try to keep population numbers under control to prevent further industrialization or development of towns, they want to keep Montenegro largely unspoiled and natural. The majority of Montenegro is covered by lush mountains, epic lime stone peaks, glacial lakes and nature reserves with only a few small towns dotted in between. So it is safe to say we did actually get to see the majority of Montenegro in the space of one day however I do recommend slightly longer stays if you fancy going further afield and trekking in the national park where wildlife such as bears and wolves are dwelling.
Our first stop was a pit stop to view ‘Our lady of the Rocks’ which is one of the two islets off the coast of Perast in Bay of Kotor, Montenegro. It is an artificial island created by bulwark of rocks and by sinking old and seized ships loaded with rocks. The Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Rocks is the largest building on the islet; it has a museum attached. There is also a small gift shop close to the church and a navigation light at the western end of the islet. According to legend, the islet was made over the centuries by local seamen who kept an ancient oath after finding the icon of Madonna and Child on the rock in the sea on July 22, 1452. Upon returning from each successful voyage, they laid a rock in the Bay. Over time, the islet gradually emerged from the sea. The custom of throwing rocks into the sea is alive even nowadays. Every year on the sunset of July 22, an event called fašinada in the local dialect, when local residents take their boats and throw rocks into the sea, widening the surface of the island, takes place.
