Wednesday, June 27th, 2012
Today I would get to check out a bit more of Montenegro. It's such a pretty little country and I unfortunately only had a couple days but did my best to see as much as a could. I was also told that you haven't really been to Montenegro until you visit Cetinje so I figured I better see it.
But first I had to get there. As I said in my previous post I had made arrangements to have a private guide drive me to a couple places outside Kotor. I was told the driver would speak English but it didn't take very long once I found him that this was a relative term. Yes he spoke English but one of the first things he said to me in English was "sorry, my English is not that good". That kind of meant that I would be receiving less information about the places I was visiting and the things I was seeing and the history in general but I figured I would still be picking up more than I would on my own so I just went with it.
Our first stop was in Cetinje, which is known as the old royal capital of Montenegro. It is home to a large number of museums, monasteries and former embassies. We didn't go straight there however. Baki (my driver) allowed for several stops along the way so I could enjoy the beautiful scenery.
A look at one of the beautiful sandy beaches along Kotor Bay. Would have been nice to pull up a chair and just enjoy the day......but I had places to see.
Another look at the gorgeous coastline.
After about a couple hours of driving we made it to Cetinje. This is when I became very happy to have a a tour guide who spoke fluent Montenegrin. I would have had a hard time finding out where to go and what to see and how much stuff cost without it. Once finding a place to park we headed out to see the sights in Cetinje.
The palace. Not as big and grand as in some countries but I still love it.
The palace guards. Dinstinguised and cute all at the same time.
The main street in Cetinje. It is along this street that you will find so many of the old embassies. Those embassies are now stores and restaurants and office buildings. They are all marked however so you know which embassy use to call that building home.
Out front of one of the many museums in town that I had a chance to visit. This is the King Nikola Museum, which is one of 5 museums that makes up the National Museum of Montenegro. This happens to be an old palace of King Nicola, who was the last monarch of Montenegro. The museum (obviously I could not take any pictures) had all kinds of items from King Nicola and his family. He happened to have 12 children, most of whom married other royalty from Russia, Serbia, Italy and elsewhere. Among other things (swords, guns, uniforms, furniture, clothing......you know), the museum had an extensive stamp collection on display, including those from 1874, the first year Montenegro printed stamps. Check out the link if you want to see a bit more. http://www.mnmuseum.org/MKN1e.htm
Having Baki around paid off as I was heading in to the King Nicola's Museum because he was able to arrange and English tour guide for me. This was very helpful since I didn't know any of the history and everything was written in Montenegrin. Really helped me get much more out of the museum than I would have.
That's King Nicola standing strong and proud.
Another one of the museums. This is the Njecos (Njegos.....I've seen it spelt both ways) Museum. He was a Prince-Bishop, poet and philosopher and this was his former residence. Biljarda (the name of the old palace) is his former residence and the place where he created the majority of his important works. Baki once again was able to arrange a tour for me by an English tour guide so was able to get some information about the items located in the museum. Also no pictures allowed inside but if you are interested check out the link and take a quick look. http://www.mnmuseum.org/Bil1e.htm
This is the Historical and Art Museum. On the main floor is the history museum. The Museum starts from the prehistoric history of the region up to the post war era. The museum is labelled both in English and Montenegrin.....but sometimes just Montenegrin but I was able to check out a lot of very interesting items from the history of this lovely little country. http://www.mnmuseum.org/Ist1e.htm
The courtyard of the museum. On the second level you will find the Art Museum and it is really fabulous. Many works on display from Montenegrin and Yugoslavian artists. It really is an eclectic collection with many amazing things to see. http://www.mnmuseum.org/Umj1e.htm
The final Museum was the Ethnographic Museum. It is now housed in the former Serbian Embassy in only a few rooms but has a very nice little collection to look at. http://www.mnmuseum.org/Etn1e.htm
Once I finished the museums, Baki and I made our way over to the Monastery of Saint Peter (Sveti Petar Cetinjski).
A look at the monastery. It is a Serb Orthodox Monastery. No pictures allowed inside but I am told inside the relics I was looking at include the remains of Saint Peter of Cetinje, the right hand of John the baptist, the remains of Peter II Petrovic and the crown of the medieval emperor of Serbia, Steven Uros IV Dusan.
Another look at Sveti Petar Cetinjski.
One of the small chapels you will find in town.
Some of the beautiful scenery that surrounds Cetinje.
How far is Cetinje to any of the major museums in the world? This sign will tell you. The Louvre only a short 1477 kilometres (918 miles) away.
Once I finished all the museums and got a feel for the town, Baki and I moved on from Cetinje and headed up the road to Podgorica, the current Capital of Montenegro.
That little building on the top of that mountain is another monastery. Montenegro is full of monasteries perched high on mountains. I didn't visit any of them on this trip. Maybe next time.
The view of Podgorica as you drive into the city. You can see the city's Millennium Bridge in this picture.
A closer look at the the Millennium Bridge. It crosses the Moraca River. It's 140 metres (460 feet) long and that tower stands about 57 metres (187 feet) above the road bed. Construction started in 2005 and was completed for around 9 million dollars (Canadian).
A very modern and thriving city, but lots of reminders of the past....like this old bridge.
Turns out Baki doesn't know Podgorica very well and I didn't have a guide book, but a quick cell phone online search and I managed to find a few things to check out.
This is Sahat kula (old clock tower) which was built in 1667. Legend says the clock was brought in from Italy and for a long time this was the only clock in the city. It is on the few Ottoman landmarks that survived the bombing of the city during World War II.
Sahat kula is a very important landmark to see in the city, found in a very Muslim area of the city.....which makes the gold cross on the top of the tower a bit ironic. Anyway, from sahat kula we moved on to King Nicola's summer house.
The small chapel on the grounds of the summer home. The area is now a large park that you can wander through....unfortunately you can only walk the grounds and not the buildings themselves. This chapel was the only open building and is quite pretty inside....although as usual you will have to take my word for it.
The main house. Doesn't look like much when it is all boarded up like this but I can I imagine what it was like in much grander days.
Some of the random art work throughout the grounds.
The fountain leading up to the main house. Not functioning on this day but once again I used my imagination and I could see it.
It was then time to head back south towards Kotor.....of course there were a couple other sightseeing stops along the way.
That lovely little island behind me is Sveti Stefan. It use to be a quaint little fisherman town but now it is a totally private resort.
Looking over Kotor. I just cannot get over how pretty it is here.
Another look at Kotor. Such a nice little place.
I eventually got back to Kotor and made my way back to the cafe outside my hotel for a nice relaxing evening of food and drinks and baseball (yes I watched some baseball over the free Internet).
My view for the evening. That is a little misting system that most cafes here have. It intermittently mists cool water over the tables to keep things nice and cool.
Eventually I had to turn in for the evening, finish packing my bags and prepare for the next leg of my journey.
Julie
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