By midmorning on Sunday, we resumed our travel, and, first, drove north to the internationally recognized resort of Sveti Stefan, which I had seen from a distance during a trip I took in ex Yugoslavia in 1976. The view of this small, rugged looking island, which is full of modern hotels and beautiful homes, was magnificent under the brilliant morning sun. Here some Hollywood people have invested in real estate.
Later, we turned to the south and visited briefly the port city of BAR, ending up by midday at the bay of Kotor.
It was quite a sight to approach this picturesque area from the mountains, overlooking the bay below, full of yachts, and populated areas on all sides. The winding road led us down to the town, where we parked and walked throughout the old city, with its very quaint, narrow, stone paved alleys.
Here almost every historic building was marked with the names of the families that owned them, and the centuries (ie: XIII, XIV, etc.) in which they lived in them.
Inside the old walled city there were café’ in some “piazzas”, and many European tourists, visiting several churches of more than one denomination. Every turn we took brought us to interesting nooks and crannies, small shops, and food stores that emanated inviting smells of freshly baked
“byrek”!
From this town, at the foot of high mountains, one can observe an enormous castle, actually an old fortress – named St. John - which can be visited by climbing very steeply however, and its fortifications span over several peaks.
Instead, we relaxed a while at a large outdoor café’ in a sunny square, drinking an aperitif under the shade of colorful umbrellas, watching the locals and the typical tourists, munching on food while trooping around, dressed in comfortable clothing and shoes, armed with backpacks and water bottles. It was twelve noon on the main clock tower, and the church bells reminded us of midday with their pleasing sound.
From beautiful and quaint Kotor we continued to travel southward along the coast and headed for Ulqin. This is another very interesting, bustling city, located in a long valley that opens up toward the sea, and built also on both mountain sides that enclose it. Instead of stopping here, we proceeded traveling south, in order to have a late lunch, closer to the border of Albania, where my hosts wanted to treat me to another fish meal along the Buna river that flows also within Albania.
When we got to the restaurant of their choice, it was chilly to dine outdoors, so we used the inside dining room, which was cozy, and built right along the water. A couple of small boats actually stopped right at the back door, to make deliveries while we were there. The Buna river was slowly and quietly running toward the sea as we were enjoying another very good meal (terrific, tasty fish soup, grilled ‘levrek’ with potatoes and spinach, very colorful mixed salad, and excellent baklava). On the opposite side of the river several wooden homes with fishing nets and boats docked nearby could be observed.
At dusk we reached the Albanian border. This crossing (Muriqan/Sokobine)was opened only a couple of years ago, and it’s small, with only a few cars going through. It was funny to watch my hosts telling the controller not to stamp our entry on the passports because theirs were already too full of markings all over. Guess what…the guard readily complied!
It was night by the time we got into Tirana, As we approached the city and the traffic was thickening, for a moment I had the feeling of getting back to NYC , when one has invariably to slow down and find alternative routes to re-enter the city. And that was exactly what my hosts did! Although a bit tired, but very happy to have taken this trip and had such pleasant experiences, I nevertheless tackled the waiting email before going to bed!
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