After a long minibus ride through the beautiful mountains of Bosnia, we arrive to the small coastal village of Kotor, Montenegro.

The city is set deep at the end of a long fjord finger and I imagine until the development of modern roads, proved quite difficult to reach. Even with this geographical protection, imminent threat still somehow deemed the construction of a giant fortress that encircles the Old Town and reaches high onto the cliffs above a necessity.

The city saw its reign of rulers and conquerers, including occupation by Germans in WWII and Soviets in the last part of the 20th century. Today, it’s mostly occupied by middle-aged white cruise ship enthusiasts by day, and quiet, mellow locals by night.

As we were booking last minute, per our MO, we had a limited but solid choice of places to stay. We’ve planned eight days here, which is a few more days than we typically remain in one place. We also want to catch up on our blog, so our accommodation criteria was quiet, good wifi, and has a patio or balcony with a wonderful view. Our AirBNB 100% delivered on two out of the three of these things (the wifi was a bit spotty, but boo, poor us). We got really comfortable in Kotor. We stopped by the same bakery every day to get bread or a dessert on our walk back to our place. There’s a great grocery store in town, so we were able to get back into a routine with our meals as well.

Every morning I would wake up early to sit outside with coffee and this view. Every afternoon, I would sit outside with wine and this view. I love this life.

We also have one of the kindest hosts we’ve encountered so far. One afternoon, as I’m enjoying the view, Marina comes strolling up to our patio, bottle of wine in hand. In broken English, she tells me that she and her husband make wine every year, and she brought us a bottle to try. We talk for awhile, and I learn that she has lived in Kotor for 17 years, but she is from Belgrade, Serbia. She and her husband have two children. Her oldest, a daughter, is a very talented musician and either currently attends or will attend a special school for musical prodigies. Her younger son is in 7th grade and is not smart, but he likes to kick soccer balls.

A few nights later, Marina stops by, but this time with a giant wedge of cheese. Another product of her and her husband’s hobbies, it’s been aged in oil and spices and is freaking AMAZING. I want to be friends with this woman.

Kotor is known for it’s population of cats, and they really are everywhere. Most all of them are tame and friendly, perhaps because of all the tourists coming and going, but also maybe because they had a few screws missing. Couple of crosseyed cats make me realize the town is really isolated and there’s definitely some uncle-daddy situations happening. Either way, there are piles of kittens, big prowlers, playful calicos, and an unlimited number of trash cats. There is even a cat museum with an entrance fee of one euro which goes to a fund that helps feed the town’s cats. The museum is mostly photos of famous people with cats throughout history (save yourself the trip and just google “celebrities with cats” and then donate to your local humane society).

Montenegro has some of the most stunning scenery in the world and tucked away in our little fjord of Kotor were a few trailheads that Stephen and I planned to explore. The first hike we undertake I get a lot of good information from the blog Earth Trekkers. The hike is called the Ladder of Kotor, and it’s a switchback trail that was used as an old military road. This particular hike also intersects with a trail that takes you to a window in the fortress where some makeshift stairs lets you access the wall. The “secret castle entrance” trail is fully marked on both sides of the entrance, so we didn’t feel too bad skirting the 8 Euro entrance fee to actually climb the fortress, especially once we hiked the wall and discovered the condition it was in. There is absolutely no way that entrance money is contributing to the preservation of this place.

We set a pretty quick pace in order to get some real exercise in and make our way up the switchbacks. There turns out to be a lot, and it’s a very monotonous hike, however, the view is absolutely stupendous.

We’d packed a picnic of meat, cream cheese, and cucumbers to put on a baguette, and found a spot at the top of the world to refuel. On our way back down, we encounter one of the most beautiful and odd cats I have ever seen. This cat had electric green eyes, but not normal cat eyes. They didn’t have pupils. My cat friends–is this a normal thing? I was/am 100% convinced she came from the future.

After the pit stop to ogle at the supercat, we veer off the main path to loop in through the castle wall. There are lots of other people inside the wall, and the condition of the entire thing seems extremely unsafe to me. It’s not set up as a historical site at all, with information plaques or points of interest. It’s more like exploring abandoned ruins. The structures inside the wall such as various rooms and churches are completely falling down. There is graffiti everywhere, some carved so deep into stone and doors it seems irreparable. The entire city of Kotor has been a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979, so I’m disappointed that the wall was in the state, especially for what they’re charging money to enter.

Our second hike was a little more hidden. We start it on a Sunday afternoon and again, trek along switchbacks for most of the hike. I don’t know much about where this trail leads, just that there is an abandoned military fort at the top. It was initially built by the ottomans, but was used as a Soviet fort up until sometime in the 80s. As we reach the top, we see that it’s actually a pretty popular BBQ spot, and there are lots of groups of locals setting up their grills and food spread in the grassy areas near the buildings.

We walk toward the main cluster of buildings. most of the roofs have begun to collapse. The doors hang ajar and most of the windows are broken out. I look inside a door of on of the larger buildings and am surprised to see there is still stuff inside strewn across the ground – a lot of stuff. Weird stuff. Like gas masks, military jackets, and paperwork. I pick up a piece of water damage paper and see it’s a record of something dating from the 80s. It looks like everything was abandoned in a hurry and it’s incredibly spooky.

We explore deeper into the fort and approach a massive stone building. Along one long side, there is a long row of about 10 windows, all covered with bars. Peering inside each one reveals uniform rooms, all the same size. They all have a numbered plaque above the interior door that opens to a long hallway that runs the length of the building. Steel brackets line the wall. Some of the interior walls are adorned with graffiti, including at least one terrifying portrait of a clown. At the very last window, stones have been piled to form steps to enter into the fortress. Which of course, Stephen does. Is this not the start to every traveler horror movie? At first I tell him I really don’t think it’s a good idea. But then, these two guys walk past us in full tactical gear, ready their headlamps, and disappear into the dark. I feel a little more at ease, and tell Stephen to yell if he’s in trouble. In he goes!

If it were up to me, I would have stayed in Kotor for another week. The weather was mild, the scenery beautiful, and the pace peaceful.

But, the world isn’t going to explore itself, so we sort through the very limited bus options from Montenegro and decide on an overnight bus to Skopje, Macedonia. This bus is set to go through lots of boarder crossings, including Albania, and Kosovo. Totally safe, right?