Have Itch, Will Travel

Unsatisfied with Ulcinj , we sought a Montenegro coastal town worthy of the praise we had heard. Kotor was it. A small tourist town set at the end of an elongated fjord-like bay, Kotor was dwarfed by cliffs and mountain ranges. The cold green water saw cruise ships daily, and international tourists flooded its immaculately reconstructed Old Town to get lost in its labyrinthine cobble stone lanes. A photographer's dream, the Old Town was also the site of fine food , coffee , and souvenirs. Just beyond the city walls, one could take a boat trip, swim , ride a bike , or simply sit at the water's edge to take in the landscape. We decided to hike . We climbed up to the mountain ridge across the bay, each switchback providing a more inspiring view of Kotor and its surroundings. At the top, we found abandoned buildings from the old Yugoslavia days, including the eerie Fort Vrmac . Its dark concrete chambers were strewn with rubble, and rusting iron fittings jutted from the wal...

Oh! The Adriatic Sea ! We had heard of its beauty. Though scared away by the exorbitant accommodation prices in Croatia, four times greater than elsewhere, we were determined to find a way to see the coastline. Montenegro offered some popular holiday spots at more affordable prices, and we chose the smaller town of Ulcinj . What we found was a coastline of rocky cliffs and beaches, met by a calm, deep green sea. Holidaymakers lay on the grey sand on Small Beach , shunning the shady umbrellas to obtain a deeper shade of pink. Meanwhile, a hundred sun lounges were unoccupied along the bottom of the cliffs. We learned that the sun lounges and much of the cliff coast were privately owned by hotels and restaurants, surrounded by fences to keep the public out. Further fuelling our displeasure at the rampant privatisation of what should be enjoyed by all, was learning about the alleged corruption and embezzlement committed by the Ulcinj mayor. It started to make sense. In Ulcinj, cars a...