See the hot spots around The Balkans In 60 Days – Stop 17 Kotor, Perast, Podgorica, Montenegro

29/8/2018 -1/9/2018. After Bosnia, I set my sights on Montenegro. The first stop was Kotor. Google said it would take about five hours, but my bus took more than nine hours. We left at 9 a.m., arriving past 6 p.m. It was hard on my bony backside, but it was a scenic route. Time flew as the bus crept forward, rounding the hill slopes, negotiating the bends, the wheels rolling up and down the mountains. Turquoise water slithered deep in the valleys below, sometimes slowing down, sometimes accelerating, forming rapids, and with it many floats struggling to keep afloat. It was a scenic drive.

29/8/2018 -1/9/2018 攻克巴尔干下一站该哪走，研究了地图，就这样定了，下个目标到黑山共和国。第一站到科托尔去 (Kotor)。谷歌地图显示只需五小时多，真是太没问题了，结果早上九点开车，傍晚六点才到，我臀部经过这折腾后，难以恢复原状。

波斯尼亚那段路确难走，经常一路狭窄单行道，翻山越岭，往往绕着边缘惊险缓慢爬行。不过一路山青水秀 – 山体都是绿绿山林，此起彼伏的大山，险峻的峡谷，峡谷流着绿水，形成急流。有急流就有玩命的漂流运动，河流岸边可见不少漂流营地。在偏僻的山中路过两境安检。到黑山这方，一大段路就是一大湖绿水，可能都是群山吸收的雨水。这九小时不算是车程，更像观光。

Mountainous road from Sarajevo to Montenegro 往黑山的山路

Green sceneries on the way to Montenegro 往黑山青山绿水 — Mountainous road from Sarajevo to Montenegro 往黑山的山路

Mountains surround Kotor. These mountains are themselves surrounded by water, up to their waist. The old city revealed much of its insecure past. With the mountains watching its back, it was doubly protected by high walls and a watery moat all around. The invaders were long gone, but it was easy to imagine the city was still under siege, as live water channeled from the sea still filled the moat, just like ancient times. Europe has been plagued by wars in the past. Everyone had a score to settle. Everyone wanted something of their neighbors, constantly watching their backs, despite the appearance of civility today. These souvenirs stand as reminders of how bloody we were as people.

科托尔 (Kotor) 周围是山，水在低处流，好像給山在泡脚。科托尔过往危机四伏，老城区前门城墙高筑，四面护城河围护，背后靠山防暗算。现在虽然入侵者已去，这危机感依旧，护城河还是护城河，海水还是从湾边引到墙外。以前来者不善，善者不来，现在当然是来者多多益善。

以往的欧洲也是勾心斗角，战火连连。这些围墙今天已没什么作用，但提醒人类的文明，和文明的人类有过血腥历史。这些就是纪念品。

I have climbed a few mountains in different countries, usually assisted, just to have hilltop views of the city. This time I outdid myself. I stood on my two feet, climbed the inclines with my wobbly legs. I just wanted to see things, provided it was not too much hard work. After a 10-minutes climb, I came to the fee entrance. After paying eight euros, I asked the keeper how long it took to get to the top. He replied, “About 35 minutes.” I had cold feet and wanted a refund. He would not oblige, so there was only one way, up. This climb to the Fortress of Kotor was, wow, kind of high up, much higher than those I have climbed before, except those in a cable car. But it was totally worth it. The views were worth a million and more. It was just raw, rugged, exhilarating, breathtaking, the whole of Kotor under my feet, all the sweating was no sweat at all.

山我是爬过几回，可是这回真超越了自己。本来也没想爬，只是没头绪瞎撞，爬了十多分钟后，到了个收费站（哪有人把收费站放在隐蔽山坡的），付了八欧元后，顺口问到山顶要多久，收费员告知三十五分钟，我想退票已太晚了，毕竟这年龄，该好自量力。只能勇往前行。这科托尔堡垒 (Fortress of Kotor) 真高，远比我以前两腿爬过的高很多。最终到了旗帜点，好像站在人家的屋顶，一眼望下去，整个海峡，两岸夹峙的高山，尽收眼下，一切汗水都是值得的。

View from the Fortress of Kotor 科特尔城堡看科特尔全景

From Kotor town, I took the public bus to Perast, only 15 minutes away. This town was as picturesque as Kotor. The landmarks were a monastery and a church, but each perched on a tiny island with hardly any unbuilt ground, like two floats that have drifted away from the mainland. What’s the idea of building a church on an island with no car park? Okay, they could not have foreseen churchgoers needing car parks today. But wouldn’t it be easier to walk than pedal to a church?

从科托尔坐公交十五分钟到佩拉斯特海边小镇。景色跟科托尔差不多，也是山水画面，奇特就是一座小教堂和一座修道院各别在湾中小岛，四面环水，没左邻右舍，像浮标在水中荡漾。把教堂造在湾中很奇葩，是什么概念。

Time to now move on to the capital of Montenegro Podgorica. Montenegro is a mountainous country. The bus rounded the mountains, passing by valleys, driving by bays, and two hours later I was in Podgorica. To be honest, I had never heard of this city before I came. When I arrived, it happened to be a Saturday. This city was truly puny, despite being the capital. I almost have no recollection of what I saw. This capital was heavily bombarded by the coalition during the wars, so not much is left, except maybe a disused bridge and tower.

In the evening, I wanted to socialize more, so I went hill climbing in the suburb of my homestay, joining the locals doing their evening exercise. When the park got a bit deserted, I walked into the main stadium to watch football. A division one match was going on. No entrance fee, as I was told by my host, because the standard of play sucked.

今早离开科托尔到黑山首都波得戈利里察 (Prodgarica)。黑山是个多山的国家，据我所见，白天都是绿山，只在晚上都变为黑山。大巴在高坡上盘旋，忽见山谷，忽见海湾，转眼两小时多后抵达首都，刚好又是周六，市内行人只依稀可见，做为首都，真的冷清得可怜。

这城市二战时给盟军狂轰乱炸，因此古迹古建荡然无存，只看到一个小塔和一个废弃的小桥。这盟军也是的，像其他城市，至少也该留下点废墟，现在连历史也没见证了。