Wild Beauty

I've been going to Montenegro my whole life. Considering that my mother is from Montenegro, half of my family lives there, so it's no wonder I spent almost all of my winter and summer breaks there.

When I was in those tricky teenage years, I always thought I'm gonna stop going there, 'cause ''I'm seeing this multiple times a year, what new could I possibly see''. Well, I was very wrong. And in time, Montenegro very much grew to my heart.

Every year I visit the Montenegro seaside, and I spend time in our small family house. I have lots of friends there and it's never boring. The small village we all come in is called 'Djurmani'. It's near the city called Bar. Bar is one of the biggest (and most beautiful) places in Montenegro, and is also a harbour. See, I've visited Bar multiple of times, went there grocerie shopping, to have coffee, drinks, or just to take a long walk by the sea, but in all my 25 years I have never visited the old part of the city.

The old part is called ''Stari Bar'', which is litterally translated ''old town of Bar''. The local people sometimes still call it Antibaris. I really wanted to go, but almost never had the company. So, I was persistant enough this time and convinced my mom to go with me.

Antibaris is a citadel, a castle. It was built around the 13th century, believe it or not. It's history is very rich, considering it exists almost nine centuries.

This is a pic of one of the main streets that leads to the citadel. On it's left and right side are many bars and restaurants, all of them cute, but sorta pricey.

This bar is one of the cutest. No alcohol is served, because the owners are local religious Muslim people. You can find the best home roasted turkish coffee ever, though. It's black and strong and smells like heaven.

And then when you climb the citadel, you get this. My poor amateur camera and photographing ''skills'' captured only small part of this wild beauty. This is the view from one of the highest points of the citadel. You can see the sea in the distance! :)

You really have to be there to appreciate it the right way. The hills take your breath away, and you can feel a bit of a breeze, the sun feels warm on your skin, and you can almost hear the silence. It truly is a jewel of Montenegro.

On your way down to the city you have these kind of beauties.

And then, when you're returning from the citadel, and you're on your way to the main part of the city of Bar, you can see one of the biggest mosques on Balkan, and Islamic Cultural Center, ''Selimija''. It truly is a sight.

There are many, many photos I took that day, but these are some of the best. Maybe in the future I'll make a more detailed post about the Citadel's rich history.

Until then, I hope you enjoy this amateur post, and hope you got a bit of an insight about Montenegro. If you decide to visit, you won't regret it. It truly has a soul. :)

Much love,

August