Rosie has just booked an apartment for a one month solo stay in the Balkan Country of Montenegro, with out really doing any prior research, based on one (totally awe inspiring) photograph of the country and the (surprisingly close) proximity to our last stop in Croatia.
Hence, she has broken her own Golden Rule of Travel #1 – Always Do Your Research Before Booking Anything. Me thinks I had best start checking out this place by researching The Facts.
The total population of the country of Montenegro is 650,000. Its a tiny country, only 13,812 sq kms which is exactly twice the size of Rosie and The Operators home province of Taranaki back in New Zealand.
Kotor, where Rosie will be staying has a population of 13,500 people. With 6000 still living with in the walls of the UNESCO protected old town.
Montenegro’s name is……Italian, as it used to be part of, and governed by Venice along with the rest of the Dalmatian Coast in the Middle Ages. The meaning of Montenegro in English is ‘Black Mountain’.
This is a picture below of The Bay of Kotor where Rosie will be staying in the town of Kotor which is partially shown below.
The lowdown on Montenegro is that it is NOT an EU country. Ooops….does Rosie and The Operator need a visa to visit there? NO, our NZ passports are valid for 90 days of visitation. Our apartment owner must however register our stay and passports with the tourist board and police. OK, that was easy, Rosie was a little worried when it took our apartment owner a week to bring my passport back….we will see when I try to enter another country how many other Rosies there are loose in the world and whether my identity has been stolen and sold on….
The town of Kotor sits right at the end of the horseshoe bay it is named after. Isnt it a beautiful sight framed by the ‘black mountains’? Rosie is staying within walking distance of where the cruise ship is parked, just outside the Old Town.
When we entered Montenegro we did have to pass through the good old fashioned Border Control for a stamp in our passports! Yay!!!! We also needed a special insurance dispensation for our Croatian rental car….at an additional cost,….Boooo! Handy tip, organise this in Croatia when you collect your rental car then you wont be held up at the border. Arrive early at the border…it can take up to an hour waiting in queue….we waited approx 12 mins for about 5 cars ahead to be processed.
Even though its a non EU country, the currency of Montenegro is the Euro…go figure.
Montenegro was one of the Eastern European countries freed from Russian domination in 1991 when the USSR was dissolved. It then became part of the Yugoslav Federation which was dissolved in 1992. It then teamed up for a short term union with Serbia and this was dissolved in 2006 when both countries decided to go it alone and become separate and sovereign republics.
Montenegro has its own language. Do you think Rosie can find an app anywhere? NO. Rosie tries her trusty Google Translate for a few key phrases but the dude speaks that poorly on it Rosie cannot imitate it…she hopes that is not how they really do speak. Officially they also use, Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian and Albanian. Excellent Rosie is already fluent in Croatian….for ordering coffee, food and wine, at least we will not go hungry or thirsty.
A quick browsy on www.safetravel.govt.nz and no there are no travel advisories issued in Montenegro, it is deemed super safe other than that you should have comprehensive medical and travel policies in place that include provision for medical evacuation by air – shit! Roger that, sure have…..hope I will not be needing this service here.
Well, OK, basic knowledge covered, mind at rest now Rosie can enjoy her four days in Montenegro with The Operator before she does it alone for the month.
