Today we got up at the crack of dawn to see the beautiful entrance to Montenegro. A few hours later we were driving up to the very top of the mountains you see in the photos in a Land Cruiser with a driver and two other people. The road was very narrow and proved to be harrowing when trying to pass full-sized buses on hairpin curves with sheer drop-offs on the side I was riding on. Vertigo prevailed. Click on the first photo to view all and read commentary on some. Give a bit of time for photos to focus. They should all be in clear focus.

We entered the harbor at 6 AM to this enchanting view.

This tiny island was entirely composed of a Morrish-styled building.

Small boats cut through our wake

as we grew nearer to the town of Kotor.

Dobrodosli!!! The one word of Croation/Serbian I could remember.

The only English words I saw all day.

And finally, up the mountain

Our driver wasn’t very talkative, but he did tell us the story about the man who designed the 25-switchback road to the top of the mountain. This M curve seen from far above is the subject of a favorite local joke. It is said that the man who designed and built it had a girlfriend named Marianna and he designed this set of curves in her honor. Then it is added that the local citizens are all grateful her name wasn’t Olga!

We were in a convoy of 7 Land Cruisers with 4 passengers per car.

on a road where two cars could barely pass. Imagine the excitement when two full-sized buses tried to do so!

Yes, that is the Emerald Princess (the ship I’m traveling on) way down there center-harbor.

There were wildflowers in profusion and the air was full of their seed fuzz.

The farther up the mountain we went, the smaller the road became. I was on the outiside and for most of the way the drop was severe–with no siderails or walls or shoulders. Vertigo? Yes.

Our driver had no idea what this symbol meant.

At the very top, lunch of prosciutto, cheese and bread. The table next to us drank several rounds of grappa.Patti drank wine. I drank water. I had my responsibilites to think of: I had to backseat drive all the way home!

This wall surrounded the old city.

And I take it these were signal towers as two were in view within the part of the wall we could see.

Finally, back to earth

And five hours after we left, we were back aboard home sweet home.