Holiday in the Balkans (6): Cetinje & Njegusi
Another day (Thursday), another excursion – but shorter this time (9 am – 3.15 pm). We started with our first experience of rain but the weather soon brightened up and then became warm (22C).
Our first destination was the charming town of Cetinje. This was founded in the 1480s and it was Montenegro’s capital for over four and a half centuries until 1945. We visited the Museum of King Nikola who was the ruler of Montenegro from 1860 to 1918, a period regarded as the country’s ‘golden age’. The building dates from 1871 and is the former residence of the king. All the furnishing is original except for the silk wallpaper.
Next stop was the sleepy village of Njegusi which was the birthplace of the ruler Petar II. Here we visited a restaurant called “Konoba Kod Radonjica” where we were treated to a light meal of cheese and the local version of prosciutto which is an air-cured ham called “prsut”.
From here, our coach took a precipitous and winding single-lane road down to the coast with fabulous views of the Bay of Kotor on which we will sail tomorrow. The road has 23 numbered hairpin bends (or “serpentines as our guide called them), but there are almost 50 in total and all the while there is a huge drop by the side of the narrow road but spectacular views of this World Heritage Site.
Driving through the coast town of Budva, we stopped opposite the tiny island of Sveti Stefan which is connected to the mainland by a stone causeway. Today this is Montenegro’s most exclusive resort and the location of some scenes from the James Bond film “Casino Royale”.