Balkan Road Trip: Day 6

I apologize in advance for the photo overload. I even tried to just pick a few, but I couldn't do it!

We were up pretty early and we packed up and left our campsite in northern Albania around 7:30. We crossed into Montenegro at 8:15 (after a bit of a confusing traffic jam at the border).

I couldn't get over the scenery as we drove. Montenegro is SUCH a beautiful country!

We reached our first stop, Budva, around 10.

Budva is a beautiful town on the Montenegrin coast overlooking the Adriatic Sea.

The Old Town of Budva lies on a small peninsula and it is just lovely to stroll through its narrow, winding streets.

I don't think anyone was really looking at the camera but me, but I love these doors!

After getting our fill of Budva, we hopped in the van, quickly made some ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch and hit the road. It was another half hour until we reached the town of Kotor, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. Wow, it certainly did not disappoint . . .

Beautiful limestone mountains.

Walking through the Old Town.

It was very easy to get lost in the maze of narrow paths, but thankfully we had a map.

To get the best views of the bay of Kotor you MUST climb the old city walls to St. John's fortress.

It was a bummer that we ended up in Kotor at the hottest part of the day - we really wanted to make it the whole way to the fortress, but with 5 kids in tow, it was simply not to be. We made it more than halfway though - I was proud of the kids!

About halfway up the hill is the Church of Our Lady of Remedy. It dates back to 1518.

Hot and sweaty!

Taking a break in the shade.

The fortress of St. John sits at roughly 250 meters (820 feet) above sea level. You have to to climb about 1,350 stairs to get to the top. When we ran out of water, we decided it was time to turn back :)

On the way down!

Can you spot Isaiah? Going down was much more fun for him!

The fortress walls date back to medieval times, started in the 9th century they were added to over the years by whoever had control over the city at the time - from the Venetians to Ottoman Turks. Despite invasions and earthquakes throughout the years, they are still surprisingly well-preserved.

After all that climbing in the heat of the day - these kiddos deserved some ice cream! I would give Brooks an ice cream cone every day to see that smile :)

Exhausted from our exploration of the Old Town and hike up the city walls, it was back to the van to drive by the bay and find a campsite. We found two, but they were both full. We turned around and drove the other direction around the bay, getting more discouraged as it got later in the day that we wouldn't find a place. Thankfully, we found Camp Naluka shortly after 5.

At least we had these kind of views while we drove. Not too shabby!

We set up camp and went for a short swim in the bay. The water was FREEZING so the kids didn't last too long, but it was probably one of the most beautiful places we've ever swam.

A cute restaurant a short walk from the campsite.

I love adventuring with my people!