Bar – my first stop in Montenegro

So after 12 hours in train, a 4kms walk to my accommodation and a good night sleep I woke up to another beautiful day, all ready to explore the city of Bar. I didn’t have my hopes very high as it seemed like the city is mainly a big seaport and nothing else than that. And actually that is true. Bar is just your typical average city with the beautiful location but not much else. If you like spending time sunbathing and swimming in the sea then you wouldn’t be bored there. But for me one day was just perfect there as I could see all the sights without being in the hurry and I even relax a little bit with the book at the beach.

I booked an apartment for myself and it was the perfect choice. I had a spacious room with a balcony, a kitchen corner, a tv set (that I didn’t even turn on) and a bathroom just to myself. And what was the best – I had an amazing sea view. I think I spent a great part of my time there at the balcony, just enjoying the view. Also in the neighbourhood I had a supermarket, a bakery and a fruit stand so in the morning I could eat the most delicious fresh breakfast ever. The apartment was located in Susanj which is a residential area of Bar, so much nicer than the centre.

The first steps I took to see the city took me to the beach that was very close from where I stayed. It was nice but very narrow and with stones that made walking not so pleasant experience. But still I was enjoying the warm water and amazing views. Montenegro really seems like a perfect seaside destination – mix of sea and mountains is definitely what I like the most! The beach felt kind of old fashioned, with rundown deckchairs and half destroyed umbrellas but I really liked this post Soviet charm. It really showed Bar isn’t your typical tourist destination, not at the end of September at least, and that already makes it my ideal place to visit.

I walked on the beach for a while (in the meantime it changed into the promenade) until I reached the port. There was nothing to see for me so I thought I’ll see what the city centre has to offer. It had nothing, really nothing! There were only tall block of flats, overpriced and not so appealing restaurants and random shops. So actually I just passed the centre and moved to the bus station to get the ticket for the trip to Kotor (and again thanks to the similar languages it was extremely easy, that’s another plus for Eastern Europe and especially Slavonic countries!). It was only 1pm so I thought it’s time to go to Stari Bar, the old part of the city that dates back to 8th century BC but now it’s mostly in a ruin. And that’s the reason itself why it’s worth to spend a day in Bar. This part was so interesting it deserves a separate post that will follow shortly!

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On the way back I had this smart idea of walking to the city instead of waiting 50 minutes for the bus. It was around 7kms back to Susanj and my feet are still hating me for that but I made it, just in time for the sunset at the local beach. That was such a lovely view, sun reflecting in the sea, with the amazing mountains in the background… maybe Bar wasn’t such a bad place after all??