Montenegro
Know before you go
Where does one even start in describing this true gem of a country? I would rank Montenegro as one of my absolute favorite countries I have visited. We entered by bus from Dubrovnik, Croatia which was a unique experience. Public transportation is a mess, and almost every bus we took was not just late, but sometimes many hours late. After waiting at the bus station for around 5 hours for a bus and being told that it was probably still coming, but they can’t be sure, our driver decided to stop for a coffee break halfway through the trip with a bus full of hot passengers stuck on the bus. He legitimately walked inside and sat down and slowly sipped a coffee while we all waited. Also, there are signs displayed forbidding smoking onboard the bus, which offered an ironic scene as our driver, and almost everyone else on the bus chainsmoked for the entire journey. It was, at times, frustrating, but all you can do is shrug and laugh it off and just not anticipate making it anywhere on time. Once at our destination we rented a camper van and drove through the country. The transportation being as shoddy as it is, this seems to be the only way to get out of the cities and out into the rest of the country, which I assure you, is worth doing. Montenegro is filled with incredible national parks, nature, quaint little villages, massive cliffs, beautiful lakes, you name it. Best of all, the people are friendly, fun, and open. We found ourselves making friends everywhere we went. It was in fact, difficult not to end up drinking all night with someone we just became acquainted with sometimes.
