28th August to 1st September - Refreshment of the Soul

I awoke around 1 or 2 pm, which would turn out to be a fairly standard affair. Zeljko cooked a really tasty breakfast and prepared a fantastic coffee (which seemed to be a Balkans take on the Greek/Turkish coffee). Naturally (to Zeljko) he also served up a shot glass filled to the brim with my raki alongside the coffee. And let me tell you, nothing says "Lets have a great day" better than homebrew raki, strong coffee and tasty breakfast! Sent a few emails and chatted, was actually well into the afternoon before I made it down to the beach. Superb. I had one of those moments where you think "This is like a dream, I can't believe I am really here". This is the Europe of your dreams. The "Stari Grad" (translation: walled city) which I was staying in, is 2,500 years old and laced with narrow streets and overhead balconies. As I type this entry up back in Australia, I can easily reflect that it is probably the most beautiful place I visited in Europe. The water is perfectly clear, the rays of sunshine rippling over the rounded, aqua-marine rocks, which stud the sea floor. Greeting your salt stung eyes, as they break the surface of the Mediterranean is the intriguing architecture of the stari grad, with the Montenegrin mountain range rising steeply in the background, bald patches of rock staining the slopes, betraying their age.

Today I woke a tad earlier and had the same coffee/raki/breakfast, today washed down with some beer, before the sun had crossed the yardarm. Whatever, i am holidays. Hmmm, this does ring somewhat hollow though as I realise that I have been on holidays for about 18 months. Satisfaction. I was feeling very contemplative, something that is rather easy when you have only two things to "do". One was lying on the beach. The other was wandering through the alley ways and alcoves. Spent some hours down on the beach, was very enjoyable.

After that I spent some time just wandering aimlessly, but not without aim through the backstreets and alleys. Fantastic.

Wandered around in the early evening with Teresa and Zeljko, got an awesome sandwich and went to a bar for a beer. Or more accurately, went and sat in a vine covered alley, and were served beer. Relaxing. After a few beers I wandered towards the end of the unlit alley, peering into backyards. The curved alley revealed an archway, which I was somewhat surprised to find led only to a 2m drop onto rocks. No signs. Nothing to stop you. Simply stunning views greet the eyes, imprinting themselves directly onto my brain, as these were the sights I had dreamed of. Some days pass...

Was planning to leave this morning, but the sensually relaxing lifestyle seduced me into staying for another day (I slept in). We all went down to the beach, swum and sunned ourselves. As we returned to T and Zeljko's apartment, we met a couple of fellow travelers. Actually, there was already another CSer hanging out, so that meant 6 people in a 1 room apartment. Interesting, but we somehow managed to position ourselves with no worries. The two travelers were called Florian and James, couple of cool guys who had met on the road and decided to travel together for a while. We went for some beers and I slept my last night in enchanting Budva...