European Bus Tour 1: Montenegro and Croatia

Photo by Philip Galvin

In 2018, we took a bus tour starting from Rumania, visiting 9 countries as follows:

• Romania
• Bulgaria
• Macedonia
• Albania
• Montenegro*
• Croatia*
• Bosnia
• Serbia
• Hungary

1. Montenegro

After we left Albania, the bus drove through Montenegro to our next destination, Croatia. Unfortunately, we didn't stop at any places in Montenegro but some of the views from our bus windows were stunning and memorable.

Here is a bit of history about Montenegro. After WWII, Montenegro became part of Yugoslavia. However, following the break-up of Yugoslavia, the Republics of Serbia and Montenegro together proclaimed a federation. Montenegro declared its independence from Serbia and Montenegro in June 2006. 

                                                                Town of Sveti Stefan

We would say Sveti Stefan, once a 15th-century fishing village, truly represents Montenegro. What a beautiful sight!  Apparently, there are cliff-backed beaches and seaside restaurants, bars, and hotels in this gorgeous town. It is an ultra-exclusive island which features a luxurious 5-star resort. The island is connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus as you can see above. 

Our bus continued to drive through many interesting sights as follows:

                            Kotor City Walls

2. Croatia (Republic of Croatia)

Croatia is located on the coast of the Adriatic Sea in Central and Southeast Europe.  We stayed in the resort part of Dubrovnik for a couple of days to explore the city.

                                         Our Hotel

1) Dubrovnik Port (Pile Gate)

Pile Gate is one of the primary filming locations for Game of Thrones ("King's Landing"). As you can imagine, the medieval sights throughout the port were quite impressive to see.

                                                                                     Pile Gate - the main western entrance to Old Town

1) Old City of Dubrovnik

Old City of Dubrovnik is Croatia's premier tourist destination and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It is famous for Gothic-Renaissance architecture, Limestone-paved, streets, and its perfectly preserved medieval walls, This town was also known as the filming location for Game of Thrones.

a. Church of St. Ignatius

This  church was built in 1725. Apparently, the long Baroque staircase which leads to this church (no photo is here) was featured on HBO's "Game of Thrones".

b. The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

c. Saint Blaise's Church

This cyrrebt church was built in the Venetian baroque-style in 1715 by the architect and sculptor named Marino Gropelli. The original church was built when the Great Council of Debrovnik decided to build a Romanesque church dedicated to St. Blaise as head and protector of the city. This was because in February, 1349, the Black Death arrived in Dubrovnik. The St. Blaise became  the second most important church of Dubrovnik after ite cathedral.