The bus schedule in Bar is the worst thing ever. There is no such thing as a timetable (you know, the easy thing to do) so in order to find out what bus is going where and when, you have to call the station and find out. Of course they don't speak english, and my serbian is less than conversational, so I decided it would be easier to take a taxi up to Stari Bar. The taxi fare was 4 euros and 50 cents. As some of you may know, I'm trying to limit myself to spending 5 euros per day so I can save the rest for traveling on my breaks. This left me with only 50 cents to survive for the rest of the day! When I got to Old Town excitement consumed me because I finally felt like I was getting out and seeing something exciting. Its been awhile! I immediately saw the walls of Old Town that towered over a few little caffes situated on the outside. To go in and explore, it cost one euro (bummer!) so I gathered up some changed and headed in. It was AWESOME! I definitely didn't expect what I saw. Old Town Budva was full of people and stores and bustling with activity. Stari Bar on the other hand was just lots of ruins with only a few buildings intact and even fewer people. It was completely quiet and it was a nice atmosphere to reflect on what this town once was.
It looked like lots and lots of rubble, but in it you could see that there was so much history dating back to so long ago. I learned that there were over 600 buildings when it was in its prime, but now there were only hulls of what this town once was. It originally looked something like this:
and now its something like this:
much different, right? Anyway, so I explored the ruins for a while and found it really relaxing. Stari Bar is located in the mountains. You can't see it (obviously), but there is a HUGE mountain behind me. Pretty much the only structures still standing were the clocktower (in the picture), the citadel, and the church. Here are a few more pictures:
Montenegrin flag waving proudly
After looking around here for a while, I had seen everything (or so I thought) and decided to head home. I took it as a sign that the taxi ride was just under 5 euros and thought it would be a good opportunity to walk home. It only took about 10 minutes in a taxi and was all uphill, so I thought it would be a breeze to walk all downhill for max 30 minutes. Once I got about 10 minutes into my walk, I realized I forgot to see the world's oldest olive tree, which was back in Old Town. I knew I would be back eventually, so I decided against going back and kept trekking. A cab pulled up beside me and said "Bar?", offering his services. I said no thanks, (but then was instantly disappointed in myself for not saying "ne hvala")and continued down the hill. Literally ten seconds after this, it started pouring. AWESOME! The total walk took me about an hour and a half. I'm not so sure why it took so long, but it was nice (it eventually stopped raining). I got to see the more residential side of Bar instead of the center and I also found the cemetery. I'm not sure why I love them so much, but I'm always completely fascinated by each culture's take on funerals and cemeteries (like the parade of a funeral I saw in Nicaragua, or the Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague) but its so intriguing. anyway, I finally made it back home safe and sound and changed into some dry clothes. Getting out of the house: check. Adventure: double check. Can't wait for my next one!
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