Back "Home" in Porto Montenegro After the Holidays

Looking at the title at the top of the entry, I realize that the boat and our travels are now "home" and going back to Ontario is our "holiday". It has been a couple of weeks since we returned to our "home" on VikingBlod in Porto Montenegro after our "holiday" in Ontario. Our trip took us to Vienna, Austria on December 4th for three days, where we visited Christmas markets, walked around some of the historic sites, and enjoyed some delicious food. We then continued on to Toronto on December 7th for about 5 1/2 weeks for Christmas with family and visiting with friends. 

Christmas market in Vienna

Belvedere Schlossgarten in Vienna

Visiting the Christmas market at Schonbrunn

Christmas market at City Hall

Landing at the airport back in Podgorica, Montenegro at 11:30 p.m. on January 18th, we picked up our rental car and drove over the dark mountain roads to the marina, arriving at 2 a.m to a very chilly boat. Once Neil got the heater working again and attended to a couple of other minor issues, we dropped into a very cold bed at 4 a.m. for some much needed rest. Our first full day back did not disappoint as we were welcomed by sunny skies and a temperature of 16 C, much warmer than the -24 C windchill temperatures our family and friends were experiencing back in southern Ontario. 

One tired pup!

Finnegan was very excited to be back at the boat, pulling me from the rental car to the dock with his tail wagging. He seemed to know he was back home again, or perhaps he was just happy he did not have to be anywhere near an airplane again for a while. Although most of the trip went off without a hitch, he did experience some anxiety when there was a delay off-boarding in Toronto due to a frozen door to the hold. I am not really sure who was more anxious, him or me! After 4 flights we have a pretty good understanding of the ins and outs of flying with the dog including required travel documentation, check-in and drop-off times, how to get confirmation that he is actually on the plane, de-boarding, etc. And the fees! Flying with the dog is expensive. There are fees for the paperwork, fees for flying, fees for hotel cleaning due to the dog (even though we did not have our room cleaned while there) and, according to the Canadian Customs agent, fees to LOOK at his paperwork to see that he has an up-to-date rabies vaccine. Apparently this is a cost of $30 CDN and it is at the discretion of the agent whether the fee will be enforced or not. Thankfully, we were not being charged "this time" she informed me, but be prepared because "you may be charged next time". Only in Canada! No other country, except Austria, has even looked at his documentation and that was for a quick glance at his Pet Passport and a stamp on the Canadian documentation at NO charge.

Let me out!

During our visit to the cold, white Greater Toronto Area (yes, there was snow), Neil, Finnegan and I were graciously welcomed by Al and MP at their home for a week. We enjoyed their company for a very short time before they were both running off to Christmas parties and jetting off to the U.S. for work, leaving Neil and I the pleasure of staying in their home and using one of their vehicles. We cannot thank them enough for their hospitality! Thankfully, we were able to squeeze in some time to visit with them during our stay. Since our first day in Toronto was my dad's birthday, we had arranged a birthday dinner for him and had fun surprising my parents at the restaurant since they did not know that we were going to attend. Over the holidays we were joined by Ben and Julia at our Airbnb in Burlington and spent Christmas at my sister and brother-in-law's place in Ancaster with my family. It was so fantastic seeing everyone again! A highlight for me was our 47th annual family girls' weekend that was moved to early January to accommodate my trip home. We also made sure to celebrate Ben's 20th birthday since we were not together in November.

Happy 20th Benjamin!

Julia and Mom at Christmas

Finnegan likes presents too!

Girls' Weekend!

Neil and I both really enjoyed all of our get-togethers with family and friends during our stay. Neil's sister Lisbeth and her husband Ole hosted us a couple of times for delicious Danish meals in their condo in the Toronto Harbourfront area. We also enjoyed a traditional smorrebrod at my sister-in-law Suzanne's place with Julia and Ben on Boxing Day, and a trip to Newmarket to visit Neil's sister Aase and brother Erik. A highlight of our time there was going to visit Aase's horse Danny. 

Visiting Danny and friend

Danish Smorrebrod at Suzanne's

We tried to squeeze in as much as we could during our stay, including visits to the dentist, medical appointments, financial appointments, haircuts, and a grooming for Finnegan. There was a quick trip to Kingston to see Julia's place and spend time with her there, an overnight stay in Blue Mountain to see Judy, Rick and friends, New Year's with Al, MP, Ingrid and Steve, and Ingrid's special birthday party as well. We appreciate everyone taking the time to see us while we were home (Carol, Anne, Lisa, the Annette Ladies, Edel, Erin and Christie, Adam and Colleen, Bob and Sue, Curtis and Chris). All of this wonderful time spent with everyone made it very hard to say goodbye when the time came, especially since we do not know when we will be back.

Celebrating Ingrid's birthday

Since our return, we have been busy finding homes for the four duffel bags full of items we brought back to the boat with us. Neil, after taking measurements here before we left the boat, successfully installed the three drawers and the spice rack for the galley that he had made back in his workshop in his sister's garage in Hamilton. All fit perfectly! They are a great addition to our kitchen storage. Other items we brought back with us include Ziplock bags (hard to find, but a necessity on the boat), books (for me since I had only 2 on board), boat parts, a new T.V. lift, watermaker filters, extra clothing, new TEVA's (since our very old ones had deteriorated in the salt water), a dog raincoat, spices (we should have stocked up in Turkey!), and more! We were somewhat concerned that we would be stopped at Customs in Podgorica to pay duty fees when we arrived with the four hockey bags, 2 carry-on suitcases, 2 backpacks and 1 dog crate with dog, but lucky for us, ours was the last plane of the night and the customs officer looked disinterested and waved us through so he could finish his shift and be on his way!

Some of the gear!

New drawers!

Spice rack closed...

... and open!

We are here in Porto Montenegro for the next 3 months or so and are looking forward to warmer temperatures, socializing with our other liveaboard friends, Mardi Gras in Kotor, a trip to the ski chalet owned by the marina, and participating in some of the events hosted by the marina. We will also be greatly anticipating the arrival of my parents for a visit in April! 

In December we learned to make fresh pasta at a cooking class that took place at St. Nicholas Monastery in Kotor and last night we participated in February's class learning to make gnocchi. Of course, we got to enjoy the fruits of our labour during a three course meal afterwards with wine provided. While at the monastery we were given a tour of the interior and the adjoining Church of St. Clare. Last night's participants included a group of nine young women who are all employed as crew on a huge, privately owned super yacht that is currently docked in the marina. Their home countries include South Africa, UK, Serbia, Sweden, Ireland, and Ukraine. All were incredibly friendly and it was interesting to listen to their stories about life on board the ship. Of course, they were all in love with Finnegan : )

Learning to make pasta!

The Monastery

Pasta class in December

Elise has mastered it!

While in Montenegro, we are planning to visit more of the inland area of this beautiful country and venture further afield to explore some of the historic sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Based on some of the Youtube videos we have watched, it should not disappoint. In November we rented a car and were able to visit Kotor and Budva here in Montenegro, which are both absolutely gorgeous. Traveling along the coastal mountain roads gave us the opportunity to appreciate the stunning views of the Adriatic Sea. 

Kotor is a coastal town located 12 km away from Porto Montenegro on the Bay of Kotor, a 21 minute drive along the coast or a 30 minute drive over the mountains. It is a destination for cruise ships when in season as it has very deep water in the bay with a solid clay bottom that provides great hold for anchoring. The temperature in Kotor can be surprisingly colder than here in the marina as we learned from our waiter at the restaurant where we stopped for lunch. He explained to us how terribly cold it gets in January ("as cold as -4 C!"). We laughed and told him we were on our way back to Canada and would most likely experience real cold of maybe -10 to -15 C. Needless to say, he did not like the sounds of that! 

Overlooking the old town of Kotor

The town of Kotor, first settled in 168 BCE during Roman times, is surrounded by old fortifications from the Venetian period and is one of the best preserved medieval old towns in the Adriatic. It is classified as a double UNESCO World Heritage site: as the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor and for Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th centuries. For a fee of 15 euro each, we were granted entry to the site so we could make the one hour climb up to the top to see the ruins of the old fort. Taking our time it was a pleasant hike, but I did have to stop to catch my breath here and there along the way (blaming Finnegan of course!). Most of the trail was comprised of old stone steps, some in good repair while others had seen better days. As is the case with most hikes up to the top of something, the views were worth the effort and were absolutely breathtaking! 

It is a long way up!

Not even half way!

Church of Our Lady of Remedy

View from the top!

We were two of only a handful of people making the effort to climb to the top and tour around. This is one of the benefits of being able to tour in the off-season. After stopping to take many photos, we made our way back down with Finnegan leading the way, always making sure that I was coming along behind. Half way down we stopped at Church of Our Lady of Remedy. Nearby we were greeted by a young woman and her parents from Turkey. They were quite excited that we Canadians had recently been in Turkey and were delighted to learn of the places we had been and our experiences there. Before we departed, they wanted to know about the remainder of the hike to the top and if there was a cafe up there. We had a quiet chuckle about this as there is nothing but ruins and the spectacular view. In the end they decided the view was just fine from half way up. We said our goodbyes and continued down to explore the remainder of the old town and enjoy a well-earned lunch. 

More recently, the town of Kotor is known for its large population of cats that have become a symbol of the city. Several cat stores, a cat museum and the Cat's Square can be found there, much to Finnegan's dismay. He gives them a wide berth. We also visited many churches: the Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas, St. Tryphon Cathedral, St. Luke's Church, and the Church of Blazena Ozana (Blessed Ozana). On our drive back to the boat along the shoreline, we stopped at the beautiful Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary which was closed for renovations, but we were able to tour the grounds. In the future, we hope to visit Our Lady of the Rocks Church located on an island in the bay.

Old wall of Kotor

Cats of Kotor!

St. Luke's Church

Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Neil and Finnegan and the Bay of Kotor

Our Lady of the Rocks

The next day, we took another short road trip of 25 km to the old town of Budva, Montenegro known for its well-preserved medieval walled city. Budva is approximately 2,500 years old and is one of the oldest settlements on the Adriatic coast. Again, the view from the coastal road is spectacular. It is also known as Budva Riviera and has many beaches. 

Overlooking one beach on the Budva Riviera

Being the end of November, we did not bring along our bathing suits, but several brave souls were taking advantage of the beautiful, warm sunny afternoon to take a dip in the sea. Judging by their reactions it was not terribly warm. Budva has been controlled by many different peoples since its beginnings as there is evidence of Greek settlement before the Romans. Since Montenegro's independence in 2006 it has been the main tourist destination. In 1979 much of the old town of Budva was destroyed in a catastrophic earthquake, but thankfully it has all been restored to its original form. At the beginning of the war in Ukraine in 2022 many Ukrainian, Russian and Turkish immigrants settled in Budva. The entire interior of the walled city is pedestrian only which gave us the opportunity to stroll the narrow streets and learn of the history, including the town citadel (originally known as Castle of St. Mary) with its eastern and western towers. Nearby is a large town square that contains all of the churches of the old town - St. Ivan Church (17th century), Santa Maria in Punta Church (840 AD), St. Sava Orthodox Church (12th century), Church of St. John the Baptist, and the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church (1804). 

Church of the Holy Trinity

Church of St. John the Baptist 7th - 12th Century AD

Overlooking Budva

Since it was such a gorgeous day, we enjoyed cappuccino at one of the beach cafes and a walk along the beach adjacent to Old Town where we saw the famous statue of the Budva Ballerina, also known as the Budva Gymnast, near Mogren beach.

Rocky cliffs at Mogren Beach

The Budva Ballerina/The Budva Gymnast Statue

Looking ahead to next week, we have a trip planned to drive up the mountains to the local ski chalet with a few other couples. Since there isn't any snow, we are planning to hike and enjoy a change of scenery. We are also currently researching and discussing our route for this coming sailing season which always involves trying to plan our time with the Schengen restrictions in mind. Not an easy task!