Some of our best excursions are unplanned, just like yesterday. We thought we were going for a hike in the mountains near Kolasin. However, we came to a tunnel that was blocked and under construction, with no other easy route to the trailhead. We wound our way up the mountains past the closed ski resort (not enough snow 😢), only to get stuck in crunch, icy, unforgiving snow. (We do have chains for the car tires, but wasn’t sure the walk was worth the effort.)
So we decided to head down to the Morača Monastary. The drive winds itself down the mountains into the canyon overlooking the Morača River and is absolutely breathtaking – one of those drives that requires two hands on the wheel at all times!
Believe in reincarnation? Check out the photo above (13th century orthodox monk) and below (Nick Offerman, actor).
The Serbian orthodox monastary was built in 1252, and is still today considered one of the best medieval monuments in Montenegro. Burned by the Ottomans in 1505, it was restored later in the century thanks to a mild political climate. Unfortunately photos are not allowed inside the building, so we had to stash our phones while walking through the ornate chapel.
We continued down the road and stopped at the Konoba Meduriječje for lunch. Radovan Šćepanović-Rambo, the owner, came out to meet us and welcome us to his restaurant. As Rambo speaks no English, and we only knew a few words of Montenegrin, thanks to Google Translate and pantomime we spent the most delightful afternoon here. But first we played with the dogs!
Then we sat for a lunch of fresh farmer’s cheese, dates, walnuts, bread, and kajmak (a local tangy cream cheese). Then Radovan presented us with trout that he catches himself in the river every day. We finished lunch with a local chiffon type cake and Turkish coffee, only to be presented with a bottle of his homemade raki to take with us. His friend Milo and I are now Facebook buddies.
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