Montenegro is a small country. It took less than two hours to go from 1400 meters to sea level, from -6 degrees to shirtsleeves, from the browns of late autumn to trees full of ripe oranges. The Romans called this part of the world as Dalmatia and the name stuck.
Herceg Novi was a little off our planned route but it was a worthwhile detour. Getting lost in the warren of stairways and crooked alleys of the old town is almost guaranteed . . . but it's a nice diversion. No worries, though, heading down will take you to the sea, up brings you back to the main road.
Rather than take the ferry we drove around the bay, through Risan, on our way to Budva. This part of Montenegro was controlled by the once powerful city-state of Venice and the architecture has a distinctly Italian feel. The seaside town of Perast is a little slice of Venice - sans canals - in Montengro.
