Checking Out Perast

Note to self: Don’t go dangling out of fortress windows! It leads to bruised ribs and a sore chest the next day. 😮

We took the bus to Perast this morning. It’s just two villages away, so it didn’t take long to get there—but it’s too far to walk, and the busy road makes it a bit dangerous. We saw three cycling tour groups ride past our bus stop, and then our bus got stuck behind one of them shortly after. There isn’t enough width on the road to pass safely.

Perast is a bigger place than Orahovac, with a much longer waterfront street and a noticeably more touristy feel. Lots of people were out walking, and there were several fancy restaurants and hotels. The main drawcard of the town is its proximity to the two nearby islands, each with a church: Saint George and Our Lady of the Rocks. You can take a small boat out to them for 5–10 Euros, but apart from a very short walk around the tiny islands, there’s not much else to do. We were happy just to wander the town itself, using the alleyways up and down the hillside to enjoy the views and visit a couple of pretty churches.

There’s no beach in Perast, but there are concrete platforms for swimming. It’s cooler today, with a forecast high of 26°C, but it feels slightly warmer than that. Plenty of people were enjoying the sun and the sea. An hour and a half of exploring was enough for us, so we headed to the outskirts of town to catch the bus back.

Perast would be a good place to stay if you wanted a bit more activity and more restaurants around, but still didn’t want to be right in Kotor. That said, we’re still very happy we chose Orahovac—mainly because of the beach and the particular apartment.

We spent the rest of the day just hanging out at the apartment. We also spent a little time reviewing Plan A for our August “beat the heat” strategy.

I’m not allowed to tell you what we had for dinner. Sarah has banned me from saying. It involved eating—or trying to eat—all our remaining food items that we don’t want to take with us. We didn’t go hungry, but it was a bit weird.

After dinner, we went downstairs to say goodbye to Valentina. She poured us a lemonade and we chatted for a while. She and her husband have lived in the area their whole lives. They have a daughter living at home still. Valentina's mother and sister also live nearby.

Moving day again tomorrow. It’s been a great week, but it’s time to move on.