Today I woke up, went for a nice run along the water, and then Sydney and I did a day excursion to the Elaphiti Islands. A boat took us to three different islands, Kolocep, Lopund, and Sipan. All the islands were so beautiful, and the boat rides to each one were so relaxing. In between islands, we even docked to have lunch. On the last island, we literally hiked to one of the highest points to reach the sandy beach on the other side. The water here was much warmer, so we spent a lot of time swimming. We also realized how salty the water was. Not only could we taste it and feel it on our skins, but we also floated so easily! It was so amazing to be in the water and surrounded by mountains! We met some cool girls from New Zealand and a couple from Wisconsin, who we spent most of our day chatting with. When we got back to the hotel, we hit the pool and sauna, had dinner, and relaxed.
Tuesday was our excursion to Montenegro...yes, the country. All of the students from UConn went, and we had a blast! I thought it was the MOST beautiful place I have ever seen. The bus ride from Dubrovnik was a few hours, and we waited for a bit to get through the Croatian and Montenegrin borders, but eventually we were driving along a winding road on the edge of the cliffs of the Bay of Kotor. It was incredible! At our first stop, we took a boat to one of two small artificial islands called Our Lady of the Rock, built to commemorate an icon on Mary and Jesus found floating in that spot of the ocean. There was small church and a museum on the island. From there we headed to the town of Kotor. It was very quaint with stone paths and small boutiques and restaurants. We had a delicious lunch, a tour of the area, and some free time to wander. On the way to our final destination, we passed through the tunnel in which a scene from Casino Royale was filmed. At this final stop, we were also close to the hotel in which some of the movie was filmed, but we weren't actually able to see it. This town was very Medieval-like and was surrounded by a stone wall. The town was preparing for a carnival so it had lots of fun decorations. We explored for a bit then relaxed by the beach. Eventually it was time to head back to Croatia. On the way back, we again drove through the beautiful mountains and valleys. Montenegro is definitely a place to see during your lifetime.
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