Recently, I was given the opportunity to tour the entire country of Montenegro with my 9th grade class. It was absolutely amazing! We went to the northern and southern parts of the country and saw many different geographical regions, as well as Montenegro’s famous cities.

We started in one of Montenegro’s northern cities, Zabljak, and made that our base for the first two nights. It was so cold there that one night I even slept with my jacket on! However, the lush green-brown, rocky mountains were so awe-inspiring that the cold barely mattered. While there, we traveled to Pljevlja and several other towns in Northern Montenegro. We also visited several monasteries (and for the life of me I can’t remember their names so don’t ask), saw Tara Canyon, and took a couple journeys to different lakes. My favorite lake was Crnoj Jezero (the Black Lake.) The nature was absolutely beautiful. The lake was a beautiful turquoise color, contrasted by the high, stark mountains. but against the sun and under the mountain shadow it did look black.

On the third day, we left Zabljak and headed south. Although the mountains were still there, the scenery gradually gave way to more grasses and flat land. On our way south, we stopped at Niksich, Montenegro’s second largest town. Everyone shopped here for souvenirs and snacks to keep our growing teenage selves from “starving.” After Niksich, we drove on. There, I noted a stark change in the scenery. Mountains were still visible, but instead of a valley now, there was the sapphire-colored Adriatic Sea. On the edge of the sea lay a beautiful town called Kotor. While there, my friends and I explored the old city, which was full of beautiful stone buildings and surrounded by a stone fort. After Kotor, we headed to our hotel in the seaside town of Bechici, where we stayed for two nights.

In Bechichi, we were literally right by the sea. We played by the beach (no, we are not too old to play) and swam in the cool aquamarine water. It was nice to relax and just enjoy the beauty of Montenegro.

On our fifth and final day, we traveled to Ulcinj. There, my mischievous friends and I decided to take off our shoes and run into the cold sea water. For the rest of our trip, we walked everywhere with sand in our shoes! After we visited Bar and Budva, we finally turned back toward Podgorica. It was a wonderful trip. I saw so many beautiful wonders here in Montenegro. I will always love this country, this Land of the Black Mountain.