Igalo, Bay of Kotor, Montenegro.
6 am.
We woke up the children, brought water and sandwiches, and full of good energy headed to the nearby lookout. We decided to change our daily routine - sea, beach, swimming, sleeping. During our daily walks to the beach, we saw a signpost - the Church of St. Elijah. We inquired a bit and when we found out what it was about, there was no dilemma. We have to go there. The destination is the Church of St. Elijah and Ilinica lookout point located near the top of Osoja hill in the village of Žvinje. Although we heard that the sunsets are beautiful from the top, we opted for a morning adventure. Bearing in mind that Mila is only three years old, we decided to go by car part of the way and walk part of the way.
We were thrilled as soon as we started to climb the steep and winding road. The sun was starting to rise and the view was fantastic, so we had to stop, breathe fresh air and take some photos.
After a while, we left the car near the crossroads, where one part of the road leads to the church, and the other to the place of Špulje. We were interested in what Špulje looked like, so we deviated a bit from the road. And we have not repented.
The place is almost deserted. It is interesting that next to the ruined stone abandoned houses there are beautiful and decorated villas and houses. I would also like to mention that on the way to the top there are apartments for rent, with a beautiful view of the bay. Although everything seemed deserted, we came across a cute cat, so we concluded that there are still people here.
The view from this place is also magical. As we increased the height difference, the Sun followed us. The colors of the morning sun and the whole atmosphere of the morning were magical. We were mesmerized by the silence, the beauty, the scents and the colors.
In Špulje we came across this interesting stone circle. I'm not sure what's going on and whether it's anything interesting at all, but it seemed that way to me. I guess it might be the remnant of an old stone olive mill, but I’m not sure. If you have any idea what it could be, write in the comment.
But we had to return to our destination. Our peak was waiting for us and about 40 minutes of walking uphill. A macadam road leads to Ilinica and the church, so you can reach the top by car, and you can get there faster than us :)
We took small breaks along the way, but Mila was full of energy. Vuk is already used to such walks.
After a while we came to a shortcut, a narrow steep path that leads through dense vegetation.
We soon reached our destination - the Church of St. Elijah and a beautiful lookout.
There are 89 churches in the municipality of Herceg Novi, this is one of them. It was built in 1600. As you can see, it is built of stone, which is logical because this whole area is rocky. The Church of Saint Elijah is an Orthodox church. It is interesting that we were on the very border of Montenegro and Croatia. Namely, the border crosses the yard where the church is located. Amazing, isn't it? :) source
And the view is fantastic, amazing and beautiful. On one side, the view extends to the Bay of Kotor, where you can clearly see the beautiful Herceg Novi, the spa Igalo, Rose, the Lustica peninsula ...
And on the other hand, the Croatian coast, Konavle, the blue Adriatic, Molunat ...
Next to the church there is a tombstone dedicated to French soldiers who died together with their captain Gaius in 1806. It was the time of Napoleon's rule, when battles were fought in this area between France and the joint military troops of Russia, Montenegro and Bokelj.
In honor of the fallen soldiers, this monument was erected in 1919 by soldiers of the 126th detachment of the French Army "Les Poilus d'Orient" or in free translation "Thessaloniki warriors" who found themselves here after the liberation of Montenegro and Boka. source
The story says that this place was chosen, because the homeland of French soldiers can be seen across the open sea.
It was already getting very hot, so we had to say goodbye to this beautiful place. Full of impressions, we didn't even feel the way back. In fact, everything I wrote in the introductory part about this beautiful country can be seen here, a piece of beautiful nature, history, religion.
I hope I have given you enough reason to visit this amazing place. We will definitely come again, but to watch the sunset, which, as they say, is unforgettable.
With love,
Snežana
