Ulcijn, Montenegro

The Espresso Break:  We've made it to the Ulcijn, Montenegro just north of the border with Albania.  To get here, we took an overnight train from Belgrade to Bar, Montenegro and then took an inexpensive taxi drive 25 km to Ulcijn.  Known for it's sandy beaches, Ulcijn is a predominantly Albanian town.  Signs are in both Albanian and Montenegrin (closely or, some argue, the same as Serbian).

We first visited the Citadel, which has a bevy of restaurants at the top touting fresh catch of the day and stellar views of the crystal clear ocean.  A museum displays some Greek and Roman artefacts as well as Turkish cannon balls.

The beach at the bottom of the citadel gluts with tourists, restaurants, and cafes.  When I ask which tourists are most common here, the answer is Kosovars.  But we've met Poles, Macedonians, Russians, and Serbians as well.

Not far from the Old Town and Citadel, Ulcijn has a 12 km long beach called the Veliki Plaza.  Here, vendors barbeque corn that they sell for one Euro (Montenegro has been on the Euro since before they declared independence from Serbia in 2006 through a referendum).

Nearby, we walk above a bridge where we see fishing huts and nets.  I'm not sure what they catch specifically along here, but the fresh fish and calamari abound.  There's nothing quite like it.

We've come to Ulcijn because it's the best way to enter Albania overland.  Tomorrow, we take a car across the border and to Tirana.  Still, Ulcijn has turned out to be a wonderful vacation hot spot where we've taken time out to enjoy the beaches.