Montenegro, From Bar To Belgrade By Train

 

 

At about eight in the morning I sadly leave my beautiful apartment in Bar for about a fifteen minute walk to the local train station.

 

 

 

 

Having already bought my ticket for about 10 Euros the night before I just have to arrive at the station before the 9am departure.

Although it is about a 12 hour journey to Belgrade I am excited about this trip as some consider it to be one of Europe's most spectacular train rides. Taking over 25 years to complete, the almost 300 mile line has 254 tunnels and 435 bridge crossings.

 

 

Lake Skadar

 

After having a very hot cup of tea at the train station café I board a less than full train and exactly at 9am we are on our way to Belgrade. After crossing beautiful Lake Skadar we make our first stop in the capital of Montenegro, Podgorica where a good number of the passengers who boarded the train in Bar disembarks.

 

 

An elevated track gives us spectacular views of beautiful towering mountains in the distance along with a paralleling river below us as we pass by small Montenegrin villages.

 

 

 

Along a curved area of the track we go in and out of one tunnel after another and repeatedly cross some amazing bridges.

 

 

 

 

 

For most of the journey I have a compartment to myself but at one point I do share it with an elderly gentleman. Although we verbally do not understand each other we communicate with nods and smiles and end up sharing a few cookies together.

For me the scenery along this route never gets boring. As I see a few snow capped mountains I imagine that at certain times of the year the scenery here is even more gorgeous.

 

 

 

Soon darkest covers it all and as anticipated 12 hours after leaving Bar I arrive in Belgrade the Serbian capital.