Euro group trip batch 2, 2019 (Slovenia Croatia Montenegro Bosnia) trip:

Kotor Bay
Source: Sumfinity

What can I say about last night. Kotor’s magic had already cast a spell on all our hearts. Kotor bay, the mountains surrounding it from all sides, the castle watching guard from the top of the hill, the pretty red roofed villages along the banks of the bay, the boats gliding in the water; Kotor had done to us what no other place did, even though they were all beautiful.

A few people were leaving today (not joining us for the Bosnia leg) so we wanted to make their last day special. Akashdeep suggested that we spend the night on a boat/cruise with some wine and cheese and music. We all immediately took to the idea but much to our disappointment, there was no boat that could accommodate 18 people. All the boatmen told us that they could take us on two boats, go around the bay, later tie the two boats to each other somewhere where it was silent, and we could drink and party there. The idea of two small boats being tied to each other did not sound romantically or visually appealing so a few people seemed circumspect. But just because everyone wanted to spend time together, and it has been the highlight and mantra of this Euro trip, everyone finally decided to go forth, with a lot of handling, motivating and push by Akash.

What a night it was. At 1030 pm, we entered the boats, laughing and talking. The captains first drove slowly, letting us take in the sights. Kotor’s castle walls are lighted up every night, and the subtle shades of yellow on the mountain looked beautiful. The sea itself was calm and it’s sounds soothed us completely. And the breeze was delicious, the wind hitting our faces and making us smile. While we had stepped into the boats thinking we would be partying in a while, when we set off, such did the sea and the breeze’ magic have an effect on us, we didn’t want to stop at all, and instead just keep lying in the moving boats all night, look at the stars and feel the breeze. I sat at the very edge of the boat’s bow looking at the lights on the mountains. I, we, none of us wanted the night to end.

Balkans group trip
Source:c Pinterest

After an hour of the most blissful gliding in water, the boats stopped in the middle of the bay, and the captain tied the boats together. Wine and food were passed on. Happiness, music and peace gave way to conversation and we all shared our favourite moments in the trip. Jokes were cracked and the fish in their homes heard us laugh happily. When anyone said anything profound, we nodded and fell silent. The boats kept drifting in the water, and maybe so did we, lost in a world that we only had created. The boats kept drifting, the breeze kept blowing, and we just kept falling more and more in love with Kotor’s magic.

I have done a decent number of things in the last six years. This is a night I would still remember as fondly as a lot of those things.

Cheers to the set of people I spent it with.

Click here to check out some of the best eateries in Kotor!