American vacations are generally a safe affair. A couple of days away at the local campground, a week at a beach, and for many, maybe even a once in a lifetime trip to Disney World to visit the Mouse. The more adventurous may even hop on down to the Caribbean or Mexico on a cruise ship. Places like Europe and Asia are often viewed as pretentious and out of reach. Europe specifically isn’t always the first thing that comes to mind, and when it does, it’s the usual tourist destinations such as London, Paris and Dublin. The safe choices. The opportunity to see Big Ben, snap a picture on top of the Eiffel Tower or sip a Guinness at its source. Oktoberfest. Venetian Gondola rides. ‘Holding up’ the Leaning Tower of Pisa for your updated profile picture. Not that these are bad choices, mind you, but they are — safe and quite honestly, stale. What does one do after visiting all these popular tourist places? The simplest answer is: anything you want! Go explore! Be adventurous!

Many Americans forget that beyond the postcard locations they learned about growing up, there is an entire continent, rich with amazing sites and history that are out there waiting to be seen and explored by you. The days of eastern Europe being largely controlled by communist Russia - and the Iron Curtain — are long over. These countries have been opening their arms to tourists for years and are waiting for you.

I recently traveled down the coast of the Adriatic Sea checking out some of the up and coming holiday destinations, and I wasn’t disappointed. My first stop was in Old Town Kotor, located at the eastern most point of the Bay of Kotor. Arriving via sea, the most scenic way to get to Kotor, was as spectacular as it gets.

Rounding the corner of the Bay drops you right into history. You immediately feel transported back in time into the life of a 15th Century Venetian sailor. Old Town appears right in front of you, surrounded by large stone medieval walls. These walls have protected the city since they were initially constructed during the Roman Empire. The only significant change to the walls occurred when they were fortified when the city was under Venetian rule. A quick glance upward to the mountain behind Old Town reveals a long wall, designed to protect the residents from invaders. While many of these cities still exist in Europe, not many of them are as well preserved as Kotor. This preservation of history has earned Kotor status as a UNESCO world heritage site.

Entering the city is just as it was 500 years ago, you simply walk through the main gate like thousands have done for centuries before you. Arms Square, your first of many squares within the old walls, is filled with a number of cafes and shops. The Town Clock tower is located right in front of you and serves as a great landmark or meeting place. From here, you may as well be living in medieval times, with people going about the business of shopping and socializing. Despite the hustle and bustle, Old Town is a controlled type of chaos that is easily navigated, and by that, I mean while you may not always know exactly where you are, you cannot get too lost (I like to call this exploring!). After all, you are in a walled city! The side journeys throughout town is what makes Kotor the amazing destination it is. In every direction, you will find a small street (or perhaps even an alley) lined with shops and restaurants, which eventually lead you to another square. Kotor has quite a number of these squares, each as unique as the next one, complete with cafes, shops and a church (my count has over 10 such churches in this tiny area).

As beautiful as the ancient architecture of Kotor is, it’s really the people that give this small town its charm. When asked if the locals like Americans, our guide didn’t hesitate to give a resounding ‘YES!’.

Having declared its independence in 2006, the relatively new nation of Montenegro (CRNA Gora, pronounced Cerna Gora in Serbo-Croatian) is adapting to capitalism and working hard to grow their country. As part of this growth, the people of Montenegro have embraced tourism as an industry and opened their hearts to American visitors. All around the town, locals were friendly and doing their best to communicate with our group; our guide informed us that English is taught in the schools from a very young age, so it wasn’t uncommon to hear English being spoken around us. This should be a relief for many Americans nervous about foreign travel; communication won’t be a problem. Aside from locals being able to speak English, signage, menus and other forms of written communication all have English translations.

My travel experience has shown me one thing – I have the ability to sniff out a fake, such as the condescending tour guide in Marseille who didn’t even attempt to hide her disdain for Americans, or the restauranteur in Venice who was clearly put out by having to seat a party of 8 at 3pm with no other patrons in the establishment. Kotor was different. Very different. Kotor is genuine. The feeling walking into any of the shops in town was one of a heartfelt welcome, similar to what one might feel popping in to visit a family member one hasn’t seen in a while. It didn’t take long to forget you were in a store shopping when the people working there were asking where you were from and what it was like. They had a genuine desire for knowledge and many of them expressed a desire to visit America someday. Unlike many of the people I have met in France and Italy, Montenegrins expressed a sincere admiration for America and all it has done for the world; they still see us as a beacon of hope or example for countries just trying to figure out the ins and outs of capitalism and freedom. Yet, with all the interest in the United States, there was still a tremendous sense of local pride. These people are free to build an amazing nation, and they know they were doing it. They expressed a tremendous joy in not only their history but also their current culture.

The Summer Carnival, Bokeljska Noć, the national wine production (the second largest industry behind tourism), countless art festivals, and of course the local cats – brought in during the Black Plague to kill the rats that residents had figured out were the source of the disease - are all things that make Kotor unique and well worth adding to your travel list

The cats of Kotor are considered to be a symbol of good luck. They have remained within the city walls since the time of the Plague and can now be found on almost every street corner. Remarkably, although stray, they are all extremely well taken care of by the locals — well fed, watered and very friendly, always willing to receive some love by any passerby willing to offer it. It’s difficult to not see at least one wherever you look, and virtually every shop in town has something to take home honoring the city’s feline population.

But I digress. As much as I was enamored over the cat population, we really need to discuss the local culinary scene. After all, I am the Baconmedic!

While less well known for wine than those from Italy and France, the region has been making delicious wine for centuries. Our guide showed us into Bokun, one of Kotor’s many tiny restaurants. Complete with large hams and other smoked meats hanging from the ceiling, this quaint establishment promised to deliver an authentic Montenegrin meal. Our server presented us with a glass of Chardonnay, made from a blend of Viognier and tamjanika grapes, from the MOLA winery, the nation’s largest at over 10000 square meters. Served with a delicious platter of local prosciutto, cheeses and dips, the dry white wine was a perfectly refreshing drink on a warm afternoon. The prosciutto was amazing: super thinly sliced, perfectly seasoned and melted on your tongue; it was, dare I say, better than anything Italy has had to offer. The platter of food was rounded out with freshly baked pita bread and local olive oil. This was an amazing culinary experience that no visitor should miss.

As much as the history, people and food are amazing, the real gem of Kotor is the scenery. Professional photographers as well as amateurs with a decent cell phone camera are able to capture the surrounding beauty. The opportunity to photograph a medieval village at every turn is an incredible opportunity, but the real prize comes from those with the physical stamina to climb the 1350 steps to the top. You can (and should) stop for a break at the Church of Our Lady of Remedy, named for its supposed powers to heal the sick. The view from this vantage point alone is amazing, but if you have enough energy left, make sure you continue to the top to visit the Fortress of Sveti Ivan (St John) where you can take in (and photograph) amazing views of the village and bay below you.

Rest assured, with the help of gravity, the trip down is much less demanding and you will land in close proximity to a number of local pubs, ready to refresh you with a local brew, such as the quaint Old Town Pub or Fabrika Brewery. Both of these establishments serve up a variety of their own craft beer, including a number Bocca and Hipotimus Prime Pale Ales, Portun Stout, and of course an IPA, the Smilin’ Goat.

While Kotor may not be on the top of your travel bucket list (or even have been on your travel list until now!), bear in mind that many times it’s the smaller places you haven’t heard of that surprise you the most. For me, Kotor, as well as Kefalonia, Greece (but that’s another story or another day) are examples of those places.

Travel with no expectations. Be flexible and willing to try new things; go where the locals tell you to go and you will return with your heart filled with happiness and great memories.