Kotor, Montenegro March 14, 2020

 We thought Corfu was beautiful, but Kotor outdid it.  While one has a more tropical flare to it,  Kotor has a mainland flare, with Limestone mountains towering over you, snow capped mountains, non-tropical vegetation, though they still grew olive trees.  It’s hard to describe.  The city of Kotor is at the end of a 17-mile inlet of the Adriatic Sea.  Passing through that inlet was spectacular, the waters so calm reflecting the towns and mountains on shore.  

Kotor is one of the Adriatic’s best-preserved medieval Old Towns.  The stunning Venetian walls, built in 1420, remnants of Kotor’s 300 years of being a Venetian Republic, snake up from the town to the tope of towering cliffs surrounding the area.  

Besides exploring Old Town on foot, we took a tour that we shall never forget.  A hair raising road with the most spectacular views took us from Kotor to Centije.  We toured the Lovcen National Park, part of the Dinara Alps.  The higher we got the more snow appeared and the side of the road.  The road is basically only one lane, there are occasional turn outs that allow cars to pass each other.  Then the road has 25 pin turns that require exceptional driving skills, especially if you are a bus.  There were times I had to close my eyes for I saw no guard rails and only shear drop-offs. But the view were among the most beautiful I have ever seen.  Our bus of course did encounter and oncoming car, and while I am not sure what the rule-of-the-road was, it was the bus that proceeded to drive backwards and downwards and around bends in the road in order to get to a turnout or at least a slightly wider part of the road so that the other car could pass.  Wow, that got your adrenaline flowing.  From on top of Lovcen Mountains we had breathtaking views of the Adriatic Sea and Kotor Bay.   We continued on and stopped at the mountain village of Njegusi, nothing really special about the village.  But we stopped at a charming restaurant where we had the best prosciutto and cheese sandwich, along with a wonderful selection of wine, beer, Grappa a very delicious brandy according to Margit.  I opted for a local beer.  A couple of souvenir shops were open for out benefit,  I am sure, and we bought a warm hat and a magnet to add to our collection.  Although the shop keepers did not speak a lot of English I chatted with a delightful lady who explained that a few days ago it was minus 30 degrees Celsius  and snowing, and that we came on a really nice day.  It was a nice day, even though the temperature was only about 45 degrees Fahrenheit the sun was out in full force and it felt great.  After a wonderful meal and browsing our tour continued on a normal two way road to the village of Centinje where we toured the King Nikola’s Museum.  We learned  of King Nikola’s  sweeping reforms  he introduced to the country in the early 20th century.   We continued on to the summer resort town of Budva  and back to the ship.   Tourism is a major economic driver and Covid caused a 30% unemployment rate.  We were one of the first tour-groups to visit, so,  Kotor, as well as the rest of the country is looking forward to better times an a recovery.       

Since we were allowed free time, we browsed through some of the towns shops and bought two lovely winter sweaters.  Though we have plenty of winter sweaters at home, our original itinerary had us packed for the tropics, not the Mediterranean in early March.  

Sailing into the port of Kotor.  The water is so calm in this 17-mile inlet of the Adriatic Sea its like a mirror.  

We are about to arrive at Kotor the city at the end of the inlet.

The hair-raising road.  The road you see with the broken concrete guard rail is just below the one we are on after one of the many hair-pin turns.  

Occasionally the road widens to allow oncoming cars to pass.  But they are far apart and several times our bus went backwards to such a spot in order to let the oncoming car pass so that we could continue on.  Not for the faint hearted.

But once we got almost to the top the views were awesome,  I really could not get a picture that does this view justice.  

It might be hard to spot, but there is the old unsaved path/road that the people from the villages on top of the mountain would take to the city of Kotor below.  It would take 3 plus hours on foot downhill.  No clue what it would be uphill, since the village is at an elevation of about  4,000 feet.

 

As we neared the village of Njegusi where we had that delicious lunch we encountered snow. 

The inside of the cozy restaurant with the yummy lunch and drinks.  Had a very rustic atmosphere. 

Scenery we pass as we make our way back down the mountain on a different road that is actually a two way road.  Thank goodness, not sure I wanted to go down the road we came up.  

The ground surrounding the King Nikola old residence and now museum.  Pictures were not permitted of the museum’s interior.   Lovely crocus flowers covered the grounds,  a little sign of spring.  

The Old City Walls snaking up from town to the top of that mountain.  Almost looked like the Great Wall of China.  Some younger and ambitious guests walked the wall to the top.   Good for them!!  

Inside the Old City of Kotor, ever so charming,  no cars permitted, well they would not fit, the streets are too narrow.  That makes it for a wonderful maze of narrow passages with cute little shops and cafe here and there.  People also live there, but it has become very expensive to do so.  

There is Margit the Traveler’s travel companion in one of the many passages.

One of the smaller courtyards with an old fashioned water-pump.  

One of the churches 

Note, that the Serbian Orthodox Church has no seating for it’s worshipers.

 

The Catholic Church does have pews.  

It’s laundry’s day and it is very customary in European countries, air dry the wash.  When you do not have a garden or roof top then laundry-lines are attached to pulley system and span between the buildings.  It’s amazing to see the laundry including the sexiest underwear flapping in the wind.  

After an adventurous day we sail away and are on our way to Split.