May 13, 2013 Kotor, Montenegro 8:00a to 5:00p

Today we are touring on our own with no organized tour. Thank you to our CC friends Chris & Jessie for providing touring information since they visited recently.

Most people we have talked to weren’t very excited to visit here, but it sounded a bit like Dubrovnik, Croatia which we happened to really like, so we were excited about it. We thought it would be a nice relaxing day wandering the medieval walled city.

The old town of Kotor is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in this part of the Mediterranean. The asymmetric structure of the narrow streets and squares, combined with the numerous valuable monuments of medieval architecture, contributed to Kotor being placed on UNESCO’s “The world natural and cultural inheritance” list.  

We were up at 5:30 to catch the sail in through the fjord-like landscape. Just stunning scenery.  It was a bit chilly up on deck, but it did warm up nicely throughout the day. 

 

 

We did the hike up to St. John's Fort first thing in the morning. We saw 2 of the Celtic Tenors on the way up as well as several of the maître d’s, some of the dancers and a few of our fellow shipmates. It was a lovely warm day out and the views were incredible! The spring wildflowers were beautiful. It was a nice hike up even though the terrain was rocky and many of the steps were missing and many were quite uneven. We made it to the top and then went to find where the hole was to climb down to the little church we could see from the top. We saw the Tenors down there and knew there had to be a way down.  

 

Here is a description of the hike:

 

“Walk the Town Walls (Gradske Zidline)– Approx. 3 miles of walls built over extremely inaccessible terrain. Thickness varies from 6 to 50 feet. Tallest parts are 65 feet high. Sections higher on the hill (with the thinner walls) are the oldest. For 3 euro you can walk the walls (and up to Fort) 

Takes about 1 hour (1500 steps) each way- elevation gain of more than 700 feet. (Approx. 20 min walk to church and another 45 minutes to fort) Church of Our Lady of Health (Crkva Gospe od Zdravlj) Some believe church has miraculous healing powers 

Be sure to explore: About 3/4's of the way up to the top the hill there is a "window" in the wall which you can climb through and you will find an old church back there (Its at one of the stops on the way up (you have to go around to the left at the stop to see the hole) but if you miss it, you can see the little church if you look over the back side of the fort once you get to the top and you can catch it on the way down.” 

After the hike down we went in search of some lunch. We chose one where we could sit outside and we split pork kebabs and calamari stuffed with shrimp with fried cheese for an appetizer. We shared them with some local cats that begged at the table.  After that we found a gelato stand for dessert. 

 

Then we explored the town in the afternoon. We started at the Main Town Gate (Glavna Gradska Vrata)  where parts of the pink gate date back to 1555. That entered into the Square of Arms (Trg od Orzja). There was a bell tower (one of Kotor’s symbols). The odd triangular structure at the base was once the town pillory. Those being punished would be chained to this with their transgression printed on a place card hanging from their neck, open to public ridicule of the rudest kind imaginable.  

We went inside the Cathedral of St. Tryphone (Katedrala Sv. Tripuna). It was completed in 1166 and the church has been rebuilt 3 times due to earthquakes. 2 euro to tour the inside of the church and the museum. The best part is the reliquary upstairs. Behind the alter and the screen you’ll see 48 different relics. In the center is St. Tryphon – his bones in a silver casket and his head in the golden chalice to the right. Just to the right of the screen examine the fascinating icon of Madonna and child from 15^th century. It is a wonderful example of Romanesque and Byzantine architecture. The interior of the church is decorated with an impressive gilded alter, frescoes and a collection of Venetian art dating to the 14^th century. 

We never did find the Maritime Museum of Montenegro (Pomorski Mazej Crne Gore) which is housed in the 17^th century Grgurina Palace and chronicles Kotors’s glory days as one of the Adriatic’s major naval powers and showcases many artifacts including exhibits from WWI and II, naval weapons and navigation instruments.  

We finally found the Karampana which served as Kotors only faucet until the early 20^th century. (Swing the pendulum to get things flowing) The pendulum was broken off, so we used our imaginations.  

We came across St. Luke’s Square (Trg Svetog Luke) where 2 Serbian churches in this pretty square with typically Orthodox church features. These churches also have no pews (worshipers stand as a sign of respect), tall and skinny candles, and a screen of icons in the middle of the sanctuary to separate the holy world (where the bible is kept) from the material world.  

We wandered aimlessly and walked a bit of the walls. Unlike Dubrovnik, you can’t walk all the way around as they are not that intact. Kotor and the surrounding area are beautiful and it made for a very pleasant day. We stopped at a café and Greg had coffee and I had banana chocolate pancakes. (crepes) Yum!

 

Then we left the walled city and walked around the marina for a while, and walked around a small park before going back to the ship.

 



We sat on the balcony a while and watched a yacht pull in. It was almost as big as the cruise ship. (not really…but…)



Dinner was nice and the show was the female lead singer doing a solo show and John Martin the comedian that most everyone else in the room thinks is funny, but me.

Wow, tomorrow is our last day on the ship. It will be hard to leave our “home” for the past 107 days. Last minute packing to finish up….Oh joy! We’ll miss all of the wonderful people we have shared this journey with as well. Hopefully, some of us will stay in touch.