Day 19 - Tuesday May 2 - Kotor Montenegro

 

We were promised a fjord like experience today as we entered Montenegro.  It was suggested that we wake early and go to the Explorer Lounge on Deck 7 by 6 am to watch the ship navigate the harbor as we were to pull into port. Mimosas, coffee and danish were being served when I arrived.  Even though the weather was not spectacular it was not raining.  I watched outside on the bow as we slowly and very gracefully entered the harbor.  There was a ship ahead of us and I got to watch it as it entered the most narrow part of the harbor of Kotor which is only 1,126 feet wide.

our Lady of Rocks and Church of the Madonna

Island of St. George Next to Our Lady of Rocks.  

Our included walking tour, "Kotor Walking Tour on Foot", was 1 1/2 hours long and was of the Old City of Kotor. We were able to walk right off the ship and within minutes were in the Old City. We had an amazing guide, Voscoe.  He gave us a great deal of information about Montenegro, his country, and how many nations have at one time or another taken control of this area of the Balkans.  Starting with the Romans, the Byzantines, the Ottoman Empire.  Austria - Hungary even took over this area.  More recently, Serbia, the Turkish empire and Yugoslavia.  As our guide put it, there is no country that, at one time or another, hasn't taken over their country.   Montenegro became independent several times and each time another country took them over. Their harbor and location is one of the primary reasons.  Their harbor is well protected and has a mediterranean climate; yet it's surrounded by mountains.  Trade cane come down over the mountains and the harbor allows for trade with the rest of the world while still being protected.

They declared their independence last in 2006.  

The map in the maritime museum we visited shows how protected the harbor is.  The harbor of Kotor is the blue water, to the far right, with the tiny pencil thin area.

Way up on the mountain, and you can climb to it, is this church.  You would see people occasionally walking all the steps up the mountain.   No thanks!

Entrance to the old city                                Town Clock and Pillory            

People found guilty of crimes were tied to the pillory (pointed object) and fellow citizens pelted them with stones and food as their punishment.   The pillory was abolished in the mid 1800's.

Many of the buildings in the Old City were reconstructed after the 1979 earthquake which measured 7.0 on the Richter scale.  

The central square is called the Square of the Arms. Arms as in guns and other objects of war. This country was a prime location for all the other countries to sell arms. Kotor was never a gun manufacturing country. Their major income is from tourism and not any kind of industry.  

at one time, the presidential palace

wet (slick) cobblestones make for an interesting quilt pattern

We toured St. Michael's Church, a roman catholic church in the old city.  

original frescoes on the wall and the original altar of the church

Our next stop was the Maritime Museum.  It held a lot more than maritime objects.  We saw some costumes of the ear and a large display of the guns that were used and sold through the ages here in Montenegro.

From there we walked through some more of the narrow streets of Kotor.  With over 150 churches in the city, we saw quite a few just in the Old City (the historical part).  This is the Church of St. Luke which is an Orthodox church.  

This church is also an Orthodox church.  What's interesting is that the church is flying the Serbian flag.  Mixing church and state?  Not good!  Our guide informed us that in the last elections there were Serbians who voted, with the influence of Russia behind Serbia, the elected officials are bent toward Russia.  He wants to believe that this will be corrected and that Montenegro will remain a free and independent republic.  

Montenegro only became an independent republic in 2006, declaring independence from Serbia when Yugoslavia was dissolved.  Our guide was proud of their affiliation and membership in NATO and hopes in the next few years to join the European Union.

When the Austrians took over this area, this well was built by the Austrians between 1916 and 1918.  It still works today.

Cats are a "thing" in Montenegro.  They are eveywhere.  They are well fed and you can see evidence that the store owners feed them.  One sat still in the same spot while at least 50 people came, petted, took pictures and still the cat didn't move or run.  

Another lunch, another local beer.  This one is pronounced NicShitsCo by the waiter.  Pretty good for a local Montenegro beer.

While we ate lunch, we watched people walking the walls around the city.  

I ordered mussels.  The waiter told us that there was a 'mussels crisis'.  I think that meant Wayne and I ate our way through all the mussels in the Mediterranean.  I guess we're sticking with our Calamari Fritto.  Still delicious, but not quite as good as yesterday.

Good bye to Kotor as we boarded our ship.