Montenegro! Day 9 & the Blue Sea!

Robyn is mothering all the stray cats and dogs…especially the cats!…which have been prolific in every city we’ve visited. She has been gathering our meat leftovers at meals and feeding the animals , but someone…or everyone…must be doing the same.  There has not been a single skinny nor neglected animal anywhere!  In fact, we’ve seen a couple of animals who have had their fur shaved from wound care.  They seem feral but friendly and very use to people.  I suspect their attention is fleeting based on who is offering food!

  

We are traveling to Kotor in Montenegro for a day trip today.  Crossing both borders were a breeze, but our guide said it can take 1-2 hours in the summer.

By the way, I don’t recommend you visit this coastal region of the Balkans in the summer.  It has been unusually warm for October, and I can’t imagine July and August.  Add in the crowds…maybe from a cruise ship or two, and it sounds unpleasant to me.  However, Stephen & Allison had a great time, but they were spending lots of time in and on the water.  Plus, they were young and not old and cranky!

Traveling by bus, the Adriatic Sea glitters below and small towns or villages with their red tile roofs gleaming are tucked along the coastline.  Croatia is littered with almost 1200 islands off-shore and only 65 are inhabited.

In the village of Perast, we board a small boat to cruise along the Bay of Kotor.  

The water is an amazing rich blue and very clear.  Evidently the Adriatic Sea is more green in the south.

  

Kodor, a small medieval town has the unusual reputation of never being conquered by the Turks.  Another UNESCO site, this town is a maze of cobblestone streets and squares.

  

See!  I was here! 

People still live here and do everyday things such as….

After a walking tour with a local guide…again, so much information, and I am afraid I have forgotten more than I can share with you…but I do remember about the “Tower of Shame“ in the main square where residents were punished.

  

Robyn and I climb steps to the front portion of the city wall, but the wall quickly and steeply winds up the  hillside and then transverses the mountains.

  

Churches were often build as high on a mountain as possible to be closer to God.  See the monastery on the mountain between the twin towers of the church?

 

Damir tells us to meet him in the farmer’s market outside the gates for a surprise….an assortment of shaved smoked beef and pork and cheeses wedges with bread and red wine from a local vendor.  Loved the meat but the red wine tasted like vinegar!  Robyn and I use this as our lunch and head back into the walls.

 

We wander the alleyways and EVERYWHERE is stuff with cats’ motifs…shirts, bags, magnets, figures, paintings, notecards, toys.  You name it; if you can put a cat on it, there is one!  Robyn is in heaven!  A merchant tells us that Kotor is half under water and there are lots of mice and rats.  The cats control the rodent population.  No wonder they look so well fed!

An interesting keyhole of sea and light!

I stop for gelato and Robyn has the biggest cat I’ve ever seen in the chair next to her sleeping totally undisturbed!

And another cat is hanging out as we depart!

Damir is an excellent tour leader with a wealth of information, handouts, and maps, and he doesn’t waste an opportunity to teach us something new.  After passing through the border on our return trip, Damir shared the meaning of the passport stamp with EU countries.  Top left, a circle of stars, with the first 1-2 letters of the country in its native language…Croatia is “HR” for “Hrvatska”.  Top right shows how you arrived…car/bus, plane, ship.  Bottom left is an arrow either pointing into the stamp…coming into the country…or pointing out…leaving the country.  No time to waste when learning!

Damir is punctual; he told us he would not be waiting.  On time means leaving time not the time to start strolling in.  

A beautiful colorful sunset last night, but some of us were heading out to a restaurant with Damir so couldn’t watch it to the end.  Tonight, Robyn and I take pictures from a balcony.  Not as grand as last night but still enjoyable watching it sink into the Adriatic!

 

Last evening we walked along a lovely promenade, and I enjoyed John Dory fish at an outdoor patio.  I’ve never heard of it, but the owner recommended it, and it was delicious!  Mild, flaky, served with wilted spinach and tomatoes and potatoes, it was perfect since we have been eating lots of beef, pork, and veal.

Tonight, Robyn and I are joined by a fellow traveler, Pam, for pizza.  A taste of home, but with a Croatian twist…thin slices of ham laid on top of a good bread crust with chucks of cheese and only a little tomato sauce and then fresh arugula in the middle!

The bathroom facilities have been interesting to this American.  Most have designated doors for male and female but with a communal hand washing area.  That is one of the benefits of traveling…to see how other people do the same things but in a different way.

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I return to Dubrovnik for a final day tomorrow, and then Travels with GJ heads to Bosnia & Herzegovina.