Tuesday, April 12, 2011
There is something so special about being on a small cruise ship. The captain was able to park our hotel at the dock in Kotor, rather than have us tender. It makes life so much easier for all going ashore. The crew love it as they can leave the ship even if they only have a short break. We can always tell the ones who were able to “Skype” their families while ashore. It is a hard life for these men and women who are away from their families for 10 months at a time.
“Imagine a country with beaches, mountains, canyons, palaces, ancient towns, wrap it up in a Mediterranean climate and squeeze it into an area two thirds the size of Wales and you will start to get a picture of the Republic of Montenegro”. Those words were the teaser for this port. How could anything live up to that…well, Kotor did and then some.
The “sail-in” was spectacular and we are planning on skipping dinner to enjoy the “sail-out”. Kotor Port is situated in the Boka Kotorska bay. The bay is a large, windy submerged river canyon, with Cyprus covered mountains towering over our ship. After many twists and turns on the 53 mile Tara River Canyon, we arrived at the walled city of Kotor. Kotor is nestled up against a sheer cliff. The city wall is nearly 3 miles long, 50 feet thick and up to 65 feet high in some sections.
Montenegro’s identity is built around resisting the Ottoman Empire for centuries. Tribes of Illyrians inhabited much of the Balkan area by 1000 BC. Around 400 BC the Greeks took control, followed by the Roman Empire. In the early 7th century Slavs arrived from the North. Two main Slavic groups settled in the Balkans. They were the Croats along the Adriatic coast and the Serbs in the interior. In 1920, Montenegro was incorporated, along with the Serbs, Croats,,and Slovenes into what was known as Yugoslavia. In 1944, President Tito of Yugoslavia declared Montenegro to be a Republic. In 1992, Montenegro voted to remain part of Yugoslavia, but then in May of 2006, Montenegro voted to re-establish its Republic state. Barney thinks women must have been making these decisions.
This medieval walled city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The old town has many well preserved monuments featuring a combination of styles, the collective legacy of its various rulers. Some buildings took years to complete or were restored after WWII using a variety of styles. Romanesque mixed with Gothic and a little Renaissance and Baroque thrown in, and you have wonderful buildings to admire.
The walled city was just across the street from the dock, but we had signed up for a tour to see the countryside and the village of Budva. The roads were tunneled through the granite mountains and were in good condition. There didn’t appear to be any type of agriculture or industry in the areas we visited. The main source of revenue seems to be from tourism. However, it did not appear that most of the shops tried to cater to the tourists. Of course you had the typical souvenir shops, but most we saw were going about daily business with no mind to what we were doing. It was rather refreshing.
Our tour brought us back to Kotor and into the walled city for visits to churches and museums. Again, the area was bustling with locals, most of them taking time out for coffee and gelato. Not a bad life!
After the tour was over we walked the area around the docks to visit the local markets. We are in the hunt for a “Pack and Ship” so we can mail the antique abacus back home – it seemed like a good idea at the time.
The “sail-out” was as anticipated. The highlight was the captain’s maneuver around the two island churches. The island with the trees is a man-made island from all the town’s residents dropping rocks there over the past 5 centuries. The Monastery Church on the other island welcomes each ship by ringing the bells.
The decks were full with passengers who were forgoing dinner for the view. Of course we all know about 24 hour room service and the ice cream area is open 24/7. We met up with the friends who will be going on our day drive from Ashdod. The car is now a mini-van and we have three others going along. It should be a great day.
The captain mentioned this evening that Split is a possible “no go” for tomorrow. There are high winds referred to as “mistrals” that are expected to be howling down the Adriatic and the timing looks ominous for our visit. All of us would be sad to miss Split, but we are all so happy with the visit to Kotor, that no one should complain. Kotor was a new port to all but 4 passengers on this cruise – everyone that we have talked to has it on their list of ports to visit again.
Tomorrow we will see which way the winds will blow…
The surrounding mountains have interfered with the internet connection so this blog will be a day late…….
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