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| One of the fortifications of Kotor |
We awoke to the sunrise over the cliffs of the Bay of Kotor. As we enjoyed breakfast, the view unfolded within the bay, resembling a fjord, opening up to reveal the medieval walled town nestled at the foot of the imposing sheer Lovćen massif. We caught glimpses of the architecture contrasting with the dramatic dark mountains rising directly from the water.
This is another city in the Adriatic that has seen over 30 affiliations throughout history, from Illyria in the 9th century BCE, to the Byzantine Empire from 812-1002, to the Republic of Venice from 1420-1791, was occupied by Germany from 1943-1944, and finally became independent in 2006. That's crazy. The sign above the entrance to the city wall has a post-World War II sign that reads "What belongs to others we don't want, ours we don't give."
Strolling through the city, you first notice the cats. While cats were important in the Mediterranean to manage mice and rats aboard ships and in grain storage, the Montenegrins actually take care of the cats, providing necessary medical treatment and, of course, sterilization. And there are churches, dozens of them. We stepped into the beautiful Saint Nicholas’ Church (the one with the gold altar), the tiny Montenegrin Orthodox Church (the one with the wooden altar), and finally the Kotor Cathedral, one of the largest and most ornate buildings in Kotor. This is also known as the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon, consecrated on June 19, 1166.
After a brief stroll through the walled city, we decided to challenge ourselves by taking the infamous hike to the Fortress. Sitting over the roofs of the old town, the San Giovanni Fortress is an imposing structure, intertwined in the remains of the city walls. It was amazing to see some of the same sites down below as we ascended. There was even another church along the way, the Church of Our Lady of Remedy, built in the early 16th century atop an even older 6th-century Early Christian church. We continued to climb the 1,350 or so stairs to the Kotor Fortress, hoping for the skies to clear, which they did on the way up, allowing us to enjoy an unforgettable view of the bay. That is, until the rains swept across the bay, and our subsequent descent was completed in a steady rain. Thank goodness for decent shoes and raincoats.
Back in the Old City, we took in a few shops, then wandered around outside the walls, where we found a small cafe where the owner named-dropped a few NBA players from the region (he knew of the Timberwolves!) and shared his thoughts on ‘freedom ‘.
The next day was a Day at Sea, then on to Mykonos.
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