Dubrovnik to Kotor, Montenegro

6.19.17
Dubrovnik to Kotor, Montenegro

After an early breakfast we tried to depart earlier for our day trip to Montenegro in an attempt to get ahead of other tour buses at the border crossings. And, despite those efforts, and the fact that we were the 3rd bus in line, we were still at the crossing for a good 40 minutes - typical bureaucracy...police lounging around, smoking, drinking coffee, enjoying their little power trip over the common masses. At least on the way back we were entertained by a potential drug bust of a young couple.

Montenegro is a stunning region, with its alpine mountains, clear seas and beautiful coast line. It avoided falling to Ottoman Turks in the 1300s even when the nearby regions controlled the other Balkan countries. 

Our first stop is Perast, an ancient village along the Bay of Kotor, rich in Venetian architecture and historic stone churches. After a brief tour of this village, we board a boat with Stephan to visit the small church, Our Lady of the Rocks. According to  legend, the islet was formed by local fishermen who, after seeing the Virgin Mary in the reef, began dropping stones on the spot each time the sailed by.

Inside the church there are 68 paintings by local 17th century artist, Tripo Kokolja and the icon of Our Lady of the Rock, painted by the Dubrovnik artist, Lovro Marinov Dobricevic. 

Wedged into the ceiling is a piece of the windshield from the wreckage from 1972 Yugoslav Airlines Flight 367, en route from Stockholm to Belgrade, which Vesna Vulovic, a flight attendant, miraculously survived, despite a fall of 33,333 feet. She was discovered alive in the wreckage, pinned down and possibly saved by a food cart.

 Our Lady of the Rocks.

The altar area.

Wreckage from 1972 Yugoslav Airlines Flight 367.

Our next stop by boat is Kotor. The mountains, sea and coast line provide some wonderful Kodak moments...

 The old and new bell towers.

 One of the many churches.

Another church undergoing renovation.

And, of course, the ever-present cruise ship.

Eventually we disembark at Kotor, an incredible medieval walled town located at the head of southern Europe's deepest natural bay. The Stari Grad (Old Town) if filled with ancient churches, former aristocratic mansions, restaurants and shops. But, it is the medieval wall that is the star. Many of us hiked the very steep, rocky uneven switchback trail to the Church of Our Lady of Remedy (in 94 degree heat).

Vlatka and our intrepid crew!

More shots in and around Kotor...

 One of the older churches.

 The clock tower with the pillory pyramid.

Two incredibly delicious meals in one day..

a giant Montenegro sandwich with homemade cheeses, meats and ciabatta bread.

Later, we return to our hotel in Dubrovnik for our final night. Mary, Rindy and I decide to return to the Old City for dinner at Kamenice (Croatia word for oyster). We shared a platter of fresh mussels in white wine sauce, another platter of fried calamari and a small salad for a mere $12 US each!  As you can see it was AWESOME!

And of course, there is more art...