Crossroads of Adriatic Day 9

May 08, 2007 - Tuesday - Discover Montenegro-Visit Kotor

We woke up at 6:30, prepared for the day, and had breakfast out on the patio of the restaurant. It was sunny but cool, without a cloud in the sky! We met everyone at 8:00 in the lobby and set off for another great adventure.

Nik skillfully maneuvered the bus through the traffic coming into the city and we climbed above Dubrovnik to the main highway. We made a brief photo stop at a scenic overlook before continuing on. Today we journey south along the beautiful Adriatic to the world's newest country, Montenegro, a small country that is home to vast natural beauty, from rugged alpine mountains to a scenic coastline dotted with historic cities.

Tammy gave us a brief summary of Montenegro's history of the country that managed to avoid being conquered by the Ottoman Turks in the 1300s, when they took control of the rest of the Balkans for the next four centuries. Since early 2003, this has been part of the nation named simply "Serbia and Montenegro" (formerly the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia).

The views along the rocky coast line and the deep turquoise sea are spectacular, and rival any we have seen in the world. The vegetation is gorgeous with groves of tall cypress trees, and along the inland side of the highway there are fertile valleys originally irrigated by the Romans. There are large fields of table vegetables, vineyards, and fruit trees; the main source of agricultural products for this region.

We crossed the Croatian Border at 8:45. Tammy got out and presented our papers. They did not need to see our individual passports. We drove a few miles further and passed through the Montenegro check point where Nik had to show his travel log and Tammy talked with the officials. We made a brief comfort stop out side of Herceg-Novi.

In order to get to Kotor we had planned to take the ferry, but because of work on the roads, it was mandatory today. We got in line and waited about 30 minutes until it was our turn to board. After a short 15 minute crossing, we were on our way to Kotor, our destination for the day.

We arrived in Kotor, at 10:45, a wonderfully preserved medieval walled town that is situated at the head of southern Europe's deepest natural bay. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kotor's Stari Grad, or Old Town, is filled with ancient churches and former aristocratic mansions that line winding, cobbled streets.

We met our city guide Djura, for a guided tour that included the town's maritime museum, which preserves the seafaring heritage of this region. Kotor was a rich community in medieval times also because of their production of salt, as valuable as gold in those days!

After our tour we had an hour's free time to explore on our own. We went to the post office to buy a stamp and then to a gift shop to buy a post card, and then back to the post office to mail it! We wondered through the very narrow streets, no room for a car, so no cars are allowed in the walled city.

We found the stairs leading to the old fort at the top of the city walls. We climbed as far as we could within our time limit, but it was tough climbing on the irregular steps and the steep inclines.

At the top of the third level it was 74 degrees and 69% humidity - both of us were perspiring but our lungs felt good from our daily walks in Colorado's 7400 of altitude. Coming down was even more difficult, but we made it and found our way back to our designated meeting place.

We had lunch at an outdoor restaurant, Kantuna, their specialty being calamari. Our 'entrada' was cheese, proscuitto ham and a small salad. The whole calamari were grilled in a scampi sauce and served with potatoes, and delicious breads - very good, but filling. We left the restaurant and walked out of the walled city to meet Nik and the bus at 2:15.

Clouds were building over the mountains, and it looked like rain. One young lady we spoke to in the town said it rained hard all day yesterday, so once again, we have lucked out with the weather! Our trip back was uneventful until we arrived at the Montenegro border.

The guard boarded the bus and then looked at each of us, then at he pictures on our passports. As they all matched, he waved us on and we were on our way back to Dubrovnik for evening.

After another 40 minutes of spectacular views along the coast, we arrived back at our hotel at 4:45. We took time to sort photos from the day, write the journal, and then pack up for our departure early tomorrow morning.

At 7:30 or so we went back to Old Town Dubrovnik and decided to just walk around. We took some pictures in the setting sun and at the harbor spoke to a couple from France and Turkey.

We then walked a bit and saw Marion and Judy and they invited us to sit with them and share a glass of wine. They also offered their shrimp and black risotto dinners. We sat and talked until 9 PM when we got up and went to get an ice cream.

We walked around a bit, took some night shots of the city streets and harbor and returned to our hotel. We spoke to some US personnel guarding the hotel and they mentioned that they were providing security for a conference of the US National Guard and their Balkan counterparts. At the end of the day we had only walked 5.52 miles.

Hilton Imperial Hotel - - - Meals: B, L,

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Day 10: Mediterranean Navigation

Antonio, Our Guide

Gardens at the Alcazaba

Roman Theater

Visiting with Picasso

Gennie & Vic, Malaga 2004

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