The Black Mountains
When and Where: 9/2022 – Bay of Kotor, Kotor, Perast, Our
Lady of the Rocks
57th Country Visited; 28th European
Country Visited
Interesting Facts:
·
Montenegro was the last former Yugoslav
republic to break away from Serbia.
·
Montenegro is the second smallest country in
the European Union, with a population of roughly 619,000, just a little bigger
than New Castle County, Delaware.
A few years back while in Rehoboth
Beach, I met a Royal Caribbean employee at a local bar. Born and raised in Serbia, he spent six
months of the year cruising the world.
Being inquisitive, I asked him “What is your favorite cruise
destination?” Without hesitation, he
replied “Kotor Montenegro”. With that
being said, I immediately added Kotor to my mental bucket list.
Fast forward to 2022 and desperate
to travel abroad after the lengthy COVID lockdown, I began to search for
cruises that visited Kotor. I found a
cruise out of Venice that visited Kotor as well as the Greek Isles. Joe and I jumped at the opportunity and booked
a vacation for September. I was excited
to see this mysterious port not known by most Americans.
Kotor didn’t disappoint. Kotor Bay is a series of inlets that weave their
way into the main bay and onto the town of Kotor. With each maneuver of the ship toward Kotor,
dramatic mountain scenes unfolded before my eyes. The dark mountains contrasted the crystal
blue waters and the sandstone facades.
Pulling into the scenic town of Koror was breathtaking. Kotor is a small tourist town filled with eclectic
shops and upscale seaside restaurants. It
is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the best-preserved medieval towns
on the Adriatic. The seaside town was framed
by the dramatic black mountains. Joe and
I took a guided tour. As we meandered
through the narrow Kotor streets, we were struck by the contrasting Catholic
and Orthodox churches. The Orthodox
Cathedral of St. Tryphon dates back to 1166.
As we approached the church, we saw a newly married couple posing for
pictures on the steps. In my mind, this
couple was representative of Montenegro as a whole: simple yet stunningly
beautiful.
From the town of Kotor, we took a
tour bus along the rugged craggy coastline to another small town, Perast. As if Kotor wasn’t charming enough, Perast
was even cuter. Perast, also a small
port city, had upscale hotels and spas as well as outdoor cafes with stunning
views of the pristine harbor. From
Perast, we took a short boat ride to Our Lady of the Rocks, a Catholic church
located on an islet in the harbor. We
weren’t able to enter the church as a wedding was taking place. But we walked about the island and took in
the beauty of the surrounding area. We
returned to Perast where we walked the streets and stopped at an outdoor pub
for a local beer. With the smell of
fresh baked pizza in the warm tropical air, we sat back, drank our beers and reflected
on past adventures. As we made back to the ship, we were disappointed
we weren’t able to spend more time in port.
Kotor and Perast are hidden treasures: jewels of the Adriatic. Kotor is one of many European destinations I
would highly recommend.
Kotor, Montenegro
Perast, Montenegro
Our Lady of the Rocks, Montenegro
Sunset over Kotor Bay, Montenegro
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