Krazy about Kotor

The Port of Kotor

Pouring rain greeted our arrival in Kotor.  Kotor is a city in Montenegro, one of the states formed from former Yugoslavia.  Before Yugoslavia, Montenegro was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  I remember teaching about the ethnic groups included in that old Empire.  It was difficult to keep them straight then, and it’s still difficult.  We decided the people are Serbs, but the meaning of being a Serb is a bit unclear. The city sits at the end of long fjord, at least what passes for a fjord in the Adriatic Sea; it’s actually a deep river bed which is full of water.  It makes for an impressive entry for a ship; high mountains surround you on all sides.  We didn’t have any agenda for the day.  The rain cleared by mid-morning, so we wandered into town.  The Old City was just 5 minutes’ walk from the port, an easy walk for Dwight.  We proceeded through the gates and found a café which had an internet connection and served cappuccino…perfect! 

While Dwight enjoyed the emerging sunshine, I wandered through the town and found a couple of interesting spots:  an old Orthodox church where the priest and a penitent were chanting; an old Roman church full of dreary icons; a maritime museum which had models of sailing ships.  After my tour, I was still a little unsure about the history of the town, but decided it didn’t matter.  I collected Dwight and we wandered around looking for the perfect restaurant.  We found a seafood restaurant next to the Church of the Holly Spibit.  They served the freshest fish I’ve had so far—sea bass European style with head, etc. 

Back at the ship, we had gotten an invitation from the ladies who live next door to us who run the art program on board.  They invited us to dinner to compare notes.  It was an interesting evening.  We both have a few issues about our “employment,” but it’s great to know that we’re not alone.  They’re from Australia and will be doing another voyage Barcelona to Rome in a couple of weeks. 

The skies had all cleared for our sail away, so we could enjoy the views of the fjord as we departed.  All in all, we had a great day in Kotor