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| Montenegro's Flag |
Who has ever heard of this tiny town at the end of a fjord
that may have been transplanted from Norway to this mountainous area of the
Adriatic Sea? Kotor is a small city in Montenegro, surrounded by various states
which made up the now dissolved country of Yugoslavia. Bosnia, Serbia,
Herzegovina, Croatia all share part of the stunning rugged coast of the
Adriatic Sea.
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| Veniceans were here... |
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| Town Square with old clock tower |
Kotor was settled around 168 B.C., and has been annexed to
various surrounding empires during the following centuries. It is located at
the foot of towering limestone cliffs of Lovcen and Orjen. To protect its
strategic location, the entire small city is enclosed by strong walled
fortifications which were built by the Republic of Venice, when that city
controlled most of the Adriatic Sea a few centuries ago.
Inside those walls, time stand still. The barely finished
wars between ex-Yugoslav countries have not touched the old town, and most
buildings are a piece of living history spanning centuries.
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| City Walls |
Tourists have not yet taken over, albeit, every year more
visitors arrive, seeking genuine, unspoilt Dalmatian history with an added
bonus of enjoying friendly and welcoming inhabitants. The memories of recent
violent history slowly fade away opening doors for growing tourist trade.
Kotor is home to Ancient Mariners and every town along the
shores of this fjord honors their memory. As their names are unpronounceable to
western people, I won’t attempt to tell their stories.
Apart from Kotor, the towns of Risan, Perast and Bajovakula
line the steep shores of the fjord of Boca Kotorska area.
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| The 'Fjord' |
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| Modern Day Boat Captain |
Risan is home to Roman mosaics dating back to the 3rd
century B.C. A mosaic depiction of the God Hypnos, Greek Good of Dreams, is the
only one remaining today.
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| Hypnos taking siesta... |
Perast, apart from Renaissance and Baroque Palaces
witnessing luxurious lifestyles of the inhabitants in years gone by, also lies
in ‘boat ride distance’ of the Island of Our Lady of the Rocks. According to
legend, a seaman made oath centuries ago, to drop stones in the island’s
location to give thanks for being saved from drowning. Over the centuries, a
man-made island was formed, which to this day ‘grows’ every year, when all the
fishermen (men only, women watch from their windows) sail out, and drop more
rocks onto the holy site. The wrecked
fisherman of ages ago also found a sea stone icon of the Virgin Mary, after
which he vowed to build a church on the little island. In 1630 is was finished,
and to this day it is undamaged. It is lined with absolutely stunning paintings
and silver reliefs.
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| Small Church on man made Island |
A few hundred yards across the water is the island of St
Djordje, which is also called Island of the Dead. According to legend a French
Soldier aimed his gun from this island towards Perast, fired it, and
unintentionally killed his lover who lived there. Swiss painter Beklin made the
Island the subject of his famous painting ‘Island of the Dead’.
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| 'Island of the Dead' |
Bajovakula is a ‘beach town’ – all 60 meters of beach
surrounded by fragrant laurel trees, which leads into the crystal clear waters
of the fjord and sports a bar, picnic area and restaurants. Most of the
waterfront is taken up with fish farms (tightly controlled) and mussel farms
installed nearby. The mussels filter out pollution caused by fish excrement, so
the environment stays clean – they say.
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| Fish and Oyster Farms |
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| Giant sized Easter egg in Cathedral... |
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| It is either up or down - but never flat |
A hidden and relatively unknown treasure for travellers
truly searching for the few and far between places which have not yet been
Disneyfied, and retain their original character. Go there soon – before the
crowds discover its hidden delights.
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| Chapel half way up the mountain and marking a mid section of the protective walls |
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| Old Pillory |
My fitting ‘adieu’ on Good Friday was an unexpected musical
treat: the a capella choir accompanied a service in the main cathedral with
hauntingly beautiful chants dating back a long time, and performed with
melancholy harmonies. I stood transfixed an listened…
