day seven - kotor, montenegro

We docked at Kotor, Montenegro early in the morning.  Operating as a part of the former Yugoslavia and later as a union of Serbia and Montenegro, Montenegro voted for independence from Serbia in 2006.  They are already using the Euro as their monetary standard (Croatia is still using the kuna and hopes to be using the Euro within the next few years) and have a relatively new airport near Kotor which connects this beautiful part of the world with the rest of Europe.  With this infrastructure in place, they are  working hard to increase their tourism business.

Located on a bay at the end of a 15-mile submerged river canyon, Kotor is surrounded by strikingly gorgeous scenery.  Our visit to Kotor began with a bus ride up a very steep road to the village of Njseguse.  Tauck assigns seats in the buses they use, rotating them every day so that guests have an opportunity to sit in all parts of the bus.  Today we were assigned to be in the second row behind our guide, Mira.  This gave us a heart-stopping view of oncoming traffic as we went up (and then back down) through 30 hairpin switchback turns in each direction.  I graciously gave Larry the window seat so that he could catch me as we fell off the cliff!  Believe me when I say I have NEVER been on a bus ride like that one.  The driver was excellent, however, and we all survived.

This gorgeous view of the Bay of Kotor, also known as Boka Bay, greeted us at the top of the mountain:

And to prove we were there, here we are with our new travel friends, Carl and Mimi, and Gene and Rita:

We traveled on to Njseguse, where we went to a small country restaurant to have some of the region's renowned prosciutto-like ham, with cheese, bread and grapes.  The local wine was also available for those who wanted some:

You can even stay overnight in one of their cabins, should you decide you never again want to be on that road to Kotor:



After a nice break and after we were lulled into a sense of carefree relaxation, we once again boarded the bus for a mind-numbing ride down the mountain.  Now I not only needed to stress about going over the cliff but also whether or not the brakes had recently been inspected.  Lordy, lordy...I will never forget this bus ride.

When my eyes were open, I could appreciate the beautiful view:



and was grateful that the driver skillfully avoided a cow/bus collision.  The three animals were being guided by a very elderly woman, who was no match for the bus:

Once back in town, we headed off with Mira to see the town of Kotor, which is one of the best preserved medieval old towns in the Adriatic, and is listed with UNESCO as a world heritage site.  We entered through the city gate:

and were immediately in the Square of Arms:

We saw the Town Clock tower:

and were surprised to see on the attached sign that this was a Clock Tover.  Too bad they didn't have someone proof their sign:

This is the Prince's Palace:

The Cathedral of Saint Tryphon, built in 1166, is nearby:

It had already been a full day, but then we returned to the ship and enjoyed a Tauck-sponsored performance by the female Klapa Singers, a group of nine who had absolutely lovely voices.  They have been given a UNESCO World Heritage designation and performed in traditional costumes.  However, once again there was no explanation in English as to what they were singing about.

At 6:00pm the ship's horn blew three times and we sailed out of Kotor, headed for the island of Hvar, Croatia.  The sail away was perhaps one of the most beautiful we have ever experienced on our many cruises - two hours of sailing in a 15-mile long "fjord" back out to the Adriatic Sea.  We six new friends took up a prime location at the stern of the ship, near the pool, and just reveled in the beauty surrounding us:

There are two islands about half way to the Adriatic, one natural:

and one artificial, made from an old wall of rocks and by sinking seized ships loaded with rocks.  Upon it is the Lady of the Rocks church:

The Captain carefully circled both islands, giving us all a 360 degree view of them and the surrounding area:

We saw one last charming town at the water's edge

and then we were out on the sea.  It certainly had been an interesting day - a death-defying bus ride in the morning and a heavenly, serene sail away in the evening.  We'll never forget either one.