We got to fall back an hour overnight. However, that didn't really mean much in terms of sleep. The captain had encouraged folks to get up early to watch as we sailed from the Adriatic into the southernmost fjord in Europe, the Bay of Kotor. My husband K is not one to pass up such a chance. So, he got up around 5:30 and went up as high as he could get in the ship. He could get from one side to the other with ease to get a variety of photos. He said it was windy and he was glad he had on a jacket. The first photo has a nice shot of the moon. It's particularly cool to see how the sun hits different areas as it rises.
He was lucky enough to get a shot of Our Lady of the Rocks, which is the tiny island without trees in the photo below. The island was created by dumping rocks in that spot and sinking old and seized ships loaded with rocks. Legend has it that after an icon of the Madonna and Child was found on the rock in the sea, an oath was made in 1452. Forever after, when sailors returned from a trip at sea, they placed a rock in the bay. Overtime, the tiny isle emerged. On the anniversary of the earth, July 22, locals go out and throw rocks in the bay, widening the surface of the isle. There's a very old Catholic church on it, but we will not be able to visit it.
Meanwhile, I got up at 6:30. After I got dressed, I went out on our verandah to take some photos. I think it is cool that K took the second photo below just five minutes before I took the third photo. I just zoomed in on the church.
I took a few more photos before J was due to arrive at 7 to go to breakfast.
K met us in the Lido Market. J held down the fort and ordered an orange juice for me, coffee for K, and an apple juice for herself. To my usual cold cut sandwich and croissant, I added a chocolate muffin and Muesli on vanilla yogurt and compote. So good! J found a great pretzel roll and mini pancakes, which she let me sample. Delicious!
About 7:30, we finished and headed back to our cabins to wash up. That left us some time to go out on the verandah and watch our lifeboats being lowered to be tenders. The ship was parked way out in the bay. So, this was our way in.
We'd been noticing that the time to meet on our tickets had wound up being actually after our group was called sometimes. We decided we needed to start getting there earlier. It also gave us a last shot at the restroom. We arrived at 7:55 in the World Showcase and got in line for our Pink 3 stickers. The shore excursion folks entertained the crowd with some info. The language here in Montenegro is a mix. They use the euro, even though they are not part of that monetary union. The actual name of the country is Crna Gora, which means Black Mountain, hence Montenegro.
Soon our group was called and we made our way to the lower deck to reach the tender. We had to climb downstairs to a platform and climb on, which I found difficult. We were onboard at 8:21. They really packed it up. On the way to shore, I noticed a wheelchair. When we docked at 8:45, a woman was put in an ambulance along with her husband and luggage. What a way to end the trip!
By 8:50, we'd had our tickets scanned by Billie, our guide, and we were on the bus with the driver, Salvo.
When we left at 8:58, Billie started telling us about her country, as guides are wont to do. But, she was a little different, because she'd lived in Canada for years. I believe she moved back to Montenegro to take care of her mom. In any event, the population is 630,000 making it one of the 10 smallest countries. It gained its independence in 2006 from Yugoslovia. 70% of the country is Orthodox, 20 % Muslim, and 5% Catholic. The biggest industries is tourism followed by agriculture.
We were climbing an incredible serpentine road with 25 curves on Mt. Lovćen. Near the beginning of our climb, the road actually made an M. At 9:22, we made a 33 minute photo stop.
And, what a stop it was! We could see all the way to the Adriatic. We could see our ship anchored out in the Bay of Kotor. (Our captain would later say that we anchored farther out than usual, because there was a chance that the katabatic winds that are possible in the bay, even in summer, could come up causing "downs" running down the mountains.) We got great selfies, too, of course.
There was a little stand of souvenirs across the road. It was tricky timing it, but I got over there and found 2 postcards for 1 euro.
Our next stop was a little village called Njeguši. We were going to the widow-owned Restoran Bastadur. The stop included home-cured ham, homemade cheese and bread, and a soft-drink or red wine. K ordered the latter for himself, and a Coke Zero for me while I was in the restroom line. The sandwich was delicious. They had ham for sale, but I'm not convinced we can bring it home.
After our pleasant repast, we went outside to see what we could see of this tiny village. Seriously, it is tiny. Under 50 people live here. But, the scenery is beautiful. What a place to wake up every day! Clean air, gorgeous sky, but no doubt a tough place to live in winter, considering how low the tree line is. I should have asked where they go to school, my common question in the American West.
This camper looks like some I've seen cobbled together back home and I think it is a Ford truck!
When we left at 10:55 and started climbing the road on the other side of town, I got this photo. The tiny little buildings are cabins the young widow added behind her restaurant.
The guide told us the incredible story of the prince-bishop Petar II Petrović-Njegoš, who was also a beloved poet and philosopher. When he died, at age 37, he wanted to be buried atop Mt. Lovćen, in the highest mausoleum in Europe. I managed to snap a photo as we drove below it. It's the tiny spot on the peak on the right. You can see 70% of the country from up there.
At 11:21, we arrived in Cetinje, the old royal capital of Montenegro. The home of the president of the country is there now. We parked in the parking lot of the National Museum of Montenegro, which actually has 5 departments in historical residences. We were here to see just one of them, it turned out.
First, we had a bit of a walking tour of the areas of the old buildings that were part of the museum or not. This striking conglomeration is the Cetinje Monastery, which is Serbian Orthodox.
We climbed these steps (why are there no railings??) behind our guide, who really couldn't keep that mask up. Up top, there was this lovely meadow of wildflowers.
We now came around to the front of the little church. I didn't have to take notes on what Billie said about it, because there was a helpful sign full of info.
The next information signs were about rulers and that monastery we'd seen from below.
We saw trees laden with interesting flowers. They turned out to be European horse chestnuts. Then, we saw this palace called Biljarda, because it has billiards room. Weirdest reasoning for a name.
There was a rather modern statue of a man in the middle of a circular garden. It turned out he was the founder of Cetinje. Again, there was a helpful sign.
Speaking of signs, there was a directional post pointing the way to famous museums. I enjoyed the fact that I'd been to quite a few of them.
Our next stop was King Nicola's Palace, which we did tour, but weren't allowed to photograph inside. We heard all about the king and his family. We saw portraits, clothes, medals, fully furnished rooms, which included details like the dishes. He was the first and only king, having started his reign as prince in 1860 at the age of 19. A few months later, he married Milena, who was just 13. They would have 12 children, two of whom were daughters who never left home. One of his other daughters married the crown prince of Italy. In 1900, he pretty much declared himself king. In 1914, he was the first to go to Serbia's aid against Austria-Hungary. In 1916, Serbia was defeated and then Montenegro. The king fled to Italy (remember the daughter?) and then France. In 1918, a group that wanted to merge with Serbia managed to depose him. Not long after, both Serbia and Montenegro became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Nikola died in France in 1921 and was buried in Italy (that daughter again). In 1989, his remains, along with those of his wife and two of their children were re-buried in Montenegro.
No, we didn't tour the Blue Palace.
Before heading to the restroom, I did buy a postcard for 1 euro. It was the only way to get an interior shot.
We were on our way at 12:56 and singing "Happy Birthday" to 92-year-old Amelia, who was sitting near us.
At 1:18, we stopped for a photo op above Budva, a town on the Adriatic Sea. The area is known for its sandy beaches and nightlife and called the "Budva Riviera". It's the most popular tourist resort in Montenegro. Most of the visitors are Russian, Serbian, and other Eastern Europeans. It looked quite lovely from above. There are actually places labeled Budva I, Budva Ii, and Stari Grad ("Old Town"), based on the map that shows up with my iPhone photos. The last ones we saw from the bus.
These pretty flowers have the terrible name of Hairy Vetch. How? Just how?
We were off again at 1:25. Those other towns made for pretty views before I dozed off.
We reached Kotor at 2:11. The bus pulled up to the port and we were given the option to end our tour then or continue with Billie for the tour of town. Now, why wouldn't we take a tour of town? We'd never been here before. Besides, it is a UNESCO Word Heritage Site. So, of course a short walking tour was a great idea.
Billie showed us the underground passageway that would let us safely cross under the busy street between the port and the great seawall surrounding the Stari Grad ("Old Town", remember?). On the other side we entered through the ancient city gate. There's something quite grand about entering a city through the city gate. A lot of history there.
Just before we went through, we looked up and saw the ancient fortifications and church above the city. We'd watched a video or two about Kotor before the trip and the folks raved about climbing the 1364 steps leading up to the fortress, which we could not see. In case you have not figured it out by now, we are not those travelers.
Inside, when we turned around, we could see that the walls had living quarters. Turning back around, there is a large square with a cafe and a couple of gelato stands. Across the square is the town clock tower, which is a symbol of the town. It dates to 1602. So-old. I found it interesting that flowers were growing in one of the upper decorations.
As we proceeded through town, I noticed that when the view was not blocked by buildings, you could see that the town was pretty hemmed in by buildings.
Billie pointed out this building, which was the Palace of the Pima Family in the 17th century. Even ignoring what the centuries have done to it, this is not my idea of a palace. It was built after the 1667 earthquake and combines Renaissance and baroque styles.
It was around here that I saw a small shop labeled Hard Rock Shop. It was not an actual Hard Rock. J said I should go in and see if they had the city guitar pin. The group would be moving on, but J would watch for me. We had on Whispers, so I had a chance of hearing where they were when I came up. The shop had the usual t-shirts and whatnot. I asked a clerk about my pin. She showed me a case and I quickly chose the pin for my collection. She was impressed that I had a shirt from the original Hard Rock Café that was so covered with city guitar pins, that it actually hung on several hangars, because it is so heavy. She checked me out quickly and even entered my Rock Shop number.
When I came out, I could hear nothing on the Whispers. I knew the general direction they were headed and soon I could hear Billie as she entered the Cathedral of St. Tryphon. It is actually one of two Catholic cathedrals in the country. St. Tryphon is the patron of the city and the church sits on the site of a previous church. This Romanesque one was consecrated in 1166 and heavily damaged in that 1667 earthquake. They didn't have enough money for a complete restoration. Another earthquake in 1979 devastated the entire Montenegro coast and heavily damaged the cathedral. It was salvaged and careful restoration of its interior was not finished until recently.
It was rather bright inside for such an old church. They have installed modern lighting, but it is unobtrusive. This church is truly lovely. The carved stone baldachin is an impressive piece of work. There's a lot of silver in here! I was surprised by the color of the Easter candle, because ours are usually white. But the rose color is nice.
When we left the church, we went on with the citizens just getting on with their lives. The Whispers really are a wonderful invention for tour groups to be able to move along and even the people in the very back can here. I thought this water pump that looked rather old was nicely juxtaposed with the satellite dish in the back. A couple of the videos about Kotor mentioned how there were cats all over the place. The cat below is the only one we saw. Don't you just love this narrow lane? It is just perfect for a medieval old town.
As we walked, I noted shops that I might want to come back to- if I could remember where they were. There was one in particular that was a must and I pointed it out to J, so that she could help me remember it. It had at least two giant windows just filled with Christmas stuff. It would be a perfect place to find a ornament to represent Montenegro for our travel garland. I might be able to find gifts, too.
The next church of interest was St. Luke's, which we didn't enter. Built in 1195, it's the only building in town that did not have major damage during the previously mentioned earthquakes. It started out as Catholic, but is now Orthodox. So, there are two altars inside, one for each religion.
Not far away is St. Nicholas Church, which is Orthodox, and the flag shows it is Serbian. It was built in 1902. We didn't enter this, the second of only 2 Orthodox churches in a town of 30 churches.
The tour finished at 2:55. Since she'd been with us for such a long time today, Billie was given a 10 Euro tip before we hurried back to the Christmas shop. There, we found great gifts and Christmas ornaments for us. I also found a pin for my collection.
We watched for souvenir shops on our way back to the city gate. We didn't find any, but did see ice cream in the plaza. J and I each got one for 3 euros. Mine was a delicious combination of triple chocolate and mango.
Right by the gate, J found a souvenir shop. I was able to get another pin and postcards.
When we got back to the port, we found this sign.
When we reached the spot to wait for the tender, we saw that they had packed up all of the shore things. We were on the tender at 3:30 and were on the ship at 3:53. We headed up to our cabin to be able to watch us set sail.
We were in time to watch them winch up the last of the lifeboats. Then, we could sit there and watch the shore go by. I'd scheduled dinner for 6 pm to give us the time to just enjoy the sailing. The photos below were taken over the coarse of an hour. Such pretty scenery! We got to see the church out in the bay. We had views of churches, resorts, etc.
While J and I watched the shore, K left in time for the 5pm concert at the Lincoln Center Stage.
Dinner was in the Dining Room as usual. For my appetizer I chose Corn and Crabmeat Fritter, that didn't have a lot of crab, but tasted fine. J got a tasty Seared Black Pepper Duck Breast. K got a delicious Borlotti Bean and Pasta Soup.
I had a hard time deciding on a main course and wound up with Smoked Pork Loin and Sauerkraut, even though we were nowhere near Germany. J got Pommery Mustard Roasted Lamb Loin, while K got Eggplant Cannelloni Parmigiana. We shared all three as usual, which made for an interesting meal.
my dessert choice was Almond Fruit Cake No Sugar Added. J, being a fan of the Great British Bake-off, had to get the Strawberry Pavlova. K ordered Opera Cake. Because that was loaded with coffee, he got to eat it alone. Ours were good.
When we left at 7:35, we went to take a look at Montenegro receding behind us as we cruised the Adriatic. And, a few minutes later, I got this great shot of the sunset from our verandah.
At 8, we were at the jewelry shop for their diamond night. We didn't win the give away, but we got another necklace with a stone pendant. We ran into the couple from our pre-boarding "fun" in Greece and told them of the recovery of the bag. They were incredibly happy for us. We had time to kill before our next activity, so we did some shopping.
9 pm found the three us in the World Showcase for Planet Earth II with the Lincoln Center group providing live music. J had not wanted to go, but even she found it amazing.
When it ended at 9:47, we headed back to our cabins, having agreed on a meeting time for tomorrow. In our cabin, I kept hearing an irritating tone every four minutes or so, but could not track it down.
The phone says I walked 7,886 steps for a total of 2.7 miles and climbed 4 floors, but I don't know how I did the last one.
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