Kotor, Montenegro
Anchor aweigh! At 0630 we were under way, penetrating the inner depths of Montenegro’s Kotorfjord (Boka Kotorska). We transited a very narrow passage that opened up to the large Risan Bay on the left, and continued to the right under seemingly endless 3,000 foot limestone mountains. The jewel of Boka Kotorska is a pair of tiny islands off the prosperous seafaring town of Perast: the Benedictine Monastery of Saint George and the man-made Gospa od Skrpjela (the Church of Our Lady of the Rock).
The light was enchanting and the setting more so, as Panorama circled the church of Gospa od Skrpjela and blew the horn, just as centuries of ships had done upon their thankful return to the Venetian port of Perast. It was an image none of us will forget.
After docking at the city walls of Kotor, which had been an independent city state under Venetian rule for much of history, we ventured back to Perast and Gospa od Skrpjela by bus and local boat. The Church is stunning in its wealth and beauty, an indication of the importance of the Perast mariners who were so important to Venetian trade and defense. The Church of Our Lady of the Rock is dedicated to mariners, and was almost a pilgrimage for many of the Lindblad Expedition and National Geographic travelers who have explored much of the world by expedition ship.
Later in the morning we returned to the fortifications of medieval Kotor, busy and bustling with visitors and vendors, as it would have been in Venetian times. Our excellent guides Stefan and Vasko gave us an orientation to the town, and proudly presented the Orthodox Church. We were then on our own to explore or have lunch or a drink in town.
Later in the afternoon, many of us chose to take an adventurous drive up the mountainside and into the upper regions of Boka Kotorska, to see a little bit of the interior of Montenegro. We held our breath through 25 hairpin switchback turns, and finally crested over the ridge into a completely different world. Pine trees and mountain meadows surrounded by alpine peaks greeted us atop the cliffs, and we all enjoyed a stroll in the fresh air while Sharon took us for a walk to photograph a myriad bloom of orchids. The village of Njegusi is famous for its smoked ham, which we sampled along with Montenegrin wine before driving back down the 25 serpentine switchbacks to the comfort of Panorama in the harbor of Kotor. What a full day in this surprising little country of Montenegro!
