Kotorfjord, Montenegro
At approximately 6:30 a.m. this morning the Panorama was cruising south along the Dalmatian Coast in the waters off Montenegro. This was our second country of exploration along this unique coastline of the western side of the Balkan Peninsula. At 7:00 a.m. we entered the Kotorfjord, not a true fjord as it was not carved by ice but nonetheless it is a 10-mile indentation into the coastline of Montenegro and a spectacular fjord with cliffs over 3,000 feet on both sides. It is a tradition for ships making their way into this body of water to pass by Gospa od Skrpjela, a picturesque church dedicated to mariners and make a slow pass while blowing the ships horn, in this way honoring the site, and blessing the ship, crew, and guests on their further journeys. Our captain slowed the Panorama and as we passed close to the church, Our Lady of the Rock, our ship gave several blasts before continuing our passage to the port city of Kotor.
After breakfast we boarded a bus and made our way to Perast a small port town of many, many churches and castles—signs of the wealth of the Venetians in former times, and also our launching point for a small local tender that would ferry our group out for a tour of Our Lady of the Rock church and museum. The legend of the building of this church is based on two fishermen finding a statue of the Virgin Mary on a small reef after a seafaring tragedy. Following this discovery, fishermen from Perast rowed their small boats out to the site, carrying one rock at a time until there was enough “ground” to build the current church. The interior of the small church has a spectacular collection of Milagros, or votive plates left by seafarers, wishing for safe passage no matter where they might journey on the seas of the world. After leaving the central interior of the church we were guided through the museum, listening to the many stories attached to this very unusual and peaceful small church nestled on a tiny manmade island in Kotorfjord.
We returned by tender to Perast for a short tour of the town and some free time…then by bus, we made our way back to Kotor and a brief walking tour of our second walled medieval town. After seeing St. Triphons Cathedrale and several of the main town squares we were able to lose ourselves in the small side streets or make our way outside the city walls to walk through the Saturday market of Kotor. Vegetables, fruit, cheeses, Montenegrin olive oil, flowers and herbs all created a feast for the senses. All too soon it was time to return to the Panorama for lunch, which included many delicious items from the local Saturday market purchased by our hotel manager, Janis! The day had started out very warm and it was time to rest before the afternoon’s activity.
At 3:00 p.m. our bus and driver returned and we had an opportunity to make a short journey 30km up the steep walls of the fjord along an extremely narrow road of 26 switchbacks to an elevation of over 3,000 feet and a small mountain village called Njegusi. We were given an opportunity to sample the local wares of the highlands: cheese, smoked hams, homemade bread and local wines.
And another treat was waiting; it was late spring and the height of orchid season. The meadows were filled with several species of orchids and many other wildflowers. Orchids in this part of the world are terrestrial and grow somewhere between six and ten inches in height. In the later afternoon light, looking across a meadow and small hill near the village were at least 20 of us on our knees, admiring and photographing in perfect light, the stripes and spots on several bright pink and purple orchids all in dazzling full bloom! All followed by a nice glass of wine, a little cheese and ham, and a moment to enjoy the cool, fresh air of the mountains above Kotorfjord.
All too soon it was time to return by bus down the 26 switchbacks to the Panorama awaiting our arrival, the lounge opened and ready for the evening’s recap and preparation for our next day exploring yet another country along the Dalmatian Coast and the Balkan Peninsula.
