Wednesday, April 5, 2023
Around 7:00 A.M., we were awakened by three anchors dropping in succession. It was then that we realized that we would be riding a water shuttle into port. The cruise itinerary indicated we would be docking. Yet another surprise from our Captain. We rolled over back to sleep, knowing it would be in the low 40s outside, and damp. We hoped it might warm up before we ventured outside the Island Princess, although we knew the best we could hope for was a high of 51. Kotor gets more rainfall than the other Mediterranean regions, so we were grateful that at least it wasn’t raining.
After dozing for another couple of hours, we pulled open the drapes, peered outside, and gasped. Dark grey and very rocky mountains loomed above us. Crouching at the feet of these mountains that completely surround the bay were quaint little towns, the houses pale with orange rooftops, mixed in with occasional ancient looking ruins. Cypress, spruce and a variety of fir trees (some looked like they would make perfect Christmas trees) were scattered throughout the mountains, as well as deciduous trees just sprouting their leaves, and flowers in purple, pink and gold. Pine trees ran across the crest of the mountains. Along the shore were thick palm trees.
These steep, imposing cliffs plummet to a narrow inlet to the Adriatic Sea, which some people believe is a natural fjord. However, this bay was not carved by glaciers, but by rising sea levels drowning an ancient river valley — a “ria.” The Bay of Kotor mountains are a classic example of “Karst, where carbonates are the dominant rocks and wetter conditions prevail, creating a dissolution topography.”
The bay is actually an unusual “bay-within-a-bay,” — a coastal inlet which opens up into an outer bay, which then narrows to the 300 meter wide Verge Strait. It then opens up again into a 7 kilometer wide inner bay, making for a very sheltered location.
Montenegro is about the size of Connecticut, but with a much smaller population, about 632,000. Running along the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea is the rugged chain of mountains, the Dinarides,
On the inner bay’s northwestern side is a town called Risan, where Neolithic ceramics have been found in Vela Spina Cave. This indicates habitation dating back to around 5000 B.C.
Also, Bronze Age cave paintings in nearby Lipci Rock depict deer running from mounted hunters and a boat.
This area has a rich historical and cultural significance, and is so beautiful, that in 1979, the United Nations included the bay and the old town of Kotor on the UNESCO World Heritage list. It was the old town of Kotor, which is walled in like a fort, that we aspired to visit. Had the weather been nicer, we would also like to have taken a boat to Our Lady of the Rocks.
We bundled up the best we could in layers. When packing for the cruise, Cliff and I had talked about whether we would need gloves, but decided against it, unfortunately. If you go on a world cruise this time of year, take warm gloves, a knit hat and scarf, and a warm water-repellent jacket with a hood. Even people from Wisconsin were cold! We could tell by the way the locals were dressed in lighter clothing and how and shivery they were, that the weather was colder than it usually is this time of year. It should have been more in the low 60s.
As soon as we were ashore, we spotted a young man selling tickets to the hop-on-hop-off bus and jumped right on that. Of course, no one was electing to ride up top in the open air, but the bus was still chilly. We were given ear buds to listen to a narrative about what we were seeing, but it was too soft to understand much of what she said. That was okay, because the jaw-dropping views were too spectacular to really pay attention.
The bus drove along the shore, where we saw shellfish farms in the water, and breathtaking sights of lovely homes and churches. I saw at two homes, trees that were fat with ripe oranges, and blooming wisteria vines that had grown into trees, as well as walls and homes covered in wisteria.
The bus stopped in Old Town Perast where we could access the Maritime Museum, and take a small open-air boat to the little manmade island (which took over 200 years to build), where Our Lady of the Rocks is located.
Off the coast of Perast, there are two small islets. The view of them from the town is very picturesque. One is Sveti Dorde Island, the Island of St. George, which is a natural island. The other is Our Lady of the Rocks, which is an artificial island created by sinking old and seized ships loaded with rocks on top of a bulwark of rocks. The church is the largest building on the islet and it has a museum and shop attached to it as well
The legend is that over the years, the local seamen made and kept an ancient oath after an icon of the Madonna and Child were round on the rock in the sea on July 22, 1452. After each successful voyage, they laid a rock in the bay. Over time, it gradually grew to an islet. Today, the custom is to throw rocks into the sea, especially on July 22, on Fasinada. Locals take out their boats on that day and throw rocks into the sea to widen the surface of the island. How fun it would be to visit in July and take part of that tradition!
The church contains 68 paintings by 17th Century Baroque Perast artist Tripo Kokolja. There are also paintings by Italian Artists and an icon of the Lady of the Rocks (circa 1452) by Lovro Dobricevic of Kotor.
After thinking about waiting 25 minutes for the next bus to pick us back up, we decided to stay on the bus and see Old Town. The bus dropped us off before entering the port gates, and we descended an escalator to a tunnel which took us below the street and into the Old Town, which is surrounded by an imposing wall sloping down into a river. The bulwarks surrounding the town are 5 km long, 20 km high, and about 10 meters wide. We entered to see cobblestone streets and exceptionally well preserved medieval buildings. It was very beautiful.
I made a comment about being even colder inside the city walls, and Joan said “I’m ready to go back to the ship when you are.” Intrepid Cliff was not going to join us without having a beer and some local food, so he took off on his own.
Old town is a maze of narrow streets, squares, and markets, as well as the old palaces of wealthy families, and has plenty of stairs to climb. It is considered to be the best preserved medieval urban entity in the Mediterranean. The old town has so many shops, restaurants, hotels and cafes, you could spend the entire day wandering and perusing everything. As it turns out, Cliff did get lost and was worried he might miss the last water shuttle back to the ship. Fortunately, he found his way out in time.
What an incredibly beautiful area this is! We could only imagine how pleasurable it must be to enjoy in the warm weather. A major highlight of cruising into the Bay of Kotor, is that when the cruise ship blasts its horn, the echo lasts 15 seconds. We wish that we could be here after dark, when the old city walls are lit up like a halo.
However, that’s okay, because this was the most beautiful sail away we have seen throughout our whole cruise so far. It was town after town of lovely homes, buildings, churches, and lighthouses as we passed through the fjord-like valleys. What an absolutely phenomenal and memorable experience!
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