Kotor, Montenegro

I can still see the awesome beauty of this place!  Wow!  Be sure to get up early for sail-in through the Bay of Kotor.  For about an hour, you will experience some amazing scenery and just be blown away.   The coast of Montenegro is like non other with huge limestone mountains that come out of the beautiful clear Adriatic Sea and reach into the clouds.   My camera and IPhone wouldn’t stop taking photos!  Kotor is truly a photographer’s dream.. even a wannabe photographer like me!

 

Kotor will be a tender port and the entrance to the city is steps away from the tender dock. 

As you've likely surmised, Ken & I are mostly “do it ourselfers” so once again, we enjoyed Kotor on our own.   The beautiful old city of Kotor, Kotor Stari Grad, is one of the best preserved medieval towns in the Adriatic, surrounded by amazing city walls.  The people are so friendly; we enjoyed chats with a number of locals and I just fell in love with a little fellow who was selling sea shells from the window of his home... and of course I made a small shell purchase!

 Cats are everywhere!  If you’re a cat lover, you will want to take a picture of the Kotor Cats.  You may even want to adopt one as many are without homes and sickly. One cat, that we named Monte (for Montenegro) even enjoyed lunch with us!

I found a youth hostel where I was able to use free wifi and my IPad (Rick Steves would have been proud of  me)!  

 Inside the walls of Kotor Stari Grad lies a large number of shops and boutiques, featuring everything from local crafts to designer clothing. This Cats of Kotor shop had some cute jewelry and hand made cards that just begged to come home with me.

You’ll want to climb up to the fortress (at 853 feet) for some truly amazing views… it’s about 1350 steps to get there and takes an hour to an hour and a half but is well worth the effort.  

 You'll see some beautiful and creative flower displays around town!

Kotor Cuisine

The cuisine in Kotor is mostly Mediterranean with menus brimming with delectable fish specialties. A traditional Montenegro meal includes smoked ham, cheese, olives and famous red and white wines. For a taste of Kotor specialties, try the domestic fish thick soup and satisfy your sweet tooth with a frustula, a crunchy, dry sweet cookie of rhombus shape.  There are lots of cozy cafes with outdoor terraces where you can people watch and enjoy a taste of Kotor.  After lunch, continue to wander the interesting cobblestone streets.

Kotor was one of our favorite ports of call and one that we will never forget!  Anyone who gets the chance to visit this beautiful place is indeed lucky.

Tips For Maneuvering This Blog

One of these days, I am going to upgrade to a Word Press blog; but for now I'm with Google Blogger.  As such, the most recent posts appear first.  To see older posts, you can either scroll all the way to the bottom of the current page and click on "Older Posts" or you can go to the Blog Archives on the right side of the screen, where posts are listed by month and select a particular post. 

Dubrovnik, Croatia

 Beautiful side street heading up to the walls

George Bernard Shaw was enchanted by this beautiful city, about which he said "those who seek paradise on Earth should come to Dubrovnik and see Dubrovnik", as well as, famously, describing it as "the pearl of the Adriatic". Dubrovnik will not disappoint as I can attest!   According to Celebrity's website, you will be docked, which will require a transfer to Old Town (when we last visited, the cruise line offered a free shuttle).  But note, that this can change at any time.  If it turns out that you tender, then the tender dock is located in the old port, about a 3 minute walk to the old town.  On the main street, the Stradun, you will find several ATM machines to obtain Croatian Kuna.

Tender dock in the old port

The old town, with its well preserved city walls is a destination unto itself. Be sure to walk the walls - Due to my fear of heights, on my previous attempt (yes attempt!), I did really well but didn't make it all the way around (or all the way up in some cases). The walls and towers begged to be climbed and explored and they completely encircle the old city. This is quite an exhilerating experience with superb views of the city and the coastline. It will take about 2 hours to walk the walls completely and you will be charged a small fee. Be sure to take your camera!

Exploring the side streets

The old city is fun to explore with its maze of small streets. As you explore, you should take some of the side streets to go higher and higher. You will see many outdoor cafes, boutiques with local souvenirs, wines, etc., and residences. You will be smiling as the residents of Dubrovnik are so friendly... and the food is so good! The Stradum is the "main street", often called the most beautiful street in the world. It begins with a monastery and ends with a great square with a Venetian-style palace and a beautiful church... but venture onto the side streets and the streets that run parallel to it, on the water side. There you will find more unique restaurants and shops.

Outdoor cafe along the Stradum with the walls above
 

Shopping anyone? One shopping find is at the working pharmacy in the Franciscan Monastery, just inside the Pile Gate. The pharmacy makes several face and hand creams and infused water (rose and lavendar) to original recipes from 1317 and sells them in the shop. If you tell them its for gifts, they will put them in special bags too. Examples are lemon hand lotion, rose face cream, and a moisturizer with jojoba and menthol that smells like lemon yogurt. Other local items include home made honey, Croatian neckties (neckties may have originated here!), embroidered linens, and filagree dangly earrings.

Dubrovnik refreshment of Croatian wine and yogurt - yum!

 Click here for a map of Old Town Dubrovnik or here for another map

Just for fun, here's an excerpt from an email that I sent to my family from an internet cafe in Dubrovnik... as you will see, I was having a time with the keyboard!

"good morning from beautiful dubrovnik, croatia. itćs sunnz and beautiful here... please excuse mz spelling because this croation kezboard is not cooperating with me. we are at an internet cafe beside a piyyeria and novices we are, we are the help desk staff at this cafe. i think the z and y are misplaced but just hang with me and donćt laugh too much. croatian music is plazing everzwhere... accordians, dancers, folk songs, and more. the views are extraordinarz and i just maz have to walk the walks again. the first time i walked the old citz walls, i couldnćt make it all the waz around because of mz fear of heights. so perhaps i will trz it again... we will definitelz check it out. croatia is so verz beautiful and the people are so friendlz alnd helpful. we will have lunch here... once again seafood specialties and piyya and pasta along with local wines are top notch. the selection of fun restaurants is so numerous that it's decide to decide."