Monday, May 12
Before leaving our apartment this morning, our landlady arrived to collect the key, wish us well, and insist that we have a nip of her homemade liquor. Rozalin is a specialty of Dubrovnik, made from the fermentation of one particular type of roses and sugar left in the sun for one month. Not our usual morning OJ, but it was a lovely send-off from beautiful Dubrovnik.
Then, we were off down the coast for the short drive to yet another border crossing, this one into Montenegro, another independent country once part of Yugoslavia. The signage changed with the border crossing, and we began to see Cyrillic used -- as well as English, thank goodness!
Our destination was Kotor, a very small city in this very small country. It is beautifully situated on the Bay of Kotor, which is known as the Mediterranean's ony fjord. As the road wound around the bay, the surrounding mountains got steeper and steeper. Little villages were squeezed between mountains and the bay and, even on this cloudy morning, the scenery was dramatic.
We spent the afternoon wandering around the tiny streets of the walled city, which seems to have more churches (Christian and Orthodox) than Rome! It also looks like a movie set -- picture-perfect honey-colored buildings and pedestrian streets with the looming mountains as a very up-close-and-personal backdrop.
The city walls not only encircle the city, they climb the mountain, zig-zagging up the steep incline, with oratories and chapels along the way to the fortifications above. We walked a small section of the wall, enough for great views, photo ops, and the recognition that a little bit of "up" goes a long way!
After dinner, we walked along to a waterfront park and then back into the old town for one last look and a climb to a vantage point atop a bastion overlooking the harbor and mountains. The setting sun streaked the western clouds pink and, as we turned around, the moon was peeking through the clouds above eastern mountains. All this a church bells tolled, ribbons of clouds wove over folds in the mountainsides, and lights spotlighting the walls as they climbed up the hillsides to the moon. What a scene!
We have a terrific duplex apartment on the river a block from the bay, with a balcony that looks out on the city walls. The upper floor has skylights that look out to the mountains and fortifications above. I don't think we'll draw the shades down tonight; there's just too much to see!
In planning this trip, we were surprised that we were able to book apartments for shorter stays than we usually do. We're here for only one night, yet have the kind of space and facilities that allow us to spread out and be more comfortable than a comparably-priced hotel. If you're reading this for travel tips, that may be our best one!
No comments:
Post a Comment