Our first stop was Kotor which is in the country of Montenegro. The Bay of Kotor is one of the most indented parts of the Adriatic Sea. As you can see in the map below, a drive there means hugging the cliffside 2-lane road for what seemed like an eternity. It's the only road around the bay; there is no bridge at that narrow point, just a ferry. The mountains surrounding this bay are why it was chosen as a fortified city in Ancient Roman times (first mentioned in 168 BC).
Before entering the "Sea Gate" to the main square of this old fortified city (known as Old Town Kotor), we were greeted by a large farmer's market. Every day we visited this wonderful market! Very cheap too.
And since this is olive grove country, there's at least two dozen different kinds of marinated olives in addition to the olive oils.
As usual, finding our apartment took more than an hour of delightful wanderings around little alleys.
It was a nice apartment with a large kitchen and patio. We shared a bathroom with others.
From that patio we could admire the sun setting on the mountain behind Old Town Kotor. Twas a wonderful patio to eat fresh fruits and veggies from the farmer's market.
People were walking up the mountain to see the ruins. It's hard to see the path with people in photo below, so I penciled in red the general pathway. Along the way are various ruins (click here for a short history).
So one early morning we began the climb . . .
The path starts good enough . . .
. . . but gets progressively crumbled and un-even.
Close up of the lion . . .
Wildflowers love these old rocks . . .
It's amazing that humans toiled for years to bring stones and rocks up the mountain sides.
Can you see the guy with the red backpack on the path, upper right of photo above?
The view of Old Town Kotor is spectacular.
As we climbed further up the rocky path, I wondered how many people died building these structures.
We're cautioned to be careful. Good thing I wore my hiking boots and took my poles. The pathway was very un-even. Vicki and I walked slowly, frequently letting the youngsters pass us.
We finally get as far as we can go . . .
It's a wonderful view. Way out in the bay we see another cruise ship approaching.
There's already one cruise ship at the dock and it doesn't look like there's room for another one.
The second cruise ship does a slow turn around and leaves. Someday when I can't climb to the top, I'll sit in a pampered cruise ship maybe.
When we were admiring the southerly view up there, I was wondering "How the heck are we going to get over those mountains when we continue south on the bus?" I really didn't want to go out the same way we came in, on that cliffside road for an eternity all around the bay.
See that road way yonder? top center of photo? I didn't know it then, but after the switchback there's a one-mile tunnel. I suppose back in the Roman days the only way into this fortified city was by boat.
We descend . . . the old chapel (photo above) is our half-way point.
Even though there's a large selection of outdoor restaurants, Vicki and I take advantage of the farmers' market and our large kitchen and patio with a view.
Old Town Kotor has lots of artistry shops, olive oils and architecture to admire.
Coming up next, Old Town Budva and Stari Bar of Montenegro.
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