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Above Herceg Novi, looking
over the Bay of Kotor
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After a wonderful time in Croatia, we left Dubrovnik heading south,
to Montenegro. We kept to the coastal road as far as the Prevlaka Peninsular,
where we came to passport control. With no problems there, we carried on into
Montenegro, and the Bay of Kotor.
The Bay of Kotor is cited as one of the most beautiful bays of the
world. Coming off the Adriatic Sea, it is surrounded by treed
hills and pretty villages that have been inhabited for thousands of years. It
is under UNESCO protection due to the cultural background of the area.
Our
first stop was Herceg Novi. It’s quite hilly here, touristy and busy, so we
contented ourselves with a quick walk to the waterfront then a view from the
top road.
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Viskovic Castle,
Perast
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Then we carried on, driving right around the Bay through the coastal villages. They seemed so old.
We
particularly liked Risan, the oldest of the Bay settlements dating back to the
3rd century, and Perast. Both have tiny cobbled streets and ancient stone
buildings, and both are part of the Bay of Kotor UNESCO designation. We could
see why!
The views were great all around the Bay. It’s a compact area, and
arriving at the other side of the bay after a couple of hours, we stopped in
Tivat, and decided to spend a few days in the Bay area.
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Our boat trip on the
Bay of Kotor
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In Tivat, we parked at Apartmani Stevovic in our campervan. It was in a private house that
had space in the front yard for caravans and tents. It was right on the
waterfront with panoramic views, and was very convenient for the bus; although,
the facilities were woeful.
The next morning, we caught a bus to Tivat
harbour, then went on boat trip to see the main sights of the Bay.
The trip was wonderful, giving us chance to see a lot of the
villages that we didn’t stop at when we first arrived.
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Benedictine
Monastery on the Isle of St George, Bay of Kotor
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One of the places we went to on our boat trip was the Blue Grotto. This is the
largest of many sea caves in the area. It’s called the Blue Grotto because of
the way the light hits the sandy cave bottom and reflects up through the water
- it makes the whole cave look blue.
We also sailed around the Benedictine Monastery that sits on the
Island of St George (Ostrvo Sveti Ðorde). This tiny island just off Perast, has
hosted the monastery since the 12th century. It also contains a cemetery for
the nobility of Perast.
This
hauntingly beautiful place has a sad love story attached to it. A French
soldier, based on the Island of St George after it was captured by the French, fell in love with a girl
in Perast village.
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Marg with Our Lady
of the Rocks island behind
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The Perast community rebelled at the French capture. The soldier
was ordered to fire one cannon shot at the village to quell the rebellion, and it did as the village surrendered.
Arriving in Perast later, the soldier found his shot had killed his
love. She was buried on the Island, and he lived on the island tending her
grave to his dying day.
We saw another island off the coast of Perast,
called Our Lady of the Rocks (Gospa od Škrpjela). The island has been built up
through thousands of rocks being thrown there since the 15th century, to commemorate the finding of an icon of the Madonna and Child there.
In 1632, a catholic church was built on it and still stands on the rocky island
today.
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| Lane in Kotor |
Both of these islands are part of the Bay of Kotor UNESCO
designation.
We also visited Mamula Island, a tiny uninhabited island at the
entrance of the Bay of Kotor, that is almost entirely covered by a 19th century
fort. The fort has had many uses over the years including a concentration camp
during the period of Mussolini.
After a lovely trip around the harbour, we were dropped in Kotor, so
we walked about and enjoyed this wonderful town.
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| Dinner in Tivat at the end of a fabulous day |
Kotor is known as one of the best-preserved medieval towns in the
Adriatic. It is surrounded by its ancient city walls first built in the 9th
century, and packed with ruins, crooked streets, and ancient churches. It is also
a UNESCO World Heritage site.
We entered through the sea gate (which is one of four gates), and
wandered around the main square, then explored the little lanes, and had a
lovely time.
Afterwards, we caught a small local bus from Kotor back to Tivat,
which took us round some very winding and narrow roads, through small and
quaint fishing villages that we hadn’t been able to stop at in our big
campervan. It was lovely.
Back in Tivat, we had a delicious meal, then grabbed a taxi for the 10
minute ride back to our campsite.
Driving
on the next morning, we headed south, to the Montenegro Riviera.