Kotor – Montenegro

Today is day 9 of our tour and we are traveling from Dubrovnik to Tirana in Albania. If we traveled continuously it would be a 5 hour drive.

Approximately a 5 hour drive by car :-)
Approximately a 5 hour drive by car 🙂

Now to place these countries, and the cities we have visited or are going to visit, I have copied another couple of photos to help you.

The places we have stayed, and are staying at :-)
The places we have stayed, and are staying at 🙂
The Balkans with the surrounding European countries
The Balkans with the surrounding European countries

But today we were lucky enough to break our trip after an hour and 40 minutes, with a stop at the very picturesque town of Kotor, Montenegro.

Dubrovnik to Kotor
Dubrovnik to Kotor

Okay… Now look at the map and see the bay that we had to travel around to get to Kotor. What a fabulous drive! There was a quicker route that we could have taken and that was by ferry, but then we would have missed out on some lovely winding roads, and some of the most beautiful scenery. We stopped and took a few photos on the way.

Kotor Bay behind me with the sea area we had already driven past
Kotor Bay behind me with the sea area we had already driven past
Robin and I with the beautiful bay behind us
Robin and I with the beautiful bay behind us
Our Tour Bus
Our Tour Bus
This photo is actually taken from the bus window. The water looked amazing.
This photo is actually taken from the bus window. The water looked amazing.

And then we arrived at Kotor! Wow…just wow!

A little help again from Wikipedia…

Kotor is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor and has a population of 13,510. Kotor has one of the best preserved medieval old towns in the Adriatic and is a UNESCO world heritage site. It is home to numerous sights, such as the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon in the old town (built in 1166), and the ancient walls which stretch for 4.5 km (3 mi) directly above the city.

The old Mediterranean port of Kotor is surrounded by fortifications built during the Venetian period. It is located on the Bay of Kotor, one of the most indented parts of the Adriatic Sea. Some have called it the southern-most fjord in Europe, but it is a ria, a submerged river canyon. Together with the nearly overhanging limestone cliffs of Orjen and Lovćen, Kotor and its surrounding area form an impressive and picturesque Mediterranean landscape.

This is the first thing we saw

The Hills in the distance and the city wall beside us
The Hills in the distance and the city wall beside us
A better view without me!
A better view without me!

And way up in the hills behind us is The church of our lady of health.

You can see the church directly above the building with the three windows in the roof
You can see the church directly above the building with the three windows in the roof
And more walls even higher
And more walls even higher

But walking in the old town within the walls was fabulous. It reminded me of Dubrovnik but seemed even older, and with the hill behind us with a track that you can walk up, I wished we could have stayed and explored all day.

Part of the city wall by the entrance gate
Part of the city wall by the entrance gate
Looking at the walls and beyond
Looking at the walls and beyond
Our tour group outside the entrance
Our tour group outside the entrance
Walking through the entrance you see this and also some writing. The writing says "What belongs to others we don't want, what is ours we will never surrender.
Walking through the entrance you see this and also some writing. The writing says “What belongs to others we don’t want, what is ours we will never surrender.
As we enter this is what we saw :-)
As we enter this is what we saw 🙂
Just amazing!
Just amazing!
What a fabulous backdrop for a photo
What a fabulous backdrop for a photo
We explore the Old Town
We explore the Old Town

And we discover some sights you just don’t see everyday!

Just look at this!
Just look at this!
No cars in here so this bike is used to transport goods
No cars in here so this bike is used to transport goods
I love these old towns
I love these old towns
Imagine living here!
Imagine living here!

Teresa and I decided to start to climp the track up the hill. We only had a very short time but we knew we would get the best view of the Old Town from higher up.

The start of the track up the hill
The start of the track up the hill
Looking back at Teresa
Looking back at Teresa
Looking down over the wall
Looking down over the wall
Another view looking down... Amazing huh!
Another view looking down… Amazing huh!
And now looking out across the town
And now looking out across the town
And we climbed even higher
And we climbed even higher
And we got even better views
And we got even better views
Now it was worth the climb just to see this!
Now it was worth the climb just to see this!

 

Now isn't that a beautiful sight!
Now isn’t that a beautiful sight!

In recent years, Kotor has seen a steady increase in tourists, many of them coming by cruise ship. Visitors are attracted both by the natural beauty of the Gulf of Kotor and by the old town of Kotor. In the photo above you can see the old with the new!

Kotor was definitely worth the break in our trip.

Read my blog? Let me know what you are thinking :-)