Saturday 2 April 2011

Eastern Europe Day 7 Sun 20/03/11: Montenegro: Kotor

The alarm clock woke me up at near 6am.  Yun Yun and Jia Qi were getting ready to catch a bus to Zagreb. I tried to sleep back but woke up again at 7am. It was a relaxing day because the bus to Kotor is at 1030am. Had a full breakfast at 8am and walked down to bus station with Hideaki at 930am. 

The bus departed on time and we arrived at Kotor at 1230noon. The view of Kotor Bay is very attractive especially at Perast where the St George Monastery and Gospa od Skrpjela (Our Lady of the Rock)can be seen from afar. Very photogenic like a postcard. The fjord in Kotor is the deepest in southern Europe region.

On arrival at Montenegro bus station, we walked to the old town of Kotor, an ancient walled city. The view of the twisted alleys is lovely as we entered from Southern Gate. Our hostel is located right in the centre near the Maritime Museum. After checked in, we set out to climb the long staircase that lead to St John Fortress at the top of the hill. I was almost out of breath by the time I reached the op but the view is well worth the effort. And having a friend to climb the hill with is fun. Hideaki is a 42km marathon runner back in Japan and he scaled Everest Mountain before...so naturally climbing this hill is a piece of cake for him! 

After the fortress, we wandered around the old town and got a bit lost. There are many twisting alleys, few ancient churches and aristocratic mansions. Important landmarks are St Tryphon Cathedral and Maritime Museum. I could have gone to Perast or Cetinje but by the time I googled about what to visit next (I am not well prepared for this trip), it is already 3pm. Besides, it is out of season , I might not be able to find a boat to cross over to the Our Lady of The Rock chapel. The bus journey to Cetinje is about half hour and need to climb 461 steps to reach the Mount Lovcen (Black Mountain)and Mousoleum of Njegos hence need to go the next day.

For dinner, me and Hideaki were wondering around for a good restaurant for squids. I love squids. He ordered seafood rice and mine was grilled squids. I had to order suppliments of french fries because it is not full enough. Met a Australian lady and Egyptian man in the same restaurant and they bought us rakija drink (local Macedonian spirit) which I must say tasted good, sweeter and less fiery than the one I had in Sarajevo.

After dinner, we went back to hostel in time to escape heavy rain. Very cold night...
Uphill to St John Fortress

View of Kotor Bay






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