Stunning Kotor, Montenegro

Bay of Kotor

Nestled at the end of a long and winding bay, Kotor is yet another charming medieval city along the Adriatic Coast, now in Montenegro.  It's about 1 1/2 hours south of Dubrovnik, depending on how long it takes to cross the border between Croatia and Montenegro--about 30 minutes yesterday when we drove across.
The bay is spectacular, rimmed by rugged mountains of limestone and some pretty little towns built of limestone hundreds of years ago.  One is Perast, popular with busloads of tourists who stop to eat ice cream and stroll along the clear waters of the bay.

town of Perast

We stopped to look also before continuing on to Kotor, 10 kilometers up the road at the very end of the bay.  It was a perfect day, with rain expected for the next 7 days, so we climbed the 1350 steps up to the fortress, 850 feet above the walled town of Kotor.  It took about 45 minutes, with time to stop and photograph the town below and the gorgeous views of the bay. 

Two large cruise ships were in the port, so many of their passengers joined us on our trek up the mountain.  One Japanese couple excitedly broke the peace with a dreadful drone, but shut it off when I asked them to respect the quiet and beauty of the place.
We're staying at an old hotel right inside the city walls.  People who walk the city walls can look right into our room, which we did as well today.  In the morning, with a mix of rain and some soggy respites, we hiked about 5 miles along the bay.  There are tourist boats crisscrossing the bay, fishermen along the road casting into the water and repairing nets, cyclists oblivious to the rain and women walking to the local market. 

Kotor from the fortress

A few of the villas along the bay have been restored, some into small hotels, but many are crumbling and badly in need of repair.  The marina at Kotor is filled with expensive yachts, but most people don't seem to live all that well.  Montenegro is a democracy now, but still deals with oligarchs and corruption.  It is a mountainous republic that is beginning to attract lots of tourists, arriving mostly on cruise ships, but increasingly by bus or car with plans to stay a few days.

St. Luke's Church in Kotor with fortress on mountain above

Tomorrow, we head to Durmitor National Park in the mountains of Montenegro, reported to be a particularly beautiful area.