Today we were on an organised bus trip to Montenegro. The border is 25 miles south of the campsite, and the bus picked us up on the main road by the site gates on its way from Dubrovnik. We drove through a lush agricultural area leading up to the border crossing. Although Croatia has warm, dry summers, it’s evident that there is plentiful rain in the winter months.
We waited in the queue of vehicles for about 90 minutes whilst the customs and border officials checked passports. The courier said they were sometimes pedantically officious, as they were being today. There is not much goodwill between Croatia and its southern neighbours (Montenegro and Bosnia & Herzegovina) who they fought in the war that split up the former Yugoslavia. Each country of course claims to have been the innocent victim. But more of that in another blog.
Eventually leaving the borders behind, we were soon driving around the gulf of Kotor. This is described as the most southerly fjord in Europe, and is certainly impressive with high, steep mountains lining the long, narrow sea inlet. The photo shows our Lady of the Rock Island in the gulf. It’s an artificial island made after fishermen found an icon of the Virgin on rocks nearby, as you do. To celebrate this miraculous event, shiploads of stones were tipped on the seabed and a church built on top to house the icon. I suppose the real miracle is that the island itself has survived, what with earthquakes and the wash from cruise liners!
The walled town of Kotor is at the end of the gulf. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and could have been built by Disney. Because the gulf is a deep, sea inlet, Kotor has been an important port and naval base for all of its history.
This is one of the squares, featuring St Tryphon’s cathedral. Never heard of St Tryphon? Well, back in 890 a passing ship loaded with relics happened to have the head of St Tryphon on board and for sale. This was snapped up by the townspeople and adopted as their patron saint. Such relics were valuable assets for the local economy in attracting pilgrims.
Kotor is full of narrow streets and alleys; perhaps the most impressive bits are the fortifications that run round the town and then right up the mountain at the back, Great Wall of China style. A lookout was permanently stationed on the top tower to warn of the approach of raiders.
All towns and cities right along this side of the Adriatic were dominated by a variety of rulers; some were independent for a time. It was all to do with protecting trade routes.
Kotor was no exception and fell under the influence of the Serbs, Austria-Hungary, Bosnia, then independent, Turkey, Venice (nearly 400 years), Russia, Habsburg Empire, Yugoslavia, and now Montenegro. The campsite proprietor said Kotor should really belong to Croatia. I don’t think the Kotorians care as long as the tourists keep coming in place of those pilgrims of yesteryear.
The next stop was Budva, another old walled town, this time in a seaside and more touristy environment. It’s all atmospheric narrow streets and little squares. The photo shows a pretty corner of the battlements momentarily clear of trippers.
Now who are these two belles in front of the big bell?
Every watersport imaginable is on offer from the harbour area, so we were not surprised to see a paraglider towed by a powerboat running along the shoreline towards the Old Town. Whilst you can clearly see the two passengers, it’s not possible to be sure whether there are looks of terror on their faces.
A few miles the other side of Budva is delightful St Stefan’s island. The buildings date back to the 15th and 16th centuries, but the island was abandoned between the two World Wars and became derelict. It was restored in the 50’s as a resort for top communist officials, each house being made into a self-contained luxury suite. Now it’s an exclusive hotel where a suite will cost you up to 3,000 euros per night + 10% service charge. The photo of the island is taken from the Aman Hotel online brochure.
After St Stefan’s, we head for home. The border crossing takes all of 5 minutes: the officials have perhaps mellowed with thoughts of dinner and a bottle of wine. So we arrive back, unexpectedly in daylight, passing fine views of the coast as we drive towards the setting sun.
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