Kotor Montenegro

#Kotor_Montenegro_Cattaro

Kotor is located on the Adriatic Sea and was founded in the 5th century BC.
Known for its fortifications, churches, medieval old town plus its narrow cobblestone streets

One of the more interesting stops was the Maritime Museum ($37.00 US) because of its strategic location to the sea, so the city has had a long tradition as a port
 The museum is located inside the palace previously owned by the Grgurina family
 and was founded in 1880

  KeyTip;
Things to do/see for Free

A) Walk around the Old Town and make sure to visit the old palazzos (beautiful buildings / palaces) that were once owned by the Noble Families (for one as mentioned the Grgurina Clan)
As they were turned into museums plus boutique hotels
 and stroll inside the lobbies to see the antiques, stairways plus statuettes 

 B) Wander onto the Kotor Promenade near the Boka Bay and perhaps see when the local fishermen return from a days work plus maybe view the sunset if here during that time

C) St Nichola Orthodox Church in Old Town

 D) Hike the Kotor Serpentines which is an old caravan road that rises 900 meters / 3000 feet

 E) Walk on the walls of Old Town  to see the rooftops and also the views overlooking the bay
 
 F) Church of St Luka which dates back to 1195

G) Kampana Tower located near the mouth of the River Scurda and on the Bay of  Kotor which from the tower you can see all of Kotor.
 Also if here at night they light up the tower plus the walls for a great photo opportunity

Much of the medieval fortifications of Kotor remain intact even though there was a major earthquake in the year 1979
 The wall around the town runs for 4.5kms ( 3 miles) with some of it that rises 20 meters (65 feet) with the highlight;
The main gate dates back from the 1500s

Some churches do require an entrance fee so the currency of Montenegro is the Euro even though officially its not a member yet.

 But Moving Forward;
 Serbia and Montenegro are the most advanced candidates to join the EU sometime between 2025-2030

Some of the Romanesque designed churches.
 As with everything the Romans did, it served a purpose;

 The arched portals (entrances) into the church was built this way to impress or even humble the viewer, as in the Middle Ages most of the people did not read or write
So the portals told a narrative story

Making my way into an outdoor restaurant and like the rest of the Balkans
 Montenegro like their grilled meat called cevlapi  (kebabs) which is cooked in front of you on hot coals

 Other Options;
  A) Borek; is a pastry with spicy lamb meat, currants plus pine nuts
  B) Black Risotto; a seafood rice dish
C) Bajadera; a dessert with layered nougat, almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts
 D) Silverbeet  (a chard and no, not the same as spinach 😄) with potatoes cooked in a garlic sauce
  E) Calamari; stuffed with prosciutto plus cheese 

  KeyTip;
 When choosing a place to eat;
 The farther it is from the coast and the tourist streets, the lower the price plus the bigger the portions

Because it was part of the Venetian Republic (1420-1797)  you have all of its architecture

 But also other influences as well;
  In the 1300s Venice became wealthy through its control of trade between Europe and the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia plus the Middle East)
 because it built a large national shipyard which produced the Venetian Arsenal

Koto (with its port)
 Helped to maintain the control of this area with a stopping point for some of these ships

English is certainly spoken here because of the increase of tourism but the official language of Montenegro is Montenegrin
 With also Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian plus Albanian widely used and recognized within the country

Heading to the most unique shopping area in Kotor; its Bazaar which is located in an abandoned Dominican Monastery 
You can actually pay a small fee to dress up like a medieval warrior or become an archer and try to shooting some arrows

During World War Two, Italy (under Benito Mussolini) annexed the area of Kotor (1941-1943)

  Then came Nazi Germany
 Who replaced the defeated Italians which resulted in a guerrilla war within Montenegro who was fighting for democracy.
Finally in 1944 the war of liberation had been won and to acknowledge the contribution from Montenegro it became of of the six republics of Yugoslavia
 

This is the start of the 1350 step climb to the St. George Fortress (Fortress of San Giovanni)

Which my only complaint was half way up there was a gate and an 8 Euro fee (which is fine but the mobile credit card device signal was not good, so took forever to get it to work......so bring cash)

Not much of the castle remains plus only a few of the ruins can be visited, but the views are great so well worth the effort

If thinking of buying a house or apartment in Kotor you first you have to register a company in Montenegro
But certainly contact a local law firm to explain all the Laws on Proprietary and Ownership Rights

The weather in Kotor is seasonal;
With July the hottest month (26C) and January being the coldest (5C)
 So with these old structures heating becomes an issue, if again you are thinking of ownership

Kotor was founded around 2000 years ago
 Now i am not sure how old these shutters are (showing its age)  but i KNOW they are not from that time period 😄

Walking on the Fortification Walls of Old Town to get a peek of some of the 13,000 citizens way of life in historic Kotor 

Entering into an area they call the Salad Square
 Which was has a palace from the Vrakjen Family from the 14th Century

The Church of Our Lady of Health

 Was built during the Middle Ages
 Which was the time period of the plague that killed many people
 It was then when the citizens and government of Venice asked the Mother of God for help, so miraculously the fatalities stopped
 So because of that, more of these churches were constructed throughout the Venetian Empire

Moving forward as i leave Kotor
I get the feeling she is looking out for all of us, especially after our time in history with the
COVID Pandemic