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Montenegro

We leave Dubrovnik for the day and drive across the border to Montenegro. It is a country in Southeastern Europe. It borders the Adriatic Sea and Croatia to the southwest, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast, Kosovo to the east, and Albania to the southeast. Historically part of Yugoslavia, Montenegro gained its full independence in 2006. Its population is 633,158.

Montenegro is renounced for its wines, especially the robust red Vranac, from vineyards in the Podgorica region.

Olive Oil From the Bay of Kotor. Thanks to its Mediterranean climate, Montenegro produces rich, aromatic olive oil — and some of the best comes from the orchards around the Bay of Kotor. Locally pressed and often infused with herbs like rosemary or garlic, it’s a culinary souvenir with serious flavor.

During our walking tour we see the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon. Consecrated in 1166, this place of worship was built upon the ruins of an ancient 9th-century temple dedicated to the town's patron saint, offering a glimpse into Kotor's past as a bustling mid evil seaport. Wandering through the old city you have the feeling you are in an old mid evil town.

The walled city of Kotor is entirely pedestrian, so walking around is very pleasant. There are shops , outdoor restaurants, Also a Maritime Museum is worth visiting too in the town site.

Kotor's history spans from its founding by the Romans then known as Acruvium in 168 B.C. Through periods under Byzantine, mid evil Serbian, and Venetian rule, the town served as a powerful maritime and trading center protected by formidable walls.

The town of Perasat. The Bay of Kotor is a winding bay of the Adriatic Sea in southwestern Montenegro and the region of Montenegro concentrated around the bay.

The Church of our Lady of Remedy is situated along the steep, winding fortification path that leads from Kotor's Old Town up to St. John's Fortress, San Giovanni. The ascent involves over 1,300 steps, though you will pass the church long before reaching the fortress at the very top. According to tradition, it was constructed to ask for protection against the plague.

Perast is a small town nearby Kotor. The church along the bay is the Church of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin.

Wind Surf is a five-mast staysail schooner that is one of the largest sailing cruise ships in the world, with two electric propulsion motors powered by four diesel electric generating sets also. It is part of the Wind Star Cruises and was in Kotor Bay when we visited.

The port of Kotor is a key destination within this bay, often visited by cruise ships that arrive via tender boat to a dock near the city's Old Town. It is a deep water port.

Perast is a picturesque, historic town in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro, known for its well-preserved Baroque architecture, numerous churches, and grand palaces, reflecting its past maritime significance under the Venetian Republic.

Our Lady of the Rocks is one of the two islands off the coast of Perast in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro. It is an artificial island created by bulwark of rocks and by sinking old and seized ships loaded with rocks.

Church of Our Lady of the Rocks is the largest building on the island, and has a museum attached to it. There is also a small gift shop close to the church and a navigation light at the northern end of the islet.

According to legend, the island was made over the centuries by local seamen who kept an ancient oath after finding the icon of Madonna and Child on the rock in the sea on 22 July 1452. Upon returning from each successful voyage, they laid a rock in the Bay. Over time, the island gradually emerged from the sea.

Our lady of the Rocks with its own light house at the point of the island.

The custom of throwing rocks into the sea is alive even nowadays. Every year on the sunset of 22 July, an event called Fasinada, when local residents take their boats and throw rocks into the sea, widening the surface of the island, takes place.

Looking from the Island back to the city of Kotor on the Bay of Kotor.

Perast is a small town nearby Kotor. It used to be a town of sailors, and it was know by that even outside the space of Montenegro. We can see even today that famous stone housed and captain's palaces standing out. There are 16 preserved palaces

Another church, on the bay in Perast is St. Mark’s, built in 1760 by the master architect Matija Štukanovic. Unique among the churches of Perast. He created it as a private church and mausoleum for his family.

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