Straight Up (not Whiskey)

Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Kotor, Kotor Municipality, Montenegro
First breakfast at the Hotel Conte. The coffee machine was very good and included cafe latte. The buffet was quite extensive and the fresh fruit was a bonus! 
We met Nemanja and Yulia at 9:00 to drive to Kotor. We parked just below the San Giovanni Fortress which was quite intimidating since we knew that is where we were headed. We entered the Old Town through the main gate and were immediately impressed with the narrow streets, shops and cats everywhere. One tiny street is called, Let Me Pass, so we elbowed our way through it. The maze of streets suggested we would never find our way out. We soon began our hike up to the fortress on ancient stone steps that were very steep, worn and slippery. About half way up is the Lady of Health Catholic Church. After a plague in the 5th century, the survivors built this beautiful church to honor Mary. We continued our ascent (1380 steps with a 280m elevation gain) to the top of the fortress. With each step, the views of Kotor Bay got better and better. After looking around at the top, and catching our breath, we started back down. After a short descent, we literally climbed through a window and down a ladder to the ancient military trail built by the Austrians to connect Kotor to the old capital, Centinje. This trail has 70 switchbacks to the top, but we only visited the ruins of the Church of St. John and the village. After visiting the ruins we took a break at an old stone house with beautiful views of the Bay. The restrooms for this cafe had amazing views as well! We each ordered a coffee which was a huge mistake. It was made by a Turkish method, was so strong and left a lot of grounds in the bottom of the cup. Of course, we told the proprietor it was good. He invited us to have some rakija (brandy) made by his friend. It was after Noon, so why not? Since he invited us, he had to offer it to everyone there. Eight of us toasted, Zivele!
We continued down the switchbacks, sharing the trail with dozens of goats. The trail was lined with wild pomegranate trees, they are very thorny.  Being wild, they are smaller but still very tasty. 
Back in Kotor, we split up to shop and grab some lunch. We found a sidewalk place on a square near the main gate, had a cheese, prosciutto panini and a beer. We met Nemanja and Yulia at the main gate to the Old City and headed back to Perast for our boat ride out to Our Lady of Rocks Church on a manmade island. Some fishermen found a picture of Mary in the rocks at this place and built the island and church. The museum holds many interesting artifacts and paintings. The most interesting piece is an embroidered picture of Our Lady of the Rocks made by a woman waiting for the return of her missing seaman husband. It took 25 years and she used her hair for the stitching of the angel’s hair; therefore, toward the end, their hair was white. We don't know if the seaman ever returned.  Next to the island is a real island with a monastery which is not public, but very picturesque. 
We returned to Perast and had dinner at Hotel Conte. When the dinner is included, you are only given a choice of a meat dish or fish. We chose one of each. The fish included a tuna salad, sole with almond sauce and a parfait. The meat menu was a cheese and meat appetizer, a steak roll with cheese inside and a parfait. We have to say the dessert was the best. Wish we could have eaten off the real menu!
Fantastic day!

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