Yesterday dawned bright and sunny and the warmest day
yet. We cruised up the Gulf of Kotor,
(took about 1.5hrs) one of the most indented parts of the Adriatic Sea and is
sometimes called the southern-most fjord in Europe,
although it is actually a submerged river canyon. With overhanging limestone cliffs of Lovcen
and Orjen, the glass like clear clean waters and the old cottages and towns
clinging to the steep slopes, the cruise in is absolutely spectacular. We dropped anchor in the bay and tendered
into Kotor.
Kotor is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the old town
behind formidable walls and a fortress which was gradually built between the 9th
and 19th centuries. The total
length of the walls is around 4.5ks and the breadth between 2 and 16 metres and
the height varying but reaching 20 metres.
It climbs the mountain up to 260 metres above the town. I naturally declined to climb up but Alan did
105metre in ½ an hour (return) to Our Lady of the Health church! He does like his walls and fortresses. I happily wandered around the old town, up
and down alleys and poking my head in and out of little shops etc.
Kotor used to be a major trade route which is hard to
believe as it’s a small town tucked away at the end of the bay at the foot of
huge mountains. It has been invaded and
ruled by just about everyone over the years and I think was part of Yugoslavia but
finally got its independence in 2006.
We only had 3.5 hrs to explore before the ship departed but
we managed to see what we wanted and enjoyed the cruise back up the Gulf
watching the scenery with a cool happy hour cocktail.
Another place just begging to spend a couple of days
relaxing on and in the water.
Today was a sea day so we just relaxed all day with the only
excitement being attending a seminar on what future cruises we might want to
book. Tonight we have a complimentary
dinner at the Pinnacle Restaurant which should be good, and tomorrow we have a
busy day in Athens.
Trivia: The vacuum toilets on the ship use only 0.4 gallons
of water per flush, 75% less than most residential toilets
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