16 May 2023 - Prcanj / Kotor

We did see some cyclists and a man jogging along the coast road, but it would feel like you were taking your life in your hands to walk along this road. There is an almost constant stream of traffic and the tight squeezes between the vehicles going in opposite directions have to be seen to be believed. A rally of Porches passed by, while we enjoyed a coffee across the road from the marina, then a taxi delivered us to the Sea Gate of Kotor, the main entrance to the town.

Wedged between brooding mountains and a moody corner of the bay, achingly atmospheric Kotor (Котор) is perfectly at one with its setting. Hemmed in by staunch walls snaking improbably up the surrounding slopes, the town is a medieval maze of museums, churches, cafe-strewn squares, and Venetian palaces and pillories. It’s a dramatic and delightful place where the past coexists with the present; normally its cobblestones ring with the sound of children racing to school in centuries-old buildings, lines of laundry flutter from wrought-iron balconies, and hundreds of cats – the descendants of seafaring felines – loll in marble laneways. The cats did appear, after the lunchtime deluge. We are told that come nightfall, Kotor’s spectacularly lit-up walls glow as serenely as a halo. Behind the bulwarks, the streets buzz with bars, live music – from soul to serenades – and castle-top clubbing. Budva’s got the beaches, and nearby Dubrovnik’s got the bling, but for romance, ambience and living history, this Old Town outflanks them all.

The interior of the Russian Orthodox Church

The walls snake up the mountainside

The start of the stiff climb...

... and great views once you were on your way up

The city walls are daunting

At first glance we thought this said "Free Beer"

History: It’s thought that Kotor began as Acruvium, part of the Roman province of Dalmatia. It’s present look owes much to nearly 400 years of Venetian rule, when it was known as Cattaro. In 1813 it briefly joined with Montenegro for the first time, but the Great Powers decided to hand it back to Austria, where it remained until after WWI. There’s a strong history of Catholic and Orthodox cooperation in the area. One of the churches actually held alternating services between the two faiths, for a couple of centuries, until it was gifted to the Orthodox church in perpetuity.

Kotor’s fortifications started to head up St John’s Hill in the 9th century and by the 14th century a protective loop was completed, which was added to right up until the 19th century. The energetic can make a 1200m ascent up the fortifications via 1350 steps to a height of 260m above sea level; the views from St John’s Fortress, at the top, are glorious. We made it about half way up, only because of weather and time limitations, after losing ourselves in the narrow streets of the town, so we left Kotor with a reason to go back.

Miles today           0 (but 34 floors climbed and we didn't get near to the top)

Miles in 2023     450

Tricia (& Steve)