Kotor has one of the best preserved medieval old towns in the Adriatic. We spent most of our time in the old town area and took in the beautiful sights. We had a local guide who took us on a short introductory tour of the town. I enjoyed seeing the apartments of people who actually live and work here. Lots of laundry hanging on the lines!
This beautiful
Cathedral of Saint Tryphon was begun in 809 and rededicated in 2009, hence the numbers on the towers. It is amazing to be in something that old and touch the stone. It was built in honor of the patron and protector of the city.
It contains a rich collection of artifacts. Older than many famous churches and cathedrals in Europe, the Cathedral of St. Tryphon has a treasury of immense value. In its interior there are frescoes from the 14th century, a stone ornament above the main altar in which the life of St. Tryphon is depicted, as well as a relief of saints in gold and silver. The most representative works of Kotor's masters and craftsmen are kept in this Cathedral, making its collection quite unique. I enjoyed all of the ironwork and beautiful stonework.
Kotor is surrounded by an impressive city wall built by the Republic of Venice and Venetian influence remains predominant in the city's architecture.
A tiny old Orthodox church sits in the the St. Luke's Square. It is dwarfed by the buildings around it, and especially by the newer Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas nearby. It's so old it seems as if the old town sprung up around it, as if once upon a time it stood here surrounded only by grass and water, and not by thick stone walls. And this is quite possible, given that it was built in the 12th century, long before the Venetians arrived and turned the town into a fortress.
Some of our group hiked up the hill to the Church of Our Lady of Health (fittingly named) and the fortress which was even higher up the hill. I heard the views were amazing from up there!
Yummy pizza lunch at Sara. Our waiter didn't speak English but was friendly and helpful with the finger pointing and smiling!
Here is a group shot in Kotor. I'm going to do my best to name everyone in the picture from left to right. Local tour guide, Michael, Julio, Mike, Wanda, Jane, Fran, Lisa, Steve, Rebecca, Jessi, Meg, Tony, Nathan, Mike, Melissa, Tracy, Chet, Paul, Ronnie. And Mike the tour guide was taking the photo. Our explorica hosts, Aimee and Rich are also not pictured.
After our lunch we all headed to the bay town of Perast and boarded a small boat to Our Lady of the Rock Island. Supposedly Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones have a vacation home near Perast. It's easy to see why!
These are photos of St. George Island which is closed to tourists. The island contains Saint George Benedictine monastery from the 12th century and the old graveyard for the old nobility from Perast and further from the whole Bay of Kotor.
According to legend, Our Lady of the Rock Island was made over the centuries by the seamen who kept an ancient oath after finding the icon of the Madonna on the rock in the sea on July 22, 1452. Upon returning from each successful voyage, they laid a rock in the Bay. Over time, the islet gradually emerged from the sea. The custom of throwing rocks into the sea is alive even nowadays. Every year on the sunset of July 22, an event called
fašinada, when local residents take their boats and throw rocks into the sea, widening the surface of the island, takes place
The church contains 68 paintings by Tripo Kokolja, a famous 17th-century baroque artist from Perast. His most important painting, ten meters long, is
The Death of the Virgin. There are also paintings by Italian artists, and an icon (circa 1452) of
Our Lady of the Rocks.
The church also houses a famous tapestry embroidered by Jacinta Kunić-Mijović from Perast. It took her 25 years to finish it while waiting her darling to come from a long journey, and eventually, she became blind. She used golden and silver fibres but what makes this tapestry so famous is the fact that she also embroidered her own hair in it.
This wall piece contains tokens left by brides who have been married here. Supposedly if they leave a token from their ceremony, their married lives will be happy.
Outside the church looking at St George island.
After an uneventful dinner at the hotel, we enjoyed another spectacular sunset from our hotel balcony.
Mljet (pronounced Mm-yet) is a beautiful island northeast of Dubrovnik. It was discovered by ancient Greco-Roman geographers, who wrote the first records and descriptions, calling it Melita, or "honey," for the swarms of bees they found there. I don't remember seeing any bees, but the sound of the cicadas in the trees was quite ominous!
We traveled by small boat for about 30 minutes to reach the northwest harbor. After a short walk to the entrance of the national park we found our local tour guide. She led us through the forested area and spoke about the history and geography of the island. I've included a bit of the folklore below. Then we traveled by tiny passenger ferry past the Monastery of St. Mary, located on a small island within one of Mljet's saltwater lakes, and landed on the Island of St. Mary where there is a tiny stone church and a small walking path.
