Kotor, Montenegro

A magnificent morning sail up a 53 mile narrow fjord from the Adriatic led us through a series of picturesque bays. Each of five turns was another ancient town hugging the coast. Two hours of sailing led us to majestic Kotor , an ancient walled town. The Republic of Montenegro, with a population of 650,000, is one of seven new countries re-birthed from the old Yugoslavia. Originally built four centuries ago by the Venetians, Kotor continues to be a fairy tale town of tiny squares and narrow streets. From this base, we boarded a small bus for the two hour single lane “serpentine” climb up to a National Park and the old Royal Capital of Cetinje. This near forgotten town is a throwback to post war Europe, and a summer retreat for the people of the coastal towns. Our sail-away took us back through the fjord at sunset and the Captain surprised us with a circumnavigation of an island monastery in the middle of one of the bays. What an incredible day of surprises and an introduction to a country subject to massive civil wars not that many years ago. It was incredibly quaint with stunning beauty. Montenegro is certainly a “see before it’s discovered, destination”.

“Seek and you shall find. Knock and the doors shall be open. Ask and it shall be written, when the walls coming tumbling down…”