Tuesday, June 25th
Today, we were in Kotor, Montenegro again - this cruise is actually three one week cruises back to back and so the itinerary included two stops in Kotor. We were happy about this as we really enjoyed our first time in Kotor and, in fact, even after being there two times now, would love to spend more time there at some point in the future. When we got off the tender in Kotor, we took a hop-on / hop-off bus tour to four towns in Montenegro. This tour also included a guided walk of the old town of Kotor which was really interesting. When we got back onboard the ship, we read for a while on the deck and then took a nap before dinner. The entertainment tonight was 'Spotlight Showtime' starring Shane Hampsheir who is a British big band and swing/jazz vocalist - it was a fantastic show!
Steps for the day: 7, 184
Market stalls at the dock in Kotor
Our ship in the distance
Risan traces its origins to the ancient settlement of Rhizon, the oldest settlement in the Bay of Kotor - the earliest mention of Rhizon dates back to the 4th century BC - there are about 2,000 residents in Risan today
Roman Mosaics museum - the remains of a Roman villa 'Urbana' that dates from the 2nd century AD - the oldest and rarest architectural monument of culture in Montenegro - seven rooms covered in mosaics were discovered, throughout several periods of exploration - the floors are laid out in various mosaics - the mosaics are made of pebbles of thee types: white (local), grey-blue and black (imported), having a square shape
Artifacts found in this Roman villa
These mosaics are made in two colours with geometric and floral motifs that are overlapping - the central motif is a 6-leafed rosette surrounded with a sunshine motif - every corner of the room has sophistically made squids with vines as the ends of their tentacles
The room with the simplest mosaics - shaped in the form of a chess table with 289 squares in black and white alternately -
Coins - the second half of the 2nd century BC - period of Illyrian King Ballaios - the Illyhrian King Ballaios had coins with his image made in two mints - one was on the Faros island and the other in Rhizon
Architectural Element - Corinthian Capital fragment - 1st century AD
Round weight (front centre) - period of 4th - 2nd century BC - Cone-shaped weights (on the right) - fishing net weights - period of 4th - 2nd century BC
Motif of the God Hypnos sleeping - the most famous mosaic in this villa - in the bedroom of the owner of the villa - the mosaic is made out of various colours of stones, bigger at the ends and smaller towards the centre - in the centre, there is a medallion with the God Hypnos on it - he is shown as a young man with wings who is resting with his arm against the pillow (Roman laying position)
Sue standing in front of our Hop-on Hop-off tour bus
Risan homes
On the way to the town of Perast
Village across the Bay of Kotor from Perast
St. George Island (on the left) and Our Lady of the Rocks (on the right)
St. George Island
Our Lady of the Rocks
Views from Perast
Views on the way back to Kotor
Our ship anchored off the city of Kotor
Old Town of Kotor - a medieval walled town founded by the ancient Romans - a compact, triangle-shaped town which is flanked on two sides by water and backed by an imposing mountain - up the mountain, stone walls zig-zag their way up to the crumbling ruins of a castle - inside the terracotta-roofed town, ornate Gothic windows adorn buildings and Baroque palaces line the cobblestone alleyways - the town fortifications on Mount Sveti Ivan were started by the Illyrians in the 3rd century BC and finally finished by the Venetians 1,700 years later - Kotor's churches are decorated with the artworks of its master goldsmiths from the 14th and 15th centuries - the town's walls extend for about 3 miles, range in thickness from about 7' - 50' and reach a maximum height of about 65' - its main gate (called the 'sea gate' [pictured above]), dates from the 16th century (1555) - the south gate, Kotor's oldest, was partially built in the 9th century - Kotor has many historic buildings, the largest and most beautiful of which is St. Ttyphon Cathedral which was built in 1166 and contains many frescoes and a treasury of jewels - also notable are the Church of St. Luke (1195), which was originally Roman Catholic, but has been an Orthodox church since the 17th century; the Church of St. Mary (1221) contains medieval frescoes and the remains of a basilica (c. 16th century); and several palaces of prominent families, including the 18th century Grgurina Palace which is now a maritime museum - it was fun to walk the pedestrian-only streets of Kotor (to the right of the main gate are two signs: one indicates 'NO CARS/NO MOTORBIKES' while the other one says that bicycles are good to go
The Clock Tower - was built in the 17th century - built partly in Baroque style, while the northern and eastern facades were built in Gothic style - a reconstructed medieval pillory stands in front of tower
Trg od Oruzja (The Arms Square) - the main and largest town square in Kotor - it hosts several stores, banks, cafes, bakeries and pastry shops - it also has many important cultural/historical monuments - its name hails from Venetian times when munitions were made and stored here - on top of the hill at the top of the photo is Sveti Ivan (St. John's Fortress or, as the locals call it, San Giovanni Fortress) - the fortress was built to protect Kotor Town from invaders - construction started in the 9th century and ended in the 15th century
The Church of Our Lady of Remedy - a Roman Catholic church dating from 1518 - perched on the slope of St. John Mountain - the church can only be reached by foot
The Beskuca Palace - dates from the mid-18th century - its portal is of Gothic architecture - it first belonged to the Beskucas, a noble family that gained their power through naval commerce - during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the palace served as a courthouse - nowadays, it's the property of city authorities
Mike in The Arms Square
Mike pointing to the treat he bought at 'Mamma Mia Bakery' - a traditional pie called a 'burek' - a burek is a baked filled pastry made of a thin flaky dough - Mike chose one filled with meat
The Pima Palace - was the palace of the noble family Pima - was destroyed in the 1667 earthquake - rebuilt later, so it has touches of both the Renaissance and Baroque styles - the Pima family coat of arms (which is held by two angels) is above the main portal - recently it has been both a museum and a bar
Katedrala Svetog Tripuna (St. Tryphon Cathedral) - a Roman Catholic cathedral - of Romanesque architecture - consecrated on 19 June 1166 - is the seat of the Catholic Bishopric of Kotor which covers the entire gulf - it was built in the honour of Saint Tryphon (Sveti Tripun), the patron and protector of the city - it was built on the site where an older church had already existed - that earlier church was built in 809 by a local citizen of Kotor, where the remains of the saint were kept after being brought from Istanbul - in the cathedral's 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 front door of the Cathedral of St. Tryphon
Mike under the arch in one of the narrow streets of Kotor Old Town
A souvenir shop in Kotor Old Town
Another narrow street in Kotor Old Town
Cats of Kotor - shop and museum - the town of Kotor hosts hundreds of stray cats who are looked after and adored by both locals and visitors - cats appeared in Kotor when the sailors were coming back home in the early 1900s and they had the cats on their shops - because Kotor is a town between sea and mountains, there were also lots of mice, rats and snakes and it was necessary to have the cats in the town to protect it - "The cats have become a symbol of good luck for Montenegro" says Oksana Troshina, who own the Cats of Kotor souvenir shop with her husband - proceeds from the store go to feeding Kotor's large cat population
Sue standing in one of the narrow streets of Kotor - notice the laundry hanging outside (above right)
Another souvenir shop (notice the cat theme)
Beautiful architecture of Kotor Old Town
Fortification walls of Old Town Kotor
Sue under the Gate of the Rivers (the northern gate) - built in the Renaissance style in 1539
Water (drinking) fountain in Wood Square in Kotor Old Town
The Maritime Museum - founded by the Boka Marine Fraternity in the 1880s - this was originally a palace built in the Baroque style - it belonged to the Grgurina family (a noble family) - the building was destroyed by the 1979 earthquake and rebuilt between 1982 and 1984
The Karampana Well - used to be the only source of water in the medieval town as well as a gathering place
The Church of St. Nicholas - a Serbian Orthodox church - built between 1902 and 1909 - a one-nave church in the Byzantine style - the golden crosses of the black domes were presents from Russia
The Church of Sveti Luka (St. Luke) - built in 1195 - has traits of both Roman and Byzantine architecture - it has two altars: one Catholic and an Orthodox one
Mike standing beside a cannon outside the main gate of Old Town Kotor
Our ship anchored off Kotor (we were waiting for our tender to arrive to take us back to our ship)
Mike on the tender taking us back to our ship
Town of Muo - across the bay from Kotor
Views down the Bay of Kotor taken from our ship
