Montenegro, not where it belongs, but where it should be!

I will be honest with you.

 Before this trip I did not have a clue where Montenegro was located. I definitely would not have put it where I found it! It does not sound like Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, or Slovenia, not to mention Yugoslavia, the “parent” country. Montenegro sounds like it belongs in Africa, or maybe South America, or even right next door to Monte Carlo! Besides, Montenegro has managed to keep itself out of the more recent ethnically driven conflicts that have occurred in this region over the last thirty years or so, so it never really entered those conversations! I consider myself a rather good Trivial Pursuit player and Geography is one of my better topics, but I cannot tell you how much this world cruise voyage has made any of us better in that department!

                   After missing the two Ports in Croatia and Slovenia because of those fierce winds disguised in an innocent sounding name, the Bora, we slid into Kotor Harbor like it was our home port. Kotor, the cultural heart, and soul of tiny Montenegro could not have been more welcoming. And why not? It has a lot of practice since it’s been around for centuries as the walled Old City can attest. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, this cobbled street throw-back to Greek, Roman, and Ottoman times is home to the area’s tourist attraction …. that of itself!

                   We used Tours by Locals once more and we were extremely satisfied with our Guide, Filip. In an area of the world where boundaries often blur, change, and sometimes get obliterated, Montenegro has managed to hold on to its rich heritage and local stories. Filip could not have been prouder than to be a full-blooded Montenegrin.

                   With just the right amount of prodding, via carefully asked questions, we were able to demonstrate that we knew enough about this region’s political dilemmas, especially after WWII. This let Filip open up and discuss his take on the more recent historical events that have led to Montenegro anticipating its 20^th anniversary of independence, arriving in 2026.

                    This event was quietly admired by Filip, who also offered that their previous alliance with Serbia was not a bad one…… the vast majority of tech jobs and other industrialized employment opportunities lay with that neighbor. Montenegro’s chief business opportunities came with the ebb and flow of tourists, many who arrive by cruise ships.

                   And we all know what happened to that industry in the recent past!

                   Filip zoomed up on his “Razor” type foot-powered scooter and we all laughed about all of us trying to fit on it with him! Luckily our van and driver were just minutes away. Our first stop was at a lookout high above the port. Kotor is situated at the end of a long fjord-type body of water. According to some, this is the most southern fjord in Europe, while others contend that it is not true fjord as it was formed by a river that has since been buried under the remains of many earthquakes. Either way, the results are spectacular as you will see in the photo.

                   It was a brisk and cloudy day, the rain stayed away, even though there was a 60% chance of precip. Even over here those guys can’t get it right! There was some snow showers up in the mountains which will be apparent in another photo.

                   After we came down from the mountain overlook, we drove along the narrow shoreside road. The terrain is steep and most of the houses cling to the hillsides in true European style, as we drove up to our next stop, we saw many examples of their aquaculture here, they farm fish, oysters, and mussels, with great success.

                   Our next stop was out on an island. Not just any island, this one has been made and added to over the years by the locals, especially the fishermen. Here’s how the story goes:

                   (Once upon a time) there were two fishermen on their way back to their dock when sailing past a small rocky outcropping, they spied something in the water. It was an Icon rendering of the Blessed Mother. Being good Catholics, they took this as a sign and decided that they needed to do something about it.  The year was 1452, and the date was July 22. Over the following years they added to this rocky islet by sinking rock-laden old boats and tossing additional rocks on it whenever they returned from a successful fishing outing. Years went by and eventually the outcropping was large enough to have a small shrine on it. The shrine was expended in 1722 and has been renovated several times hence. This shrine, Our Lady of the Rocks, houses some very substantial works of art done by various local (and influential) artists. A small museum is attached and what is readily apparent when visiting here is the number of items that have been donated over the centuries by folks (especially fishermen) who attribute something miraculous happening in their lives, to this Our Lady of the Rocks icon and shrine. Every year on that July day, (from back in 1452, the anniversary of the Icon finding) the local folks keep up the tradition of adding to the rocks by gathering rocks in their boats. They then have a procession out to, and around, the island where they dump their rocks overboard and then have a party!

                             After the Rock Visit, we drove further up the road to a little settlement named Risen. This town is Filip’s hometown and he brought us to a local museum that housed the remains of an old Roman Villa from the Second Century AD. You could tell that Filip was extremely proud of this place, not only because it was local, but because he had worked on it when he was younger. He lamented that none of the sightseeing tours would be stopping there to see these restored masterpieces. Filip showed us around like a proud father would show off his kids works! He painstakingly detailed for us the importance’s and nuances of each swirl, triangle, and leaf, in the artwork.

                                      We did not quite share Filip’s lamentation of the non-visiting tours, at least while we were there! By this time, bathrooms were sorely needed, but the only ones available were in a local café, who kind of frown on non-customers using their facilities (this was obvious by the countenance of the owner lady) We told Filip that we had no problem buying something so, our squirming symptoms abated, we sat down for cappuccinos and a Coke. This short respite from the tour gave us the chance to have further conversations with Filip about what it was like to live here. One of the best things about using this private tour service is that we get the chance to talk one-on-one with our guides and have meaningful conversations about them and their homeland. This would obviously be impossible if we were in a tour group.

                             Retracing our steps, we drove back past the Island with the Shrine on it and wound our way into town. Our new (and Last) destination was the walled and gated Old City of Kotor.

                             Charming right from the start, you need to enter the old city through the Main Gate which opens into a large town square. If all of this seemed familiar to us it is because the city flourished and further developed during the period that the Venetians entered into an agreement to help fortify and defend her. This was in the late middle ages. By now, all of you are probably sick of hearing of the waxing and waning of influences over these various countries that we have visited over here. The issues are many, and the proximity to each other was a tempting piece of these conquestionalble (I just made that word up! But it fits, doesn’t it?) efforts to subdue their neighbors. We need to remember just how close everyone is to each other over here. It is like the northeastern part of the United States all trying to conquer each other. The distances are relatively small and easily traversed by armies, so things evolved relatively quickly and often. So, here is a list of the old guys that had Kotor and Montenegro in a tug-of-war…..

                   In  no particular order….

• Romans
• Ostrogoths
• Saracens
• Bulgarians
• Byzantines
• Serbia
• Venetians
• Bosnia
• Hapsburgs
• Napoleon
• Dalmatians
• Austo-Hungarians

I’ll end it there as this is now getting tedious! Can you imagine how tedious it was for the inhabitants of this nice little country? Such was the way of life in Europe during these times. It is no wonder that the vestiges of these conflicts still haunt today’s politics!

          The best of these time periods was the one under the Venetians. These guys were not really conquerors, they were traders and would do what was necessary to secure a good trading partner and if that meant helping them with fortifications and the like, then so be it. Maybe that is why it felt so familiar walking around these tiny alleys and streets here. Just as in Venice, they ran every which-a-way and were rather confusing.

          For today’s use they are perfect! This maze of little roads gave Kotor a big part of its charm. Couple that with all of the stonework-based architecture and you end up with a town that could have Robin Hood appear from around then next corner and you would think nothing of it!

                   We wandered around the Old City with Filip pointing out the important sites and throwing the history of each into the conversation. Towards the end we asked him to join us for lunch and he agreed to have a Coke with us as he needed to get to his other job. A tiny pub was located (he obviously knew these guys) and we shared a platter of assorted cheeses and some prosciutto, absolutely the best that we’ve ever had!

The goodbyes were sincere as we had all come to have a mutual respect for each other. It is wonderous what can be discovered when we subjugate (in a way) ourselves to a resident of a teeny-tiny country and act as sponges for the collective history and stories of what they deem important, rather than acting as “The Big Country” just coming there for photo ops.

                   Kotor and Montenegro would be a worthy stop for you if you ever get to this ethnically diverse area of the Balkans. Whatever happens, history is on the Montenegrins side, and they will still be here.  😊