Today is day 9 of our tour and we are traveling from Dubrovnik to Tirana in Albania. If we traveled continuously it would be a 5 hour drive.
Now to place these countries, and the cities we have visited or are going to visit, I have copied another couple of photos to help you.
But today we were lucky enough to break our trip after an hour and 40 minutes, with a stop at the very picturesque town of Kotor, Montenegro.
Okay… Now look at the map and see the bay that we had to travel around to get to Kotor. What a fabulous drive! There was a quicker route that we could have taken and that was by ferry, but then we would have missed out on some lovely winding roads, and some of the most beautiful scenery. We stopped and took a few photos on the way.
And then we arrived at Kotor! Wow…just wow!
A little help again from Wikipedia…
Kotor is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor and has a population of 13,510. Kotor has one of the best preserved medieval old towns in the Adriatic and is a UNESCO world heritage site. It is home to numerous sights, such as the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon in the old town (built in 1166), and the ancient walls which stretch for 4.5 km (3 mi) directly above the city.
The old Mediterranean port of Kotor is surrounded by fortifications built during the Venetian period. It is located on the Bay of Kotor, one of the most indented parts of the Adriatic Sea. Some have called it the southern-most fjord in Europe, but it is a ria, a submerged river canyon. Together with the nearly overhanging limestone cliffs of Orjen and Lovćen, Kotor and its surrounding area form an impressive and picturesque Mediterranean landscape.
This is the first thing we saw
And way up in the hills behind us is The church of our lady of health.
But walking in the old town within the walls was fabulous. It reminded me of Dubrovnik but seemed even older, and with the hill behind us with a track that you can walk up, I wished we could have stayed and explored all day.
And we discover some sights you just don’t see everyday!
Teresa and I decided to start to climp the track up the hill. We only had a very short time but we knew we would get the best view of the Old Town from higher up.
In recent years, Kotor has seen a steady increase in tourists, many of them coming by cruise ship. Visitors are attracted both by the natural beauty of the Gulf of Kotor and by the old town of Kotor. In the photo above you can see the old with the new!
Kotor was definitely worth the break in our trip.