Kotor, Montenegro

Info from the Viking Daily.  Double click to enlarge for reading. 

Looks like the buses are ready to take cruisers on excursions.  My sister and I didn't have to take a bus for our excursion.

 

We walked off the ship and across the parking lot before going down the stairs to access the tunnel so we could reach the other side of the street. Now look at the hillside behind the town.  Do you see anything?

Fortress walls go from Old Town all the way to the top!  This photo shows the bottom part. 

There is a 1.3 mile trail that also winds up the hill. Once you get to an altitude of 300 feet, you come to the Church of Our Lady of Remedy which dates back to 1518.

The walls continued past the church, 

and serpentine their way up the hill...

Some parts of fortress St. John (Sveti Ivan) are built lower on the hill. Construction of the fortress started in the 9th century and ended in the 15th century.   

Up at the very top, at around 920' in elevation, is Fortress St. John, or San Giovanni as it is locally know.  Only 1350 steps from bottom to top.

Our ship, the Viking Sea, at Kotor port

As for our excursion, we were headed into Old Town Kotor. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the old city was built between the 12th and 14th centuries.  The Town Gate was built in 1555 and the locals call it Porta Marina (Sea Gate). It is made of massive stone blocks which have caused the gate to sink over two feet.

When you go through the gate, you enter The Square of Arms and right in front of you is the Town Clock Tower.  It was built in 1602. Because of earthquakes, it leans towards the west. Before the French occupation, which was between 1807 and 1814, it had one clock face. The French built another one facing south. The original pyramid was broken in 1945 and it was rebuilt. 

I had never sees umbrellas like this before and I....

...couldn't believe how much area they covered once they were deployed.  You can see the south side of the clock tower in this photo.

Sure wished I could remember what the tour guide said about this giant lamp in Arms Square. 

Ah yes, the cats.  They are everywhere.  Cats are featured on many of the t-shirts and souvenirs sold in the town's shops.

The next "square" (none of them are square), features the Pima Palace. The Palace dates from the 17th century but has been rebuilt since it was damaged in the 1979 earthquake. The balcony is supported by the 12 stone panels.  Above the main portal, the Pima family Coat of Arms is held by two angels. 

Our walk continues into Saint Tryphon's Square, the main square of Kotor.

Saint Tryphon's Square features Saint Tryphon's Cathedral.  Between 1124 and 1166, this cathedral was built in the Romanesque style with the influence of Byzantine architecture.  It replaced a cathedral that was built after 809 when Venetian merchants brought relics of St Tryphon (Sveti Tripun) from Constantinople to Kotor.   

The sarcophagus of Andrea Saracenis, who is the assumed founder of the church 

When I look at this huge cathedral and think about the labor and ingenuity that went into its construction in the 12th century, I'm just amazed.  

The Grgurina family came to Kotor from Kopar in Istria (Croatia) in the 17th century and Count Marko Grgurina built Grgurina Palace in 1732. In 1813 Bishop Marko Grgurina bequeathed the palace to the government and it was turned into the Kotor Maritime Museum at the end of World War II.  

As I said, cats are everywhere but this one isn't real. 

Our tour included the Maritime Museum.  The first room of displays is the Entrance Hall where there are bronze panels in relief of the most significant events and characters that played great role in the history of Bay of Kotor such as this one of the war of Lepanto in 1571,

Captain Ivo Visin with his brigantine "Splendido", the first South Slav to circumnavigate the world, from 1852 to 1859.

Relief map of the Bay of Kotor.  Old town Kotor is at the end of the top right "wing".

Models of some of the important ships in Kotor's history

Around the top of the walls were the emblems of each family.

This drawing room is the legacy of the well-known Ivelic family from Risan.

Women's national costume from the vicinity of the town of Bar (19th and 20th century).

Antique chest of drawers from the Bay of Kotor topped by a French clock from the 19th century. 

There are 17 panels of old weapons. 

These rifles were very long and...

very decorated.

This cat was "guarding" a shop door.

Fancy gelato display

St Nicholas’ Church (Sveti Nikola) is a Serbian Orthodox church that on St Luke’s Square (Trg Svetog Luka).

Saint Luke’s (Sveti Luka) Church for which the square is named, has served both Kotor's Catholic and Orthodox citizens.   

Sign on the church

Very good way to haul stuff in this old town of pedestrian walkways.....

and narrow alleys

We never got back to check out what was available at the bazaar. 

This shop specialized in knitted animals.

Back in Arms Square, where we entered Old Town, we see the Ducal Palace on the left.  Built in 1763, this Renaissance building was originally the residence for the Venetian Provost. It was also a warehouse for munitions which is how the plaza got its name. 

A few shops had these drop lights that were very beautiful

Headed toward Kampana Tower and citadel.

Kampana Tower and the citadel as seen from the ship.  They were built from the 8th to the 19th centuries and controlled access to Kotor from the sea. 

View of our ship from the top of the walls. 

Looking back towards town, we could see many church towers. 

Looking down into the clear water by the wall. 

Looking back up towards the fortress on the hill.