Enchanting Kotor

When asked what the highlight was of our recent Eastern Mediterranean cruise – the answer was as unexpected as it was simple. Indeed, when I first saw the itinerary which was laden with established tourist treats such as Venice, Dubrovnik and Santorini, the main appeal to Kotor for me was that I would be ticking off a new country – Montenegro. I barely knew of the nation and had no knowledge of Kotor itself.

Unassuming. That we entered the inaccurately described “fjord” under cover of darkness was perhaps the perfect introduction to this gem. Our ship anchored a couple of miles from the city gates and gave little away other than the pleasant and dramatic cliffs and slopes. We wolf down our breakfast and make our way to the small tender boats to be ferried the last leg across the bay and into Kotor. It is a calm morning, and already the heat is starting to build. As we land on shore and pass the “Welcome to Montenegro” signs, we are blissfully unaware of the wonders that lay ahead.

Magical. Just like Dubrovnik – another pedestrianized and ancient walled city – you first sense that you are somewhere special as you go through the entrance gates. As you cross the threshold, you leave the traffic and modernity behind you. You could be taking a step back into history. This time though, something is very different from Dubrovnik, which was our previous stop. Where the more famous Croatian tourist magnet knows order and structure with the main street running the length of the city, Kotor immediately feels jumbled. Messy and chaotic. A wonderfully higgledy-piggledy warren of back streets and hidden piazzas that appear only when you turn the corner. Even on a ship day such as this, you can find quiet and secrecy within moments of arrival. The shops are full of souvenirs but aren’t tacky. Not yet selling mobile phone covers or finger-spinners, they offer postcards and regional souvenirs. Ice-cream shops with their kaleidoscopic choice of flavors are plentiful and more irresistible as the mercury rises. Cafes and bars too with their charming views in cobbled squares. This enclosed world seems a better place without cars. Every building has such character, and you sense a hundred tales bursting to be told. The locals are friendly but unassuming. The old folk look as worn and interesting as the houses they live in. Every side-street draws you in, every craggy-faced resident, a storybook waiting to be opened. It seems they have just woken from a lengthy slumber, not quite sure what all the fuss is about. You don’t need to go looking for anything specific – you just wander and lose yourself for a while. Cool sanctuary from the building heat can easily be found in the various churches that will feature heavily in our photos as we leave – only when looking back afterward do we realize how much more stunning the shots look for the craggy limestone backgrounds. We stop to watch a small band of costumed dancers performing an odd-looking dance that adds to the feeling of wonder. Relative to the familiarity of our other ports of call, this place feels refreshingly different.

Dramatic. Kotor has the vibe of a historical secret, only just being discovered. This compact city is hidden away under layers of protection, offered by its surrounding rocky slopes, and the imposing fortified walls. The setting is dramatic, and every nook and cranny ooze history and intrigue. The walls themselves are accessible and give an added sense of turbulent times past. An unlikely feature of the protective walls is that they not only encircle the city but also then stretch up the steep rugged cliffs behind - a defiant and impossible feat of engineering that evokes memories of the rambling Great Wall we saw disappearing over Chinese mountains. In the cauldron of the midday heat, those hardy enough to venture even part way up the breathless and steep pathway along this wall are rewarded with the most stunning views down onto the city with the pseudo-fjord behind. These impressive fortifications date from the 15th and 16th centuries, when the port was part of the Venetian Albania province of the Venetian Republic. Subsequently, it was besieged by the Ottomans, and over through the centuries was claimed by various empires and kingdoms including the Hapsburgs, Napoleonic France, Dalmatia, and Italy. More recently it hosted the Austrian fleet in the First World War before becoming part of Yugoslavia. Throw in earthquakes and plague, and you have to marvel at Kotor’s mere survival. That it survived with enough beauty for UNESCO to recognize it as a World Heritage Site is even more remarkable.

Looking at the faces of our fellow cruisers as we are ferried back to our ship, it is clear that Kotor has done what very few places do. It has captured the imagination of the entire group of privileged and worldly-wise visitors in a matter of hours.

So often we go to new destinations expecting great things, and against such expectation, reality generally falls short. How wonderful than on the odd occasion that we turn up somewhere unburdened with expectation, and are completely caught by surprise. The joy of discovery is even better. As we sail out of the Bay of Kotor we look back fondly on our new found friend bathed in the last moments sunshine as a huge dark storm gathers ominously behind. We won’t worry though – Kotor has endured far worse, and when the storm passes, Kotor will sparkle once more. It really does epitomise the old adage that it’s the quiet ones you have to watch. As we sail on to our next stop, we just have to decide whether to tell everyone about Kotor, or whether to tell nobody?