Travelin' Fullers Blog: Kotor, Perast and Our Lady of the Stones island

OWe started out this morning on a bit of an overcast day- slightly suspicious that it might rain! However, the day blossomed into a magnificent tour day! Sunshine, slight wind from the mountains and no clouds made for another perfect touring day!

Our guide, Vasko, started us out on a walking tour of the ancient walled city of Kotor. Kotor is situated on a beautiful natural harbor. It is highly characteristic of the time period and has been authentically preserved. The Patron Saint of Kotor dates back to Roman times. The patron saint of Kotor is St.Triphon. His bones and relics are here in the cathedral in Kotor. St. Triphon was a 16 year old boy who was Captured by the Romans Soon after the Emperor had declared death for all Christians. He was tortured for a week and was then beheaded. Word of his death spread quickly and he became a martyr. After he had been buried, his body was dug up and the traders decided to "sell" his remains. To make it more valuable, they added a golden chalice and the sarcophagus was put on a ship bound for Kotor. The good citizens of Kotor bought his remains and the golden chalice. They then built a small basilica, and later a cathedral to hold his remains. This young, humble, martyred boy became the patron saint of Kotor.

The region enjoyed a golden age as a trading port for several hundred years. They actually were the "blackmarket " of weapon sales to pirates, Serbians or anyone who wanted to get weapons. The Ottomans made most of the weapons for sale, but they turned a blind eye to the sales to get the money and thought they would kill any of their enemies later so it didn't matter. But it turned out it did matter because the partisans who wanted freedom fought for it for more then 100 years using such weapons. They practiced an amazing form of guerrilla warfare and eventually won. The true downfall of the region started with Napolean conquering the region for 15 years and after this, it never regained its former glory. It has also had earthquake problems over the years with the last big one hitting in 1979.

Kotor has become a yachters paradise! It has a marina that has HUGE yachts worth millions of dollars. The Russians are heavily invested in this area of Montenegro. They have purchased lots of land and are building huge compounds. They have driven up the land prices by 10x in the last decade making it very unaffordable for the local residents whose average salary is 480€ per month. The region is almost totally dependent now on tourism making this a very fragile economy. During Tito's rule of Yugoslavia Montenegro prospered with lots of ways to earn a living but all that disintegrated with his death and the subsequent war against Croatia. I must mention that the people of Montenegro were VERY reluctant participants with the Serbians fighting against Croatia. They were really too small and weak to say no to Serbia and Milosovic. Their Prime Minister of Montenegro issued a heartfelt apology to Croatia a few years ago and the two countries now have excellent relations.

After Kotor, we took a small boat out to the tiny island of The Lady of the Stone. This was an artificial island built because of a treacherous reef present in the harbor. Over a 100 year period, the local inhabitants brought rocks out to pile on top of the reef and they would sink ships on top of the reef to form this island. Eventually, a small chapel is built on the island that has been created on top of the reef and the chapel became a place of pilgrimage for sailors who had dangerous voyages. If they survived, they would commission a silver icon to be etched showing the trials the sailor had been through. This was then donated to the Chapel and affixed to the walls. Today it is used for weddings.

We also journeyed a little further to the town of Perast-- another Medieval town that is well preserved. Perast used to the a very wealthy town with beautiful homes. It is said that ship captains from Kotor kept their mistresses in Perast. Again, the town began its decline with the invasion of Napolean. Earthquakes over the years also caused great decline. It is only recently that tourists have discovered the area and it is having a small revival. It is a beautiful little town and we had a lovely lunch there under a heavily laden grape arbor with large clumps of grapes hanging down!

Tomorrow is our last day with the Roddels in Montenegro. They head for home and we're off to London for the Football game at Wembly Stadium between the Dolphins and the Jets. We've had a wonderful journey through Croatia and Montenegro and have enjoyed learning about the people and history of this region. Croatia and the country of Montenegro are tiny jewels of this area and we all hope these countries prosper with tourism. The people are warm and welcoming and so proud to share their culture, history and heritage. Please visit the region if you ever have an opportunity. You will not be disappointed!

In Kotor.

The young 16 year old boy who became the Patron Saint of Kotor, St. Triphon.

The local pillory where lawbreakers were chained in the town square and shamed. People would throw rocks, etc. They were not thrown in jail, but "pilloried "!

Our Lady of the Stone Chapel for sailors..

This is actually an embroidery made by a Captain's wife while waiting for his return. He did not return. But, as she got older, she ran out of thread and used her hair to finish the tapestry. It was at first blonde and then the upper right side of the tapestry, grey...