Dear Steemit friends, let me take you on an enchanting journey to Montenegro, Europe's stronghold in the mountains. I have been fortunate enough to travel extensively throughout the world and I cannot express the beauty of Kotor, Montenegro. It is absolutely one of the most breathtaking landscapes in the world. Montenegro is a small Mediterranean country that is home to 4 World Heritage Sites. Its blend of rich architectural and cultural heritage along with its diversity of landscapes and climates, makes Montenegro a great destination for every kind of traveller. I would highly recommend adding Montenegro to your bucket list.

Montenegro is located in Southeastern Europe along the Adriatic Sea. It shares borders with Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Albania. The modern day capital is Podgorica, however, Cetinje is designated as the Old Royal Capital. I really feel as though Montenegro is an overlooked country for most travellers and I am hoping that this blog with the information I share with you and the stunning photographs will change your mind.

My family and I decided to visit the beautiful coastal town of Kotor. Kotor is a treasure trove of adventure and mystery. Kotor is surrounded by fortifications built during the Venetian era and remains as one of the most protected towns in the world. Kotor itself is listed as a World Heritage Site, its limestone cliffs and rolling green mountain ranges attribute to that. Stepping foot in Kotor is like stepping back centuries in time, where for the most part nothing has changed. Life is peaceful. Kotor Cathedral though far less famous than Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, is more than 50 years older and has an abundance of preserved artifacts, far more than Notre Dame has on display. Another huge bonus is that it is far less crowded, we basically had the whole Cathedral to ourselves.

To find me, look for my chihuahua's face

Montenegro

Kotor

Now how do you get to one of the most protected towns in the world. The easiest way to get to Kotor is via a cruise ship. Kotor is known as the old Mediterranean shipping town and therefore very accessible by sea. There are many cruise ship companies out there to choose from so be sure to pick an itinerary that offers Kotor as a port of call. My family and I decided to go with the Carnival Vista. In fact it was the Vista's inaugural sailing and just happened to be the flag ship of the fleet. How lucky are we. Carnival are an excellent cruise line if you want to have fun, I mean who doesn't. The crew are incredibly friendly and the ships themselves are 5 star luxury floating all inclusive resorts. I am not sure what else you could want. The convenience of travelling via cruise ship is second to none. Unpack your bags once, no hassle of lugging bags around or getting lost. You go to sleep in one city and wake up in another. I do recommend everyone go on one at least once, if you don't like it, well, at least you gave it a go.

Flying is always an option for travellers. The nearest airport to Kotor is Tivat Airport located a few kilometers out of town in Montenegro. It is an international airport offering a few services daily from other major destinations in Europe and the United Kingdom. An affordable bus takes you from Tivat Airport into Kotor twice daily and is only a short 10 minute trip. If you are looking for a more direct flight then perhaps flying into Dubrovnik Airport in neighboring Croatia would be a better option. This airport is not only bigger but has more daily services and can accommodate larger jets.

If cruising nor flying are your cup of tea then perhaps a train. This option is not as easy however, nothing is impossible, well so they say. Montenegro’s train network does not reach as far as Kotor, but it will bring you to the coastal town of Bar. From there, the only way to get to Kotor is by bus.

Carnival Vista

The view on the sail in

One of my favourite things about cruising is the magnificent sail in that you get into each port of call. It is like a beautiful welcome party every morning. Some ports allow you to be able to disembark straight onto a pier, usually these ports are larger and have deeper waters. While others either have coral reef surrounding the port or are simply not big enough. I appreciate how these large cruise liners respect nature in the way that they drop anchor off shore to prevent damage to the natural reef. In Kotor, the ship dropped anchor just in the Bay of Kotor and we had to take what we call in maritime language, a tender. Basically a tender is a small boat that takes you from the ship to the shore, usually a life boat. We collected our tender sticker and were ready to go ashore in the ancient town of Kotor, Montenegro.

Our tender sticker

On the tender

Dock in Kotor

The moment we stepped off the tender, the beauty of Montenegro overwhelmed us. Lush green mountains and stunning stone walls and fortifications. The natural contrast of the brick and the foliage was incomparable with no camera doing it justice. The fortifications protected the medieval town of Kotor within it containing ramparts, towers, citadels, gates, bastions, forts, cisterns and a castle. These buildings still stand today serving as cafés, restaurants and shops. There literally is an entire town within the walls of what is known today as Kotor Fortress. Apart from modern day gadgets in the shops and the outfits being worn, there is almost no way of telling what century you are in. This is what I call getting lost in the moment, history just absorbs you. I know you are probably thinking well obviously modern day vehicles would ruin the illusion of time travel, well, no vehicles are allowed within the walls of the fortress and how wonderful is that. There is actually an inscription engraved into the main entrance to the fortress that says

"What belongs to others we don't want, what is ours we will never surrender."

Stunning hidden fortress

Downtown Kotor

Within the fortified walls of the fortress

Clocktower

Mum, Wayne and Scott

Mum, Scott and I

Narrow alleyways

One of the first buildings that strike you as you wa-nder within the fortress is the Kotor Cathedral also known as the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon. The renascence baroque style Cathedral you see today was established in 1166, in the place where at the beginning of 9th century there used to stand a smaller Roman Cathedral. It is believed that the combination of a devastating earthquake and fire destroyed the original Roman structure. This cathedral is known by the big treasury, which it has, because at the same time it is one of the oldest ones in Europe. It is not only the architectural beauty of this Cathedral that is so captivating but the large collection of artifacts it has on display and so well preserved. How did all these artifacts and relics get here, well legend has it that the Kotor Navy offered up all these relics to the Cathedral as a gift in trade for refuge among these so called Navy men of course were pirates and what do pirates have, treasure.

Kotor Cathedral

Café

Outside the Cathedral

As soon as we stepped inside the Cathedral, there was definitely a presence felt, whether or not you are religious you could say it felt like it was blessed. I have not always felt this with such old buildings, an example of a place that just gives off creepy vibes is Westminster Abbey in London. The Cathedral has two stories open to visitors. The building has all the trimmings you would expect, high ceilings, stain glass windows, wooden carvings and mosaics. No expense was spared on detail and for that all of us can be grateful. It is rare to see this much effort put into in a building these days. Upon entering, we were greeted by a resident Nun playing some beautiful music on an organ in the main hall. She wasn't playing for service however, just for her own enjoyment. This certainly added to the ambiance. This Cathedral is Catholic yet when you see the artifacts it has on display without knowing its history could make you think otherwise. Since the majority of its housed collection was attained by pirates, you can see all sorts of depictions. Some of the most intriguing were those claiming Jesus was a prophet. A Catholic church housing artifacts linked to the Jewish faith, I have never seen such a mix. I suppose pirates robbed from everyone and that is how this Cathedral acquired such a diverse collection.

Inside the Cathedral

Resident Nun playing music

Service hall

Jesus

My favourite part about visiting the Kotor Cathedral was the upper level balcony. Giving us a unique view of Kotor's fortress and winding alleyways. Actually a perfect spot to map out the sights and piece together what life may have looked like centuries ago.

On the Cathedral's upper level balcony

The view from the balcony

The Cathedral's external architecture

Heading back inside and downstairs

Cathedral floor

All this talk about fortifications and walls on the ground level of Kotor, what about what lies above. Whilst admiring the rolling green hillside, a building stands out right in the middle of the mountains with seemingly no road access. This is the Church of Our Lady of Remedy. This is a Roman Catholic Church perched high above the fortress on the slope of Saint John Mountain and can only be reached on foot. The jagged rocks and uneven stairs that lead up to Our Lady of Remedy make it a very difficult and time-consuming place to reach. Nevertheless, many tourists and locals alike visit this church daily. The archaeological remains of the oldest known building in Montenegro, dating back to the 6th century, a Basilica was found under the Church. Legend has it that the Church served as a light house to guide lost sea farers into the heavily protected Bay of Kotor offering them refuge from storms in the dead of night.

Church of Our Lady of Remedy

Back out to explore this hidden city

Whilst wondering around the cobble stoned streets, it is very easy to get distracted by everything this fortified town has to offer. The countless cafés offering decadent treats and aromatic coffee or the antique and porcelain shops offering cute trinkets to remind you of your visit. It is not long before we stumbled across yet another Church. The Church of Saint Nicholas. I mean could this be where good ole Saint Nick lives, the one and only Santa Claus, cancel your trips to Lapland children. It is not Finland you want to send your Christmas wish list to but to Montenegro. It stands as the most important Orthodox Church in Kotor. Located in the northern part of the fortress and occupies a prominent position in Saint Luke's Square. This Church is only a baby in age compared to the others we have visited, this Church was established in the early 20th Century. It is not so much the smell of milk and cookies that hit you as you walk in but rather incense and beeswax. It is not to be missed, I mean you do want your wish list read.

Saint Nicholas Church

In Saint Luke's Square

I do believe that I have explored enough Churches and that it was time to enjoy the natural wonder that is Montenegro. As I sit here and write this, I can still smell the fresh air and remember the utter awe I was in just admiring the landscape. The legendary English poet Lord Bryon once described Montenegro this way:

"At the birth of the planet the most beautiful encounter between land and sea must have been on the Montenegrin coast".

This is a testament to the country’s striking beauty.

The greenery of the landscape is breathtaking

In life, I have come to adore travelling and experiencing new destinations and cultures. I have been fortunate enough to do so much of the time with my mum and my brothers Wayne and Scott. Family is precious and so is time, perhaps the 2 most important aspects of life. What you do with what time you are given speaks volumes. I urge all of you to travel as much as you can, as far as you can and for as long as you can. It invigorates your soul and allows you to meet yourself again and again. Limitations are only what you impose on yourself. My younger brother Scott has Down's Syndrome and is bound to a wheelchair. Let me tell you that this has not stopped him from travelling the world. I appreciate all of you for reading my blogs and I hope that I inspire you to explore this world of ours for the time we are given to do so. The wonders of it will never stop amazing you. Montenegro surprised me with its beauty and the tiny hidden fortified town of Kotor took my breath away.

"Travelling, it leaves you speechless then turns you into a storyteller" - Ibn Battuta

Heading out a secret passage way at the back of the fortress

Heading back inside the wall of the fortress

Leaving the fortress

Family time is the best time

Back on board the beautiful Carnival Vista

I hope you have enjoyed my blog on Montenegro, Europe's stronghold in the mountains, thank you for reading and I look forward to sharing more adventures with you, until next time, Vegoutt Everybody!