Canadian World traveller Winter 2017-18 Issue

After arriving in Kotor that morning on a
highway coach from Dubrovnik we checked
into our accommodation and then we
walked toward the old city where, just
beside the ancient moat, a giant orangewire
statue of Gulliver leaned against one
of the guard towers while not too far away,
an equally giant Pipi Longstockings was
perched happily on the city wall. The occasion
was the annual Children’s Festival and
to add to the cheerful atmosphere, adults
and children clambered onto an oversized
park bench and with smiles, laughter and
total inhibition, dangled and kicked their
legs through the air.
The Sea Gate, a.k.a The West Gate, leads
directly into the Square of Arms where gun
powder and ammunition were stored during
the Venetian Period (14th to 18th centuries).
The leaning Clock Tower, dating to
1602 and the pillory of shame are the first
curiosities that visitors see before they take
in the charm of the Baroque-style Palaces,
19th century houses, the looming mountains
behind the city, and that intriguing
Fortress at the top of San Giovani mountain.
The Tourism Information booth explained
very clearly that to walk to the Fortress we
needed to follow a path by one of the small
churches and go “up, up, up”. And after
huffing and puffing for fifty minutes we were
at the base of the flagpole near the summit
and in total awe of the panorama before
us. When we returned to the city an hour
later, we happened upon Pizzeria Sara, a
café in St. Tryphon Square (the site of the
12th century Cathedral), and refreshed ourselves
with cold beer and an incredibly delicious
four-cheese pizza with thick, juicy,
fresh anchovies.
The Mediterranean/Venetian influence on
food in the area is a great reason on its own
to spend time in Montenegro. On the second
day of our visit we had lunch at Konobo
Trpeza. “Konobo” refers to a place where
food is prepared, with the emphasis on
local foods, while a “Trpeza” is a dining
table filled with food. And in this case
“filled” was the operative word!
With the assistance of our guide from Kotor
Tourism, Gojko Samardžić, we ordered a
plate of local specialties including Black
Risotto (made with squid ink), Seafood
Risotto with squid, mussels and clams,
Calamari that had been delicately fried in
local, light olive oil, a chunky Octopus
Salad, remarkable grilled Shrimp, a Potato
and Swiss Chard Salad, and grilled vegetables.
Everything was delicious and we were
full.
But that’s when Slobodan, our server,
brought over the Turbot—a baseball-glovesized
local flat fish that the kitchen had prepared.
So with some trepidation, we
watched as he filleted the fish and plated it
with potatoes, eggplant, red peppers and
olives. And for the second time in the same
meal our taste buds were awash in awe!
Most visitors to Kotor spend some time in
the town of Perast, only 20 minutes away.
In the 13th century it was a border town of
the Venetian Republic and the UNESCO
World Heritage Site designation references
to both Kotor and Perast as being “authentically
preserved small cities enhanced by
[Baroque) architecture of great quality”. In
fact Perast has become somewhat of an
exclusive enclave for those who can afford
a home along the historic waterfront, filled
with Baroque Palaces from the 17th and
18th centuries.
In the center of the town sits St. Nicholas
Church with its iconic belltower and close by
are monuments to three of Perast’s most
famous citizens including the Baroque artist
Tripo Kokolja. To truly appreciate Kokolja’s
works, visitors can take a water taxi to visit
the islands. Most boats circle St. George’s
Island without stopping. It’s the site of a
12th Century Benedictine Monastery with a
cemetery and a grove of stately Cypress
Trees. But the boats continue to Our Lady of
the Rock to tour the Roman Catholic
Church. The story relates that two brothers,
fishermen, saw a statue of the Madonna in
a crack on a reef. They said a prayer to
help cure one of the brother’s leg injury.
The next day, the injury was cured, but the
statue had disappeared. The brothers started
to throw rocks in the water to help build
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up the reef with the hope of building a
church to thank the Madonna, and over
time the present island was formed and the
church was built. The annual Fasinada
Festival, held on July 22, includes a ceremony
where the fisherman of Perast tie their
boats together in a circle around the island
and throw rocks in the Bay to fortify the site.
Today visitors can see 68 paintings by Tripo
Kokalja inside the church, along with a
gallery of votive plates, donated by fishermen
who survived ordeals at sea and
wished to acknowledge that their prayers
had been heard. One of the more unique
items is the tapestry by Jacinta Kunić-
Mijović. She began the project while waiting
for her husband to return from the Sea. She
used her own brown hair to depict angels,
and 25 years later, blind from the intricate
work and now using her gray hair, she completed
the embroidery. Her husband never
returned.
There is of course much more to
Montenegro than Kotor and Perast. There
are olive oil and winery tours, national
parks with hiking and birdwatching, mountain
biking, morning markets (there’s a
great one just outside the Sea Gate of
Kotor), shopping, luxury get-aways in Budva
and St. Stefan Island, fishing and scuba diving
as well as white-water rafting in the Tara
River Gorge.
Montenegro, a feast for all the senses, is a
great stand-alone destination experience or
a welcome add-on to a visit to Croatia or
other Adriatic/Mediterranean countries.
Canadian World Traveller Winter 2017-18