Kotor, Perast and a very wet boat tour

28/07/2019

Hi, it’s Emma G here! The day started off with a freezing cold shower followed by some cereal and crispy bread for breakfast at the hostel. After that we headed off to Kotor. However there were no buses as it was a Sunday so we had to get a taxi, splitting into three groups for the drive to Kotor. Our first view of the Old Town of Kotor was beautiful, living up to its UNESCO World Heritage Site status. A local arts festival was being held at the time so we were greeted with crowds of people and lots of colourful banners lining the streets. After admiring the clock tower and castle (from afar - we weren’t brave enough to face the 900+ steps), we explored the shops within the old town. We then went to a local supermarket and bought our lunch, which we ate by the marina.

At 3 o’clock, we headed down to the docks for a speed boat tour of Kotor and climbed on the boat with the help of our helpful Captain. I was very happy with the seating arrangements as I got to sit in the spinning chair next to the Captain! First, we visited the island that was dedicated to Our Lady of the Rocks. It had been created by two local saviours who believe the Virgin Mary has saved them from a storm in that spot, so they built an island to put a church dedicated to her on. The island was very small but had an amazing church filled with detailed paintings. However, when we got back on the boat, rain started to hit us very hard so it felt like bullets on our faces! The wind was blowing so much that Higgy looked like dog with its head out of the window and Annie, in her anorak, looked like the Michelin Man. 

With the rain getting heavier, we stopped for shelter in a U-Boat base that was used during WW2. The cave was warm and had a James Bond-esque feel with camouflage covering the entrance to hide it from Allied bombers during the war. After that, we braved the remains of the rainy weather and traveled back in the boat, soaked and beginning to get very cold. We made a short stop in Perast, a small but beautiful village along the coast from Kotor, before docking back in Kotor at 6pm. We decided that we had had enough of the British-like weather so we called a taxi back to the hostel, as the buses were no easier to work out from Kotor than they were from Tivat.

Back at the hostel, Elenor and I said hello to Teddy and Charlie (the hostel’s resident cats) while Gabby stayed at least 10 meters away from them at all times.

For dinner, we went to a grill resturant that had amazing grilled chicken but awfully soggy chips. After the long and eventful day, we then walked back to the hostel. Tomorrow we leave Tivat as we begin to make our way back across the Balkans, starting with an overnight bus to Niš in Serbia.