Kotor

Before I went to bed last night, I read about the Ladder of Kotor aka the Ladder of Cattaro - up to the Krstac Pass (940 m).

This morning I decided to tackle it; MF was less enthused so I set off without him.

Away by 7 a.m., all was quiet on the short walk through the Old Town.

I was quickly ascending up a series of switchbacks and very soon getting phenomenal views back over the Bay of  Kotor and the town.

It was very rocky underfoot and uneven - you really had to watch your step.

There were very few people around, just half a dozen or so - plus some goats grazing. I kept pace with them for quite a while but then they drifted away (the people I mean).

An endless number of switchbacks (apparently at least 70!) and when you thought you were close to the end, there was yet another one - and the zigs seemed to get longer, the higher you went.

There was a lovely pine forest at the top and the trail was nicer to walk on - less rocky - but then it got pretty tricky.

At about 8 kms I ‘bailed out’ (I had walked 704 m in height anyway by this stage) and decided to start heading back down. 

It was getting very steep at this point and very shaly. I couldn’t see any point in ruining what had been up until then a wonderful walk: peaceful, undertaken in the cool of the day and with amazing views. 

I stopped by the track and sat on a rock to eat my yummy cherry pastry I’d bought from the pekara/bakery at the start of the walk, drank my water and looked at the views over the bay (boka) and across to the Vrmac mountain range. You can also see the huge cruise ships docked below.

Further down, I met up with MF who I’d managed (by messaging) to cajole into doing a small part of the walk. We had a good coffee at a makeshift ‘cafe’ at a local house opposite the medieval Fortress of St John.

We walk back down together. It is easier to walk on the flat pavers at the edge - so long as you don’t fall off the edge! I’m going to have very sore legs and ankles tomorrow!

After the walk, we buy some burek at the pekara I’d seen earlier in the day, followed by a supermarket visit. The town is awash with people from the cruise ship in dock.

So we are in Kotor - a popular cruise ship destination and popular also with Russians who have apparently bought up lots of real estate.

Next, the plan was to extract some Euros from one of the ATMs but the CBA travel card would not work; we were more successful with the NAB card (ex-Citibank).

And the Euro? Montenegro is not part of the EU but after the disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Montenegro chose to adopt the German mark as its defacto currency which was later replaced by the euro.

Finally, back to our apartment festooned with drying washing; we ate our lunch from the bakery, did a tidy-up including dealing with some technology issues (argh!) - and had a rest!

About 5’ish p.m. we headed out to walk the Old Town followed by a drink at a cafe, then dinner at a restaurant (literally 50 m from our apartment). We both had yummy pastas and I had a delicious glass of Vranac, the most planted red grape variety in Montenegro.

The Old Town is full of bars, cafes and restaurants - in a tiny area, but labyrinthine in layout. We have probably circuited it about 4 times this evening through the same piazzas, past the same restaurants and shops …

It is enveloped by stone fortifications, with most of what still stands today built in the 16th and 17th centuries by the Venetians; it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. This is the St Tryphon Cathedral steps away from our apartment.

It is 8:30 p.m. and the church bell chimes once (as it does every half hour after the hour). I have walked 20.9 kms.