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Montenegro—where towering mountains meet the Adriatic—is both scenic
and humble. One of Europe's newest and smallest countries,
it's about the size of Connecticut with well under a million people.
It's a country of contrast an intriguing combination of
rugged landscapes, communist-era decrepitude
am an emerging Mediterranean hotspot that's quite popular
with the cruising crowd. Montenegro's Bay of Kotor is an easy day trip from
Dubrovnik.
Its fjord-like cliffs rise out of the Adriatic surrounding
ancient towns packed with history, all tied together by a twisty road.
The narrow mouth of the bay—
easy to defend yet deep enough for big ships—defines an
ideal and strategic natural harbor.
At the Venetian-flavored seafront town of
Perast, locals ferry visitors out to a man-made island that comes with a
fascinating story.
500 years ago
local fishermen found an icon of the *** Mary stranded on a reef
right here.
They spent the next two centuries sinking old boats and dropping rocks
every time they sailed by,
eventually building the Island and the church:
Our Lady of the Rocks.
The church, with its legendary icon above its high altar, is festooned with symbols
of thanks for answered prayers.
Countless votive plaques,
bouquets and ribbons from happy brides married here
and paintings of ships engulfed in storms.
These were commissioned by sailors who survived, thankful
for Mary's protection.
Tucked among the clutter of nautical artifacts is a delicate treasure.
This embroidery was a labor of love created by a local woman.
For 25 years she toiled using the finest materials available:
silk and her own hair. The cherubs
show the years passing as the hair of the angels, like the hair of
the artist herself, went from dark to white. Humble and anonymous,
she had faith that her work was worthwhile and would be appreciated,
as it is two centuries later by a steady parade of travelers
from distant lands. The bay's main town,
also called Kotor, has been protected from centuries of would-be invaders by
its imposing wall.
Its fortifications begin as stout ramparts along the waterfront
then climb up and up to control the strategic high ground.
Kotor's harbor is now a hit with recreational yachters.
Its gate welcomes visitors into the old town in a main square busy with cafes.
It's worn of tangled alleys and hidden squares seemed custom-made
for exploring.
From Kotor a small road zigzags 25 times high above the sea
up through the clouds and into the historic heartland
of this country. The old road,
little more than an overgrown donkey path, was once the mountain kingdom's
umbilical cord to the Adriatic.
Cresting the ridge, we enter another world—
an inhospitable land of rocks, scrub brush and ramshackle farmhouses.
The black mountains that define this basin, gave this country
its name: Montenegro.