Kotor departure

Since we made the approach to Kotor in the dark, as we sailed out at 5 pm we got to see what was along the fjord.  

the view as we left

One of the big attractions in the bay is the church of Our Lady of the Rocks.  Speedboats take people for a 25 minute ride out to the island to tour the church.

Since it was the height of the season, all sorts of traffic was out on the bay.

ferries and Mein Shippe 4 thread their way among the pleasure boats

this guy comes charging at us, pulls up just short of our wake
a few minutes later he got pulled over by maritime patrol boats

Along one side was what I think is a fish farming operation.

these guys are pretty good at making roads up these sheer mountains

We finally sailed out of the bay and into open water of the Adriatic.

After a VIP reception with the Captain and ships officers, we went down to the Summer Palace for dinner.  (This place tries to pretend it's the Romanoff Palace in St Petersburg - complete with faberge eggs as newel posts on the stairs and railings.)

This was the view when we sat down.

We were treated to a great sunset, but no green flash.

Kotor, Montenegro

Kotor, Montenegro, is nested in a deep, fjord-like bay.  It is famous for its medieval old town (Star Grad), massive Venetian city walls, and a a rich maritime history.  Settled over 2,000 years ago by Romans, the city has been governed by the Byzantine Empire, the Venetian Republic and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The Venetians were responsible for building the defensive walls which stretch nearly 5 kilometers around the city and rise up the steep limestone cliffs behind the town towards the Castle of San Giovanni.  The old town has been a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

People had said the entrance to the port was worth seeing, so when I woke up about 6:15, I looked out and could see the tops of the mountains just catching the dawn light.

 

Two ships were calling here today, so both anchored out and tendered their passengers ashore.  As soon as you get to the port, you see the walls.  They probably once touched the water, but the port has built a big plaza, and a roadway, so it’s a very busy, high-traffic area.

the city wall

You enter the old city through the Marina Gate directly into a central plaza – and see how different it is from Dubrovnik.  This is more welcoming, a series of buildings, narrow streets, and plazas.  And behind everything are sheer cliffs rising into the sun.

 

the Marina Gate

the main square

greeted by clock chiming 9

the cathedral

While there are the typical tourist things, you get a sense that people live here.

laundry hangs like flags

When we visited Malta years ago, there was a cat feeding station.  Kotor has something similar – cats all over the place.  Bar cats, street cats, cats on walls, cats on stairs, cats everywhere (in some areas away from the main plaza).

 

The city walls are not as tall as those in Dubrovnik, and it is FREE to walk them.  Only about 35 steps from the city level you come out on the top of the wall level.  I don’t think you can do the entire 5 kilometers (unless you are a mountain goat), but about 1,000 feet gives you a good sense of what it must have been when they were built.  Now the best places on the wall level are restaurants and parks.

atop the wall looking towards the port

Coming down from the wall, and back to the central square, you encounter the official greeters. 

Outside the wall, as you look up the hill you can see more of the wall as it climbs up the hill to the castle.

The local farmers lined the area outside the wall with a market selling fresh fruits and vegetables.  Real highlight - the fresh figs.  And the olives were unbelivable.  

Back on the tender, headed toward the ship, you could see how everything revolves around the bay.  Houses only go 3-4 roads up from the waterline.  Unlike the flat beaches in Ravenna, beaches here are only 20-50 feet of sand, tucked wherever you can find it.

They make the best of what they can... here is a lighted navigation aid marking a rock, but at the foot of the rock is a cross.  Then you realize there is a chapel atop the rock.   They warn you, but if you miss, you can hold your funeral there.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

For the first two ports of call we will be visiting Balkan countries.  For those who remember their European history, the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand was what triggered World War 1, and reignited a long-term battle for control of the Balkans.  Croatia has been overrun by other countries, most recently making them part of Yugoslavia.  They achieved their independence in 19__.

The port city of Dubrovnik is most famous right now for its UNESCO medieval walled city.  When the HBO series “Game of Thrones” needed a historically correct place to film – Dubrovnik was selected and now you have GoT tours, GoT souvenirs, GoT maps, etc. etc. etc.   

approaching Dubrovnik

The ship pulled into the new port, about 2.5 kilometers away from the Old City.  We docked behind the Viking Star, in the shadow of the Dr. Franjo Tudman Bridge, one of the newest accomplishments of the Croatian government.  

Taking the shuttle bus from the ship we went from the 21^st century to medieval times, and back again. 

It was hot (92) and everybody was trying to get to the same places we were, so it was a visit we could walk away saying “been there, done that” – not something I would go out of my way to do again, unless I could do it in like October or April when the temperature was more cooperative and the crowds are less. 

the walls begin along the sea, including this tower

the main wall

the walls go up the hill

crossing the moat to Pile Gate (one of only three places to enter the city)

Once inside the walls, you get to the main street, known as the Stradun.  You can see how everything is so close together.

Stadun

One of the big things to do is Walk the Walls.  Scott and I previously walked the walls in York, England (in May), so we saw no reason to pony up the 40 Euros they wanted PER PERSON for the privilege of torturing yourself for 1.9 kilometer up-and-down and around. (That’s roughly $45). 

Just to get to the top of the walls, you have to clime the staircase seen at the left of this picture.  NO WAY!  

After a quick gelato to reward ourselves, we returned to the ship, for lunch, a siesta, and a visit to the thermal spa (hydrotherapy, hot tubs, heated “meditation” beds, and other wellness benefits.  Once the sun left our balcony, we alternated sitting out watching the boats go by and retreating to the air conditioning inside.

Thanks to lots of smoke in the air, we got a spectacular sunset, with many of the small boats returning to the harbor.  We will leave at midnight… two hours from now. 

the bridge just after sunset

One bemused foot note- Scott asked me to take a picture of this statue covered by pigeons.  Turns out this is a public drinking fountain - one of two we saw today (one inside the walls, this was outside).  People were drinking right below all those birds.

Porto Corsini

Ravenna has long been a port city – fishing, fuel, and cargo operations.  It became a cruise port when Venice decided to ban cruise ships from their lagoon due to the perceived damage large ships were doing.  Ravenna and Trieste became instant cruise ports… but a lot of the infrastructure wasn’t there. 

As we drove towards the port, we saw swans, cormorants, and (off in the distance) flamingos.  The driver pointed out a sand pile, saying Ravenna is shipping sand to Sicily to help with their erosion problem.  

shrimp "shack"

On both sides of the roadway, and along every slough were what could best be described as shrimp shacks.  On pilings, houses draped with huge shrimp nets, dotted the country side.  

Once the industrial area ends, the beach awaits.  And thousands of Italians flock to the flat sandy lido.

beaches, Italian style

Marina Ravenna, and beyond, more beaches

Ravenna is in the process of building a cruise terminal, but manages to handle passengers, baggage, customs, security in a series of un-air-conditioned tents on the pier.  Scott’s scooter got us head of the line privileges, and we were actually the first people to be allowed on the ship (an hour ahead of our assigned time).

tents (background and along side) = today
rails and building materials =
Ravenna's future port

Cagney’s Steakhouse is normally open only for dinner, but it becomes a private dining room for suite passengers for lunch.  (We have private dining in Moderno Restaurant for breakfast.)  We enjoyed.

After lunch we did our muster drill (reporting to a crew member at the assigned location, and by that time our cabin was ready.  One pm is the fastest time from pier to stateroom we had ever experienced.  We were so excited we took a siesta.

Scheduled underway was 5 pm, but I guess everyone was on board because the lines went slack at 4:28 and we started backing out of the berth two minutes later.  Arrivederci Italy!

clearing the jetty as traffic heads in

 

 

Ravenna Mosaics,

The final site waited until after lunch and siesta time. (How quickly we adapt to a routine involving naps.) The Basilica of Sant'Apolinare Nuovo was only about two blocks away from the apartment - just beyond our favorite pastry shop and the Co-op supermarket.

AI summarizes that it is a long church with rows of holy men and women along the walls. It is very different from the first two we visited... it is a standard Catholic Church which above the nave has a long mosaic (on both sides) of so-called lesser saints and martyrs all in a line.

This church was built around the turn of the 6th century by Theoderic, king of the Goths. After the Goths were run out of town, the church was converted to Catholic by order of Emperor Justinian.  It was consectrated to Saint Apolinare in the 9th century, but, since there was already a famous nearby church by that name, "Nuovo" was added to distinguish it. 

Emperor Justinian

Starting at the back left of the church, there is a sort of reference to Ravenna's location on the sea, and then the line of people begin.

more and more and more, until it ends in...

three Italian men presenting gifts

to this throne.

The other wall's mosaic is similar, but instead features named saints in clerical garb and halos as this excerpt shows.

All of the mosaics are at least twenty feet above you, leaving the remainder of the church with an empty feel.  

the church altar (not a single mosaic!!)

I did find some interesting side chapels... there was one with frescos that were clearly old nd in need of repair. 

That concludes our tour of Ravenna.  We're off to dinner soon.

We head to the ship tomorrow, so that will be a full day.  Since I don't know how good the WiFi is going to be, I can't promise daily posts.  The pictures in these posts take a while to load and the previous cruise ship systems can't always handle it.   

Here's the ship's schedule:

        9th     Ravenna, sailing at 5 pm

        10th    Dubrovnik, Croatia

        11th    Kotor, Montenegro

        12th    Corfu, Greece

        13th    Katakolon, Greece (for Olympia)

        14th    Mykonos, Greece

        15th    Santorini, Greece

        16th    Athens, arriving 5:30 am

Ciao!