Sunny, Gray Smoky Skies
Hi Temp 91;
Sunrise 6:03, Sunset 7:33
We were up at 6:00 to be on the deck as we sailed into the Rea. (A Rea is like a Fjord except it is formed by rising ocean waters filling a river valley while a Fjord is formed by glaciacian.) The Viking Daily labeled the time between than and our docking (scheduled for 8:00) as ‘Scenic Cruising’ so we were out on deck to combine the morning walk with a little “Oooing and Ahhing.”
Village near the mouth of the Rea 
“V” shaped valley typical of a river cut. 
We passed many churches along the way. 
Ferries making their run between the sides of the rea 
Village nestled in the side of the Rea 
Sailing up the Rea 
Village in front of Limestone front. 
One of several “church islands” 
Church in the early sun 
Bayside church in Kotor 
Kotor growing up the valley
We docked in Kotor
Our excursion wasn’t until 4:00 so we ate a leisurely breakfast on the back deck and then walked into town to mingle with the tourists and check out the souvenir shops before things got too hot and humid.
This seems like a good time to talk about the wall.
Kotor is surrounded by a very impressive wall. This fortification, in its present configuration dates to the mid-15th century and was instrumental in defending against two Ottoman sieges, one conducted by Admiral Barbarossa in 1538 and another in 1657 during the Cretan War.
The Sea Gate shown above is the shore-side gate in this wall. The wall itself extends up the mountainside and aross the top of the mountain.
I don’t know if it was by design or if it just happened, but much of the wall, when seen from below, blends in to the foliage. So I’ve added some arrows (which probably don’t help unless you can blow the photo up to full screen).
There’s a church up there (red arrow).
After our morning wanderings we staked out a couch on the pool deck and enjoyed the breezy warmth while reading until lunch time.
Since we were right there we indulged in a meal from the pool grill. Burger, Dog, Onion rings, what could be better?
After lunch it was back to reading.
At one point Cheryl woke me up and suggested that I should return to the room to take a real nap.
She woke me just in time to get ready for our excursion.
At the appointed hour we met our guide and walked the short distance to a smaller boat.
We settled in and were soon whisked away to a minestary up the way where we were greeted with bubbly which we enjoyed in the cloister;
Before being shown into the sanctuary…
for a concert by a guitar duo.
Here are clips from a couple of their pieces.
Back on board it was time for dinner and trivia.
The theme was ‘Famous Movie Lines’. We felt fortunate to get better than 50%.
It’s amazing how difficult it is to come up with names like Captain Phillips (“Look at me, I’m the captain now.”) and Jerry McGuire (“You had me at hello”). We could describe both movies. But to come up with a name? Old brains!
Back in the room we watched the Port Talk for tomorrow’s port (Dubrovnik) and a very interesting attempt to unravel the history of control of Croatia. It proves to be no less complex and confusing than Corfu’s history.
Tomorrow we have a 9:00 excursion so we soon headed for bed with the alarm still set for 6:00.
So that’s our all too brief visit to Montenegro.
Next up, Dubrovnik Croatia.
Till then,
R