Letter 112

In a bid to start November the way I mean to go on, I would like to share with you all the joys of the Bay of Kotor, a place that holds a special spot in my heart and where a lot of memories were made.

I’ve spoke previously about my excitement towards Montenegro and arriving in the Town of Kotor ensured it did not disappoint. I found it completely captivating and like nothing I’d seen before. I was suddenly surrounded by a sprawling fjord of deep blue water and black mountains towering above. The town was a maze of cobbles and cats and I quickly found my bearings and settled in to my new favourite country.

For my first day I headed out of the town and around the Bay to neighbouring Perast. This is a must visit if you have time, which I had a lot of. I took in the views from the church tower, walked along the waterfront and then relaxed at the Pirate Bar and watched over the islands. It was blissful and a much needed rest day after the chaotic few weeks in Croatia. I didn’t manage to swim over to the islands (which I was informed were very close and just a short swim – looked far to me) but I enjoyed exploring this little village and admiring the stunning views into the bay.

When I arrived back at my hostel I bumped into some lovely people and decided to take a walk up to the monastery with them to catch the sunset. This ended up being the first of two nights watching the sun sink below the mountains in this wonderful spot. We headed up the gently sloping track which winded around the mountain passing a cheese seller and even a goat farmer, this route is much better than the stepped route up which you have to pay for. A couple of ciders and chilled chats at the top made for a lovely evening even if the weather turned grey and the sunset was slightly underwhelming.

The next day is one that unfortunately ties Kotor into my memory for negative reasons, which both saddens me and makes me happy. I got a phone call from my mum telling me that my cat of 17 years had to be put down. Honestly, it’s like losing a family member, and being so far from home made it harder. That was the only time in my trip that I wanted to go home. So for almost a whole day I stayed in my bed, chatted to people from home and watched films and cried a lot. I soon realised I didn’t want to waste my time in this beautiful place and needed to get out of the room to clear my head. I wandered the streets taking photos, visiting small shops and cuddling Kotor’s cats. To me Kotor was therapy when I needed it most. So although it has connotations with a sad part of my trip, it also healed me when I felt vulnerable.

After a day wallowing and a good nights sleep I was ready to be a human again and face the world. Luckily there were three very friendly faces waiting for me in the kitchen and we all headed to the local beach together for the day. We bumped into a few more people and we all relaxed, chatted and ate all day. This was therapy part 2: travellers. I loved this simple day and getting a chance to swim away my thoughts was especially helpful.

That evening I headed up to the monastery for the second time with one of the guys from the hostel. We chatted for hours with the most spectacular backdrop and I enjoyed every second. These are the moments I feel luckiest when travelling. Spending hours in the company of a total stranger with nothing better to do that tell each other our life stories and admire a pretty view. God I miss travelling.

I spent my last day in Kotor milling around the town, enjoying the company of the people I’d met and relaxing before moving on again. Four nights in any place is long for most travellers, but especially in a small town like Kotor. I doubted my decision to stay so long more than once, but ended up falling in love with the charms of the town and getting to know the streets and the people. I especially enjoyed spending time with my hostel receptionist who started off being a helpful local and ended up a friend who I sincerely hope I’ll see again. For my last night I caught up with a girl I met in Zagreb and had the best night sharing a couple of weeks worth of travel stories. We’ve since met up in London and I hope she’s a travel friend I’ll still know in years to come.

In the end I was sad to leave Kotor. I had no idea that Montenegro was about to get better and better.

Thanks for reading and happy travels if you’re currently on the road (in which case I’m very jealous of you)!

From Lou

About Me

PS. I visited Kotor 11th-15th July this summer. I realise it’s been almost four months (HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE) since then but I’m doing my best to catch up with blogs from my favourite country so bear with me!