Kotor. Wow. Just wow. I thought Herceg Novi and Tivat were remarkable, but this fortress of a city deep in the Bay of Kotor is simply stunning, and we can sit at anchor right there under it all. When we’re not dragging, that is. The holding is soft pebbly mud and the anchor does not bite as hard as we would prefer – this was one of the few places where we dragged and had to re-anchor late at night.

Church in the walled city of Kotor

Cruise ships come in here on a daily basis to drop off thousands of visitors, but it’s till easy to enjoy this place. It’s an old walled town first inhabited circa 168 BC by the Illyrian’s, but later fortified in the Middle Ages. It changed hands many a time, but saw most of its development during Venetian rule, which the buildings in town represent. It’s a UNESCO preserved city. And it’s filled with cats. I mean, a lot of cats.

We had a few days to wander around town, and in the meantime David and Gaile came in on Topaz with her brother Roland. We had also met fellow American Robert on his catamaran, and had the chance to share lots of drinks and grilled meat (a Montenegrin specialty) with all.

Pistachios and walnuts in honey
Robert photo bombing

There are old fortified walls that lead up to a tower in the hills, but we decided it was much too crowded and hot at this time of year to attempt. Kotor is only a 20 minute bus ride from Tivat where we will winter, so we’ll come back and do the climb then.

One of four gates used to enter the walled city
The market outside the walls