DIZZYING HEIGHTS

Up and at 'em this morning. I've decided to climb to St John's fortress overlooking the old town. It will be warm, so an early start is in order, nothing too early though. Breakfast first. Kotor is stunning, the area around the fjord is all part of a UNESCO heritage area with villages and buildings going back centuries. It is a popular destination for cruise ships and there are two in sight today large enough to block your view.

 It means also that the old town will be crowded. I see a dozen buses taking people from the ships out of town for the day, but they keep on coming in droves.

Fortunately as I climb the sun doesn't yet come over the rise and I climb uneven steps or a rock path for around 45 minutes,  pausing briefly to admire the view.

It feels like a million miles up and then I hear someone say there's another 1200metres more.  I thankfully cannot see it though as I am at the end of the path.  The photo doesn't quite tell how grand it is below, how far you can see, how blue the water is, but it will do .... Just imagine everything sparkling.

I encounter a fair number going up as I come down and finally meet Rob for a recuperative cup of coffee, wander around a while, avoid the crowds by walking to a place out of town for lunch then meet up with the rest of our gang dockside for a boat trip to a special island. We observe crowds returning to the boats, looking like lemmings on the wharves. 

Our guide on the boat gives us a potted history of the area as we putter around ending up on a man made island with a church on it.  The story is that in the 15th century fisherman found a Madonna and Child icon on rocks here so they built an island and church on the spot, starting with sinking a dozen ships filled with rocks as a base then topped it up by hurling rocks each time they returned from a voyage.  This still goes on .. Our Lady of the Rocks

There are all sorts of tributes there, none so fascinating as this embroidery made over 20 years by a woman waiting for her husband to return. She has used gold and silver threads along with her own hair. They say you can see the changing colour over the years she worked in the hair of the angels around the Madonna and Child. You cannot see it but take my word for it, the stitching is extremely fine and dense. It is a remarkable thing to behold. The maker left it to the church alongwith her original sketches when she died. 

Locals still commemorate the discovery of the icon each year in late July when they all throw rocks into the sea around the island.  And sailors still bring tributes of thanks to the church when they have survived a storm or some other incident at sea.  Brides who are married in the Church also leave tributes - the collection is one of the most eclectic collections I have ever seen.