The Croatians are definitely serious about their border; so it was great to have a guide to help us pass into Montenegro. Montenegro is NOT part of the European Union, but uses the Euro. Croatia is part of the EU but has their own unique currency. Go figure??
We took a small bus to Perast and then took a water-taxi to Our Lady of the Rock, back to Perast, and then over to Kotor. The bay is quite stunning. But the best stories of the day involve birds and cats. First the bird. “Be Careful”, she said.—“There is a giant pigeon up there and he is vicious.” Instead of deterring us this somehow encouraged us to climb the bell tower of the Church of St Nicholas in Perast. The steep and winding staircase was so low that Dad had to crawl at points. Getting to the top was well worth it until Dad “accidentally” rang the bell signalling 1 o’clock (it wasn’t one o’clock). Well, this excited the vicious pigeon who promptly flew over Dad’s head and deposited a giant pile of pigeon poop on Dad’s shoulder. If getting pooped on by a bird is considered lucky—let’s just say Dad is very, very lucky. The fortified city of Kotor in Montenegro has been parcelled out to many different empires over the centuries. The quotation above the city gate celebrates its liberation from the Nazis on November 21, 1944. Along with the date is a quote from Tito that translates to something like, “We do not need other people's things, and we do not give our own." Or my version of it...”just leave us alone”. What everyone seems to be letting them keep are the cats. They sell cat t-shirts , cat bells, toy cats, ceramic cats...you name it...everything cats. And of course there are cats everywhere. I asked a vendor in the market what was with all the cats. She said that the symbol for Venice is the lion and their symbol is the kitty cat. Apparently every home has a least one cat—and of course they have NO mice. So if you are a cat person you might want to head to Kotor. Fabulous day. We had pizza in the square in Kotor. It doesn’t come with tomato sauce. They bring you a gravy boat of tomato sauce on the side and you can add what you want. I am still trying to decide if I like it that way—leaning toward Yes. You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom.
18 Comments
Mr. N
9/20/2018 08:55:37 am
Three questions (so as to not overwhelm you):
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Diane
9/20/2018 10:48:47 am
1. I hesitate to speak on behalf of the grumpy pigeon, but if I had to live In a bell tower I would go crazy too. I can’t believe he doesn’t move somewhere else.
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The other Mrs. H
9/20/2018 10:13:45 am
Our class questions...
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Diane
9/20/2018 10:53:24 am
1. Nope ..no tomato sauce on the pizza at all. It was a veggie pizza so it had cheese, mushrooms and olives. The only tomato part was the sauce we put on overselves . Also very thin crust
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Keenan werth
9/21/2018 08:58:48 am
How serious about the broader
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Diane
9/21/2018 10:58:20 am
Bosnia and Montenegro pretty well waved us through but the Croation borders checked our whole stack of passports and stamped them every time.
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Jeremy
9/21/2018 08:59:55 am
How did the symbol of Montenegro become a cat?
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Diane
9/21/2018 11:03:43 am
It is their unofficial symbol but they are definitely cat crazy ....here is an article I found on it! https://theculturetrip.com/europe/montenegro/articles/bizarre-history-kotors-fascination-cats/
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Jesse
9/21/2018 09:02:15 am
How was the pizza
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Diane
9/21/2018 11:11:32 am
The pizza was delicious. There is a real Italian influence here as we are close to Italy. It is thin crust and I have decided I like the sauce on the side.
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Katie
9/21/2018 09:02:56 am
Why are there so many cats?
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Diane
9/21/2018 11:04:50 am
They love them. Here is an article I found out about it. https://theculturetrip.com/europe/montenegro/articles/bizarre-history-kotors-fascination-cats/
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D
9/21/2018 11:42:59 am
Our lady of the rock is a man are island they started around 1452 because sailors believed a miracle happened there
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Tia
9/21/2018 09:06:34 am
When I was in Bosnia they considered cats as wild animals so I was suprised when you said they everyone had them!
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Diane
9/21/2018 11:09:58 am
You are right...I was In Bosnia today and they were not cat crazy. They were in Montenegto Though. Here is an article I found on it https://theculturetrip.com/europe/montenegro/articles/bizarre-history-kotors-fascination-cats/
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Nathan Tormey
9/21/2018 09:06:41 am
Was the pizza different in Montenegro than in Canada
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Diane
9/21/2018 11:12:26 am
The pizza was delicious. There is a real Italian influence here as we are close to Italy. It is thin crust and I have decided I like the sauce on the side. 😄
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