Kotor, Montenegro

Friday 23 August 2024. The approach to the port is up the most southerly fjord in Europe and we were already moored by the time we got out on deck. The scenery is outstanding though.

From where we are moored we can see Kotor's magnificent medieval walls climbing up the mountainside, but not the town itself. The ship's tenders are pressed into service to take us into the city and we collect our tickets after breakfast and wait for our group number to be called. There's still a bit of waiting on the staircases to be done but I manage both that and the transfer to the bobbing up and down of the tender boat without mishap.

The city itself is jam packed with people and is more of an ordeal that a pleasure. We walked through as best we could, coming out at the southern gate for a breather and to catch any available shade in the heat of the day. There was precious little. Most benches were out in the glare of the sun and I sat having swivelled my cap to protect the back of my neck from burning as best as I could, looking for all the world like a little old man desperately trying to appear hip. Or whatever the term is these days... Other old men were passing, hunched over their beer bellies and drawling "Hey man! How's it dribblin'?" ... "Far too frequently..." seemed to be the correct response.

Kotor is a medieval city with walls surrounding it, leading high up into the mountains above on each side of the city before meeting at a point making an almost impregnable barrier to any invader from land. We made our way back through the crowds - far more people than previous visits - I checked and they were in mid-October... Coming out near the pier where the tender boats were waiting I decided a drink wouldn't wait and we found seats in a small courtyard and ordered a Coca-Cola and a Sprite. I do miss the days when I could order a glass or two of wine, but long drinks took the edge off our thirst.

We made our way back to the ship and Deck 12 to our customary table and the sketchpad came out again. We couldn't see the city, but the very edge of the city walls can be seen on the right-hand edge of the drawing. This is probably my favourite sketch of the week. The mix of scrub and vegetation against the bare rocks of the cliff face gave me a challenge and the red roofs and line of boats give added interest at the bottom. I had a few more onlookers from behind apparently - unless they speak I don't see them, but Miss Franny told me after that there had been a steady stream of people.

That night as we got into one of the lifts someone suddenly said "Are you the gentleman that does those beautiful paintings from the side of the ship?" and I had to pause just in case there was someone else who did better ones...

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An Outing to Bolzano

Thursday 1 July 2003. Another busy day ahead of us. We join the Leger coach today for a trip into the Dolomite mountains to visit Bolzano and then to view some... pyramids?

So it's an early breakfast and then a quick walk around the deserted streets of Riva before we get on the coach. We got the impression that the Italians would have been amazed and appalled at the though of being up so early in the morning. The only people we saw were refuse collectors. Some of Riva's streets and alleyways were so narrow that the bin carts were 3-wheeled Apis - "api" meaning "bee" and the vehicles being made by the same firm that made Vespa scooters, "vespa" meaning "wasp". We just called them Reliant bin trucks!

Onto the coach and climbing up from the lake. It was shaping up to be another very warm day.

The first stop was at Bolzano, with the impressive cathedral at the foot of the large piazza, lined with pavement cafes and with a large statue as centrepiece. That was some impressive roof decoration! Bolzano cathedral dates from 1184 and was built over the foundations of a 4th century CE Christian basilica. Also on the site was found a 3rd century CE cemetary with the Roman tombstone of Secundus Regontius - Bolzano's earliest identified inhabitant.

The statue is that of Walther von der Vogelweide, c.1170 – c.1230, a singer who apparently vogelled far and wide! He wrote both love songs and political songs and a hundred or so of his songs survive in text, but we have no idea how the tunes went. Consequently they are not sung much... However he was certainly influential, playing a part in persuading the Germans to take part in the Crusades and has statues of himself in several cities.

Anyway, we knew nothing about all that at the time of course and instead were quite happy enjoying the sunshine and walking up and down streets and markets without a thought of political love songs in our heads. I do wonder now how they went...

I'd love to kiss your tender cheek
But please don't think me shy or weak
If I just leave you standing like a div

It's just whilst there is much to please me
I don't think you ought to tease me
By voting for shameful conservative....

Having such narrow streets makes delivery of goods quite a challenge. Vans are parked tight to the walls of buildings and pedestrians have to keep an eye out for any other vehicles trying to squeeze past them.

In the museum here lies an old long-dead body. The body was discovered by hikers in 1991. He had been crossing a glacier and the ice had preserved his body almost perfectly. He died - in fact he was murdered - over 5,300 years ago. For ten years it was believed he had died a natural death but then an arrowhead was found buried in his shoulder, with a corresponding tear in his coat. It had shattered his scapula and it is thought even with modern medicines would have killed him due to blood loss. His knife had blood from other individuals on it and his hand was cut severely to the bone.

He is older than Stonehenge, older than the pyramids of Egypt, older even than Keith Richards. From his clothes and tools that were found with him, he was from the late Neolithic era, at the point where the Stone Age was starting to give way to the Bronze Age. Named Ötzi after his discovery, he had been carrying stone tools, but also a copper axe. His body is preserved in a specially refridgerated cell in the museum and can be viewed through a small window.

A group visit was arranged to see him, but it was a nice day and we were more than happy to take it easy and enjoy the city.

We made our way back to the cathedral square and sat at a cafe with a glass of coffee and the sketchpad before me on the table.

I think this was my first attempt at drawing people other than at extreme distance. There was far too much detail in that church roof to do it justice!

Lake Garda and Northern Italy, 2003 Index