Grey, green, blue, sky and sea: Montenegro

Montenegro, meaning "Black Mountain" is a sovereign state in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the southwest and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast, Kosovo to the east, and Albania to the southeast. (Wikipedia)

After visiting friends in Scotland and England a couple of years ago, I joined my husband, Richard Schear, for a cruise down the Adriatic Sea with a stop in beautiful, legendary Montenegro, and then up the Mediterranean. I was thrilled and excited about Montenegro.

 Cruise ships on of the Bay of Kotor (Wikipedia photo)

Once upon a time, long ago and far away, an American author named Rex Stout wrote a series of books about a reclusive Montenegran detective named Nero Wolfe.
Wolfe was the main character, along with his assistant, Archie Goodwin, in Rex Stout's 33 novels between 1934 and 1975.
Portly and ponderous, Wolfe does not reveal much about himself, keeping his Montenegran past murky while confining himself and his detective work to his luxurious brownstone in New York. He is loath to leave his home for business, or for anything that would keep him from reading his books, tending his orchids, and eating gourmet meals prepared by his personal chef.
Archie Goodwin, Wolfe's sharp-witted, dapper young confidential assistant, narrates the cases and does the legwork for the detective genius. (Paraphrased from Wikipedia.)

Montenegran monk
walking along the shore path
(Kay Davies photo)

When I found out we would be visiting the town of Kotor in Montenegro, I was ecstatic. Since I was a youngster and first discovered Rex Stout's most famous fictional character, Nero Wolfe, I was fascinated by the idea of Montenegro, said to be the land of that fictional character's birth.
I don't remember when I started reading Rex Stout's novels. I was a prodigious reader from a young age and when I discovered the Nero Wolfe books at the public library, I was hooked. 
Montenegro, sigh! Oh, yes, I know Nero Wolfe is a fictional character, but I somehow understand how he felt about Montenegro. It is so beautiful even, and sometimes especially, in the fog that creeps down the mountains.

From the time our cruise ship turned east from the Adriatic Sea to enter magnificent Kotor Harbor, I was excited. More than excited!
While casually shopping and exploring in the town of Kotor, occasionally looking upward to look for my husband walking the zig-zag path to the top of the mountain, I was thrilled just to be there. (I couldn't see him, but I did see a monk on the shore path, and I met many friendly Montenegran cats.)

I could live here!
(Kay Davies photo)

Richard walked this zig-zag path
to the top of the mountain
(Wikipedia photo)

In my excitement, I announced to my husband that I wanted to move to Montenegro, until he reminded me of the effect wet weather has on my fibromyalgia — the reason, I had to agree ruefully, why I had moved away from British Columbia's wet west coast to the dry interior of BC and from there to Alberta's dry, desert prairie some years ago. Sigh.



Cats roam everywhere in Kotor. The Montenegrans, especially fishermen, feed the cats but give them free rein to explore and to discuss the day's events with passing tourists, perhaps earning treats, or else just enjoying some stroking and skritching. (Kay Davies photo)
See Wikipedia

(Wikipedia photos)

There are two islets off the shore of Kotor, but my photo above does not show detail, better seen in these photos from Wikipedia. Note the dome visible on the island to the right. It is a church called "Our Lady of the Rocks." You can see an overhead view of the islands in the photo below. "Our Lady of the Rocks" looks almost like a ship when seen from above. For details about the church and its significance: See Wikipedia

Looking down to the Bay of Kotor and the islands mentioned above. (Wikipedia photo)

Posting here for Fiona's fabulous... 

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