Kotor, Yugoslavia and Dubrovnik, Croatia
42 26' 04" North, 18 45' 42" East and 42 38' 26" North, 18 06' 51" East
Today we cruised through the beautiful Kotor Fjord along the coast of Montenegro (a republic of Yugoslavia) on our way to the walled city of Kotor where we enjoyed a short guided tour. The walls were erected by the Venetians beginning in 1420, continuing until the mid-18th century. We visited the Cathedral of St. Triphon, a marvelous Romanesque basilica from 1166. After our visit, we boarded the buses and headed off along Kotor Bay. Along our route, we stopped and enjoyed a "cruise-by" of our ship, the M.S. Endeavour, went ahead to berth at Dubrovnik. She is a very pretty boat and was making excellent time as she steamed by.
After clearing immigration at the Croatian/Yugoslav border, we enjoyed a brief respite at a lovely little cafe/villa where we sampled some local brandy (very strong) and took a short walk around the property (very pretty). After our break, we continued along the Valley of Konavle and along the coast to our first glimpse of Dubrovnik. We had lunch at the Nautica Club, and then on to our 2 hour walking tour of this fantastic city. Dubrovnik was heavily bombed during the most recent Balkan conflict, and the people of the town and the UN have done a marvelous and impressive job of repairing the damage. It was a real treat to see the sights of this ancient town including the Franciscan Monastery, the oldest pharmacy in Europe (1317), and the Rector's Palace, the old seat of government built in the 15th century. After our guided tour we had lots of time to walk around, including a circumambulation of the city via the walls.