A rainy day in Kotor

I woke early to the unwelcome sound of rain and thunder echoing around. Looking out I saw low clouds over the surrounding hills. The weather gods had definitely stopped smiling on us! The view was still lovely however, until half an hour later when I looked out to find a hulking great cruise ship towering over the old town walls!

Given the weather my friends and I took our time over breakfast and getting ready to go out. Eventually though we donned rainwear, picked up our umbrellas and set off on a wander around the old town. Even in this weather and even full of damp tourists/cruise passengers, it was very quaint and photogenic.

For the most part we simply followed any lane or alley way that looked picturesque, but we did make a point of visiting the small Serbian Orthodox church of St Luke's (nearby St Nicholas's Church however was closed). St Luke's was tiny but well worth seeing for some beautiful icons and a worn frieze on a side wall, and was free to enter.

The cathedral dedicated to St Tryphon, in contrast, charged a 4 euro fee, but that included entry to an upper level with a collection of religious art and a view down over the square below.

In addition to visiting these churches, and taking quite a few photos, we found time to pet lots of cats (well, I petted - the others merely looked!), shop for souvenirs and take a couple of refreshment breaks.

During the morning we heard that the boat trip planned for this afternoon had to be cancelled due to the weather. So after lunch at an outdoor but covered table near the cathedral we visited a few more shops (I bought a pretty necklace) and then went back to the hotel to dry off and chill.

Later my friend Ali posted that she and her husband Co were having a drink in a nearby café, so I went out to join them. A few others arrived too, and we had a lovely catch-up for an hour or so.

In the evening it was the first official dinner at a restaurant near the cathedral, Dekaderon. It was only a couple of minutes’ walk from our hotel (for which we were grateful, as it was STILL raining!) There was seating both inside and out - I was pleased we'd arrived early enough to be able to get places inside as although the outside tables were under cover it was quite cool in the rain.

Drinks service was slow, but the one waiter allocated the task was friendly and engaging. Food service was brisker and efficient, although I found the soup rather dull and the meat too dry (very overcooked) and served too cold. However things picked up with dessert, a moist and pleasantly flavoured cake.

When we left it had stopped raining, so we were able to take some night photos on the way back to the hotel. Once there I sat over a hot drink with my friends Colin and Josephine for a short while before going up to my room for a phone chat with Chris back at home and a fairly early night.