FRIDAY, MAY 24
The public bus is the easiest and cheapest (one Euro each) way to get from Kotor to the Perast, just 15 kilometers down the road. Perast is another UNESCO city, a tiny one with 17 churches. But for me, the draw was a boat ride, to the little man-made island of St. George on which rests Our Lady of the Rocks Church.
Too many steps in the last week have left us stiff and tired, and so we climbed only a few in Perast. But the main street is flat and along the water. The town accommodates many tourists, and offers higher end shopping and fine hotels.
But the boat ride! It cost 8 euros for a water taxi both ways, and the driver waited at the island for us. We stayed on the island less than ten minutes as group tours made it impossible for us to get into the church. Instead, we asked the driver to take us on a ride around the other island, where tourists don’t go. From the water, we saw a church and cemetery on the quiet, walled, and dark, little island.
On the bus ride back to Kotor, the number of women with dyed black hair had reached such a critical mass that we commented on it. Black is the natural color of hair for most people in Kotor and with their typically light skin, it is a beautiful combination. We found the people to be unusual looking with small and dark eyes that are close together, long noses, long faces, and many quite tall. It occurred to me that they look like my friend’s daughter Alliana, who is part Armenian.
They are also some of the sweetest people we have come across. And loud!
