Blue

Our first day in Montenegro is a joy 

We start with breakfast by the sea - a no-menu affair which results in plates of cheese and fruit and croissants arriving at our table with juices, yogurt and coffee - and G’s omelet. Food and views are both magnificent.

This is the precursor to today’s main event - our private speedboat trip around Kotor Bay and out to sea. It’s a bit of an extravagance, but decidedly worth it. The coastline is, of course, stunning, but it’s interesting to hear the views of Peter, our driver/pilot/captain. Whilst Perast is currently clearly safely locked into preservation orders, the rest of the coast seems to be a ‘free for all’. We’ve not heard a good word for the government from anyone so far, and it seems greed and corruption abound - sound familiar? - with UNESCO protected areas  sold-out  to the highest bidder. For now, these areas of development are relatively limited, but soon the whole coastline seems likely to disappear under concrete 

We head off from the protection of the bay into open water. Peter thinks the gods are with us as it’s calm, and we’re also blessed by being able to enter the Blue Cave without hoards of other boats. I thought the blueness might well be an exaggeration, but in reality the colour really is remarkable. Apparently it’s caused by the way sunlight hits the sandy bottom and reflects up through the water so that not only does the water blue appear to be an iridescent blue, so do the cave walls. 

Then it’s on past the old prison island of Marmula (currently being redeveloped into a 7.5 star hotel!) to viewing the old WW2 Yugoslavian submarine tunnels. Finally we visit the man-made island of Our Lady of the Rocks, a church reputedly constructed on the island built by stones thrown into the water by grateful fishermen, mariners and local parishioners. Whatever the truth behind this, it’s a beautiful place.

A relaxing afternoon segues into another delicious seafood dinner. Perast has been a stunning start to Montenegro; tomorrow, we head for  the mountains! 

I take so many shots today a main is nigh impossible to choose, but in the end I’ve gone for the remarkable blue of the cave water, with extras of the submarine tunnel, cliffs and caves, Our lady of the Rocks, Perast and another island church now owned by a Russian oligarch apparently!
 
Thanks so much for the comments, hearts and stars for yesterday’s ‘Breaking the Surface’. Apologies for lack of comments or even stars and hearts, but the internet’s so slow it takes an age to open journal entries, so I’m afraid I’m limited in my responses. I’m sure you’ll understand and forgive me.