You need to get a glass of your favorite beverage or a cup of tea or coffee this is a long one!!!!
Up at 7am this is nasty getting up so early but I had booked a rental car through the owner of the apartments and I ordered it for 7.30am so I could be on the road early and beat the traffic and the heat of the day…so at 7.30am Molly from Montenegro arrived…she is lovely they must know blue is my favorite color!!!
About 15 minutes out I stopped here to take a photo of what I was told was Michael Douglas’s yacht in the bay!!!
I got back in Molly and had gone about 500 yards when I saw the Police car parked and I knew I was well under the limit but he came into the middle of the road and pulled me over!!!
STUPID me I had forgotten to turn the lights on after I took the picture!!!
There were two officers and a sergeant sitting in the car….the one who stopped me told me no lights and asked for my passport and driving license….and asked me to take them to the boss sitting in the car. I did and he spoke perfect English….he told me that my lights were not on and that is a fine of 40 Euros!!! At this point he had my license and passport in his hand I had tried to give him the photo copy card I made up of my license and passport but he wanted the real thing.
He told me he would keep my papers and that I needed to drive back to Kotor, about 25 minutes, go to the police station and pay the fine get the receipt and come back here and he would give me my documents back.
This is when the Pearson grovel took over…..this is what I said…….I am so sorry for committing the offence I just stopped 200 yards down the road to take a photo and got back in the car and forgot to turn the lights on..in Canada my vehicle automatically the lights come on…..I have been in Montenegro five days and I leave tomorrow and I am going to the famous Ostrog Monastery and I was also a police officer in England for many years could you please forgive me and give me one chance and again I so sorry!!!
He looked at me and handed my documents back to me…I shook his hand apologized again and off I went WITH the lights on!!!!!
This was destination…..
The following taken from Wikipedia…
Monastery Ostrog, a miracle built by nature and human interaction, carved almost in its entirety in a vertically positioned mountain cliff, is today the pearl of Montenegrin spirituality which is visited by more than a hundred thousand pilgrims from around the world and of travellers of all religions every year.
When the original work started in building the Monastery for the residence of Saint Basil it focused on the cave above the village Zagorak. It is said that following a day of observing the work at this location, Saint Basil gave the order to extend the Monastery to the Ostrog cliffs. When he returned to the area the following day, following Gods orders, he decided to build the church Vavedenja in the first cave, storage and bedroom for guests in the second cave and a chapel in the third cave where most of the religious artifacts where kept. Just bellow the monastery a small church was already located so he added a small house to be build there for the processing of wheat and the living of young monks.
From the told legent of the current archbishop Nikodima Raicevica, during the middle of the XIX century, Vuk Stefanovic Karadic, the most famous name in Slovenian culture of the time, wrote the tale of Saint Basil of Ostrog. Besides writing about his birth, early days and traveling in the orthodox faith, Vuk Stefanovic Karadic states that Saint Basic financed the building of the monastery with donations, and continued his entire life with the small amounts of money he made as well as his entire existance to assure the faith in this part of the world becomes synonymous with cultural and educational development. Build by the strength of the human body and spirit the Upper Monastery as well as the entire complex created a space where the melting of nature and spirit occurred.
The date when the Lower Monastery was build has not been determined. By legends of the local residence at its current location used to be a village. Part of this land was bought by Saint Basil from two brothers and here is the house he build for young monks as its center. The center of the Lower monastery today is the church of Saint Trojan build in 1824.
The church of Saint Trojan is a simple structure build on even stone blocks. A large cultural treasure is the richly decorated alter. The artistry decorating its walls today are the work of the XX century artist Nauma Andrica. These works depict the large Christian holidays, as well as the portraits of Serbian Saint Sava and Elijah from Onogosta – the founder of the monastery. A large painting on the west wall of the church represents Saint Basil and some of his miracle works: a girl whom he helped to talk and a Muslim whom he freed from chains. Surrounding the church is a large house build 1742 and the home of Saint Basil build 1800. Just a little distance form there Kulica is located build in the beginning of the XIX century. Amongst the treasures of the Lower Monastery is the prayer book Mineon from 1732 and decorative candle holder form the same period.
It is one of three most visited Christian destinations on the planet with its cave-like chapel and the Monastery complex that preserves the sanctity of Saint Basil the , Orthodox Christian Saint of Miracles.
The Monastery was founded by Vasilije, the Metropolitan Bishop of Herzegovina in the 17th century. He died there in 1671 and some years later he was glorified. His body is enshrined in a reliquary kept in the cave-church dedicated to the Presentation of the Mother of God to the Temple.
The present-day look was given to the Monastery in 1923-1926, after a fire which had destroyed the major part of the complex. Fortunately, the two little cave-churches were spared and they are the key areas of the monument. The frescoes in the Church of the Presentation were created towards the end of the 17th century. The other church, dedicated to the Holy Cross, is placed within a cave on the upper level of the monastery and was painted by master Radul, who successfully coped with the natural shapes of the cave and laid the frescoes immediately on the surface of the rock and the south wall. Around the church are the monastic residences, which together with the church building and the scenery make this monument outstandingly beautiful.
The Orthodox monastery of Ostrog is one of the most frequently visited on the Balkans. It is visited by believers from all parts of the world, either individually or in groups. It represents the meeting place of all confessions: the Orthodox, the Catholics and the Muslims. According to the stories of pilgrims, by praying by his body, many have been cured and helped in lessening the difficulties in their lives
The drive was through stunning countryside full of mountains then valleys and plains and all very clean and neat. The directions were good and the roads fine until the last turn off…..then it was 11 km of the smallest and windy and white knucle driving I have ever done!!!!
I got about 3 km away from the entrance to the Monastery and decide to park and walk the rest…
Another tough uphill climb….my first view…
I love this photo!!!!!!
You have to remember this is into the rock face hundreds of feet up!!!!!
Apart from the wonder of the construction of the church inside was mind boggling…there were hundreds of people lined up to go into the very tiny chapel and I joined the line up and it was worth the wait…inside was so small and the paintings all over the walls and ceiling were stunning…by the enshrined body was a monk who would offer a prayer for you..it was one of the most moving moments I can remember!!!
The walk down was easy and there is a lower chapel which I also went into….
There was no one inside this chapel so I sneaked a photo this chapel was also incredible!!!!
Are they not just simply fantastic!!!!
I had my lunch on the benches provided in the chapel’s grounds and it was a lunch filled with reflective times thinking of this life I live, the people in my life and the joy and blessings I receive each day!!!!
For the afternoon drive I chose the road back through the countryside rather than the main road my guide book told me that the road was the scariest in Montenegro BUT the most beautiful…..I though could not be any worse than the one I just took a few hours ago……WRONG!!!!
They were right on both counts!!!!!
Enjoy!!!
No way buses can go on this road I thought…WRONG AGAIN!!!! I passed one but no time to take a photo!!!
The views are awesome but not really able to capture the grandeur with the camera!!!!
The road leading back down in to Kotor had 31 hairpin bends..here is number 19!!!
I was smart I piggy backed this car all the way down and a good job a few times there was a truck coming the other way and very tight and he would have got hit first not me…..
Made it back home safe and sound and very humble and lucky!!!!!
Went for a swim at the beach below the apartment my camera was at home charging a pity because if you can picture this
about 200 yards away form where I was swimming
Got all cleaned up had supper and worked on my plans for the next few days.
I have an apartment booked in a small town in Greece called Meteora famous for….well you will just have to wait and see!!! My apartment is booked for Wednesday evening for two nights and I have to get there!!!!
So with a few hours of research I think I have the plan in my mind anyway!!!!
1. Is where I am now Kotor and I will take a bus at 7.30am in the morning to number 2 which is a town called Bar from there I hope to get a bus to number 3 a city called Tirana in Albania…..I think and hope I can get there in one day and I may have to stay at the bus station over night or look for something close to the station and then take a bus from Tirana towards number 4 the town of Thessaloniki in Greece…I actually need to be at number Meteora but depending on which way the bus goes hopefully I can hop off in between 3 and 4 and then get a bus to number 5…..so that is the plan!!!
S is the start
F is the finish
HERE is where I hope to get of the bus
and X is where I shall be on Wednesday!!!!
Obviously no blog or e mails till I get to Meteora so wish me luck and I am sure it will fine I know there will be some frustration and issues but I am ready….
Yashi Kochi!!!
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