Kotor, Perast, and Our Lady of the Rocks had all been fabulous places to visit and I’d recommend Montenegro as a travel destination to anyone in a heartbeat but we were somewhat glad to get back on board the Royal Princess cruise ship to appreciate the fabulous air conditioning. With showers out of the way and nothing planned until pre-dinner drinks we had the opportunity to sit out on our balcony and watch as the ship left the country.
We’d obviously seen a lot of similar sights along the hills we passed during our boat ride up the Bay of Kotor and return trip back down it earlier in the day but there was a lot that appeared different. For a start we were at a greater height but mainly the lighting was completely changed with the sun now having dropped below the hills we were passing on the port side of the ship. The heat from the day hadn’t quite vanished so there was a cooling effect on the stored warmth in the surroundings that was throwing a lot of desaturated, hazy conditions to contend with. Despite this I elected to use my lower quality zoom lens for the vast majority of the photos in order to pick out distant details that hadn’t been identifiable with the higher quality, wide angle I’d used exclusively up to that point.
In addition to the many churches we’d seen dotting the hillsides earlier we also spotted fortifications that had been built up during World War II. The waters of the Bay of Kotor were fairly busy and we passed numerous other boats. The shoreline as well was dotted with small towns and beach-like areas with plenty of people enjoying the last of the day’s sunshine and many of them taking photos of us as we passed by, often waving to other passengers on balconies elsewhere. To avoid sending waves crashing ashore the Royal Princess transited the bay at a very slow speed and this made for a very serene experience and a great way to finish off a visit to a spectacularly beautiful and fascinating European destination.
