Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Baby Jesus hovering nearby); and other gifts given through the ages. Upstairs, near the gift
shop counter, look for the amazing embroidery made by a local woman who toiled over it
formorethan25years.Sheusedherownhairforthehairoftheangels—which youcansee
fade from brown to gray as she aged (beginning at around 3 o'clock and going clockwise,
you'll see the subtle change in color).
Getting There:
Boats to Our Lady of the Rocks leave from in front of St. Nicholas'
Church in Perast—look for the guys milling around the harborfront with boats ready to go.
The going rate is €5/person round-trip, but Zoran (who has the boat with the red awning
marked
Taxi Boat Perast
) says he'll charge only €4/person if you show this topic.
• When you're ready to move on, continue driving around the fjord. After the large town of
Orahovac, you'll see part of the bay roped off for a mussel farm; these farms do best when
located where mountain rivers spill into the bay. And a hundred or so yards later, you cross
a bridge spanning the don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it...
Ljuta River
According to locals, this is the “shortest river in the world”—notice that the source (bub-
bling up from under the cliff) is just to the left of the bridge, and it meets the sea just to the
right.Shortasitis,it'shardlyatrickle—infact,itsnamemeans“AngryRiver”foritsfierce
flow during heavy rains. The river actually courses underground for several miles before
emerginghere.LiketheKarstareasouthofLjubljana,thisisakarsticlandscape—limestone
that's honeycombed with underground rivers, caves, and canyons. Many other waterfalls
andstreamsfeedtheBayofKotorwithsnowmeltfromthesurroundingmountains.Because
ofthissteadynaturalflushing,localsbragthatthebay'swaterisparticularlyclearandclean.
• Immediately after the bridge, look for the turnoff (on the right) to the recommended Restor-
an Stari Mlini—a tranquil spot for a meal or drink. Fittingly, this “Old Mill” sits right
where the river comes tumbling out—the perfect spot to harness that hydropower.
Continuing along the fjord, as you pass through the town of Dobrota, look across the
bay to the village of...
Prčanj
This town is famous as the former home of many centuries' worth of wealthy sea captains.
When the Bay of Kotor was part of the Austrian Empire, Emperor Franz Josef came to
Pr
č
anj. Upon being greeted by some 50 uniformed ship captains, he marveled that such a
collection of seafarers had been imported for his visit...not realizing that every one of them
lived nearby.
• Keep on driving. When you see the giant moat with the town wall, and the smaller wall
twisting up the hill above, you'll know you've arrived in
Kotor
(see next page).
Prčanj
