We slept soundly through the night, but had decided in advance to get up early and try to explore the city before the cruise ships and tour buses brought their tourists in. The temperature was nice and cool, and it felt like we had the city to ourselves, and of course the cats. We visited quite a few, most of them sleeping here and there, on dinner tables and seats from the cafes and restaurants. Many shops had set out food and water for the cats – I\u2019m sure they attract potential shoppers – so it was sort of a feline paradise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Again from outside the city we saw the domes again – it was tough to pinpoint the building location because of the narrow twisty streets inside the city. Eventually we got our fill of photos and went back to the hotel to have breakfast. The coffee was not bad – an automatic machine dispensed cappuccinos, and there was a decent selection of different foods to try, along with hot eggs and sausages. The other hotel guests were eager for breakfast and waiting outside the entrance until it opened. Seemed like they were part of a group traveling together, speaking a language I didn\u2019t recognize. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our priority for the day was to arrange a boat ride across the bay to Perast, and the Our Lady of Peace church built on an island in the bay. We went back outside the city to see if we could arrange a boat ride at the harbor, and we were surprised to see already a gigantic cruise ship docked, and huge crowds of tourists streaming off the ship. By the time we got to the harbor (which was empty an hour before when we were walking around) most of the boats were booked up until late, and we finally made a reservation on a boat for the last ride of the day, at 6:30 pm. We paid in advance (25 Euros each) and the lady working the booth took my WhatsApp info and promised to send me a message. After we left and were walking back I realized that until I got that message I had exactly zero proof that we had a reservation, and she already was holding our money. Luckily the message came pretty soon after – whew!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since we suddenly had all day ahead of us before the boat ride, we decided to go have some mimosas somewhere. Nothing like a morning cocktail on vacation! The first place we tried didn\u2019t even know what a mimosa was, but the next cafe featured a cocktail menu that was available even at this early hour. We sat at a table outside, near the end of the cafe\u2019s area – Kuniko had a regular chair but my seat was really a table – the three ladies next to me had switched the table for an extra chair for themselves, and they tittered with laughter as I made use of the table as a stool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mimosas went down well, and we enjoyed sitting in the shade until the sun started to come over the mountain and shine down on my head. Luckily the three ladies moved off somewhere else, so we grabbed their table next to the wall and remained in the shade the rest of our stay. Our old table came under full sunlight, but still people took the seats – the cafes were becoming more popular. We were enjoying the vibe so much we ordered a few more cocktails – I had a Hugo spritz (first time for me – it was great) and Kuniko had a sunset passion martini (powerful!). This was our agenda: sip cocktails, watch tourists walk by, play with cats when they wandered by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Later we went out to lunch at a place I had found called Konoba Scala Santa. We were lucky enough to get a table without reservations – we watched group after group get rejected after we sat down. Kuniko ordered a fish fillet, and I had the grilled octopus. The fish fillet was much better than the one in Dubrovnik, and the grilled octopus was fantastic. This coming from people who live in Akashi, the octopus capital of Japan. It was a big portion of octopus – what a luxury. I drank a Pinot Blanc which was just OK, but Kuniko had a Malvasia that was much better. There was also bread and some garlic in butter – dangerous to snack on. Behind us a group of large black American women had ordered big glasses of red sparkling wine – I didn\u2019t even know that was an option. It was an interesting choice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The temperature was starting to peak, the streets more and more crowded, and so we again retreated to our room to avoid the heat and crowds. I somehow communicated with a housekeeper that we didn\u2019t need a cleaning but we would like fresh towels, and she was nice enough to provide them, so we were all set until we leave the next day. The housekeeper looked like she worked hard – and it brought to mind the differences between the service workers and the people they are serving in this place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During our siesta time we relaxed, playing Angry Birds, messaging our driver for tomorrow\u2019s travel day, and confirming our boat trip later in the day. It was nice to be under the air conditioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We left early to go catch the boat, and sat in the shade of the park right next to the harbor boarding area. While we sat I watched some workers pushing a big bin to empty the trash cans around the park – they were sweaty and working hard while we had just been lounging under AC playing Angry Birds. Again it brought to mind just how lucky we were to be able to do this trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While we waited for our boat to come in, the big cruise ship started blasting its horn, and then it sailed backwards and turned around all on its own, without need of a tugboat. The ships were huge and I was glad that I wasn\u2019t on one of those cruises – it doesn\u2019t look like much fun at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When it was time we met our guide how got us on the right boat – a smaller speedboat with a few other passengers, a lesbian couple, two British ladies of Indian extraction, and a family of four with two little girls and a stroller. The boat captain had us sit up front, we turned around and then he started to head across the bay. Once we got away from shore he announced that since we had kids on board he was changing the music selection, and then we hit full throttle across the bay to the sounds of iconic Disney songs blasting from the speakers. It was an absolutely perfect moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was a fast and bumpy ride, the pilot was making efforts to avoid wake from other boats but still now and then we were jolted. Everyone was keeping an iron grip on their cameras and phones, but most of my photos from that time are blurry and tilted. Across from us the wind was catching one of the lesbian couple\u2019s top and she was having trouble keeping it on – so I thought it best to put away the camera for a while. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the kids wanted to get closer to one of the cruise ships that was nearby, so the captain obliged and we buzzed the ship while the \u201cTry Everything\u201d from Shakira was playing at high volume – I wondered if the cruise ship\u2019s passengers could hear us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then we approached the town of Perast, and the captain said that we\u2019d have 50 minutes here on our own before he came back to pick us up. There was some kind of misunderstanding, we had signed up for a 90 minute ride out and back, I had expected only about 15 minutes at Perast, but in these situations it is best to just roll with it. What was on our schedule anyway? We didn\u2019t have any reservations so it was fine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Originally in planning the trip I had thought about staying in Perast to avoid the crowds at Kotor, but after walking down the street there for a few minutes I was glad we didn\u2019t. Of course the town was beautiful and there were great views of the bay. To me it had a snobby vibe, with private waterfront lounges and overpriced restaurants and hotels that looked like they wouldn\u2019t want us to stay there. We don\u2019t usually like resorts and this place had that kind of vibe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All was not lost, however, and we stopped in at a small market and bought two airplane bottles of Prosecco from an unhappy shop owner. We sat on a bench with a view of the bay and enjoyed some bubbles – probably the cheapest bubbles in town by far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some kids were playing soccer nearby, and when we walked by it felt like maybe they were aiming for us while kicking. Luckily they suck at soccer and we survived the ordeal. We were able to sit right on the edge of the water with feet dangling in the bay – the cool water felt great. Near us an interesting pair of people – a (perhaps) Swiss blonde lady wearing a white sundress was with a (perhaps) North Korean guy wearing all black. Friends? Something about them was curious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally it was time to get back on our boat, and then we went a short distance to the Our Lady of Peace island. It was a man-made island, built a long time ago and still growing as there is an annual ceremony to cast rocks into the water around the island. The church on the island was beautiful, the sun was setting beyond the mountains, the temperature was perfect, and there was almost nobody else on the island (except for another boat getting an emergency repair). We were so glad that we took the boat at the end of the day rather than our original plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back on our boat we made the long ride back across the bay, with more Disney playing. We passed an old submarine tunnel that was also part of a tour package – I didn\u2019t know the story but I was curious about it. Something to research when we get back. Our boat finally reached the harbor, and we pulled in with the Beatles Yellow Submarine playing loudly. We got off the boat, the captain gave me a high five, and then we were free to go back to the town. Well worth the 25 Euros.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back in town we walked around, and accidentally solved the mystery of the domed building – it was a landmark church that we had walked by many times, but the facade was so imposing that it was hard to see the domes beyond it. We were glad to finally get to the bottom of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For our last dinner in Kotor we went back to the same restaurant that we started with, La Piazzetta. This was the place where we had a bottle of sparking wine in an ice bucket and meat and cheese – it was such a fun experience that we thought we should bookend it with a last dinner here. The bad news was the veal was sold out on the menu, so Kuniko had chicken with mushroom sauce, and I had saffron risotto with shrimp. I had a local beer and then we shared a glass of white and red wine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same staff that helped us the day before was working at another table but he remembered us and stopped by to say hello. We enjoyed watching all the different people walking around us, and Kuniko made a comment that most of these European tourists can come here easily – it is like a weekend trip for them – whereas we had to fly like 20 hours to get here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We had a great dinner, laughing together, sometimes so hard that other diners looked over at us. I threw out a theory that Europeans don\u2019t laugh out loud like that in public, but sometimes we saw some break out in laughter. But I think the whole trip we were laughing out loud and really enjoying our time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We really enjoyed our stay in Kotor. It was one of the busier tourist zones that we have visited but despite the crowds we were able to get a lot out of it. I\u2019m glad that we had an extra day to relax here before we move on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We paid a final visit to the \u201ccat park\u201d, found that it was a bit smelly in the evening – maybe they clean it up every morning? Then it was back to our hotel room to have a little dessert and get ready for bed. We found a few ants encroaching on the bathroom and bed – hopefully we don\u2019t wake up with ant bites tomorrow!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We slept soundly through the night, but had decided in advance to get up early and try to explore the city before the cruise ships and tour buses brought their tourists in. The temperature was nice and cool, and it felt like we had the city to ourselves, and of course the cats. We visited […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3926,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[86],"class_list":["post-3927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","tag-travel"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/bryan.fredricks.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/img_7176.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pOpl7-11l","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bryan.fredricks.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bryan.fredricks.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bryan.fredricks.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bryan.fredricks.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bryan.fredricks.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bryan.fredricks.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bryan.fredricks.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bryan.fredricks.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bryan.fredricks.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bryan.fredricks.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}