July 23, 2012: Kotor - Day 2

July 23, 2012: After a leisurely morning roaming around the city,

Main Gate

Karampana (city well)

I decided to hike up the cliff. People had told me that it was about a 20 minute walk up to the Church of Our Lady of Health (Crkva Gospe od Zdravlj) and then another 20 minutes to the very top where the Fortress of St. John is located. If you should go to Kotor, DON'T BELIEVE THIS MYTH!!! Perhaps it was my age; perhaps it was the physical shape I was in (or am not in); perhaps it was because I (stupidly) chose to take this hike at 1:00 p.m. when the temperature was over 100 degrees F; but whatever the reason, it took far longer than 40 minutes! By the time I reached the Fortress of St. John, I nearly had a heat stroke. However, the view from the top was pretty fantastic. Here are pictures of the views as I proceeded up the cliff (Note the size of the cruise ship in the pictures below -- as tall as the buildings of the city!):

Church of Our Lady of Health (Crkva Gospe od Zdravlj)

Church of Our Lady of Health (Drkva Gospe od Zdravlj)

Fortress of St. John

Fortress of St. John

By the time I returned to the city and found my hotel, I was exhausted and dehydrated. It took quite a while for me to recoup my energy to go for dinner outside the wall in a restaurant on the bay. After requested glass after glass of water, I finally suggested to the waiter that he bring me a pitcher of water which he provided immediately after I told him that I had climbed the cliff. After dinner, we returned and retired for a good night's sleep well deserved!