The last trip of our Montenegrin adventure is the pretty town of Perast in the Bay of Kotor. It is a small settlement of less than 300 people.
The first mention of Perast is around 1336 as a small fishing village. It expanded over the centuries to include Baroque palaces, many churches and a maritime school.
Perast is close to the small islets of St. George and Our Lady of the Rocks.
St George, above and below, is a natural island.
Our Lady of the Rocks on the other hand, is an artificial island created by sailors and locals over the years, made of a bulwark of rocks and by sinking old and seized ships loaded with rocks.
The Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Rocks is the largest building on the islet, and has a museum attached to it.
According to legend, the islet was made over the centuries by local seamen who kept an ancient oath after finding the icon of Madonna and Child on the rock in the sea.
Upon returning from each successful voyage, they laid a rock in the Bay. Over time, the islet gradually emerged from the sea.
We’re heading to the blue cave now, although the seas are very choppy making for a rather hair raising trip!
It is so bumpy that I can’t get any footage without my phone flying overboard – so we’ve skipped straight to the cave.
Quick swimming break and the water baby is first to dive in!
Then it’s a bouncy ride back to Kotor marking the end of our incredible trip.
If you get the chance, definitely visit Montenegro sooner rather than later to enjoy its relatively unspoilt charms.
Visitor numbers are rapidly increasing, as is unsympathetic development, so the beauty of this little country could soon fall foul of the lure of the lucrative tourist pound.