Deep Spirits

The following video represents Boka Kotorska or Bay of Kotor. A little village called Krtoli is placed there and this is one of the places where I regularly spend some time each year. Why so it will be explained over the time.
Bay of Kotor is located in Montenegro close to Croatian border, just 45 km far from Dubrovnik. It is often referred as Europe's most southern fjord which is listed as one of the ten most beautiful bays in the world. The Boka Kotorska coastline is like a string of pearls, harboring towns like Herceg-Novi, often called a wild flower, the Unesco protected Kotor, with its one of Europe's best preserved mediaeval Old Town and historical seafaring monuments like the Gospa from Skrpjela. Simply to say the bay is a true master work of nature. Astonishing and beautiful blend of mountains and sea.
It is a bay where I have spent all my childhood because my grandfather, my mother’s father lived there. Today, in the house of my grandfather, that my husband and me reconstructed and adapted for our family, we go few times in year to pick oranges or olives, to be in that old house and see some friends. Naturally when I am there, all my childhood memories are with me, images of meals on my grandfather’s terrace, eating seashell on Bjelila coast, where my grandfather used to have his wine cave. My children spent their summer holidays there too and love that place. For the time being it is not as frequently visited as it used to be; only my husband and I go to spend some time there. Next week on Sunday I shall travel there. After turning back, I shall report here the newest impression from the south coast of Adriatic Sea.


As I mentioned Bjelila, where we actually spent our summers, here is the map of Boka Kotorska so that you can see where it is.


Around 0:24 you can see KRTOLE, on the map it is right form Bjelila. That is the village where I shall go. In the time of my childhood my grandfather's house was there and his wine cave down on the coast, at Bjelila, which is 15 min. walk from the house.
So much about geography.

This photo shows the coast that belongs to Krtoli. I am very excited because of my next visit to Krtole which will be next week.
[img]montenegro45.jpg[/img]
This island on the right is called The Flowers’ Island. There are some sacred monuments there that tourists like to visit.
On the left you can see a little part of another island whichis called St. Marko Island. It is also known as a Paradise Island.

This is a photo of St. Marko Island in the evening.
This time during my visit to Krtoli will be olive harvest and we shall take part in this too. It is a kind of sacred ritual for me.

Looks really beautiful Mirjana!

dermot wrote:Looks really beautiful Mirjana!

Thank you Dermot. It is really beautiful and still in a certain wild way. But if it touched you who lives in a kind of a paradise, then it means a lot.

Tomorrow we travel to Boka Kotorska and Krtoli. Whenever I travel to Krtoli it is an emotional trip for me connected with beautiful memories from my childhood, over my youth days and those when I,as a parent ,took my kids there.And today too this place has a charismatic meaning for me.
This time of the year there will be lot of fugues there, beautiful lemons in our garden that have not been treated and in October we shall pick our olives there. I love all these little garden rituals.
Next few days I shall not be at DS, but as soon as I settle down, I shall come again and write about light, smells and sounds from Krtoli.

Have a great time Mirjana

Perhaps you could post a few pictures from your trip too?
That would be nice.
Either way, bon voyage and... this song came to mind.

A sad adio, Original version

A sad adio, Old town tavern

Dear Sabina,

Thank you for this music. It fits very nicely to the atmosphere here.
I am still here in Krtoli. Aside the fact that my internet connection is not the very best for the time being, everything else is great. My husband and I work very hard but I enjoy every moment of that. The old house and the garden seem to be very thankful for the time and care we give to them and there is serenity atmosphere around us.
The sad thing is that we lost our cat Nestor who died few days ago. It has been a hard time for me. He was our companion for 15 years always travelling with us. I used to call him by many names, beside his name, so he was my majesty, sultan, my king, as he was so special in every possible way. He went away slowly like a candle, dying on my hands. Although it was not easy for my husband and me, I am happy that we were beside him in that moment. I was deeply touched with the way our other little cat treated him in his last hours. She was cleaning him for a long time like never before, and then lying beside him like trying to warm him. And she stayed by him until he went away. Then she went on her place.
We buried him in our garden here and I put some flowers over the grave so that the place stays marked for ever.

Mirjana, Nestor was a lucky cat.