Final Day in Kotor

Friday, Sept. 2, 2016--Kotor

I went out for a few hours today, but it was another hot day.  I started by exploring outside the Old Town.  I walked to the pebble beach that is nearby and walked along it and further where there is a promenade lined with sidewalk cafes with much cheaper food prices than can be found inside the Old Town.    I passed an enclosed part of the bay where a group of men were practicing water polo.  I have been told that Kotor has two professional water polo clubs, so I wonder if this is the home of one of them or if it was just some local guys enjoying the sport.

I walked into a mall to cool down and observed two women peeling off a promotional sticker.  Then I observed the younger employee coming out to try to remove the sticky residue with a window cleaning liquid.  I asked if she spoike English, which she did, and I told her that the liquid wouldn't help--that she needed acetone.  We went inside where I repeated it to the store owner.  She said she knew, but she didn't have any.  Later I saw the two of the struggling unsuccessfully to get the residue off with the cleaning liquid.  I imagine she eventually bought some acetone.

I stopped at a seaside park and read from my novel.  Then I wandered back into the Old Town.  I have been up and down its passages enough now that I have a general idea where I am at any time.  At first, it was easy to get disoriented.

Eventually, I was too hot and too thirsty to stay out, so I returned to the apartment.  I spent more time reading my novel.  I went through my computer's saved websites to clean out the ones that are no longer needed (mostly ones related to places where I have already visited).  I prepared my dinner and ate it.  Then I heard nice piano music nearby and took a chair out to the landing on the stairs outside my front door and, drinking another glass of wine, relaxed and enjoyed the outdoor scenery and the music.

In the late evening, I went back out to walk through the Old Town.  I wanted to see what life is like at that hour.  I was surprised to see that many shops were still open after 22:00.  There are people out, but nothing like the crowds during the daytime.  And the traffic flows smoothly outside the walls of the city versus the constant traffic jams that exist during the daytime.  No matter where you go in the old town, there are small bars and restaurants open.   Some have live music; the best one had just a saxophone player playing jazz.  Others have electronic dance music with disc jockeys starting by this hour.  The pub near my apartment is one of the liveliest places; it is a hangout for locals.  One bar that was down a narrow street had placed lighted votive candles along the way on the street and on windows and nooks along the way to guide people to it--a nice touch, I thought.

Even though I have only been here for 2 1/2 days, I am going to miss Kotor.  There is something special about this place which results in a nice feeling with the atmosphere of the old town, the palm trees, the sea, the lively club/restaurant scene, etc.