Seventh day of the trip! So, basically, half of the trip is done, and we are still moving further to our other destinations. Our next stop was Kotor, Montenegro. After having a good night’s sleep, Lina, Živilė, and I went to the bus station. From Dubrovnik, Croatia, we took a bus to Kotor, Montenegro.

While Montenegro is not part of the European Union, it uses euros as its currency, which is very convenient. So, that was a huge plus. However, we had to wait at the border crossing, and it took us about two hours. Probably, next time if I go to Montenegro, I will fly because of the waiting time, and it is also possible that it might take even longer next time. So, keep this in mind if you need to be somewhere at a specific time.

In the evening, we arrived in Kotor, Montenegro. After checking into our hotel and dropping off our bags, we quickly began to explore our next destination, the city of Kotor. Although the city is quite small, with only about 13,000 inhabitants, it is one of the main tourist attractions in Montenegro, and it receives a lot of tourists, including those arriving by cruise ships.

It is understandable why the small city attracts so many visitors. The city of Kotor is surrounded by fortifications that were built during the Venetian period, and it is set amidst an impressive natural landscape. The old city is definitely worth exploring, with its ancient churches and architecture. It even has one of the narrowest streets in the world named “Let me pass,” and the San Giovanni Fortress above the city of Kotor.

Nonetheless, it’s worth mentioning that Kotor is the cat capital. Well, not technically speaking, but in this city, everything revolves around cats. For us cat lovers, it was pure paradise.

Cats were everywhere. Even if you think you won’t find a cat, believe me, you will. They were in shops, all around the city, and even when we went up the hill, we saw cats among the ruins. Most of the souvenirs from Kotor are cat-related. I took some pictures of a few just as a memory that cats can be a source of inspiration.

When we went to a restaurant’s terrace to eat, a lot of cats gathered around our table, and one of them joined us at the table, well, not exactly, but it decided to lie on the chair next to us, perhaps waiting for a snack from us. However, the cats were really cute and polite; they didn’t jump on the table or meow. They just patiently looked at us with their big eyes. I think we were surrounded by six cats, if not more. I couldn’t capture all of them in the photos, but I did manage to capture some of them.

But the question all travelers ask is: where did all of these cats come from? Well, some say that cats were brought to the city by sailors from all over the world; therefore, the variety of cats is quite wide.

Kotor Cats Museum

It’s no surprise that in such a city there would be a museum dedicated to cats. The Cats Museum was founded in 2013, and the exhibition in the museum contains various photographs, paintings, stamps, cinematographic posters, greeting cards, and other items – all featuring cats! As a cat lover, I can say it’s purrrfect!

It was truly interesting to see cats in a different light. Furthermore, the Cats Museum donates a certain percentage of its income to buy food for the cats.

After visiting the Cats Museum and exploring the ancient city with its majestic cats, my best friends and I went to check out the Giovanni Fortress. Climbing up to the fortress and experiencing the wonderful view of the city below us, I won’t lie, it was magical. But before we found the path entry to the fortress, we were running around in circles with the map. I took the map to look at it and walked in a different direction. Then, I thought to myself, “Where am I?” (I should never use maps; I always go in the wrong direction. 😄)

But we finally found the entrance, and the entrance fee was eight euros. The path to the fortress was lined with various ruins and monuments. It took us some time to reach the top, and there were a lot of stairs.

The best time to go there is before sunset. The city’s roofs are bathed in the sun’s rays, which illuminate the whole city and make it look truly magnificent. In the end, you also get to witness the sun hiding behind the mountain until it fully disappears from the horizon.

After our hike, we went to one of the nearby restaurants to have a well-deserved glass of wine. I mean, drinking wine, enjoying the scenery, and just being in the moment is what makes life special, right? Sometimes, we need to slow down and embrace the moment. That’s how we finished our seventh day full of discoveries, cats, and adventures.