I’ve counted up my states and countries, so waterways are today’s retirement project. The Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Great Lakes, and the Gulf of Mexico are regular large bodies of water that are frequent travel destinations for us. New York City, the Oregon coast cities, Chicago, and Sarasota are traditional annual excursions. Not to mention, Lake Manitou in Rochester, Indiana on a much smaller scale. We live in Portland, the “city of bridges,” and being near water is a key lifestyle consideration wherever we go. Today, we’re about to enter into the Aegean Sea from the Adriatic and into the Ionian, each “an elongated embayment” of the larger Mediterranean Sea. On the other side of Italy is the Tyrrhenian Sea and the island of Capri’s Blue Grotto that was a memorable water experience. I’ve also been fortunate to travel in the South China Sea as part of a trip to Hong Kong and China. In the near future, we aspire to settle at a warm place on the water.

I’ve owned a lake home and a beach condo and several houses with pools. My wife loves being on the water, so this cruise is an ideal environment for her. Since the planet is approximately 71% water none of us is really very far from good old H2O. A majority of this water is contained in our (5) five oceans, including the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific and Southern. I’ve really only put a toe in two, but it will still be easier to get to all five long before accomplishing my recently contemplated goal of visiting one-hundred countries. (See Post #467) There are also plenty of Gulfs, Seas, Bays, Lakes, Basins, Rivers, Streams, Tide Pools, Inlets, Coves, Wetlands, Bayous, Harbors, Lochs, Canals, Swamps, Reservoirs, Deltas, Lagoons, Creeks, Shoals, Streams, Straits, Tributaries, Rapids, Waterfalls, and even Glaciers to see. Plus, I’ll need to get to Walden’s Pond to do some “pondering.” Obviously, I’ve got a lot of wet places to see and three more Oceans to do! 

We got off the cruise ship this morning to visit the city of Kotor, Montenegro, yet another country to cross off the list. It was also appropriately named Cattaro when it was part of the Venetian Republic back in 1420 and is the home of a cat museum in addition to hundreds of furry strays.  The love of cats seems to be the norm in this area after visiting Cavtat yesterday (See Post #472).

Kotor is situated on the Gulf of Kotar, another large body of salt water to add to my growing collection of liquid natural wonders. The fortress was built on the mountainside in 535, while the town itself was established in 168 BC and part of the Roman province of Dalmatia (translates to land of sheep herders). I wonder if there are more cats or sheep? It is known as one of the best preserved medieval old towns in the Adriatic, and a cool experience for both of us. We elected not to climb the one-thousand-plus stairs to get the best vantage point of the red-roofed village, but staying on shop-level enabled us to once again stimulate the local economy through the purchase of several souvenirs and gifts.  

As we head towards much-anticipated Greecian island of Corfu tonight, we navigated around the quaint little island church, Our Lady of the Rocks, that sits in the center of the 17-mile inlet. It’s surrounded by towering cliffs that are dusted with snow. Kotor was our favorite stop so far on this cruise, despite the chilly temperatures and marginal sunshine. We look forward to another great dinner and our fifth night at sea. Look out Zorba here we come!