Kotor

There's a big oak tree next door.

Yeah, there's a beautiful bay here called the Bay of Kotor, which we're very near.

We're just up in the hills, sort of overlooking it, if I can see it.

Which we can't.

So before we go back to work, we are on another trip.

a month.

We're crossing the narrowest bit of the Bay of Kotor from Tibet to the other side that I don't know the name of.

Another part of the bay.

Their route back took them across the developing lands of Serbia and Bulgaria, where they wrought much death and destruction.

After the destruction of the rich trading city of Kotor and Zeta, Most Serbian forces and wealth retreated to the hills, sparing them from total destruction, as the Mongols were in a hurry.

The Bulgarians were not so lucky.

Their lands were fractured from the recent death of their czar Ivan Asin II, and so were plundered ruthlessly.

... still the b- boundary between Orthodoxy and Catholicism here.

Like Kotor, uh, it, uh, has a lot of Orthodox population.

At the same time, 12th century Catholic, uh, cathedral, 12th century cathedral, the 13th century church we had a concert in with 14th century frescoes still in, uh, in the church.

It's a Catholic church.

Uh, and also there are some manuscript, musical manuscript from this particular area, not very well known, like the latest Beneventon chants were written in Kotor, uh, 12th century book, in two 12th century books, uh, one of them now in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the other one in Berlin, Germany.

Mm.

Uh, and there are some music and also a couple of months, uh, so a manuscript from, uh, Kotor Franciscan Monastery with probably some unique or very rare pieces written there.

Uh, so it was at, at that time, uh, 12th century, 13th century, it was kind of a cultural center, a kind of a beacon of Catholicism in, in the Balkans, in more or less like in the Eastern, Eastern world.

[laughs]

... um, I love the Adriatic, um, from Athens, um, for places like Kotor-

Mm

...

in Croatia Um, Kotor is a, in Montenegro is a real hidden gem.

Um, it's almost like a fjord sailing for, for a couple of hours.

Um, the Greek Island Glow gets a lot of attention from Mykonos, Santorini, but the, the Adriatic, um, leg or other side will probably take my pick.

Uh, it's...

I'm coming to you from a beautiful, um, old Venetian town called Perast.

I'm overlooking the Bay of Kotor, which leads into the Adriatic coast.

There are fishing boats bobbing about.

People are just starting to stir and start their days.

And I think that's what I've landed on for this episode.

It is about everyone chasing the shot.

We were in a beautiful place called Kotor.

Well, it, it is, it is beautiful.

Darko himself goes on the run and with the boss of the Balkans being on the lam, well, that means trouble back home.

One day in May of 2010, Darko's top lieutenant in Kotor is having his morning coffee in Kotor when a gunman walks up and just shoots him dead.

And the shooter comes from the Skalyari clan.

Now, this guy was a pretty big player in Darko's operation.

But I did look up some of the reviews for the club on Reddit, and they include the following.

Maximus is garbage.

Party in Kotor sucks.

Staff are okay, but not super friendly.

For the last 10 years, the budget travel wave has been washing over the Adriatic coast.

You know, places like Split in Croatia or Kotor in Montenegro.

Right, but those places are packed now.

Totally saturated.

Yeah.

If you are arriving with visions of a beautifully preserved fairy tale, highly walkable old town like, if you're expecting the pristine cobblestones of Kotor in Montenegro or the picturesque riverfront of Ljubljana in Slovenia, you will be deeply, deeply let down.

Not even close.

Tirana does not do delicate fairy tale charm.