Nurse Cheryl Springs Into Action in Kotor, Montenegro

The day began with a woman calling "Cheryl, Cheryl" as we disembarked the boat and headed up the street toward our group tour meeting point in Kotor.  Yesterday on our way back to the boat from our morning in Corfu, we had a decent length to traverse from the port station to get back to the boat.  On the way, Cheryl saw an older man sitting on a bollard (the post ships use to tie up) with his wife standing guard by him, each with walking sticks. He looked very sickly.  She explained that she was a nurse and asked if she could help him.  He told her he needed help making it to the ship.  She offered to get a wheelchair, and we sped up the remaining distance back to the ship.  Unfortunately, the cruise line (Viking) couldn't attend to him off the boat - call the ambulance was their advice - and he eventually moved with Cheryl's help holding him under his arm before finally reaching the boat.

The Viking Sea
docked in Kotor
This morning, his wife saw Cheryl and I leaving the boat for our tour.  He was on the sidelines in a wheelchair, on his way to the hospital where it turns out he needed a couple units of blood and plasma.  Their trip is over.  Cheryl and the wife have spent the day texting back and forth, but it is hard to imagine being stuck in a foreign country, in an unknown hospital, with an uncertain prognosis.  Nurse Cheryl will be providing telemedicine consults through her phone so we're hoping it works out.

So on we walked with our guide into Kotor, one of the best preserved and most beautiful medieval fortified towns in all of Europe. The guide first shared the history of Montenegro with us, and it is littered with occupation by just about everyone - Phoenicians, Austrians, Ottomans, Germans - and the troubles that occurred in the 1990s with the Baltic states - Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzgovina - as Yugoslavia (created after World War II) succumbed to infighting and went to war with each other, ended only by the truce that Bill Clinton negotiated.

Examples of blinged out weapons
Kotor is the principal city of Montenegro but only has about 14,000 in population.  They quickly saw that tourism was going to be their way to prosperity and have a beautiful, medieval Old Town to highlight their history.  A highlight of our walking tour was the Cathedral of St. Tryphon who was martyred by the Ottomans in Turkey but his corpse, along with his head albeit separated, reside as religious relics in the Cathedral,  It was both remarkably plain but also very beautiful and, as Cheryl reminded me, we always get to make a wish when we go in a new Catholic church.  Mine wish remains with me.

Another highlight of the tour was the Maritime Museum which house a beautiful collection of weapons.  Turns out that the medieval era sailors had a thriving business in the first public square (Weapons Square) of taking ordinary swords and guns and beautifying them with copper, silver, and gold.  They were magnificent.

Our guide today, Stefan, was the absolute best so far - young, enthusiastic, and playful with the group.  He explained that he, his father, and his brother are all guides working hard during the season from April through November when the cruise ships come to Kotor.  After we left him at the conclusion of our 90 minute tour, it was shopping time.  Coming from medical sales as a career, I've seen a lot of good (and bad) salesman and I've got to say that I'm not sure if I've ever seen better here than in Kotor.  Cheryl bought some beautiful jewelry, gifts for family and friends, and I bought a hand-painted vase.   

We could've bought more and would've bought more if we let their siren song go on any longer.  Alas, we returned to the boat and had lunch - a great hamburger for me and a big hot dog for Cheryl - at the Pool Bar and spent a few minutes in the heat of the sun in Kotor.  God has blessed us and tomorrow we journey onward toward Venice with a stop in Dubrovnik, Croatia.  More after our undoubtedly wonderful experience there.  See you soon.

PS - Today is the second Ohio State game.  I mentioned to Cheryl that they're rolling into the parking lots and firing up the grills.  Makes me miss home.  Go Bucks.  Tomorrow the Bengals open up by pounding the Patriots.  Who dey!

Comments

  1. MarianSeptember 14, 2024 at 8:46 PM

    How scary for that other couple! Geeeeeee.............

    ReplyDelete

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