I love old towns. The bricks hold the feeling of the ages. You can tune into a past life, then see that life continuing in the faces of the local people.

Above the Old Town is a steep walk up St. John's Hill where you can find a cathedral and a view out over the gulf.

This is one of my travel sketches of the walk. I draw very quickly when I'm out walking.

It's easy to spend the day wandering the alleyways of the old town, discovering shops, taverns and open squares. Kotor was part of the Venetian Republic for over 300 years and the lane ways and buildings have that mysterious Venetian feeling.

Capers and wildflowers grow in the cracks and crevices of the fortifications, bringing colourful relief to the high stone walls.

The old town has survived the plague, earthquakes and many wars and now it must survive curious tourists. An old World War II message reads "What belongs to others we don't want, ours we don't give." It sums up my experience of the energy of the place, still somewhat closed to the outside world but with so much to offer.

In the bright spring sunshine, I enjoyed a beer and wondered what had happened to the spirit of this place and how it would move towards the future.

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I was inspired to write about my time in Montenegro by @JoyTheWanderer 's recent post in her Balkan Diary about her time in the nearby national park. Check it out.

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Margot Duncan (Ph.D) is an artist, author and Chi Enthusiast who likes to write about art, energy and intuition.