Climbing Kotor

Being on a ship is a different lifestyle.  Everyday, no matter how rainy, humid or dirty it gets, I can always get through it because I know by the end of the day, I will be dressed up formally and performing a show in our Theatre and living a 6 star luxury life.  That is what gets me through all the times I’ve gotten lost, stressed or had to hold my fair share of reptiles for the entertainment of new acquaintances.  I just envision myself in my rosy pink Opera gown and know I will be A-O-K at 9:45pm tonight! The other side of working on a cruise ship is that you Always know where you’re going to be at 9:45 pm and it will Always be in the exact same place and to get through those days, I imagine myself driving in a Hyundai commercial singing “I want to get away, I want to get aw-ay, Yeah!  I wanna FLY awayyyy.”

You know the feeling that all you want to do is run and never stop?   Well I get that a lot.  It would be so perfect if I liked running, but I’m lucky to get above 3 miles on the bike let alone the treadmill. My stress comes and I want to kick my legs like a toddler throwing a tantrum.  I can feel the stress and anxiety filing me up like rays of light that need to shoot out of my toes and fingertips.  But since it is “stress” we’re taking about here, it’s more like thousands of little pebbles liberating out of both ends, but let’s get real, it’s probably the lower end, and a slow liberation, because in your case, your stress reveals itself in the form of constipation. Yes, your stress… 

I think we are SO lucky to have NATURE in our lives to remind us that life is not all about “stress pebbles” or bad moments and good moments, it’s just a journey!  Like the journey Ivan and I made to climb up to Fort Ivan, in Kotor, Montenegro.

 

It’s almost 500 steps (many of which are switchbacks) and takes about 30-50 minutes to climb up, and the views are amazing.   

My Amazing Mother keeps a blog of hikes in the Santa Monica area of Southern California.  Maybe my entry will appear in next years entries of “far off places.”  Believe me, I never thought I would be going to Montenegro.  The city is beautiful and there are nice churches and museums to visit during the day. 

 

The hike had lots of off trails we found, so you could spend a few hours walking around exploring and even longer if you were really into photography.

 

 

The view of our ship.  Where I’ll be at 9:45pm.  But only for 7 more weeks…