Get to know Montenegro

With the roar of an engine and spray of the Adriatic Sea, we race toward the Church of Our Lady of the Rocks.

The soundtrack on the speedboat is a bit of Pitbull’s Feel This Moment and a bit of Duffy’s Mercy.

Thus, we ultimately realize speedboat is the most boss way to arrive at church.

That’s why my wife, Kerry, and I signed up for the Boka Bay by Speedboat excursion while the Viking Jupiter cruise ship we’re on is docked in Kotor, Montenegro.

It’s such a contrast to pull up to two sombre places of worship in an adrenaline-inducing 22-foot Okiboats Barracuda.

Old convent

With skipper Drago Pericic at the helm and eight other cruisers in the speedboat, we first visit the waterfront, circa-1735 St. Nikola Catholic Church on the Bay of Kotor.

Since Catholic church attendance has dwindled and the nuns moved out long ago, this historic stone convent is now used for weddings, cooking classes, wine tastings, special events, fundraisers and visits by cruise-ship passengers.

Ironically, our guide is Nikola Lazarevic — a namesake of St. Nikola.

We meander through the courtyard where receptions are held, numerous rooms stuffed with maritime paintings and artifacts and the library with hundreds of old books, including the 1864 log of a sea captain, which Nikola must handle wearing latex gloves.

Balkan beauty

On the speedboat to our next stop, our guide Pavle Paskovic peppers us with Montenegrin facts and figures.

Formed after the former Yugoslavia broke up in the early 1990s, this country, which is just a little larger than Cape Breton Island, is squeezed between Croatia and Albania on the east coast of the Adriatic Sea.

Kotor, where our Viking Jupiter cruise ship docked, is a small palm-treed medieval city set dramatically where the mountain plunges into the sea.

Kotor is increasingly popping up on Mediterranean cruise-ship itineraries as both an accessible and beautiful port. Think Balkan vibe with great food and wine.

Artificial island

Back in the speedboat, we pull up in style to the stone jetty at the Church of Our Lady of the Rocks.

However, not quite as much style as the bride and groom who roar off in a cigarette boat after having their wedding pictures taken at the church.

Our Lady of the Rocks is so named because it’s on a human-made island created in the 15th century after some fishermen found a statue of the Virgin Mary bobbing between two reefs sticking out of the 20-metre-deep water.

With ecclesiastical zeal, every passing boat started tossing rocks onto the reef — and old boats stuffed with rocks were sunk there too — to fashion a one-acre island.

The Church of Our Lady of the Rocks, in honour of the Virgin Mary, was built shortly after.

Now it’s a destination for both worshipers and tourists who arrive on all sorts of boats.

Subs and condos

The other two stops on the tour are a tunnel where Yugoslavian submarines hid during the Cold War (cue the James Bond music on the speedboat) and the Porto Montenegro luxury development of hotels, condominiums, marina, restaurants and designer shops.

The Canadian tie-in here is that the late Peter Munk, the Toronto-based billionaire and founder of Barrick Mining, once the biggest gold-mining company in the world, was the brainchild of Porto Montenegro.

Viking Jupiter

Going by cruise ship is the ideal way to see the Mediterranean.

You’ve probably all heard touted the concept of unpacking in your comfy cabin once and then letting the floating resort glide you from one gorgeous port to another while you sleep, drink and dine, frolic in the pool, relax and take in the passing scenery.

Kerry and I deliberately chose the luxurious Viking Jupiter for myriad reasons.

First, it’s small by cruise ship standards, carrying a maximum of 930 passengers. Yet, it’s big enough to have all the amenities — from infinity pool and sports deck to a selection of restaurants and bars, spa and entertainment — without ever feeling overwhelming or crowded.

Second, sailing in late-season October meant the weather is still warm, but the crushing crowds of high-season summer in the Med have eased.(Viking also cruises the Mediterranean all winter long.)

It made for a Euro-tastic itinerary of embarking in Athens (after an Acropolis fix) and then sailing to Olympia (the birthplace of the Olympics), Corfu (Greek island eats, drinks and swim), Montenegro, Dubrovnik (the Croatian eye candy that stood in for King’s Landing in Game of Thrones), Split (more Croatian charm) and disembarking in Venice after a gondola ride, Prosecco and gelato.

For more information, check out Viking.com.

smacnaull@nowmediagroup.ca