Another incredible day of weather and yet another excellent excursion.

We travelled in the morning along the coast and then up into the hills beyond Kotor to a tiny village called Radovići to visit a local olive oil producer. Our vehicle was a small, very comfortable mini bus - the roads were too steep and narrow for a standard coach… They were!

We were met by the owner and greeted with beignets which had to be dipped in locally produced honey. Wow! Just a few steps away we were handed a glass of his own fruit brandy (tasted like grappa, only much stronger). It was only 10am, but it would have been impolite to refuse, and even more rude to not have another. 

The farm was home to three donkeys. Once donkeys had been used for transporting olives, now they were more like pets (unlike their abused cousins on Santorini). As we arrived they galloped across to see us, clearly looking for treats. I found out why. As we were leaving, they were fed the uneaten beignets. Lucky donkeys.

The owner showed us around his groves and explained a great deal about the production of olive oil; not boring hyper-technical stuff, more “things to know” when buying or using olive oil. We sampled some of his product. Did you know, that like wine, there are protocols for tasting olive oil?

The itinerary promised a “light snack” of local products. This turned out to be a not so small lunch of (all estate produced) olives, prosciutto, cheeses, egg, cucumber, tomato, courgette fritters, breads, wines and pomegranate juice followed by a home-recipe apple cake and Turkish coffee. Not a buffet; served at the table by the owner and his family.

Towards the end of the meal, an absolutely delightful little girl, maybe 3yo, appeared and went around smiling at everyone. What a lovely, relaxed family atmosphere. She took the rôle of tour guide, and waved us off.

After staggering back to the bus, we travelled back to Kotor for a walking tour of the old town. It appeared that today was the day for “small people” to be shown around and have a taste of their history. The old town tour was well worth the time. It’s quaint and interesting, clean and welcoming.

Cats! Cats are the official mascot of Kotor. They (as only cats can) own the city. They’re everywhere. Originally introduced to kill off the rats that spread plague, they (as only cats can) ingratiated themselves with the citizens and, 400 years later are still here. In one square (their preferred location) there were about 25 occupying the benches. Normally, our guide said, it would have been 100+. However, they’re friendly but (as only cats can) totally indifferent to the human goings-on around them.

Yet another outstanding day.