Old Town

Why do I love staying in Stari Grad, or Old Town? It isn't convenient. There is often no parking nearby, or the parking places take superhuman driving skills to get into. The rooms are up three flights of steps, with no one to help you with bags. The rooms have not been renovated recently, and the noise from the surrounding streets will continue way into the night. There probably isn't a balcony or even a scenic view.

I love it because it is old, old in a way that cannot be created by anything other than time. It is old, but beautiful at the same time. It is quaint, haphazard, and impractical. It transports me into another world.

No one who lives in Old Town seems bothered that the paint is peeling, the plaster cracked, or the cobble stones are uneven. It may be an inconvenience, but it all adds to the charm of the place. Tourists wander around and gape at the tight buildings all on top of and bumped up against each other. You have to look up to appreciate the place, but watch out for the cats underfoot. 

Time stands still for me. I sit and enjoy a coffee while people around me get on with their daily lives, hang out washing, take out garbage, wait tables. I love the Old Town because time has stood still here for hundreds of years.  Kotor, Kotor Bay, Montenegro.