In the Maritime Museum in Kotor, Montenegro there is sisal rope reeled on a crafted wooden spool.  Now this is no ordinary cord, yet it was!  This is no ordinary spool, yet every sailor knew its value. The Barceta was used in navigation to track speed. There was a knot tied every 15 meters and speed was determined by how many knots passed in a minute…. Hence the nautical speeds.

The shuttered windows overlooking the town square may be more than decorative, as in days gone by they were said to be used for garbage discharge.  Heads up!!

Like many  old towns in the area, there is pride in the preserved antiquity.  There may be a lesson in this pride.  In Canada antiquity is often measured post colonial occupation, but maybe our roots are older and richer than we ever imagined.

This rebuilt, for the third time, church serves as stage for a live guitar concert by Srdjan Bulatovic and Darko Nikcevic.  As the chords reverberated in the purloins of the sanctuary I heard a music of remembrance —a blend of the Mediterranean and the Middle East.  This town had signs and wonders that would silence a town crier. That would point in a backward way toward a future.