Between rock and stone

If you ever find yourself walking by the sea from Igalo to Herceg Novi, stop for a coffee at the place that used to be a train station. The massive structure you see nearby is Forte Mare, or the Sea Fortress if you want to speak English about it. Its construction began in the 14th century, and subsequent adaptations were made over several centuries. Apparently, waterproof cement technology was introduced to the structure under Austro-Hungarian rule.

When you look at it from the seaside perspective, you can see how hewn stonework has been built upon the rocky hillside. The bulwark is made both of the earth-bound rock, naturally occurring, and stones shaped by human hands and stacked strategically to serve a human purpose. The mountain and building stones are so intimately intermingled here, it’s hard to think of the rock and the stones as separate entities. I guess it’s the work of time and weather that’s made the constructed section appear to blend almost seamlessly into its naturally occurring foundation.

June is my two-year Substack birthday! This month, I’m dusting off a few pieces from the archive and removing the paywall. Here’s the first piece I wrote.

A simple checklist for day one