After an all-night bus ride from Belgrade, I arrived in Podgorica dazed and confused. When I got off the bus I wasn’t sure that I was even in the right place. Podgorica is a small capital city, only about 135,000 people live there. I was thinking that this could be a very long three days.
It was about 6 in the morning so I couldn’t check into my room for another 8 hours. Well, time to get exploring I guess. After walking around for a few hours I thought I had seen all there is to see. What the hell am I going to do here for three days? A trip to Bar will kill one day, maybe there is an excursion into the mountains.
After some breakfast, and most importantly coffee, and a little more walking around I was starting to feel better about things. Podgorica may be small, but it’s a nice little city. The area along the river is filled with parks and the historic Ribinica Fortress. Podgorica may not be the type of place you would want to spend a week in, but it’s a great place to explore slowly and relax a bit. The country of Montenegro has a lot of natural beauty to offer though. I want to go back and spend more time in the mountains and around the lakes.
It is easy to find some nature right in the city. Gorica Park is a good-sized park with a nice view of the city once you make the hike to the top of the hill. At the entrance to the park is the picturesque St. George Church. Just inside the park is the impressive Partisan Fighter Monument dedicated to the soldiers who died fighting in WW2.
Meeting people is one of the more interesting aspects of travel. You can meet some interesting people, some fun people, and some odd people. I don’t know what it is, but what compels some people to share their life story with a complete stranger? While staying at my shared Airbnb I met a Dutch guy. He was nice and very talkative. Way too talkative.
I swear that within a half hour of meeting him I knew that he was just divorced, was buying a house in Montenegro, and would soon be getting married to a local girl with two kids. His story brought me back to my Thailand days. How many times have I heard about an older guy buying a house and marrying a local girl with kids from a previous relationship? Ten? One-hundred? More? He claims that he fell in love with the country first and then the girl. I suppose that is the best way to do it, but I wish him the best of luck, he is going to need it. Never let the small head lead the big head. The rule applies in Montenegro as much as it applies in Pattaya and Phuket.
Rolling Tsuchinoko 