The seeds for this trip were planted last August while I was visiting my dear friend Mark back in Nebraska. At one point during the evening, he broke out a bottle of homemade Rakija and he told me about a recent trip he and his wife Jill had taken to Branson, Missouri. It was there that they met a young man from Montenegro named Pavle, who was working at the hotel where they were staying. The rakija was a gift from Pavle and the story of how they met is worth a separate post, but I will leave that for another time.
When I travel, I find that knowing a local makes the trip so much better. What to see, where to stay, the best local restaurants… all that is invaluable. So I asked Mark if Pavle might be willing to help me plan a trip there and possibly show me around a day or two while I was there.
So, when Mark contacted him, not only did he immediately agree to help out with planning the trip, he insisted that I stay with him. This was my first taste of the amazing hospitality I would experience there.
Day 1 – Monday, December 29
Travel is fabulous; traveling… not so much. The journeys to and from the places I visit are usually the worst parts of the experience. This trip was no exception.
I can take the public buses from my apartment to the ferry terminal, but that involves two buses and takes at least an hour and I have been finding the buses to be quite crowded lately. There are two ridesharing options in Malta: Bolt and Uber. For the first time since I moved here, I couldn’t find a ride. So I took the first bus to Victoria (the biggest town in Gozo), and found a Bolt ride from there. But now I’ve missed the 10:45 ferry and have to wait for the 11:45. No worries, I’ve left in plenty of time so that I can relax in the airport lounge and get some free lunch before my flight.
The ferry arrives in Valletta about five minutes before the bus to the airport is scheduled to depart. I race with my suitcase and backpack and get to the stop one minute after scheduled departure. Another traveler is waiting who lets me know the bus hasn’t yet arrived. After waiting another 15 minutes, I give up and order a Bolt (4 times the price of the bus). Five minutes later, the car arrives. It is being closely followed by – you guessed it – the airport bus. Well, at least the car will arrive to the airport 15 or 20 minutes faster so I can enjoy my lunch.
I get through security quickly and head to the lounge only to find that it is full with no information on if or when I will get in. Ugh! After about 45 minutes, it has re-opened.
My flight to Belgrade is uneventful, but my flight to Podgorica is delayed. I find a lounge and wait it out. A couple hours late, I arrive at nearly 10 p.m.
Pavle met me in the airport and we headed to the guest house where he and I will be staying for the next three nights. There I met his father, Boro and we sat down to a wonderful meal of sausage, sarma, homemade bread and baklava. Boro proudly offered me some of his famous rakija. I opted for a glass of his homemade wine, which is made from the same grapes he uses for the rakija. The main difference being that with wine is probably 12% alcohol and the rakija is closer to 50 or 60%!
Day 2 – Tuesday, December 30
Despite very chilly weather (low 40’s), Pavle and I walked around the beautiful property he and his father own around the guest house. Later, his uncle Ijor joined us. From there, we visited some ancient ruins built by the Romans then took a winding drive up into the mountains. Here we explored more of Pavle’s property.
While exploring, Uncle Ijor went off to speak to a neighbor named Rajo. He invited us in to sit down. Rajo is about 70 and lives year round on this property where he tends his apple orchard, bee hives, chickens and pigs. His wife bakes bread in a wood-fired oven.
They welcomed this American stranger with open arms and Rajo’s wife quickly put together a plate of homemade sausage and cheese. We sat and visited for the better part of an hour with Pavle acting as translator.
As we headed back to the city, we drove past this monument to the Montenegrin partisans who fought the Nazis during WWII.
Uncle Ijor cooked dinner for Boro, Pavle and me back at the guest house and I fell asleep shortly after. The night before had not been very restful thanks to the neighbor’s dog barking throughout the night.
Day 3 – Wednesday, December 31
Pavle drove me around Podgorica and then we ate breakfast at a restaurant near the guesthouse. We had omelets with fries along with an order of priganice. Very good!
Mid-afternoon, we headed to the house where Pavle stays with Boro and his grandmother, Vinka. Shortly after, Pavle’s friend Djuro arrived. Pavle and Djuro are both law students and life-long friends. Djuro had been an exchange student in Washington state so he had lots to talk about.
The next couple of hours made for what will undoubtedly be the most memorable New Year’s Eve of my life. Boro poured me a rather large rakija and I sat down near Vinka.
Vinka is about 90, although no one knows her exact birthdate as her birth records were destroyed during the war. Her mind is as sharp as a tack and she proceeded to give me a history lesson about Montenegro (in Montenegrin, of course). Pavle did his very best to translate but sometime she would speak for several minutes without stopping.
I learned all about Petar II Petrovic-Njegos , a famous leader (and ladies’ man) who died of either tuberculosis or syphillis, depending upon who you ask. Vinka says TB! She also told me of the time she was 4 or 5 years old and Nazi soldiers knocked on the door of the home in which she was staying. They brought a package in and told all the occupants to stay inside. Some time after the Germans left, they did the same. Shortly thereafter, the house exploded! Wow…
Boro, Djuro, Pavle and I headed back the guest house for a late dinner shortly after midnight. Happy New Year, indeed.
Day 4 – Thursday, January 1
Pavle, Djuro and I drove around downtown Podgorica and found a pub where I had a “deutsche”.
Back at Boro’s house, Vinka made us Popara, a kind of bread porridge.
There I said my goodbyes to Djuro and Vinka; then Pavle and I headed to Kotor. The trip was a spectacular, winding drive through the mountains down to the Adriatic seaside. We checked into a very nice Airbnb with what would have been a fabulous view of Kotor Bay. That evening we enjoyed an amazing seafood platter and a bottle of Montengrin Chardonnay at a nearby restaurant on the water.
Days 4 and 5 – Friday, January 2 and Saturday, January 3
The weather was awful. Rain, wind, temperatures in the 40’s. We spent some time on both days driving around to see some of the sites but it was just too wet to do much walking around. I did get some good pictures and on Saturday, we were able to walk around a bit in the Old Town and have a nice lunch.
But it wasn’t all bad. It was during these two days that I really got to know Pavle. Although he is just 22 years old, he has the maturity of a man several decades older. He is a deep thinker and a great listener. We talked and we talked.
He keeps a list of his favorite movies, both American and Balkan, and we watched plenty over the next two days. He taught me about the Balkan Wars of the 1990’s and all the players: Croatians, Serbs, Albanians, Muslims, Orthodox… And without any malice whatsoever, he spoke of the bombs the Americans and NATO forces dropped on Montenegro.
Day 6 – Sunday, January 5
Travel day.
Pavle drove me to a tiny airport in Tivat, about 30 minutes from Kotor. Before saying goodbye to my new friend, I asked him to come see me in Malta so that I could somehow repay his wonderful hospitality. And here is where the fun really began.
The flight to Belgrade started out on time. At this airport, you walk the 400 or so meters to the plane, rather than ride a shuttle. And it’s raining. Nice.
The flight is supposed to be about 30 minutes. About 10 minutes into the flight, the pilot makes a lengthy announcement in Serbian. Then comes the English: it’s snowing in Belgrade (the first substantial snow in several years, I find out later), the airport is shutting down temporarily and we are going into a circling pattern. A few minutes later, there’s another announcement and I think I hear the word Podgorica. Then the English: We don’t have enough fuel to circle so we are headed to Podgorica to refuel. Ugh.
Now I start to worry. Two days ago, I started looking at earlier flights back to Malta because the weather was so bad. I now know that if I miss my flight from Belgrade, I may not get back today. We land, refuel, sit on the runway a while and then take off for Belgrade.
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