We spent much of the ninety minute ride from Podgorica (the capital of Montenegro) learning how to pronounce Podgorica (PUHD-gehr-it-seh, more or less). And oohing and aahing about the mountains everywhere. It’s not for nothing they call this place Black Mountain (= Montenegro = Crna Gora, which we can’t pronounce yet). Don’t worry if you aren’t exactly sure what or where Montenegro is – we’ve got your Montenegrin history coming right up!
People of Montenegro
We made our first Montenegrin friend in the airport in Vienna. She was exceedingly outgoing, and hooked us up with a Facebook group for foreigners (which mostly seems to be people giving away cats, trying to buy cars, and asking how to receive nutritional supplements by mail). We made our second friend on the plane, and our third was the guy who drove us to Kotor. Our next door neighbours, who are also our landlords, have brought us bread, and text us every day with tips and recommendations. All of which is to say that people are really, really friendly here. The general feeling seems to be ‘Samo polako’ (= take it easy). Which we love, except and unless there is a plane to catch.
Food and Drink
Excepting bread (which has not been crusty enough for us, but we’ll bake our own), the food has been excellent so far. We have already had cause to mention the Njeguški pršut (prosciutto from the mountains, smoked and fabulous). We’ve eaten excellent seafood and fish, and are getting to know the local cheeses, which are mostly vaguely familiar from Turkey. This is a land of olives and dates and pomegranates (yay!), but also of pickled cabbage, beautiful greens (where do they come from in November?), and sour cherries.
Then there’s the booze: Montenegro grows grapes in the south (where we are). Besides some grapes you’ve heard of, there are Krstač (white) and Vranac (red). When we first tasted the Krstač we thought it was waaay too dry but in fact it goes spectacularly well with fish. Ditto the Vranac: once open, it became interesting and flavourful. There’s also a pink one, which is next up on our list.
But the Balkans are much more famous for their brandy, rakija. Which we adore. It comes in a wide variety of fruit flavours and we are well on our way to trying them all. More on that soon!
Language
Many people speak a little English, especially in stores in the old town. We suspect that is truer in Kotor than elsewhere in the country, given how popular Kotor is with tourists.
Our four words of Polish and twenty-three words of Russian are coming in very handy. We hadn’t expected the Slavic languages to be so all closely related, but we aren’t complaining! Delightfully, many of the food words are the same as those in Turkey, so we’ve got those covered too.
Scenery and Architecture
It is stunning in Montenegro, what with the mountains and the water. The height of the mountains means that there is not a lot of sun in winter; it reminds Laurel of being in the Caucasus. Apparently we are here for the rainy season. Though it’s not as rainy – or as humid – as lots of places we have been, and when the sun is out it gets warm and lovely (in the 60s/high teens).
Kotor has been an important place for a good long time. The Venetian fortress and city walls are spectacular and, as in other places in the Balkans, they are not ruins off in the corner but central and vital parts of the city, i.e. people live and work in them.
Money and Costs in Montenegro
Montenegro uses the Euro, which makes things awfully simple. It also inflates prices, at least in restaurants and touristy areas. Then again, our lodging costs about half of what it is in many parts of the world, for a good-sized place with a balcony overlooking the bay (here’s where we live). Food in stores is relatively cheap, as are things that come from around here. Imports and electronics seem expensive. Lots of places, including restaurants, prefer cash.
Cats
The cats are back! Perhaps because of the Ottoman influence (Kotor was besieged several times by the Ottomans but never taken), this is a cat town. There are even people feeding cats early in the morning, like in Limassol. Every shopkeeper we have interacted with (which is nearly all of them; see above re: people) knows the cats around his/her shop, and one even gave us the lowdown on their personalities. More on the cats soon too!
So far, so good: we think we’ll like Montenegro a whole lot.
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