Well, only two countries behind. Typical Swan.
So, Montenegro. Here are the last couple shots of Kotor - you don't get much of a sunset with the mountains all around but I did get some really amazing lighting.
After leaving the hostel in Kotor I made my way to the bus station where, as fate would have it, my bus was just starting to pull out. The guy from the ticket counter then recognized me, waved to the bus to stop, and I hopped on board. This is where I learned the proper pronunciation of Podgorica, Montenegro's capital city. Where the hell they get "podgoritsa" from that I couldn't tell you.
A few hours later and I found myself in one of the least visually stunning places I've ever been. Think, lots of Soviet bloc architecture.
See what I mean? Still not sure also why there are transformers everywhere...
My hostel was less than ten minutes walk from the bus station, however, and first thing the guy at reception pointed me in the direction of a favorite local restaurant, which turned out to be totally and completely awesome. So, Podgorica redemption with the help of cabbage rolls, bean stew, and fresh bread.
I spent two nights in the capital before heading up to the mountains. During that time I did manage to make it up to the giant park area above the city, where they have a really old (and surprisingly creepy) graveyard, and also the Partisan Fighters monument.
This guy looks serious, right?
Now I apologize because I (shamefully) have zero photos from the ensuing snowy excursion.
I got a morning bus to Zabljak, a small town up in Durmitor National Park. The ride took about three hours but the scenery was beautiful so I was perfectly happy. Oh, and if you want to know how to pronounce Zabljak just replace the "z" with a "j" and the "j" with a "y." Jablyak. More or less. Yeah, in case anyone didn't know I was a traveler my stellar command of the local language clued them in instantly.
I got slightly lost in Zabljak upon arrival but did eventually manage to find my guesthouse. Where, for 15 euros a night, I got a private room with a double bed and my own bathroom. YES!
I spent the first day just generally wandering around town, hitting up the grocery store for some supplies, and eating at one of the local restaurants. It was sunny and beautiful, and despite the snow everywhere it was actually quite pleasant weather.
Then came day two. Which shall from now on be known as "ski fail day one." First off, I woke up to sleet. Not snow, because it wasn't cold enough, but just a nice dose of freezing rain.
Fuck.
Also, Google maps, you did not do your job here because nowhere online can you find out exactly where the closest ski slope is.
I did eventually find my way to the closest slope, located skiers, and worked up the gumption to ask the guy at the lift where I could rent some skiis. Whereupon he just looked at me, said "da," and went back to his cell phone, pointedly ignoring me.
Charming kid, I hope I have five just like him.
Realizing he was useless, I made my way to the restaurant at the base of the slope, where I finally located someone nicer who told me in a combination of Montenegrin and English that I would have to go back into the main part of town to rent skiis.
So, back we go through the sleet.
And then, of course, the shop is closed.
By this point, soaking wet, cold, and grouchy, I decided to call it a day. So I bought myself a bottle of red wine, stripped off my sopping outfit, and curled up in my pajamas and read for the rest of the day. I even took a nap. It was glorious.
Day two, ski victory!
I woke up to clouds, but no rain. Hallelujah. I put on my ski pants, ate breakfast, and walked to the town center where I grabbed a cab to the ski slope about 4km outside of town, Savin Kuk. After my experience the day before I wasn't in the mood to deal with snotty twenty-something's, let alone give them money.
Upon arrival, with a little direction, I found the ski rental "shop," aka very nice woman seriously lacking in dental hygiene (something pretty common in Montenegro, Bosnia, and Croatia) renting skis, boots, and snow boards out of a van. Classic.
I then got myself a day pass and made my way to the run, where I was faced for the first time with a T-bar lift. And fell directly on my ass.
Me and the T-bar lift didn't start off on the best of terms, but after this experience and a quick tutorial from a passing instructor and I made it up the mountain. Where I discovered, to my delight, you never really forget how to ski.
I had the best time. I spent a total of 2 1/2 or 3 hours on the slope, stopping midway through for a beer. I only called it a day when I did because I was afraid to do too much damage to my knees. But oh! The wind in your face racing down the mountain, the feeling of control over your muscles and your legs working... Absolutely excellent.
I caught a ride back to town in the late afternoon with the owner of the "ski shop" and then relaxed. I had a glorious day!
In the morning I made my way through the sleet (again!) to the bus station where I tried to figure out how to get back to Podgorica. I finally just asked this wonderful little old lady who spoke no English but still managed to communicate to me that I had to grab the bus with her to Niksic where I could catch a connecting bus to the capital. She wound up being my little guardian angel who kept an eye on me and motioned where to go and when to get off. You can definitely talk with people even if you don't share a language.
Also, I saw the most magnificent rainbow from the bus on my way down from the mountains.
One more night in Podgorica, then I caught the bus to Sarajevo, Bosnia. Which was one of my favorite cities in my travels so far. But we will get caught up on that in my next update.
Until then, hope everyone is well back home!
~Swan
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