Podgorica

Zabljak wasn’t doing it for me. It was looking like another day of shaky weather so I got my stuff together and hopped a bus to Podgorica. The capitol city of Montenegro. I needed to stop there anyway to get a train ticket for later in the week.

I was on my game getting to Podgorica. Buying the ticket was a little tricky with the language barrier. People in Montenegro seem to have little patience and a short fuse. With pen and paper I wrote out date and time with city to city for the attendant. The woman’s voice grew louder as I didn’t understand what she was saying but intuitively sensed the message. I got it sorted and paid just before she was about to blow a fuse. I backed out of line with a smile and she seemed to relax and smiled back. Good to go.

For whatever reason I thought it would be a good idea to stay in Podgorica for a night. The abundance of Soviet Era concrete buildings, oh so lovely, should have been the first hint. The weird smelling hotel I checked into should have been a red flag. But the online hotel reviews were in the realm of “Fabulous”. I won’t bore you with another accommodation story. It’s fine for a night.

I asked the front desk what there was for a tourist to see. He said the city was not good for a tourist and that I needed to hire a taxi for 30 or 40 euros each way to get out of the city to see something. I asked for a city map and went for a walk.

On a Sunday the streets were completely empty and everything was closed. I saw three Canadian women walking around who I had met earlier at the bus station. They were killing time before a night flight to Sweden. We were the only tourists and pretty much the only people out on the streets. It was hot but not too humid. Fine for me.

The Canadian gals were kind of goofy fun and on a two week vacation. They weren’t too happy with Montenegro but really had a good time in Croatia. They were wishing they had spent all their time in Croatia. I was kind of feeling the same. We talked about going in on a taxi to see something somewhere but wandered into the Hilton instead for drinks and a light lunch. I hung out with them for awhile then decided I needed to see what the city had to offer.

Well, there’s a really nice Forest Park with some great paths for walking so I got in a good walk. The heat wasn’t bothering me. I then wandered over to a fairly interesting bridge and then to an impressive Orthodox Christian Church. I actually made something of the day but aside of that the town is kind of a pit. It’s not very pretty. People don’t seem very happy. If it were not for a good number of parks and the mountain backdrop the city would qualify as ugly. The upside for people living in Montenegro is that it’s a place where a person can make a living.

In the evening I went back to the Hilton for the top, 8^th floor, sky bar. It’s a very nice bar. The view is great as long as you look beyond the leftover Soviet concrete housing in slow but steady decay which are still home to many.

A group of sharp dressed guys sitting just past the entrance of the bar looked like they could be mafia. I arrived wearing my best shorts, a decent shirt, and well worn lightweight hiking boots. I ordered a beer from the bar and headed outside for the view and sunset. Service was sub par to poor. I kind of got the impression that I wasn’t all that welcome. I also kind of felt like they didn’t want to be too friendly or provide too much service as they were above that. In a way by giving too much they would be losing face, self esteem, and pride. A $3 beer at a nice bar where I live is a good deal. For someone in Montenegro it’s quite expensive. Pride and esteem have an intangible value. When you are living in a country with unemployment around 18% and the average monthly salary around $600 USD you can see where moral might be an issue.

I began to feel like the waiter was either just very inattentive or avoiding me on purpose. I wanted another drink but paid and left.

I think the Soviet Era made a lot of people cold, hard, a curt in this part of the world. There seems to be a lot of that left in Montenegro. Regardless, there are always nice people everywhere you go and I’ve certainly met some in Montenegro but the country is definitely a mixed bag. More than anything right now Podgorica just doesn’t feel good to me. I definitely could have passed on it. I’ll be back on the coast tomorrow looking for good vibes.