Going To The Sea



A peek at the water

 Montenegro.  This tiny country with only 700,000 residents due north of Albania didn't even exist when I was in school.  Once a part of Yugoslavia, she didn't gain her independence until 2006 when she broke away from Serbia. In Albanian, Montenegro is translated as "black mountains" and the soaring peaks that dominate much of the country, while impressive, have nothing on the miles upon miles of shimmering blue and green coastline. While the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia has become an international destination, Montenegro has until recently, save visits from her nearby Serbian and Bosnian neighbors, been ignored by many foreign tourists. In fact, we had driven along her impressive coast on several occasions while making our way farther north to Croatia but had never bothered to stop.  All of that changed this past weekend when we made the Adriatic coast of Montenegro our destination for kicking off the start of our final Balkan summer. 

Although Montenegro has European Union aspirations, at the moment the closest they have come to membership is to have adopted the Euro as their official form of currency.  Historically this has caused the cost of everything in the country to skyrocket.  Not so in Montenegro (yet anyway).  This, combined with May being considered off season (in fact, Montenegro's high tourist season spans a few short weeks in late July and early August), we found the country to be incredibly inexpensive, mostly void of tourists, and yet completely welcoming to those of us who were there.  Each seaside village we visited was orderly and immaculate, melded history with modern amenities, and surprisingly enough, had a large number of English speaking people working in the shops, hotels, and restaurants.


Above the Bay of Kotor

I've mentioned before that we really aren't beach people.  Blazing sun, hoards of people, and expanses of sand covered with oil slicked bodies really isn't our scene.  Just the thought of spending four days "at the sea" made me a bit nervous but I reminded myself that we were still in the off season.  And there is a lot more to do along the coast than just sit and bake in the sun. Besides, the cool and rainy weather that was predicted reassured me that perhaps it wouldn't be too bad.  And it wasn't.  The weather forecast did keep people away and when the clouds gave way to sun --or at least no rain-- for most of the weekend we had much of the area to ourselves.  It was wonderful and made me wonder why we had waited so long to visit this neighboring country that is only a short car ride away.


The magical enclave of Sveti Stefan

We made the most of our short time away and saw a lot without feeling rushed.  We explored the exclusive enclave of Sveti Stefan where everyone from Hollywood stars to European royalty used to cavort during the 1950s. We had driven past this tiny island on each of our previous trips along the coast without even realizing that it was here.  Sidney had an opportunity to throw an unlimited number of rocks into the water (a little boy's favorite vacation activity) from a beach where the sound of the crashing surf reminded me of an earlier trip to Hawaii.  On the tiny island of Kauai on a section of beach called Barking Sands, the sound of the surf crashing on the beach sounds like a pack of barking dogs.  Both Glenn and I immediately thought of this far away beach when we heard the waves hitting this rocky expanse of Sveti Stefan beach. 
Here we ate a traditional lunch overlooking the island at the one restaurant that was already open for the season and engaged in a lively conversation about Montenegro, America, and Albania with our English speaking waiter.

In the picturesque village of Kotor we climbed up 1350 steps to explore the St. John Fortress and take in the sweeping views of the Bay of Kotor below us.  We also had to take those 1350 steps back down.  Geologists would disagree (and they would be right) but the Bay of Kotor is often referred to as a fjord.  It isn't but the narrow bay surrounded by sheer cliffs is similar to the fjords we visited in Norway.  Driving along the narrow inlets of the bay we took in the sights of the blue water, red tiled rooftops, and the numerous stone churches and marveled at the fact we were so close to Albania yet a world away.  With our "home base" being a hotel just outside of the old walled city in Budva, we spent hours exploring the narrow marble alleys of this Stari Grad.  When the occasional shower did strike we retreated to our hotel where we were able to sit on our balcony, sip wine and listen to the crashing surf.  And of course no vacation would be a vacation if we didn't eat and drink the local specialties.  Much to my surprise Montenegro has a small but growing wine industry that produces some very drinkable reds.  Our favorite wine discovery was the perfect accompaniment to the grilled meats and vegetables that while not fancy, were fresh and delicious each time we ordered them.


Stari Grad - Budva

Our brief stay in Montengro was fantastic.  We explored, relaxed, ate, drank, and soaked up the fresh sea air while avoiding a lot of sun.  To me, that is the perfect vacation.  If the rest of our summer is half as nice, it looks like we are in for a good time.

Let's Go to Kosovo

Yes, you read that right.  Like so many people of my generation, going to Kosovo was the last thing we ever dreamed about.  Heck, when we were growing up Kosovo didn't even exist as its own country; rather it was a part of what was then called Yugoslavia.  In the eyes of some countries, including neighboring Serbia, Kosovo still doesn't exist as a sovereign country .  Fortunately for us, the United States does recognize its sovereignty as a country and with our Embassy recently lifting travel restrictions to this once war torn land, we decided to take a quick weekend trip across the border to a country that was essentially unknown to us.

Kosovo is a small country--just 3,898 square miles-- nestled between Albania and Montenegro to the west and Serbia and Macedonia to the north, east, and south. Like all of the Balkans, the land that is now Kosovo has a long and hard history that mostly revolves around being occupied by various warring and conquering armies.  Serbs, Austro- Hungarians, Bulgarians, and Ottomans are just some of the empires that occupied this area at one time or another and pieces of their influence are still in evidence today.  The Kosovo War of the early 1990s was the most recent conflict that tore this tiny land apart yet it was this very war that has helped shape the country into what it is today.

Today Kosovo is a meeting place where old meets new.  Newly paved highways make way for well maintained cobble stone streets in city centers.  Ancient Ottoman era buildings that have survived numerous wars share sidewalk space with modern high rises.  The partially built concrete houses along the Albanian border reflect that country's ongoing influence as well.  The contrasts are astounding but seem to speak to what Kosovo is all about.

So what did I think about Kosovo?  I wasn't sure what to expect.  As is the case whenever we cross the boarder from Albania we immediately know we are in a different country. (On this trip we were surprised before we left since the Kosovarian immigration official did not allow cars to push their way to the head of the long line.  That sort of discipline and understanding of rule of law doesn't exist on the Albanian side of the border.  Sorry folks, everyone really must wait their turn).  As a first time visitor I was immediately surprised by the country's fertile farmland.  While ringed by mountains, the country itself is relatively flat.  We probably passed more tractors than cars- both old, new, and questionably recognizable as such-- in our drive from the border to Pristina.  Boys and old men alike hawked cabbage, grapes, and pears from wagons parked along the side of the road.  Agriculture is obviously a large part of Kosovo's economy.

Evidence of Albania was readily apparent everywhere we looked.  The population of Kosovo is 92% ethnic Albanian so we readily understood the language- well as much as we do in Albania anyway.  Kosovarians are just as excited about Albania's impending anniversary as their neighbors to the west. The ubiquitous black double-headed eagle graced signs and buildings and every jewelry store window had at least one piece of jewelry with the national Albanian symbol on it.  Albanian flags waved from storefronts and windows and like Albania, appreciation of all things America was strong.  Stores bragged of "New York style" foods and clothing and the American flag flew alongside that of Kosovo and NATO.  Just as many cars sported Albanian plates as Kosovarian and restaurant menus read the same as those back in Albania.

The long term influence of the NATO KFOR was immediately apparent.  From the well maintained and well marked roadways to the completed buildings and evidence of on-going foreign investment, the capital of Pristina seemed to be bustling with activity.  Even early on a Sunday morning construction work was continuing on the expansion of a pedestrian only walkway.  Glenn had visited Pristina this past September and commented that significant progress had been made in the past couple of months.  Along the roadways police were enforcing traffic laws and not once did we see a double or triple parked car within the city.  Hence, traffic flowed along the roads the way it was intended to and marked crosswalks and working streetlights made it safe to move about as both a driver and a pedestrian.

Overall I liked what I saw.  The planner in me was excited by the well thought out construction that was taking place.  The reconstruction of Kosovo is far from complete but I am hopeful that the country is headed in the right direction.  As we were leaving we decided that we want to go back again. If for no other reason that to see the continued progress (and to be able to drive to the end of the almost completed interstate).

In front of the Skenderbeg Statue in Pristina