We've been in Montenegro for two nights and will head to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, tomorrow. We'll return to Montenegro in about 10 days to see more. Here's what we've been doing:
Thursday 9/9: Today we saw more of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. We went to the Tesla museum. (Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia all claim him.) We saw a couple transformer demonstrations with his original equipment. His cremains are in a spherical (his favorite shape) urn here, even though the Church thinks they belong in the cathedral. We visited an island surrounded by Lake Sava located within the city. There's swimming, boating, hiking, tennis and more. We had late lunch at a waterside restaurant there.
9/10: Branko's rear license plate was stolen from a supposedly secure parking lot. He's got the replacement all lined up when we arrive in his town in a couple days. We visit Gamzigrad fortress, a UNESCO heritage site, before heading to Nis, Serbia's 3rd largest city. We visit a fortress from the time of the Ottomans.
9/11: Anne and I reflect on the horror of 20 years ago. Anne was working in Washington DC then, and I remember finally reaching her on the phone, hearing that she was returning to Michigan by car that afternoon with a co-worker. Branko said people were frightened around the world, thinking if this could happen in the USA, they all were vulnerable. How true. Today we go to Skopje, the capital city of North Macedonia and Branko's home town. We walked in a quaint bazaar area where we have a tea, baklava and tres leches (3 milks) cake. We visit the Mother Theresa Memorial House. Anjeze Bojaxhiu was born here in 1910; her father moved the family to Albania in 1913. So, of course, the entire region claims her. We visit the main square which is very near our hotel. We learn that a catastrophic earthquake happened here in 1963, killing 1070 people, destroying 80% of the city's buildings.
9/12: Today in a very popular park, we climb up to the dam and Lake Matka, where we take a boat ride on this lovely lake. Afterwards we are guests of Branko and his wife, Radica, for a home-cooked meal at their home. Stuffed red peppers, stuffed grape leaves, salads, sauces, and a bit of Macedonian grappa were offered. They have a lovely home in a quiet neighborhood. The two of them are a good couple, very gracious. Later Anne and I take a walk to the square and people watch.
9/13: We cross into Kosovo, formerly a place of conflict. We visit the UNESCO listed Grancanica Monastery with frescoes. We continue on to Prishtina, where on Bill Clinton Blvd., we see a statue of Bill Clinton in appreciation for his help with their struggle against the government of Yugoslavia. Down the street is a statue of Madeleine Albright in honor of her extraordinary contribution to the liberation of Kosovo. We see NATO forces. Branko says different countries supervise different sectors of the country. As we walk in town, we see Italian soldiers. Then we are surprised when 2 patrolling police officers stop us. We are told nicely that in Kosovo, you are required to wear a mask while outside. And if I haven't said lately, it's hot. As we approach a bridge, there's a sign indicating only one tank can cross the bridge at a time! Continuing on to Peje, the capital city, we admire a mountain range. We visit Pec, a XII C Monastery built on a former Roman temple site, and see the nuns harvesting walnuts.
9/14: We leave our hotel at 5:30 a.m. in order to get to an 8:00 ferry. We cross into Albania and see the Dinaric Alps, which exist from Slovenia to Macedonia. Driving along, we see bunkers in the hills which were built by the government starting around 1960 and used against their citizens. Very odd. Our ferry boat travels through a wonderful canyon to Koman Lake. I know Anne has many terrific pictures. We continue along a curvy, bumpy road for about 1-1/2 hours to Montenegro. That Branko! He can be tricky. When he wants us to see something, he convinces us it's just a short walk, not too difficult, etc. Anne handles his challenges well; I usually loudly gripe while I'm attempting them. So up we go, miles (well, maybe 1/8 of a mile) of fricking fracking stones, polished smooth over 14 centuries to see an old fortress. Then we go down those polished stones. But it acted as a foot massage, so no sore feet that night.
9/15: We didn't notice it, but an earthquake was felt here in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, around 4:00 this morning. It was centered in Albania, about 25 km from here, and it registered at 4.1 magnitude. Branko thought we might've been frightened, but we slept right through it. There was one 5 days ago, 3.6 M, again centered in Albania. They are quite common in this region. Wish us luck! Today we took a short ride to Skadar Lake for a 1 hour boat ride. We see lily pads with yellow and white flowers. The captain shared his small fresh figs with us. Then we sample water caltrop, which is found in the water underneath a green plant that grows in the water. It's the seed of this "fruit" that is eaten fresh, dried, ground into flour. It sustained families during the wars. Birds were fishing in the lily pads and these caltrop plants. It's 90° today, but it gets cool overnight.
Oh, many of you are curious about the virus situation here. Except for Kosovo's rule on wearing masks outside, you sometimes see masks, often not. There are occasional testing sites. But it has never been suggested at any border crossing that we should not enter. We aren't receiving warnings from the State Department. We continue to mask up. I think Branko was concerned with my sneezing and coughing, but now he knows it's allergies. Anna and I are doing well.
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