FROM MONTENEGRO

(click on images to enlarge)

Montenegro Diaries: Leaving, Return to Belgrade

MONTENEGRO, May 12, 2008 - After a windy night, my last morning in Przno was sparklingly bright.

When I went out and looked at my little fishing village from my balcony, I discovered that a film crew was in a process of shooting some beach scenes.  I also discovered a black-haired beauty lounging in the sun on a ledge in the house next door, one of many, as you will see in due course.  My maid also showed me that my apartment had an awning - on my last day there!  And look at how I had to work in my "new office" the previous days against the morning sun.  The maid said she thought I had a cold.  :-)  So she did not bother showing me where the rod was with which to roll out the awning.  Oh well, I managed... :-)

Once at the Tivat airport, I took a picture of Mt. Lovcen from the ground up (left).  And then as we took off, I decided to make up to you for all the views of Kotor Bay we could not enjoy last night, because I was driving in the dark down the mountain.  So voila!  Enjoy...

About 45 mins later, the scenery was a different as night a day.  From mountains and oceans to flatlands and fertile fields of Srem (right).

Back in Belgrade, I am staying at the Grand Hyatt this time.  And I used the opportunity to take a picture from the same angle as the one I took eight years ago.  As you can see, one of the "NATO souvenirs" has been completely remodeled.  Life goes on without pausing to remember the dead who were buried under the NATO bombs. 

Serbia has just voted (yesterday) to join the EU - the very countries that bombed it to smithereens nine years ago.  I talked to some young people around the hotel this afternoon.  They were all elated with election results.  "The young people are all for it," they told me.  "We want to be a part of Europe."

I did not say anything.  I said it all during the war and shortly afterward.  You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.  For what these young people said was like the old Serbs saying after the Kosovo battle, "we want to be a part of Turkey." Instead, they waited and fought occasional guerilla warfare against the Ottoman Empire for 500 years, while trying to preserve their Christian identity and unique culture.  And eventually, they defeated the Turks and threw them out of their country.  Culture, tradition, integrity, courage, nobility, generosity... those seem to be all Serbian traits you read about in history books.

Another man I talked to this afternoon, an American who has moved to Serbia and has been living in Belgrade for two years now, had nothing good to say about the young Serbs in Belgrade.  "They are just awful," he said, adding that he and his Serbian girlfriend are moving to the country in pursuit of a happier lifestyle.  He sounded positively outraged.  And he even converted to Orthodox Christianity out of respect for the old Serbian values.  So it goes...

TO BE CONTINUED... IN ROME?

CLICK HERE to Rome...

Back to Europe May 2008 Index

Back to Home