Zabliak!



One of the best things about my new life in Montenegro is the school I'm teaching at, and what makes the school in turn so great are the families who comprise the school community. In many ways, this is the ideal international school situation. It's a small school, and yet the parents and children range from Nepal to Australia to Ethiopia to Japan. As such, we maintain a very cosmopolitan focus at the school and a genuine world view. (FAR better than the US-concentric schools that dominate elsewhere.)

What I'm saying is, we're all friends. Thus, when several of the families invited me to join them on an excursion into the mountains of Montenegro some weeks back, I was more than happy to join them.

The expedition began by following a thin ribbon of road that snakes and climbs about the edge of the winding Moraca river valley gorge. This is truly a sight to behold, as the cliff walls and the sheer mountainscapes about the emerald serpentine river grow only higher and more spectacular the farther you twine along the canyon. I am inclined to buy a car here in the country just so I can enjoy this road many more times in the future. (Sadly, no pictures of this particular leg of the journey. Hopefully next time!)


The road to Zabliak

We did manage to stop at a very scenic bridge along the way. I imagine that some enterprising tourist business will open this up for bungee jumping in the future. For now, it serves as a starting point for many rafting excursions.









After several hours of awesome mountain views, we arrived in the mountain village of Zabliak. Zabliak maintains much of the lifestyle and architecture of the traditional mountain towns of Montenegro and Serbia, despite quickly becoming a tourist destination.




Zabliak, with its traditional wooden farmhouses

The town really takes off in the winter as the hub for a small but successful skiing industry. Hopefully I'll be able to enjoy that soon! Still, despite being only autumn, we did get some snow. And for the kids (well, and for some of us childish adults as well) this meant an opportunity for sledding!



Zabliak is also situated at the edge of a vast national park. In fact, from the town, you can walk into the edges of the park, where we enjoyed hiking around the mist-covered Black Lake.



We also enjoyed a traditional lunch of slow-cooked lamb at a restaurant on the lake, which is dominated by a long fire pit that serves as fireplace, oven, and bar.





All in all, it was a great trip enjoyed with some great families and friends.

My Podgorica Biking Circuit

Until daylight savings time snuffed the sun so early in the evenings, I looked forward to cycling with a bunch of other expats every Tuesday into the hills and mountains outside Podgorica. This was a great way to see something of the country outside of the city without having a car. Fortunately, Montenegro is so scenic and variably terrained that even a short excursion from the city offers much.

One of our more frequent circuits took us along a scenic river, into the farmland, up a few steep hills, and past some very interesting Roman ruins. Let me share the journey:


First, we wind alongside the azure-green waters of the Moraca river.


We cross a bridge over one of its more turbulent rapids. One of these days I need to get a kayak!


We cycle a while through the farms outskirting Podgorica. The gentle green fields soon give way to steep, rocky hills and cliffs. These, though challenging, are actually a welcome relief after the several inevitable encounters with the rabid, horse-sized dogs these farmers tend to keep.


After coursing through the hills a while longer, the circuit brings us to these Roman ruins. A village skirts the outer walls of these crumbling mortars, and often shepherds and cowherds send their flocks to graze amongst the ancient walls. Although small and in disrepair, I find the decrepit state of these ruins inspiring. Rather than having been built up and zoned off from the populace, these ruins maintain their ancient legacy that much better just because they are so unkempt and rustic. They are a fixture of the landscape, a timeless pile of assembled stones that have kept their vigil while empires rose and fell around them, while villages blossomed about, and countless generations of shepherds sent their sheep to graze between its walls.


The ruins are of a Roman town called Doclea, once a small but important urban center of the Dukjla State. Erected in the first century AD, the town was protected both by its high walls and two intersecting rivers that formed a natural moat. It boasted a forum, several temples, a triumphal arch, and (erected centuries later) two Christian basilicas. The town fell several times, at the hands of invading Goths and the tremors of earthquakes, before being finally leveled by the Slavs in 620. It is remarkable that, after so long, so many of the structures remain today.






Finally, along the Moraca river again, we cycle into the sunset homewards. Perhaps a dinner of deep-fried cordon bleu and veal rolls, washed down by several bottles of Niksicko beer, awaits us at the restaurant we head to afterwards, tasty though bound to undo any healthy gains we may have achieved in our kilometers of cycling. Still, such concerns are trivial. After all, its the company and the adventure that count.

Now in Podgorica, Montenegro!

So, my summer vacation in the USA came to a close. I returned to Moldova for a too-brief opportunity to pack up, say goodbye to my dear friends, and get ready for my move to Podgorica, Montenegro.

This, then, was my last sight of my apartment window in Moldova, with my three amazing friends Cristina, Mika, and Angel bidding me farewell from it. There have been many, many times since the move when I wished I could have stayed back in Chisinau with these beautiful and super-cool girls. Alas, nothing lasts forever.



So, my flight to Podgorica was mostly uneventful. That is, except for the cats. I felt ridiculously compelled to bring my cats from Moldova with me to Montenegro. This almost didn't happen, as the airlines had a hell of a time confirming them on the flight, and it wasn't until the day before I left I found out I could take them with me. But even that nearly turned into a bust. I was charged a hell of a lot of money for bringing them with me (500 dollars, when the ticket itself cost about that!) and then, since I flew in another toaster-plane from Chisinau to Budapest, was told I had to put the cats in the luggage compartment. Concerned, I asked the guy if the luggage compartment was air conditioned, if the cast would die, and the only response I got was a shrug and amused, "Maybe." I nearly lost it then until I was assured by the flight crew that the whole plane, luggage compartment and cabin, shared the same air. Still, while my cats did survive, they were decidedly freaked out once I picked them up in Budapest. Quiet, limp, and soaked in their own urine. Still, they were silent as a result for the entire layover and maintained their hushed demeanor until I released them from their bags in my new apartment in Podgorica, Montenegro.

So, about my new "home town." Podgorica is a relatively small town, especially so for a capital city. One could easily walk its urban center from end to end in less than an hour, and the outskirts don't sprawl that much further. Despite this, there are a number of stores and cafes here, and even a few bars that stay open late on the weekends. Most of the social interaction seems centered around a large central square with a fountain in it, in the area of which people tend to mill about in the evenings. Since it is such a small city, people who are from here are bound to run into many people they know as they mill. Hence, by walking around downtown, you get to meet up with all your friends without having to worry about setting up a time or place to meet. Good for them. Not so great for me, as a foreigner, since I don't know anyone here and so have no chance of meeting up with anyone I know. Still, it's nice to wander amidst the bustling crowds sometimes.


The central square and fountain, usually abuzz in the evenings.


The Millennium Bridge, Podgorica's landmark.


The Old Clock Tower, near the Muslim district of town.


A traditional meal at one of the downtown cafes: pancakes rolled with ham and cheese, deep fried, and topped with sour cream and shredded cheese. Don't worry Mom, I'm eatin smart!

There is none of the happening nightlife or social scene that I enjoyed in Chisinau, but I suppose that's not what one does here. instead, Podgorica is a terrific jumping off point for exploring the "Vild Beauty" (a la CNN) that Montenegro has to offer. Podgorica is just an hour from the coast and surrounded by the many breathtaking mountains the country boasts. Additionally, the crystal green Moraca River roars through the city, and is situated at the base of a very relaxing, pine-covered hill. One enjoys Podgorica, as Montenegro, for its natural wonders and outdoors opportunities. In the summer there is swimming at the beaches along the coast, and in the winter skiing in the mountains. And being in Podgorica, one is central to it all.


The Moraca River.


A view of the mountains from the Park Suma Gorica.

So, while not the most exciting home, Podgorica is certainly picturesque.