August 19
The gorgeous cities just keep coming. Montenegro is one of the 6 republics that were spawned from the former Yugoslavia. It is the youngest country in Europe having separated by vote from Serbia in 2006. It is also one of the smallest with a population of 650,000. The country has 14,000 square kilometers, 80% of which is mountainous. It is mostly bordered by the other former Yugoslavia republics and the Adriatic sea. They have joined NATO. They are hoping to join the EU and are in the process of doing that. In spite of not being in the EU, they have adopted the Euro as their official currency.
I am always amazed at the giant ships we are on, that can the dock so gently that it only makes contacts after the ropes are in place. An amazing feat by the harbor captain and by the engineers who designed the ship.
We did an excursion that started with a bus ride along the coast. After 20 minutes we switched to mini vans that took us to a village at the top of a mountain (about 1,000 feet above sea level. The marina in the picture was built on a former shipyard and is now a place for luxury yachts.
The village was quite small. We visited an old church that was only used actively about 10 times a year (Easter, Christmas, weddings, etc. Behind the church was an olive press which was used until 30 years ago and is reportedly usable (with some major cleaning.
Left: The church. Right: The olive press building. The olives are put into the white circular area where they are turned into pulp by men pushing the large logs. The pulp is then put into the containers made of rope (see picture below).
Left: The containers of pulp are put into the press which is operated the same way. Right: The olive oil comes out the bottom and into a barrel which would be under the wooden over. The rope-like containers are not there in the actual process. 100 kg (about 220 pounds) of olives makes about 15 liters (15 quarts) of oil. Of course, today this process is automated.
The hightlight of our visit to the village was time spent in the only cafe on the hill. We had local olives, cheese, bread, honey, and bread. To wash it down we had local brandy and wine. Plus, there was a band playing traditional music. They were actually quite good. This was perhaps the highlight of our trip so far. (Other than Venice)
The band. Guitar aficionados will recognize the middle one is an ovation (Invented by Charlie Kaman—the owner of the company we worked for many years).
A short movie of their music. Be patient while it downloads.
After the trip to the village, we went to the old city which is enclosed by a wall. It is a special place.
The old church. One of the squares.
Left: The fortifications for the old city were up the hill along with this church. We did not venture up that high. Right: An old Venetian style building.
We ended our visit with lunch in one of the cafes. While it was another scorching hot day, it was a great day in an interesting country.