Winter is Coming

Week 12

Montenegro

This week we set off from Sarajevo and venture into the Balkan country of Montenegro. Montenegro is a fairly new country having declared its independence in 2006.

As we work our way along the coast of the Adriatic Sea, we come to the seaside town of Dubrovnik. While we enjoy temperatures in the mid 60s, we have a feeling winter is coming. For those Game of Thrones fans, Dubrovnik played a key role in the filming of the famous series as Dubrovnik played the city of Kings Landing with Pile Bay representing Black Water Bay. We visit the Minceta Tower which was used as the Tower of the Undying and where Daenerys recovers her stolen dragons. Walking through Old Town we window shop along the Stradun, the main thoroughfare and one of the locations for the filming of Star Wars Episode IX.

Further along the coast we come upon Kotor where sample some of the local delicacies including squid-ink risotto, seafood bouillabaisse and monkfish dishes, washed down with Vranac, Montenegrin wine, while debating whether Kotor should be prouder of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site or being the location where Brad Pitt played his first lead role in the Dark Side of the Sun.

From the coast we head inland to Podgorica, the largest city and capital of Montenegro. Continuing the theme we have discovered that Montenegro is a Hollywood hotbed, we learn that the The Trojan Horse, starring John Drew Barrymore and Steve Reeves, was filmed in the city’s Ćemovsko park in 1961.

Beautiful weather accompanies us as we visit the Cetinje Monastery which was built at the beginning of the 12th century on the foundations of the old palace of the Crnojevic dynasty. Two great Christian relics can be found in Cetinje Monastery: the right hand of St. John the Baptist and a part of the Holy Cross of Christ.

We end our full day by sampling Rakija, Montenegro’s national drink. Not for the faint of heart, many varieties, typically homegrown, push 80%+ alcohol levels. Described by the locals as “absolute rocket fuel”, we enjoy responsibly as we have an early morning tomorrow.

Kosovo

Walking off any lingering Rakija haze, we head into Kosovo and its capital Pristina.

While Kosovo is predominantly Muslim with a Serbian Orthodox minority, one of the most important religious sites in the city is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa. Although Mother Teresa was born in modern-day North Macedonia, she is ethnically Albanian and therefore extremely important to the people of Kosovo. The cathedral was inaugurated in 2010 on the hundredth anniversary of her birth.

Almost as revered in Kosovo is former US President Bill Clinton. We come upon the Bill Clinton statue as we walk down Bill Clinton Boulevard. Clinton is beloved by Kosovo, because of his integral role in supporting Kosovo in the 1998-99 Kosovo that lead (eventually) to Kosovo’s declaration of independence.

Our last stop is the National Library of Kosovo to view its unique architecture. While the history of libraries in Kosovo dates back to the 14th and 15th centuries, the current National Library was built in 1982 and quickly gained notoriety for its appearance. The building has a total 99 domes of different sizes and is entirely covered in a metal fishing net, which have their own particular architectural symbolism. We find it interesting to note that while anyone may use National Library services, one must be at least 18 years old to request and order materials from the collections and items of the library cannot be borrowed for home use and must be read in one of the reading rooms.

Macedonia

Macedonia has a long and rich history. Proud people, they will quickly point out that they are not Greeks, not Serbs, not Bulgarians, not Slavs.

Arguably, Macedonia is the oldest European nation, and ancient land of Alexander the Great. Often referred to as “North Macedonia”, this country covers ~40% of what was the entire geographic region of Macedonia. The region of Macedonia owes its historic importance not because of its size, but rather its location at a major junction of communication routes – in particular the N-S route from the Danube River to the Aegean, and the E-W trade routes connecting the Black Sea and Istanbul with the Adriatic Sea.

Here we will visit the capital, Skopje. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited for over 4,000 years. Filled with history, the biggest highlight will be visiting Kale Fortress. No, this fortress is not named after that coarse, green lettuce-like vegetable. “Kale” is the Turkish word for “Fortress”. This fortress was believed to have been built during the 10th or 11th century. Years of archaeological research have unearthed woodwind instruments, clay pots and the largest stash of Byzantine coins ever found in Macedonia.

After 11 weeks of walking, we gave our muscles so much needed rest and only covered 420 miles this past week. No worries, we're still very much on track to get to Bethlehem by Christmas. This coming week will head to Albania and Greece. Keep up the great work!