MontenegroMapSeptember 27, 2009 Montenegro is such a short drive away from Albania that it would’ve been a crime not to go. The Montenegrin border agents put on airs of being European and, pretending they’ve never laid eyes on Albanian money in their life, demand that the border crossing fee be paid only in euros. Where one is supposed to get euros in Albania is none of their concern. PodgoricaMapA barrier.  A barrier.  A barrier.  A trash can.  A trash can.  A trash can.  A trash can.  Trash dumpsters.  A drinking water tap in the street.  There’s a custom of publicly displaying death notices in Montenegro. The design of the notices is surprisingly standardized. Christians get a black border and a cross.  Communists get a red star. Atheists get a blue border.  Muslims get a green border and a star and crescent.  These obituaries are so common that special drums are even set up for their display, in order to somewhat lessen the burden on the trees.  A traffic island.  A traffic light.  A sign with built-in illumination (a rarity).  The local pedestrian.  Somewhat imbecilic-looking children.  A lane direction sign.  The storm drains here are entitled to their own special ditches along the roads and sidewalks.  The old post box model.  The new post box model.  Unfortunately, it’s impossible to mail a postcard from Podgorica on a Sunday. The post office is bolted shut, and hotels and kiosks don’t sell stamps out of principle. And they call this a capital. Nowadays, people mostly use Latin script.  Although Cyrillic was the go-to not that long ago.  Podgorica isn’t the kind of place one would recommend visiting.  Go anywhere except Podgorica.  UlcinjMapAs I was driving back to Albania, I came across the town of Ulcinj, which managed to rehabilitate my impression of the country at the very last minute. But it was already pitch dark.  |
