Doing penance in Montenegro…

I knew it was coming…my first ‘Schengen Shuffle’ to a country I’d never been to. Nope, pretty far east for me. A Balkan country, still considered a European country, small with so much coastline on the Adriatic Sea. I’ve been asked ‘why Montenegro? Aren’t you excited? Wow, sounds fabulous’…and the comments went on. I just wanted to stay in my home, my Italian home. My secret private world of my own. But not to be, Italy has spoken…on a Tourist Visa? Time to go.

Deciding I can be a minimalist, I packed my backpack. With a bit much, but clothes and ‘stuff’ for 90 days. Funny how we age and decide “I don’t really need all that stuff.” Figuring out my earring wardrobe was paramount, the rest of it, not so much. I left early from my home in Orte. It gets harder and harder to say good bye to so many dear friends. People who hug me, smile at me, have lovely things to say – and chastise me for heading off without saying farewell. That is my life with these people. Every day. Kindness, happiness, fun…a tad different than my prior home in AZ. Oh I’ve got fabulous friends there…for sure. And my family whom I miss every day. Anyhow, so my adventure starts with a double cappuccino and fruit tart…more good byes and off to the little white bus that will take me to the train station. For God’s sake girl, try to have some excitement for this amazing journey you are starting, but …. I am tired of leaving my home here.

The white bus is not going to the train station for quite awhile, so I get off down the hill, jump on a big blue bus and immediately I am at the train station. Early. I have my electronic ticket, so I get on an earlier train…change in Roma Tiburtina and find my train to Roma FCO.

Okay, enough about how fabulous this aeroporto (Rome Leonardo da Vinci) is! Voted the best in Europe – again! I watch the advertising videos on how FCO won this award yet again and they are clever! Having gone through security and finding my terminal, now to have some lunch. These people, yes these Italian people, not only make a smashing caprese salad, they make an amazing caprese sandwhich. Interestingly I am wearing my huge Adrienne Vittadini beach hat as I know I’ll need it for the beach; the waitstaff at this airport restaurant recognizes the brand of the hat, an Italian designer, decides I am Italian and proceeds to welcome me with words and smiles. I go with it. A sweet farewell.

But now the insanity sets in…my flight is 5 hours late. No reason given. No other possible flights and if this one is cancelled, oooooh ugliness. I walk the terminal…sit down, buy some earphones, call some friends…look in the stores. Have a brief love affair with a handsome young man making gelatos at Venchi. He creates a masterpiece for me…and I decide 4.10 euros for two awesome scoops of gelato at the airport is my reward for not rolling on the floor screaming about a 5 hour delay. Yeah, no – those airport seats suck. Finding charging stations and making new friends to get my phone charged….ugh. And then there is the stores at this airport. Check the photos and I didn’t photograph the other 25 designer stores. What kind of people are these Italians? How does such a small country dominate the fashion world? I see earrings and purses I need. NEED. NEEED badddlllyyyy! And yet, somewhere deep inside a voice speaks to me…”no you do not. Unless you can start carrying 2 or 3 purses (new fashion trend) – do not go in any of these stores and spend 400 euros on A PURSE!” So the earrings are calling me…one pair is screaming…’put me on now!’ That would mean adding it to my jewelry (costume) bag in my backpack – and it is full. Still, the earrings … that is a possibility but I digress.

5 hours. Watching the Departure Screen in Italian, Chinese and English…memorizing Podgorica on the board and watching it move into the #2 slot. Yeah 5 hours will do that. Finally we go. A huge crowd of people begin the trek to the far corner of the airport. Well what could one expect? Flying ‘Wizzair’ ????? The name did not give me great ‘up in the blue sky’ confidence…and yet the pink color made me believe Barbie and Ken just might be on this flight! But no.

I sat down in the Waiting Area because by now, 244 people (or more) are professional ‘waiters’ !!!! Chatting with my neighbor, a Turkish ship captain, I learned a lot! Very nice man and he shared that European law states the airlines must,,,must give you a refund after a 4 hour delay! And a bit more…wowza. Imagine countries that actually give a damn about their people and their hopeless plights with flight delays…wow. I apply for the refund. Now we wait to get on the plane, the queues form. Multiple lines…luckily we get to stand for about 30 minutes in a non moving line. Does my excitement for this trip have no bounds????

I chat with my two neighbors – we are in an Exit row. They are Italian. The young man works in Cincinnati! Meeting his girlfriend in Montenegro – her home. The young lady is with university friends from Milano. The plane is packed. The pink jelly bean takes off, we land in Podgorica and truly, I’ve been on planes where passengers applaud the landing, but this group gave an Emmy performance in clapping!

Now to find my ride, get to my accommodations and it is nearing midnight. Almost to the apartment and on this semi country road, we drive slowly through 3 cows just wandering down the road! Yep. Everyone knows them, they are out for a quiet evening stroll. Everyone knows where they live and they do too. Now I am getting excited. I will make new friends with these cows. I think I am going to like it here. I am in the Budva metro area, beautiful mountains and sea views here. Oh yeah, this is going to be interesting…so far, hearing the Ukraine english language accent from Vlad, my new landlord and then from his friend, Vasko…an Italian sounding eastern block country english…I am going to have a fine time. And for those friends I said I was just going to sit in the ocean for 90 days..ah, I think there may be a bit more coming!!!