Budva (Montenegro) | Serbian Monastery - Day 144

Last night I captured this local old man fishing at sunset adjacent to the ancient city. I am fond of how it turned out. Capturing photos of everyday people doing ordinary things in my travels is fun.

It's Monday morning, and I have been here for two days. My host, Milena, reminded me that I must go to the tourist office to register and pay my tourist tax. Montenegro requires all tourists to pay 1 euro per day as tax. However, tourists that stay at hotels simply add the tax to their lodging costs. Since I am staying in a studio Airbnb, I need to take a few minutes out of my day to do this. It appears I am not the only one that needs to register this morning.

After paying my tax, I head back to the studio. I want to spend time exploring some ideas I have been simmering on this morning. First, I want to give some additional thought to places I want to visit in the coming weeks. Second, I want to learn more about this region's diverse culture, and explore its intrinsic beauty. I find that I am happiest when I have a purpose behind my travels. Time on the computer is time well spent today.

Once I have a good foundation for the coming 7-10 days, I research volunteer opportunities. I find a few possibilities that center on wildlife conservation abroad. I am intrigued by an idea I had never considered before. I need to play with this idea a bit more. Something is appealing about applying my skills in a new manner, one in which I teach others in other regions of the world.  

It is quite easy to get around here. Most people speak English and they use the Euro. So, I head out in the late afternoon. It is now getting dark around 445 pm. I enjoy that I don't need to wait so long for the sun to be low on the horizon. Below is another example of the modern infrastructure currently under construction in Budva. 

My destination today is Podmain Monastery, just on the edge of town in the foothills. As I near the Monastery, I pass this lovely stone bridge. There are no markings, but I find it quite stunning.

Podmain Monastery is an Orthodox Serbian Monastery initially built in the 15th century. However, it burned down in 1869. Then an earthquake damaged it. In 2002 it was rebuilt again.

The facility is quite extensive now, though very modest.

A tiny church in the courtyard contains a controversial fresco of Tito, the former Yugoslav leader.

The copula on the tiny church makes the building much more interesting, in my opinion.

The view with the mountains as a backdrop, looking north across the bay, is quite scenic, 

The view across the bay to Sveti Nikola Island (at right in the picture below) is lovely in this light. My phone pings me. "I am in Budva today after visiting Sveti Stefan this morning. What are you up to?" writes Fatiha. I reply that I had visited the Monastery earlier and was headed to the city center. Fatiha is on her way to catch a bus back to Kotor, so I decide to meet her at the bus station.  

What did you think of Sveti Stefan? It's tiny, and you can't enter the city, right? I ask. "It is charming but tiny. I didn't realize I couldn't go to the city," she says. Sveti Stefan is a tiny town located on a little spit south of Budva. I considered going myself, but when I realized you can't tour the city, I chose to skip it. There are several hotels in Sveti Steffan, some are very reasonable, but you can't visit the town unless you are staying at one of the hotels. Fetiha shows me her picture of Sveti Stefan. It looks just like the one in the link above. It is the only place you can photograph the entire spit.

I ask Faieha how she likes Kotor. "It is charming, but there is not much activity in town. You can do most of the town and surrounding areas in a couple of days," she says. I plan to stop there when I pass back through after working my way through the Balkans. I am heading to Skodër, Albania, tomorrow, I say. "I had two long days, so I am planning to rest tomorrow and not do much," Fatiha says. We continue to talk about the importance of rest days and not stuffing your day full of activities when you travel for an extended period. 

After 20 minutes, her bus arrives, we bid each other good night, and I head to the riviera for dinner.

I find a tiny beach club, Coco, to have dinner. It is quiet tonight. When I walk in the waiter tells me I can sit anywhere I want. 

While waiting for dinner, my phone pings me again. This time it is Liubov. "The weather is much cooler here than I expected. Where are you going next?" she writes. I tell her my plan is to relocate to Skodër, Albania starting tomorrow as there are several day trips I want to do in the surrounding area. "I am working in Tirana through the end of the week. I am planning to head to Skodër next. Maybe I'll see you there this weekend." she writes. Probably, I have several days I would like to spend there. Let me know when you will be here as the weekend approaches, I write back. 

My dinner arrives with a mixed green salad, which is only iceberg lettuce. I laugh. At least it is green. My main dish is grilled octopus. Octopus is high in Omega-3s and other vitamins. This 8 oz (230 g) piece is the equivalent of having a fish dish like salmon but tastes better. The octopus is cooked well tonight. However, I prefer how they cook it in Galicia, Spain. When cooked properly, octopus is very tender, not chewy. It has a delicate flavor.