Day 7 Herceg Novi

The road to Herceg Novi.
The driving that went on around us was appalling. Construction sites seem like an abstraction to most, some cars passing multiple vehicles before jamming their way in between cars at the last minute. It seemed very unnecessary. We had witnessed some isolated incidents of this, but nothing on such a grand scale as today. The highway was nice, and we made fairly good time even with the slow trucks creating long lines behind them. There were enough uphill passing lanes to keep it moving. The kids are enjoying the rides so far. Budva to Kotor was quick and we took the long way around the bay rather than taking the ferry at the entrance. Again, just a beautiful drive. Granger is begging we take the twisty old road back. We shall see.

When we arrived in Herceg Novi we had an interesting time finding Sv. Jerolima church. It’s right next to BK’s apartment so it was our landmark. The roads around it are all pedestrian, no car access, and the signage was questionable so we circled. Two loops to get close. Dropped AB and P off at the bottom of Stari Grad where there were stairs with a sign to the church. P was getting sick, and puked as soon as she got out of the car. She said she held it for us. Great gal. G and I made our way up through two-way streets wide enough for only one small car that came to a dead end. I knew we were close because there was a basketball court right where PI said it would be. The problem was there was also gate, so I pulled into a small area next to it and watched a car with workers in it pass through when the gate was lifted by what looked like a random gentleman. I asked if there was parking, and he said yes and we ended up backing into the last space in the lot. Very tight. He said he spoke no English, but we were able to find out it was1 Euro per hour, 5 Euro per day. I asked if we could leave it for two days. He said “that would be a problem”. I’ll be moving it later tonight.

The apartment is very nice, and we feel very fortunate that BK and NM would share this resource with us. The neighbor came down when he heard us arrive and helped us make sure the electric and water was up and running. None of us had eaten breakfast, and after a three hour drive, and a little car sickness, we were in need of something. Unfortunately we went down the hill instead of up so there was nothing waiting for us at the bottom. This put me in a foul mood that I knew would not change until we were sitting somewhere eating. Hiked back to the top. The square on the road above the apartment had some cafes, but the one we chose only served ice cream and drinks. P wanted pizza. I don’t want to waste sentences describing the misery of this place. Just know this, after giving us a menu, an ice cream and drink menu, and sitting for ten minutes we were informed by the waitress the café had no ice cream. The service for three juice drinks and one water took about fifteen to twenty minutes. A scouting trip by me during our wait yielded four pizza restaurants in a neighboring square. Thirty more steps and it all would have been so different. Regardless I was crabby and not in a position to go somewhere else and work it off.

We moved quickly to the other square after our subpar experience. Here we encountered a pleasant waiter, ordered the food we wanted, and were served our drink orders within minutes, and our food in less then ten. Good food and a better mood. P wanted to go to the water so we headed downhill, guessing at every staircase. We spilled out on a pedestrian/bike road and headed left toward the jetty. We found a small beach, very rocky, and Black Mountain Tourism, which advertised scuba diving. After answering many questions about our diving experience, the gentleman made a call and we were told the instructor would be willing to take us on a short dive from the beach to a rock about one hundred yards out. One hour, all equipment, 35 Euros each. I figured this would be a nice intro dive for G so we’re in. Dive leaves tomorrow at 5:00 (17:00). After wetting our feet in the water we walked further down the boardwalk, back the way we came and ascended into the town to find the TI and get information on parking. This turned out to be more difficult then one would imagine. There were signs, but it was fairly confusing, and the office ended up being a twisting series of stairs on the second floor of what looked like an apartment building. When we entered there was a sign that said information pointing to a closed, leather quilted door. The woman was very pleasant, and showed me where to park on the map, although it wasn’t all that clear. An older gentleman came in and gave some very general information on diving in the region, and after finding out we were from the U.S., (he originally thought we were Italian?), started telling us about his daughter who went to Johns Hopkins for International Studies, and how he visited Washington, and that she lived in Toronto. He’s hoping she moves home when she gets older.

We returned to the apartment, changed into swimsuits and headed back to the beach. G had left his suit in Podgorica so we had to find him one en route. He settled on a nice European style. Reluctant at first, but he looked like a natural on the beach. The water was coldish, the rocks were difficult to walk on, I went down twice (only to the neck), but the kids had fun, made sand/rock castles, and G looked at unknown species of damsel fish and what he thought were either gobi and wrasse. AB stayed dry on the shore. Had a massive burger with tons of fixings at a stand nearby, could not resist the smell. AB and I spilt it. Walked up the steep stairs while eating it. Worked it off while ingesting. Stopped at the Novito for pasta, butter, and cheese for P and G’s dinner. Another Nik, some cherry juice, Jaffe’s (not as good as Pims).

Moved the car to what we hoped would be a more permanent space, two more loops around the town trying to get day passes in zone II parking, which was advertised at 4 Euro per day, purchase tickets at a Kiosk. There are actually no kiosk’s, the passes are sold in convenience stores. After three attempts, at as many spaces, we secured our two days worth of passes. Two days end up being the remaining 2.5 hours left in the evening, and tomorrow, so said the parking police. Whatever. As soon as AB and I started walking back to the apartment from the car I was asked by this older gentleman (city worker?) to help him lift a rock into his wheelbarrow, at least that was what he was indicating. The rock was easily over 100lbs. He had gloves, I didn’t. I was dressed in grey pants and a black shirt, which immediately were covered in dust. There were two lifts actually, one up to lip of the curb which was two or so feet, and one up into the wheel barrow. Concerns about my back and hip were present, but there was no way I could explain that to him. Minimal damage, I think, aside from a nicely gouged knuckle. A metaphor for the days wroth of parking experiences.

Evening stroll to Gradska Kafana with a nice view of the dark bay, and beyond that the Adriatic. Two late cappuccinos, what a faux pas, G had his Orangina, and P had hot chocolate but she didn’t like it. We did. Herceg Novi had won a water polo match this evening, I watched it on TV earlier, and cars were circling the town with exuberant youths, honking their horns, revving their engines, and screaming loudly. We ended the evening on the square above the apartment using the free wifi. G was happy to update his facebook. He and P requested they sleep in tomorrow. We’re fine with that.