Having been to this country twice before, I am arriving with some degree of familiarity. I have been curious as to why one rarely hears about the capital city though? With only a little research, I discover that not only is this the second least visited European capital, its also dubbed as the most ‘boring’. Here are my first impressions of Podgorica Montenegro.
Dry
Wow, I was expecting the heat, it is summer after all. Day time highs are in the 35 degree Celsius range. What I was not aware of was the furnace like wind and dry heat that is here. Located on a plain in the middle of a mountain range, this place has the feel of a desert.
The air is akin to opening your oven door and feeling that initial blast of heat in your face. My skin soaks up moisturizer within minutes of application. My eyes, nose and ears feel the onslaught of the humid less air. Everything feels brittle. Such an odd feeling in this city.
Boring
Well on the surface, it does indeed appear that way. My first encounter with a human outside of my Airbnb host was with the mobile phone provider. My SIM card from Malta, that was supposed to work in this country does not. Onto the streets I go to find a new card and service provider.
I walk into ONE and am greeted by a tall local male who asks why in the world am I here? He is quick to tell me to leave, there is nothing in Podgorica. I should head for the coast. I tell him I have already visited three places on the sea and am curious about his city. He tells me I will find nothing here and I should look for somewhere else to visit. Well that about says it all. When your own people tell visitors to leave cause the city is boring, I’m not sure what to say to that.
Expensive and Not
My rental is a higher price than I would normally be comfortable paying, but I am okay with that. Its such a quirky home, an artist’s studio. It has everything I need including a sunny balcony.
Groceries are on the moderate to expensive side, depending on what you purchase of course. Head to a bakery? Everything is incredibly inexpensive! My first day I purchase a large meat filled burek, corn muffin, chocolate filled doughnut and small round local bread. All for €2.10. 🤯
In the grocery store, on the other hand, I pay almost €5 for one small half pound square of butter. That was the cheapest brand. Those 454gram bricks of coffee, €8.89? Never seen such expensive prices and not even a fancy brand.
Not Affluent
This does not appear to be an affluent city. Most locals I see day to day are walking around in a t-shirt and pants. Nothing fancy at all, not even a blouse. In the down town area, I see that people are slightly more dressed up, perhaps on their way to work. I have yet to see anyone in a suite or something stylish. Perhaps this image will change as I explore different neighbourhoods.
I’m unsure how I feel about Podgorica. It’s a strange place. On one hand I don’t feel I stand out here nearly as much as I did in Sicily where I just left and was stared at relentlessly. On the other hand, I definitely do stand out because there are simply no other tourists here! Its such an odd feeling. How is it possible to be in the capital city of a nation and see no other tourists? Very strange indeed.
