The Balkans
No rental car ... I chose to be on foot while here in Niksic, Montenegro. Things look different when you are walking around rather than driving in a car. The car goes faster and you miss a lot of things. Walking is a slower mode of transportation, but, you see more.
Yesterday I walked from downtown back to the place where I am staying. I took the "long cut". It definitely was not the "shortcut"! There is a smoke stack at the steel factory near the pastor's home and I could see it from a distance to keep my bearings. I walked through a section of town where I have never been before. Along the way I noticed the majestic panorama of the surrounding mountains on all sides. Literally, Niksic is on a large plateau with mountains all around it. You can drive through a tunnel to start your way down to the capital city of Podgorica ... downhill the entire way. From Niksic you can drive to Dubrovnik, Croatia, through Bosnia going over a mountain pass or you can go over two other mountain passes toward Sarajevo, Bosnia or up to Serbia. The weather was gorgeous, so, the view was very nice.
Then, I looked at the ground alongside the road ... covered with trash. Used potato chip bags, beer bottles, cigarettes, candy wrappers and the ever present plastic bags were everywhere. Welcome to the Balkans! Gorgeous landscape, then, you look at what is beside the road ... why?
Next, I noticed many elementary school children were walking home with their backpacks. They were dressed in red [a predominant color here since the Montenegrin flag is a brilliant red color], blue, green, yellow and white. Wait! School on Saturday! Good grief! For some reason they had school on Saturday. I walked beside some of the children and spoke to them. Some know English and returned my greeting. Some were bashful and some were playful. One girl was kicking another girl, then, they just laughed and waved their goodbyes. That was different! Welcome to the Balkans!
Then, it hit me. Although I am personally disappointed with so much debris on the ground I am much more interested in the young people in Montenegro. "Clean up the inside and the outside will take care of itself," I thought.
Keep the focus ... stay the course!
These young people are so special. Gotta go! I am going to the sports complex to talk to some more! Bye!
Eric
Yesterday I walked from downtown back to the place where I am staying. I took the "long cut". It definitely was not the "shortcut"! There is a smoke stack at the steel factory near the pastor's home and I could see it from a distance to keep my bearings. I walked through a section of town where I have never been before. Along the way I noticed the majestic panorama of the surrounding mountains on all sides. Literally, Niksic is on a large plateau with mountains all around it. You can drive through a tunnel to start your way down to the capital city of Podgorica ... downhill the entire way. From Niksic you can drive to Dubrovnik, Croatia, through Bosnia going over a mountain pass or you can go over two other mountain passes toward Sarajevo, Bosnia or up to Serbia. The weather was gorgeous, so, the view was very nice.
Then, I looked at the ground alongside the road ... covered with trash. Used potato chip bags, beer bottles, cigarettes, candy wrappers and the ever present plastic bags were everywhere. Welcome to the Balkans! Gorgeous landscape, then, you look at what is beside the road ... why?
Next, I noticed many elementary school children were walking home with their backpacks. They were dressed in red [a predominant color here since the Montenegrin flag is a brilliant red color], blue, green, yellow and white. Wait! School on Saturday! Good grief! For some reason they had school on Saturday. I walked beside some of the children and spoke to them. Some know English and returned my greeting. Some were bashful and some were playful. One girl was kicking another girl, then, they just laughed and waved their goodbyes. That was different! Welcome to the Balkans!
Then, it hit me. Although I am personally disappointed with so much debris on the ground I am much more interested in the young people in Montenegro. "Clean up the inside and the outside will take care of itself," I thought.
Keep the focus ... stay the course!
These young people are so special. Gotta go! I am going to the sports complex to talk to some more! Bye!
Eric
posted by Eric Murphy at 19.10.08
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