Aug 19 - More schoolwork torture in the morning, Odette is actually already doing some when I walk out to make some breakfast. I spend a few hours taking care of some tricky trip planning in December and January, since the internet connection is good here.
Late morning we check out, leave the apartment keys at the family flower shop, and go to the bus station. It is getting really hot, hopefully this is the last day of this particular heat wave.
The route takes us down a long valley into a low, flat plain and Podgorica. It sits on the Morača River, which forms a large delta extending into Skadar Lake. This lake is shared by Montenegro and Albania.
Blazing heat in Podgorica today, walking around with the packs soaks us in sweat. I see that the maximum here today is 39⁰ C, almost what we experienced in Mostar. There is a lot of shriveled vegetation, as though the city has been suffering an extended dry spell. Eat lunch at the station and struggle down the bumpy streets to find our apartment. It is in a large apartment complex, but with an empty lot next door with farm animals scattered about. To Odette’s delight, we get to hear roosters.
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Podgorica is situated just at the north end of the previously mentioned river delta. This gives it a historic dominance over an important agricultural region, in a country where I’ve seen very little space for sizable cropland. It was called Titograd during the Yugoslavia days, in honor of Josip Tito.
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