Exploring Montenegro
Yesterday we went for a drive around Skadar Lake and we went to an old village named Godinje. I wanted to explore the old town, but we only made it to the first house where we met this delightful gentleman. He was born in the village. He moved away and worked in Zagreb, Croatia. Now he is a widower and retired. He lives with his son in France, but returns to Godinje during the spring and summer.
We learned the history of the village and that it was never captured by the Turks. The Turks actually threw rocks down on the village and tried to roll a boulder onto them, but it rolled back on them. The Turks actually built a fortress out on a small little island in Skadar Lake near the village.
We sat and talked on his balcony for about one and a half hours. It was an incredible view to watch the sun drop down behind the mountain and the different shadows that it cast on the lake.
He explained to us that long ago, each village was its own little micro economic system. Everything that a person needed could be provided by the village. I think that this explains a bit about why Montenegro stayed so independent and isolated from the rest of the Balkans. One thing you can not help but notice when you drive through Montenegro is the mountains and the villages and how isolated that they are from each other.
this is a symbol of her mourning for the death of her husband. Many people will wear black for many years after the death of a family member.
Another interesting thing we have discovered in village life of Montenegro is the circular structures. These structures were used for "official business" gatherings of the leadership of the village. Sometimes they were rallying points for the rebels as they were meeting and making plans to protect the village. This circle has been refurbished, but you can see old ones as well. Usually they are at a high point in the village or on top of a hill.
Montenegro -- The Black Mountain