I have returned to the reception of our hotel to use a computer again, as my wife sleeps off some mild sunstroke.
We have ceased talking about the wedding (and our photographer!) every other minute, but are still overwhelmed with how amazing it was.
Today Beth and I took a bus into Budva, and ventured into the “old town.” It was surprising, and fairly obvious to us soon after we arrived in the country, that Montenegro is only just getting used to the idea of being visited by tourists, and that English tourists are completely uncatered for. The majority of tourists here are Russian, with some Germans, some Croatians (Croatia is next-door) and a few French. Hardly any locals can speak English, and there are a severe lack of English signs and notices. And that is one of the reasons I love being here. I wanted reality. Foreign reality - and when we leave our hotel complex, we have it. In my opinion, there’s no point leaving England unless I am going to experience real life outside of England. If I travel to the US then I want to experience US life. If I travel to Montenegro, then I want to experience something of the culture of Montenegro. Even if it’s only a small part.
So today, we walked around Budva’s old town for a while, then settled down at a cafe for a drink and read. Then I noticed a few people staring up at the surrounding mountains. There were huge billows of smoke coming from the trees. There was a big fire, and it got progressively worse over the next thirty minutes or so. And several hours later, apparently it’s still burning. Photos to come, on our return home.
And now I must return to my wife, then coax her to join me in stuffing our faces at the hotel’s evening meal. Every breakfast and evening meal is an all-you-can-eat bonanza of Montenegrin food, and it is mmmmm lovely.