After spending the night on the train we arrived ... NO. I can't liquidate the little night on the train from Belgrade to Podgorica with a 'after spending the night ... 'The trips in night trains always give the occasional surprise and so that it is recorded step to report the following:
Things that happen on a night train from Belgrade (Serbia) to Podgorica (Montenegro)
- You lie down after listening to a podcast with Iker Jimenez that talks about spirits. Evil.
- The uncle who sleeps in the upper bunk does not stop moving. The one who sleeps down blowing the snot. The one next to breathe loudly and rhythmically. The woman with the boogers gets up to pee every 30 minutes.
- You fall asleep and 'thanks' to the Iker train + podcast movement the first dream of the night is summed up in: a haunted house with a family spirit that wants to contact you.
- A voice awakens you that demands: 'Dokumentiiiii'. You open your eyes and an uncle with the face of few friends seals your way out of Serbia. See you later Lucavic.
- You sleep. This time you are in Bali. There are no spirits but the train movement, which nice, plays another good one: suddenly in Bali there is a destructive earthquake followed by Tsunami warning.
- Another voice wakes you up: 'Passsssport' and another guy in uniform wants to see who you are and where you come from. Already (almost) we are in Montenegro ...
- You get almost to sleep when the uncle who breathes strongly and rhythmically - your boyfriend - wakes you up to put on a warm and heavy blanket thinking you're cold. Obviously you were chinning like a lizard in the Atacama desert.
- You fall asleep again and ... this time you don't remember that you have dreamed. Almost better!
Now yes: we arrived in Podgorica.
Podgorica is a city of 150,000 inhabitants, capital of a country of 600,000. If you are the metropolis ... Podgorica may not be your favorite city, but notice: it's not just a matter of size. The capital of Montenegro seemed, so far, the city of the Balkans with less chicha ... which is usually defined as 'neither fu nor fa'.
Of course, there is something that is absolutely worth seeing in Podgorica, although I am not going to do a spoiler and you have to keep reading to discover what is your most precious treasure ...
WHAT TO SEE AND DO IN PODGORICA
- VISIT THE HISTORICAL CENTER: at times it will seem to you to be in your town with stone houses and fruit trees, but suddenly you run into a mosque, then another and you arrive at a square where the clock tower is (Sahat Kula), one of the symbols of the city (and one of the few buildings that remained standing after the bombings of World War II).
- CROSS THE MILLENIUM BRIDGE: a white colossus that joins the two banks of the Morača river. The truth is that it has a certain charm and from there upstairs the views are wonderful.
- CROSS THE STARI MOST: If the Millennium Bridge, opened in 2005, is the youngest bridge in Podgorica, you cannot leave the city without having crossed the oldest bridge (stari most). Of course, we warn you that it has nothing to do with the wonderful bridge of Mostar ...
- SEE THE CASTLE OF KING NIKOLA: It is not the most beautiful castle in the world, but if you want to rest in the shade of trees and browse through sculptures and works of art you can get to know the former residence of King Nikola. The tip is that it is pink!
- FLIPA IN THE CATHEDRAL OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST: It is the best of Podgorica, without a doubt. This Orthodox cathedral left us with our mouths open: both the sculptures on the exterior walls and the marvelous frescoes of the interior seemed to us of absolute beauty. And as our friend Jairo said, after having seen a photo of the cathedral, 'so anyone rises!'.
As always ... it is best to wander around to try to discover the most authentic side of a city (and to die of envy when seeing those tadpoles in their particular 'pond'). Now, Podgorica, we have to speak clearly: ours didn't work. It's not you, well ... a little yes huh. Friends?!
AUTHOR'S NOTE
(Ah, author! That sounds very professional, anyway): don't let this post demoralize you ... the capital was a bit disappointing but the rest of the country, ahhh that's another story.
USEFUL INFO
- Where to sleep in Podgorica: We stay at Podgorica Boutique Apartment. We pay € 25 per night. Highly recommended: clean, beautiful, with wifi, washing machine, kitchen. There are supermarkets / bars in the area and it is 500 meters from the Millenium Bridge.
- How to get to Podgorica from Belgrade by train: We did it with a night train included in our Interrail pass. It leaves at 20:10 from Belgrade and arrived around 07:00. You have to pay the reservation even if you have the pass, in a cabin with 6 berths it costs € 6, in a cabin with two berths it costs € 15!
- How to get around in Podgorica: Taxi are extremely cheap (minimum run € 1.20), moving from the bus / train station to your accommodation (more or less central) will not cost you more than € 1.70-2.
- Is it worth Podgorica? For us it is not worth going through here more than half a day ... yes, if you have the possibility to approach and visit its cathedral do it: you will surely like it!
