The Podgorica Parade — Catching Up

Miscellany, on a Monday afternoon.

Last Friday morning, while my airbnb host's mother was cleaning the apartment — as she insists on doing, once a week, and who am I to object — I took a walk to find one of the few pedicure places my Google Maps told me was close-by. (Yeah, yeah, but I get to pamper myself sometimes, here, and the amount of running I'm doing here at the gym is causing problems ... for the one nail a lot of running causes problems for). 

I didn't end up finding a place, but I did end up stumbling across Podgorica's Gintas market hall, which was fantastic. Almost nobody there late on a Friday morning, but a ground floor made up of fresh produce vendors — nothing exotic, but all lush and tempting (and pesticide-free) — and an upper floor made up of dozens (hundreds?) of Chinese-made clothes/electronic/kitchen-supply stalls. Track suits, shoes, shirts, etc. I hadn't known I was going shopping, so I settled for some olives, a pepper, a cucumber, and some fresh tomatoes, but I will definitely be going back. Fun place.

Photo doesn't do it justice, but check out video in link

Saturday I had the best work-out I've had in at least five years — more? — then showered and walked the 45 minutes over to the Big Fashion shopping mall to buy some jeans and books. Ultimately successful, though took longer than I expected and, as always, at-least-initially frustrating and embarrassing. Came back in time to watch a wonderful Crystal Palace game and then a Tigers win on TV. You could have a worse Saturday.

Pure excitement in Podgorica

Sunday passed slowly. Although Saturday had been sunny and warm — the best day of the spring, so far — Sunday was gray and cold, and the change in pressure clearly affected me. I woke up groggy and stayed so for much of the day. Emotions came in as the young woman taking care of Catalina sent me a wonderful video of her being brushed, which made me smile, but also felt a bit like a kick in the stomach. As a result, when a bartender I casually know here said that, although she doesn't drink, she knows all the drinks, and I asked her if she could make a White Russian, and she admitted she didn't know it, but then looked it up and asked if I wanted one, I said sure. That, on top of the beer I was already drinking, made the emotions of the cat video hit even harder.

I came home and had several bowls of my Dad's potato soup, which always makes me think of him, which made me sentimental there as well.

It was good soup though.

Anyway, then I watched a stupid Norwegian movie about Trolls called — wait for it — Trolls, before watching another Tigers' win and calling it a night.

Monday started off much brighter, though still cold, and I got some work done, had a good run, had coffee at my favorite place (and exchanged contact details with another American expat I struck up a conversation with, which might lead to a friend of sorts here), then came home to a good lunch and a nap. Now, now, just finished the weirdest pedicure ever — from an obviously gay very Balkan guy, with a woman getting a manicure five feet from me whose boyfriend kept coming in and hovering and laughing (at me? in general?), loud Arabic pop music, and the pedicurist's small fluffy dog, wearing clothes (of course) running all around. 

But what the hell. Life is about accumulating experiences, right? And while it wasn't the most ... relaxing pedicure ever, he made up for his lack in interest in making it soothing by being entirely committed to digging as deep around the nails as possible. My toes and feet are entirely clean and hang-nail free. I'll take it. 

Now about to retire home for a little more work stuff, then ... I don't know. I'm into a good book, I've started The Night Agent on Netflix, and the Tigers are on again. We'll see

Most importantly ... for some reason the Czech Ministry still hasn't written me about my appeal, although it's now been almost a day. :-)

Some random photos:

Lots of stray cats and dogs around. All very friendly and calm.

My favorite sports team: Sports Season, from South Campus, Czech Republic!
(An option at Pull & Bear at BIG Fashion. I didn't get it).

Monument here to Vladimir Vysotsky. Notice skull at the base, for some reason.

Drinks last week with Milan Keker, a friend of a friend.