Week 2: Porto Montenegro & Budva

The Venetian Carnival, last Saturday, seems like so long ago. Before I was here a week, it felt like a month. It may have to do with the amount of people I met right away and see so frequently, the immediately established routines, and the nightly activities. I haven't gone out and been this social in a while. There is a huge part of me that is content to be home, to be simple. I intertwine myself into spaces. My home space is spiritual space. Here, I go out because it is so intriguing and the exploration is spiritual. I'm interested. But, I am so lucky because I don't have to drum up activities or climb walls to become integrated in my new place. Invitations come. My second day here, I was handed a weekly agenda and an invitation to the special events of that week. This is standard practice in destination property of this scale. But, they actually do it. And, having been the person that writes the protocol booklet for similar greetings, I know what it is intended to feel like. When I unexpectedly received such a greeting myself, I know that gesture's thoughtfulness is communicated. I felt like, "ah ha! It does work. I feel so special and included!" And I liked this place before I even went to one event. 

A photographer from the event took this shot and it was sent to Nick.  

The event! Jetty 1, shining like a Venetian beacon! 

The events are cultured, full of artistic expression. The classical invites the modern. Mixology is a word that I was struck with in Zagreb and it is prevalent with experiences and people I continue to meet. For instance, The Duke Art Challenge featured an established graffiti artist, the Prince of Montenegro, and exuberant sangria cocktails with a spread of local cheese and fruit. We were on fine gravel in a rock garden surrounding the cherished olive tree, while Russian sage, rosemary, and lavender surrounded us. The Regent Hotel was lit in the settling dusk and its symmetry and regal stature was encased by rotund mountains dwarfing everything but the sky. A mix that worked. 

No Amontillado for me.

The Venetian Carnival was masked and the theme, ancient. The masks, modern, with clashing patterns and textures to frame our eyes and expose our mouths. The jetty was draped in red light that bounced from the large crane which seems to mimic the Eiffel Tower for my Paris craved eyes. The band was sultry with jazz, but they covered songs like early Madonna. The waiters presented hors d'oeuvres and cocktails in all black and feature masked men walked around to set the tone for the night. At one point, the red carpet which ran down the center was suddenly pounced on by dancers performing a lyrical expression piece that seemed abstract and bizarre and remarkably appropriate. Guests wore all white to give the event a festive up beat and summery vibe. These contrasting elements collided and excited smiles countered fancy eyes on every face I saw. The unpredictability is fun for every single age and cultural background. I will confess that part of this for me was the strike of fear in my tummy when I first walked to the entrance and saw the cloaked, masked man. "Amontillado?"  "Amontillado!" echoed through my head and that damn Poe reached me from a fifth grade classroom! The horror of the walk to the depths of a cavern to be shackled and sealed in an unknown enemy's catacomb. Aaaah! I could practically hear the drunken laughter and feel the frantic realization. The Cask of Amontillado. If someone had tapped my shoulder at that exact moment when I was revisiting this story, I probably would've kicked a sucker down to the ground. I would've reacted involuntarily. 

This is not his face. It's a mask.

Nick's blue and gold mask was beautiful. I liked the mask chosen for me too. I kept it and think I will add design to it, hoping for another chance to wear it.

This was a surprise performance. A ballet company bolted onto the runway and told a story. It seemed like a story of conflict, like fire facing elemental demise, and eventually, a triumphant rise. This is the end, shown. 

A portion of the party. 

A Pool Party was the next day, a hot day. The sun befuddles me here. I feel it and my skin feels the heat, but I don't feel a burn and my skin barely reacts to time spent in direct sunlight. In Georgia, the sun can hit my skin for minutes and I can almost hear it sizzling. I have adaptable skin that tans, but still, if given too much it will burn and is dangerous and people can drop dead, no joke, from heat exhaustion and it doesn't necessarily take long to reach the point of too late. In my hometown neighborhood, as kids, we would use a magnifying glass or mirror to burn holes in our canvas shoes for fun and sometimes fry an egg on the pavement just to show ourselves how hot it was that day. It never bothered us though. It was hot as blazes and humid like a sauna and the gnats would stick to our skin and get in our eyes, but we never went inside. Here, the day can be hot and it can be relatively humid, but my body just bounces it right back into the air or something. The sun feels friendly. Very cozy and bright, but it's peaceful. Maybe the pure air is the difference. Maybe radiating chemicals being absent allows me to feel the love from the sun energy. I don't know... just plopping down thought trails at this point. Anyway, the pool party was well attended. The large pool had families and couples and the dj played mild disco tech that could go two ways. One, nice background beat to play or have great conversation. Two, in my case, lay out on the pool ledge and be hummed to sleep just like a clothes dryer would do, or the noise a blimp makes during a televised golf tournament. It was relaxing and I'm not sure it was supposed to be. The pool is architectural and a giant modern sculpture is silhouetted against the horizon. The cabanas are breezy and they allow a nook of shade from the bright day.         

Lido Mar pool event.

Pool side. It was a brilliant sunny day.

It was family day!

Infinity pool, Boka Bay, yachts, Montenegro mountains, clouds, clear skies and sunshine- Divine.

Nick keeping cool in the pool.

From the water. We took a quick zip out on a boat with friends.

Here they are! They are newly engaged. They are so at home in the water and barely make splashes.
Nick and I think they're mermaids. ;)

There was a live band Thursday night that (I think) came in from Belgrade. They could cover everything and well! The only thing the lead singer couldn't hit was one of Adam Levine's high notes. They were exceptional, in my opinion. We all danced, danced and when I sat for a moment and looked over the water I saw a shooting star that felt like a wink from a guardian above. If I had to count the times I shout mentally to the sky, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" I would never reach the number. It is probably the most infinite thing I do. I concentrate all the love I feel for the gifts, and the happiness I feel to be alive, and I throw it up in the sky with a big beam of my love light. Sometimes, and I tell you this because you're in the game, I concentrate those feelings into an imaginary beach ball and I sprinkle well wishes and hope around it and I open the door and I say a wish or prayer for anybody that wants it and I, with gusto, virtually volley the ball up and out. It is to be bounced around, up and over, just a big giving game. It's good stuff. Very healthy.  

Dinner at Porto Montenegro. Love it here!

So, as well as the weekend events, the following week was filled to the brim with mixology. Two nights were spent in Budva, the party center for the area. One of the largest disco techs in the world is there. It is an enormous arena club called Top Hill and we were lucky enough to get the presidential table, thanks to a friend's kind gesture. We were in a center, open box of sorts and had service of appetizers and beverages. Moet champagne came around at whim and other goodies like Ferrero Rocher and cheese and beverage of choice were just there. The crowd was lively and the open air club showcased a serene looking moon against a black sky. Meanwhile a laser beam light show was taking place and girls, suspended in air by cording, floated above the crowd waving their arms and twirling like fallen angels unable to land, unable to fly. The thump carried us until we got home around 4 am. I was told to expect 5 and a sunrise at the club, so I thought it was an early bedtime. It's very unusual for me, but worth it. This is a seasonal establishment and next week it will close. I think that's probably wise. It's like strawberries. It makes sense to have a season and look forward to it and not make a contrived effort to have the sweetness all year and compromise the flavor. Makes sense to me.

Budva, night 1.

Our group, headed to dinner.

Pi. I almost lost my group because I can not resist such gems as random stone Pi statues in courtyards.
I must, at least, take a picture, if I can't stare at it a while.  

Our very fun group of friends in Budva, Montenegro.
Behind me is my new friend, the lovely, Italian, Isabel.

In Budva there is an old town area that has 5 or 6 bars set up in one plaza, that share music but attend customers separately. We went to one that is owned by the brother of our new friend. We couldn't have asked for a better time. This preluded the Top Hill action and in itself was a stellar time.        

Budva, night 2.

Our friends took us out and it was perfect. 

Top Hill Disco tech

Photo Booth 

Lights

Our wonderful and hospitable friends, Ivan and Mascha.

Another friend in our group, (who is actually a legitimate Olympian and professional water polo player!) took us out of the box and on a walking tour of the floor, all the way to the stage where the djs go at it.  

We're feeling the thump. SO LOUD!!

When on the floor, confetti was dropped on the crowd and this is what my beverage looked like afterward.  
Metallic everything for a couple minutes. 

Acrobats among us.

One of the 'fallen angels'.

More lights. Very artistic, the constant changes of colors and angles of rays. 

They do these stairs to the ladies' room with about 10 inch platform heels on! No joke.

Tell me you don't see that gigantic ghostly purple face!!!

4 AM! We still got it!! UGA training!

Last night, The Duke event: intense classical art met modern rendition. A beautiful, sparkly Russian American classical pianist named Lola Astanova makes entrance to the stage. The stage is at Porto Montenegro, set directly in front of an old gigantic submarine that was apparently part of this development when it was an old Yugoslav naval base. (I love this transformation from negative to positive!) A grande piano is alone on the stage and as this long legged, long haired woman takes her place beside this instrument she turns to the crowd and speaks to us candidly. It is already different than a typical concert. Her dress looks like a costume for figure skating and her shoes are equally sparkle encrusted louboutin stilettos. She proceeds to sit and rock the grande more forte than piano. I wish I could share her performance with you but I felt it would be inappropriate to video or take photograph. There were some around me (no one I recognized) that felt otherwise and it was, indeed, distracting. She deserved full attention. Her skill was full flamed and heart felt, so eccentric and unique. She hails from Palm Beach and no kidding, she's charming, endearing and so pretty. She was the most flamboyant pianist I've ever seen or heard.

Side note:
Between us, in my home town, our high school choral department put on fantastic performances. If anyone in the crowd had continuosly spoken like a few in this audience, our director would've stopped, turned to the one who is speaking and we would've all waited to hear what they thought was so important that they would disrespect the performance and the ability for others to enjoy it. It happened. Never twice. But, I'm so glad this was a demanded behavior because as elegantly as you may dress or as educated as you may be, if you can not show proper appreciation of something precious being displayed, then it goes wasted, and you end up being the annoyance behind someone's right ear. 

After the concert, we fled to the Japanese restaurant near our building, Tara. I like the prawn noodle bowl with cabbage and red peppers and oyster sauce. Eating at midnight... yep, not in Atlanta. The restaurants, cafe's and shopping are convenient, no more than a five minute walk away to any of them. The village establishments are open late and early in the summer. I like this a lot so far.  

  

Week One Catch Up - Montenegro

August 9, 2014

I left Atlanta last Saturday. During this past week, I flew from Atlanta, GA, USA  to Frankfurt, Germany to Vienna, Austria. I landed at around 1:30 PM on Sunday. The time difference is 6 hours ahead of Atlanta. After landing, the dogs and I were picked up and Nick drove us from Austria through Slovenia and into Croatia. We stayed overnight in Zagreb, Croatia. We checked in to a friendly hotel, walked the dogs around a park, and then we walked to dinner in a hip district with a lot of street side dining. The next day, we continued the drive through Croatia, including a short segment through Bosnia, back into Croatia, and finally to Montenegro. It is a beautiful drive with a drastic change in scenery that occurs in Croatia. The green tree views turned to stone hills in a blink. Dubrovnik's old city looks stunning and that is one of the first places I want to explore. Split was passed as well, another place I want to see. 

After walking around outside the Frankfurt airport, China and I sat by the window and she slept. This may have been the first time she completely relaxed. My chin kept hitting my chest from drifting off.
China got many sweet remarks from workers and passengers, especially the men. It helped me more than her that everyone adored her :)

This is the hotel where we spent the night in Zagreb, capital city of Croatia. The staff here made our stay with the dogs so easy. I was hesitant to walk Selma inside, because that is forbidden in so many places in the States. The doorman gestured largely for me to enter and when I asked "Can I bring her in?" He asked me, genuinely, "Why not?"
A group of Americans were in the hotel and I heard one of the women say, "I love this hotel because I saw someone checking a dog in!" I smiled. I was standing just behind her with Selma when she announced this. 

There was a dog bed with a mattress and sheets, plus two dog bowls on the floor beside it. Selma couldn't believe it! She snoozed well.   

There are some very cool, trendy spots in Zagreb. This is a view from our restaurant that night. Ancient, old, new, modern, graffiti and vines- it's a mixology there.

If I hadn't craved sleep so much, I would've stopped to sip. 

China, being a sweet travel companion. She goes where I go! 

The views from the curving, cliffside road are incredible. Croatia's islands look like the play land of Peter Pan. I believe they have more islands than Greece.

The fruit stands we passed were set up very close to the road and the produce looked so colorful, my mouth watered and I yearned to be hungry just so I could stop and eat. But, I wasn't hungry at all because Nick had so may bags of raw nuts and dried fruit in the car. There are many apricots here and that is a happy thing.

When we got to Montenegro, we drove to the ferry that crosses the bay and continued toward Tivat & Porto Montenegro. We were amused by the way everyone gets out of their cars and talks even though the ferry ride is about 5 minutes. Then, they hop in their cars again quickly and skedaddle away. We entered Porto Montenegro at sunset. Unloading was easy for me because I let Nick do it! I had hauled so many heavy things for so many sleepless hours that I felt okay about this. So, all that was left for me to do was eat, unpack some things, shower and sleep. My rest in Zagreb and on my first night here in Porto was deep and far away- as in universal scale type far away. Before leaving Atlanta I didn't get a lot of rest. There was so much to do and I only got 3 hours Friday night. While flying, China was with me and I felt I needed to be up in case she became too restless and chirpy for other passengers to sleep. Otherwise, I would've caught some zzzz's on the ultra quiet plane.

La Piazza for lunch. This is in Porto's Village.

My first day in Porto, Tuesday, included a quick walk-around tour of the Village here, lunch of asparagus risotto at the restaurant La Piazza, introduction to those in the Residence Sales Office, and a cappuccino at Porto Montenegro's Lifestyle Office 'AM/PM', a place I go to almost every day now. I wrote in my journal and took in my view of the marina. This was ideal for me. I sat outside while drinking an illy cappuccino and apricot juice with the sole objective of writing and looking around me. We joined a friend and work colleague of Nick's for a tasting of local white wines. That evening, we strolled the jetty and looked at the yachts. I had everything unpacked and aside from gadgets of communication, I was transplanted.

Ideal.

Cappuccino at Porto Montenegro's Lifestyle Office, AM/PM.  

A walk around my new territory. There's a splash of Paris in this.

First day spent in Porto Montenegro.

A yacht lined stroll.

I really like this crane that remains at the end of Jetty 1. Good energy in this.

The sun just dipped away behind those mountains. It was a beautiful view.

Wednesday and Thursday included the usual sunny dog walks, the pool at Tara, getting new cell phones and the logistical things situated, the most divine peach I've ever eaten, the Heidi Klein boutique event, meeting a lot of new people, and dining like best friends with a large group of people I didn't know aside from Nick. That dinner was fun to me because several of the people there were just in Porto from their yacht stop and I doubt I'll ever see them again, but truly enjoyed their company. It was complete with a birthday song and speech and chihuahua calls.    

    

Friday, yesterday, there was an event called The Duke Art Challenge. Acclaimed graffiti artist Jon One has created four "spontaneous" pieces in 24 hours and they are auctioning these off tonight. The kick off to this included drinks by cocktail-ologists and local fruit and cheese. Then we were off to dinner at Lido Rooftop where I had truffle risotto that blew me away. This is a fun spot because it has a killer pool area, night club, and a restaurant that features exquisite meals. I think they have outdoor yoga classes here M, W, and F, which officially makes it a huge asset in my life. 

Today, Nick took me on a boat ride to Perast for lunch and a stop at Our Lady of the Rocks which is one of two islands just off of the coast. The other is St. George Islet (a natural island) and it holds an older Orthodox monastery than the Catholic church of its neighbor (legendary man-made island). St. George is also the grave site of many old nobility of Perast and surrounding areas. 

Boat ride to Perast for lunch.

My new surroundings astonish me. This is humbling terrain.

Perast, Montenegro

Leaving to see the islands after we had lunch waterside, Perast.

While on Our Lady of the Rocks islet.

Saint George Islet (Sveti Đorđe), viewed from Our Lady of the Rocks. Perast on left in distance. And a wee little swimmer,  mid stroke, not too far from the boat. 

Saint George Islet. There's something so special about it.

Our Lady of the Rocks islet (Gospa od Škrpjela), viewed from boat.

This boat ride is one I will never forget. I have never felt so still inside. There aren't words to describe a first encounter with this type of Water Meets Earth. It is powerful and calming, a privilege to be within. I felt as though I had never really known the word surreal until then. My reactions weren't even appropriate because my mind wasn't fully comprehending that this surrounding me could be real. It was stunning.

Tonight, there is a Venetian Carnival taking place on Jetty 1. We are to wear all white and will be handed masks upon arrival. I'm expecting it to feel magical and mysterious. I've been excited about this one for days.        

    

From Here: Porto Montenegro - The plunge.

From here: Porto Montenegro

Poolside at Tara

I could begin with the journey to here. But instead, I'm going to begin with the view from here.

Lavender catches my eye from a stone planter across the pool. The pool has tight surface ripples from the breeze blowing from my right and I have no clue what direction that actually is, but in my world it feels like North. The pool water looks more slick than normal water, like mercury, because of the shimmering iridescent tiles that line it. Beyond this, there is the new Regent Hotel Porto Montenegro. It is a sun kissed yellow with balconies hosting potted topiaries and skinny cypress trees. This layer introduces the next and it is the masts of sailboats situated in the marina. Water comes after. The sea water of Boka Kotor. This bay crawls from the Adriatic through the mountains and has been the cause of many medieval villages that remain and charm the eye today. The sea water stretches to a series of mountains. Bulging earth folding and pleating like a braid until they become faint from distance. The clouds mimic their design and I'm left to wonder where the mountains end and where the clouds begin. This, between blinks. I see such harmony from my eyes today.

I hear the children coming to play in the pool and their parents speaking a language unknown to me. I hear words and don't understand them and as frustrating as this is, it can be a nice general tone to include in the moment but not be distracted out of it by thinking their thoughts instead of my own. Because I like my thoughts, especially while sensing this new perspective. There is a bird to hear and occasional voice from the street one level down from this rooftop. But these are sounds and not noise to me.

The sun feels hot but lacks the intensity I felt from it in Georgia. My skin is warm, not burning and in my head I ask for healing light. When I close my eyes, I see something similar to those dark iridescent tiles that make the pool, only more dimension and less gloss. Closing my eyes surrenders my body to feeling. This breeze is like candy. It is just enough to circulate and cool and not rustle.

Three lavender leaves became mine. I picked them and stuck them to my nose to breathe and rubbed my wrists with them, my perfume. Other than this lavender, my favorite single scent, my nose smells an open air. There is nothing to smell in the air, just the fresh vacancy of pollution or strong odor. This was a wish and I appreciate this moment of receiving pure air. I know it climbed a rock wall, rolled over a mountain top and dived down to tinker with sea water waves and now, it is landing on my nose, giving my lungs all that it gathered along the way.

It took a little while to settle into a clarity since my journey. The momentum of doing and completing and not forgetting- and all of that fast- is finally drifting away. I know things will be different and that I will be comparing the things I discover with what I know from home. But, I want to have no limiting expectations of whether one is better than the other. For my tastes, I will recognize what I like best, but I always speak for myself only. I try to, anyway.

The pool water invited me in for a soft dip. As I propped against the edge, noticing the difference between my skin below and above the water, I decided to enjoy so thoroughly what might come. To enjoy aspects of me on both sides of a divider makes me whole. I don't know what will be in the days ahead, but I made a gesture of receiving the brilliance of the possibilities. And then, I plunged. The thoughts vanished under water. The mental chatter gave way to excitement of nothing being set. I was wet, under water, hair weightlessly swarming my head, body limp, like in utero, except my lungs held that pure air. I held this moment. For not so long, because I can't hold my breath very long, but still- I held it as close as anything could be to me. 

             I'm here. I'm in the plunge.