Podgorica is the capital of Montenegro. To paraphrase one of Britannica's helpful little summaries: Its name changed from Ribnica to Podgorica in 1326; it was captured by the Ottomans in 1474, but became Montenegrin in 1878 when the Berlin Congress afforded the country international recognition; it was occupied by the Austrians in 1916, by the Italians in 1941, and by the Germans in 1943. Very few of its structures survived the Second World War.

It had originally featured as a stop on our itinerary, as we were planning to take the train from there to Bar (one day it would be nice to do the whole stretch from Belgrade to Bar). But even bloggers who see the good in everything were voicing the view that Podgorica was dull, with very little to do, so I thought we'd swap around a bit, miss it out, and insert Kotor instead.

Having visited for a day, I think we'd actually have been fine here. Certainly, it's not beautiful in the way that fellow-capitals Ljubljana, Sarajevo, and even Zagreb are, and boasts many fewer big-ticket items. But it has a nice vibe, and would, I think, have been a pleasant enough place for a few days for urban walkers like us.

But then we'd have missed Kotor, and who would want to do that?

Anyway, this morning we headed across to the station (for which we're very handy, if you recall), bought our tickets, and set off on what is a really scenic journey to the capital. You head northwest along the coast, and then turn inland, travelling through a long tunnel before emerging at the end of Shkodra Lake. Mountains loom in the distance (some of them snow-capped). They're a reminder that there's a lot more to Montenegro than we've managed to see...





Podgorica is a city with nice parks, which are good for walking and eating lunch-time sandwiches in:



The river, the Moraca, is lovely, and there are plenty of sights along its banks:





There are also one or two quirky little arts connections that deserve a mention. First, Pushkin:



This was a gift from Moscow, marking cooperation between Russia and Montenegro, but also recalling one of Pushkin's poems, entitled Bonaparte and Montenegrins, in the collection Songs of the Western Slavs.

The first stanza reads:

"Montenegrins? What are they?"
Bonaparte asked:
"Is it true: This tribe is evil,
"Not afraid of our powers?"


Then there's a sadly exuberant monument to Vladimir Vysotsky (1938-80), a Russian poet, songwriter, and singer, who died before his time. Another gift from Moscow, it's there because of Vysotsky's fondness for Montenegro: "He resided in Podgorica while working on a film for the former Titograd TV station and he expressed his love for Montenegro in his poem 'For the Montenegrins', saying: 'I regret in this life that I don’t have two roots, and as my second homeland I cannot name Montenegro'."

Ah yes, we smaller polities are always uber-grateful for recognition...

The sculpture shows him waving goodbye. The skull, meanwhile, "looks like it has been dropped there by Hamlet: it is indeed intended to be an allusion to the last stage role Vysotsky played before his death in 1980".




Another statue worthy of note is that of Petar I Petrovic-Njegos (1748-1830). He is generally regarded as the founder of modern Montenegro, and he was canonized as Saint Peter of Cetinje by his successor, poet-ruler Petar II Petrovic Njegos:


At the moment, he's also presiding over the Christmas market, where we enjoyed what will probably be our last mulled wine of the season:



Finally -- and what a piece de resistance it was too -- the Cathedral of the Resurrection, consecrated just 10 years ago. It's a stunning building. I loved the contrast between the rough and the smooth on the exterior, and the inside is dazzling:






After that, we just had the journey home, with the lake and the piles of clouds tinged by the setting sun:



A good day... Tomorrow we leave Montenegro, so today's little excursion has been a fitting farewell.