Travelogue of 2024

Soul building in the Balkans

Chapter 1 - Podgorica

                This is the one for all of you out there. That’s right – all of you! In today’s world we all must do a little bit of soul searching, if for nothing else to get away for a while from busy lives. Sometimes it seems we live too fast, die even faster. It goes by so fast you know, year by year, this time that we have here, and I am always left wondering if we did enough, with our lives, our partners and friends, our careers and finally – for ourselves. So yes, this goes out to all of you out there reading this, but maybe for some a bit more that for others.

If I would want to be more specific well, here’s one for all of you out there working your days away. You know it, right? Get up, go through your morning routine, get to work and then – overcome, achieve, fail and succeed, get your money and get the hell out. Most of us then get back home to our families which, more often than not, serves both as a stress relief valve as well as motivation to keep doing what you’re doing. Some days of course you don’t even get that. Sometimes at home it doesn’t work quite as well. It’s all life. Naturally we should all have our alone time, yes. But what do we do with it? I will tell you what I do. I indulge myself in all kinds of various activities such as binging my favorite TV shows, playing video games, occasional gym visits and generally hang out with the few buddies I have left trying to keep up with me.

Oh yes, apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. I am a very successful person on a very high position in a very important company! A proper adult, making adult decisions, attending adult meetings and spending my hard-earned adult money. I am supposed to do 9 to 5 but of course, I am too ambitious to limit myself to such hours – I want more! And yes, of course, this comes from a noble reason which is that I want to provide for my family, more than anything else. I want my kids to have a good life, good education, nice vacation memories and obviously afford them everything I lacked when I was a child. This is nothing new, as I am one of many and just like all of them, I do this by working the hardest I possibly can. Not going to lie, I enjoy the most of it, I like my job, I like the dynamic of it, the perspective and of course all the other benefits that I get – company car, all expenses paid company trips, fancy hotels and business dinners in places I wouldn’t normally be able to afford and so on. Other thing I like are my colleagues, my team or my “work family” as people tend to call it. To be honest I always thought of it as a cliché, you know, when the boss tells it to you on your very first job interview. In some ways it is a cliché (most of them don’t really mean what they are saying), but when I really started thinking about it and I came to a defeating conclusion – I spend more time with these people on a daily basis than my actual family! Yep. As I said I am there at least 10 hours a day and then 4 more with my family once I get home. Also, just like in our pre-adult lives, we don’t get to choose who is going to be our family. And if you for whatever reason dislike someone or get into an argument well guess what? You are seeing them tomorrow again, and you must keep seeing them until you settle your differences, or somebody leaves. Just like family. For this very reason some people, some day invented – Team Building!

This is where my story starts, on one of these. You probably know the drill, pizza parties, camping or barbecues with some interesting games designed to bring people together in a way to make them collaborate better and form a bond of collegial unity to up the performance when we get back to our racing lanes. Also, a much-needed break from all the work we’ve been doing to that point. Celebrate a successful year or make plans for the next one. This, of course, evolved through the years, with much better locations, more interesting activities as companies recognized the value of having happy and motivated employees, at least some more than others. My company is one of “some” so I found myself on one of these Team building trips, one of many I have been to. Or at least this is what I thought.

The Balkans were the designated region for our 6-month business review meeting and Team building. This is all the info I was given when handed a ticket to Podgorica, Montenegro. Now, I am not sure how much do you know about it but here is how internet defines it:

“The Balkans, also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographic region in southeastern Europe that is known for its diverse cultures, rich history, and stunning natural landscapes. The term "Balkans" refers both to the physical geography and the countries located in the region.”

To say I am familiar with the Balkan region would be an understatement. If nothing else, this is one of the regions my company operates in and one of the regions I oversee. So yes, I know all the good places in all the capitals and major cities, all the good hotels and places to eat. I always enjoyed exploring the cities I visited, trying the local food, seeing the squares, speaking to local people and enjoying all the other interesting aspects of it. This time though, I was in for a ride of a lifetime! First day in, we get into the hotel in Podgorica and this is when it actually started. Our high tempo, full speed never ending chase for freedom! Our first stop was a carting track!

Not much to say here, other than it was quite fun really. I have never driven a carting before and being put into a mini rocket launcher seemed like a good idea for a 6 ft 4 guy like myself. Still, I managed to make it to the finals where I graciously finished 5th. It was super cool, really fun but nothing to write home about. These are the kind of activities only participants really understand – like me and my boss, both knowing full well that I tired to push him off the track and take his spot. Or two of our top managers finishing the race with less than a second difference, talking about a rematch to this today. You know – internal competition fuelled by high-speed form of rivalry and of course, lots of laughs. After this thrill of a ride, we had our usual dinner and drinks, having fun talking about simpler times. Some were tired after this point, completely natural after such a long day of travel, flying and driving both, and this is what we all face in our business. We travel extensively and believe you me – it is a different kind of being tired! I did physical work in the past, and one thing I know for sure is – the more tired I get the better I sleep and rest. I felt more ready, agile and much stronger than I am now.  Flying for several hours, doing a meeting or two, finish with a nice dinner and a couple of drink sounds perfect, but doing it day in and day out with limited sleep time, being away from family, lots of driving, extensive meetings looking at either projectors or monitor screens and your head is ready to blow up! That being said, I was ready to venture into the great city of Podgorica!

Podgorica, being the capital of Montenegro, is present there since, well... forever! I guess. People lived there since pre-history, under one name or the other. It was Dioclea when held by the Romans (named after Emperor Diocletian’s mother place of birth) to later be known as Duklja.  At its foundation (some time before the 11th century), the town was called Birziminium. In the Middle Ages, it was known as Ribnica. Then Burguriçe, then Titograd, then finally Podgorica (meaning under the hill), depending on who ruled over it at the time. But people, people have always lived there. Same people that live there today, with similar struggles in different times. This of course led to the city itself being changed 100 times over, resulting in a beautiful rhythmic scenery of today, with lively modern-day living, beating at the heart of technology and progress but still gently waving away on its ancient history still to be seen if You were to walk its streets.

Podgorica itself lies among 5 different rivers - the Morača, Ribnica, Zeta, Cijevna, and Sitnica as it reveals itself as a harmonious blend of opposites, where nature and city live hand in hand together like they always have been. To the east, the Morača River winds through the city like a silver thread, its sparkling waters reflecting the light as they flow beneath bridges that bridge both centuries and cultures. Along its verdant banks, pockets of tranquillity await, where the rustling of leaves and the murmur of the river offer a serene escape from the rhythm of daily life.

Beyond the city, the majestic Dinaric Alps stand like giants from a time long gone, their massive peaks crowned with snow that transitions into the endless blue of the sky. Encircling the urban expanse, rolling vineyards and ancient olive groves sprawl under the sun’s golden embrace, a timeless reminder of Podgorica’s connection to the land and its enduring Mediterranean spirit. She wears its history like a cherished heirloom. In the quiet corner of the city where the Ribnica river flows, the remains of an Ottoman-era bridge stand as a proud reminder of the city's storied past. Nearby, the ancient ruins of Dioclea, echo with the whispers of civilizations that have come and gone, leaving their indelible mark on this timeless land.

As the sun sets, Podgorica comes alive. Cafés hum with conversation, their terraces spilling into the streets as I try to bypass countless other people. The city's art scene flourishes in its galleries, theatres, and cultural centres. The Millennium Bridge, an icon of modern Podgorica, lights up the skyline, symbolizing the city's forward momentum. Yet, in all this modernity, Podgorica holds its soulful traditions with a strong embrace. Festivals celebrating music, film, and the arts decorate many of its streets in the summer, and the rich aroma of Montenegrin cuisine sailes through the air—from roasted lamb and fresh seafood to the sweetness of priganice (fried dough) dipped in local honey.

Now look, obviously I could not have told you this after one night in Podgorica I spent last year. I am telling you this because I fell in love with her a long time ago. As old as she is, for me she was love at first sight. Her streets embraced me as if I was their own, and her people, with all their troubles, welcomed me amongst them. I have had lots of sunny days, plenty sleepless nights, good food and company and a lost love here and there. What can I say, my student days were like so many others, only in a city unlike so many others. I still remember walking her streets with, what I thought at the time, the biggest problems in my life while trying to have some fun on the way. How I have changed! But she didn’t. She was still the same and she loved me like the very first day I met her. So, I changed again. I talked to random people in the cafes and the squares, met an old friend who happened to be there, and we ended up going to one of many small pubs sprinkled around Podgorica’s many streets intersecting all the promenades and boulevards of random faces going about their way.

Eventually I surrendered to the exhaustion, my faithful pursuer through the night and it was time to rest. Long day ahead of me tomorrow as we were told to be up and ready for an early start of our review meeting with our bags already packed, to hit the road again? In the evening? If only I knew and I could, I would have never slept that night nor blink twice walking those streets. I would have run and dance on the concert I walked by on one of the squares, I would have listened to more old people sitting in the streets late into the night chatting about how things used to be, the things I missed and will never see again. With my last stroke of consciousness, I laid in my bed and wondered what is next. In our little adventure, in our meeting, in life. Is there more to it? Am I an eternal traveller doomed to roam the world and get so close to all these beautiful things and places and all the ancient wonders but never really get to enjoy them? Oh, how wrong was I…