I think the day after we arrived it was fairly grey and rainy, but it’s been sunny and 70’s for the past 2 weeks which has been unbelievable! We had a few days of boat cleaning and finding our way around town, before getting stuck in to the boat projects again. Todd had managed a shifter fix for the port engine before we left Gouvia which certainly helped with backing into our winter slip. The next item on the list was replacing both of the hot water heating elements. Boiling the jug for hot water to do the dishes created a lot of extra condensation which we were trying to avoid. Showering wasn’t a problem as the shower block was a short walk away and a very nice facility that we’ve pretty much had to ourselves!
Apparently rain is due next week and then it will be pretty constant. We have taken the sails back off and I’ve soaked and scrubbed the reef lines while Todd’s been tackling some of the wiring upgrades while things are dry.
There is an excellent produce store with friendly owners who talk away in Montenegrin to us, so we may yet learn through osmosis! I did find a You Tube channel that teachers some conversational Montenegrin and have been able to pull off the basic greetings. Please is “hvala” and there seems to be quite a variation on the pronunciation, from a throat-clearing phlegmy “ha” at the beginning, to no H at all. Apparently Montenegrin is actually a combination of Montenegrin, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, and Albanian languages, so maybe that explains the differences. Currently I am corrected every time I say please, so more practice needed!
I continue to be impressed with the language skills of the Europeans. Everywhere we’ve been, with the possible exception of southern Sicily which had more elderly, people speak more than 1 language. In Tivat there is also a large number of Russian’s who can work in Montenegro without a visa. Several young men in their 20’s and 30’s have been by offering services and walk the docks daily. They all speak English and seem pretty open and enthusiastic. We had our head sail stitching reinforced by a Russian fellow, and he only charged 35 euro for the work, and 15 euro to refold the sail. Those sailor’s amongst us will understand this fee if you have ever folded a large sail with your partner!
We are starting to slow down and take a little time every day to enjoy the surroundings. It feels good to be here and not trying to move around the Med right now. Greece locked down this past weekend, and we are aware that Italy, France, and Spain are all increasing their restrictions for travel and business. Curfews are in effect, and we heard there was a 10 pm to 5am curfew here in Montenegro, although we haven’t noticed this as it’s dark by 5pm and we haven’t been awake to check. So far so good!
