Road to Montenegro
When their well-traveled son asked them to visit Montenegro last October, Gustave "Gus" and Judy Guenther seized the opportunity.
"It was almost like a challenge," Gus Guenther said of the invitation, alluding to the fact that he and his wife don't travel often.
However, the Prospect couple spent 10 days in the southeastern European country with their son, Gus III, his girlfriend, Fleur Doornberg, and Fleur's parents, Niek and Carla, who own a vacation home there.
The group stayed together in the house owned by the Doornbergs and got to know each other very well, Judy Guenther said.
"Just being together with our children — their daughter and our son — was wonderful."
Warm welcomeThe Guenthers traveled from Philadelphia to Frankfurt Airport in Germany and then to Zagreb, the capital and largest city of the Republic of Croatia.After another quick flight, they landed in Dubrovnik, Croatia, and met Gus III and Fleur."When you fly into Dubrovnik, all around are these mountains," said Judy. "It's unbelievable."They traveled to the Doornbergs' comfortable vacation home in the town of Podi near the Croatian border.The next day, they visited an open air market, the town square and a coffee shop, which was nothing like what she'd experienced at home, Judy said."You don't get it to-go there," she explained. "They go to cafes, sit down and take half an hour to have their coffee."Later on, the foursome drove up a precarious mountain road to take in the scenery. Montenegro is home to some of Europe's most rugged terrain, with steep cliffs, soaring mountains and deep canyons.
During their drive, they came across a tiny country church and pulled over to take a look. Despite the isolated setting, Judy observed that many graves in the cemetery were elaborately tended and covered in artificial flowers, candy and other trinkets. Several gravestones featured engraved portraits of the deceased."It was nothing like what you'd see here," she said.The next morning, they visited Kotor, a coastal town that is one of Montenegro's most popular tourist attractions. With several monasteries and cathedrals, the old part of town has a reputation as one of the best-preserved medieval sites in the Adriatic region."There are monasteries and fortresses halfway up the mountain," Judy wrote in her journal. "There is an old town area, which is almost a maze with streets running this way and that."Niek and Carla arrived the next morning and met Judy and Gus for the first time."We were instant friends," said Judy. "We talked about how much we love (Gus and Fleur) and compared notes about being mothers and raising children.""It was pretty special to have our families meet in such a great place," Fleur agreed in an e-mail.The Doornbergs are from the Netherlands and all speak fluent English. Still, they were unfamiliar with some English slang terms, Judy said."It was a lot of fun teaching them colloquialisms that we use," Judy said.Soon after their arrival, the group visited the family that cares for the vacation house<B> </B>when Niek and Carla are away. Although only one family member spoke English, Judy said she was overwhelmed by their hospitality. The guests were served Turkish coffee and homemade cherry brandy, and then gifted with a jar of candied figs."There were lime and olive trees in the backyard," Judy said. "The olive trees have been there since the time of Christ and they're still bearing fruit."
The next morning, they set off to Dubrovnik, Croatia, a town nicknamed the Pearl of the Adriatic.Tourists can visit Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque churches, monasteries, palaces and fountains in the town, which owes its prosperity to maritime trade.Thick limestone walls run for two kilometers around the city and date back to the Middle Ages."It was picture-perfect," Judy said.The city has an interesting mix of classical architecture, modern buildings and war-ravaged structures, the Guenthers said.After the breakup of Yugoslavia, the city was under siege for seven months in 1991 and 1992 by Serb-Montenegrin forces and sustained heavy damage, which is still apparent.On one wall of a building, they noticed a large map showing various bomb strikes and a hole from a missile strike is preserved for tourists to examine.They also walked through several churches that displayed ancient artifacts like church furnishings, vestments and statues of saints."We were awe-inspired," Judy said.The group next took a day trip to the city of Trebinje in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which still bears the memory of the armed conflict that took place from 1992 to 1995.Some of the damage has been covered over, but reminders of the civil war were all around, said Judy, who noticed when they stopped for coffee at an upscale cafe."I've never seen a more modern restaurant, but right behind us was an old bombed-out building from the civil war," she said.They visited another breathtaking old church next."The church was unbelievable, situated in a very large courtyard of polished stone, with gorgeous paintings on the walls," Judy observed in her journal.The Guenthers were caught by surprise when a distinguished-looking man overheard them speaking English and stopped them to chat."He turned out to be a medical doctor and knew all about Pittsburgh and the wonderful medical facilities," said Judy.After eating pizza in a small cafe, the group continued on to a monastery and visited the winemaking facility housed below the main building.A tour bus also stopped there and included a handful of Americans, though most other tourists seemed to hail from neighboring European countries, Gus noticed. The next day, the group drove along the Bay of Kotor, taking in the stunning water views before visiting Risan, the oldest settlement on the bay. Risan is the site of Roman ruins, and tourists can view sprawling mosaic floors that had been in a house during the second century.The group next set off for the coastal town of Budva and enjoyed a family-style meal at a popular restaurant. Before their trip ended, the Guenthers also attended a Serbian Croatian church service, which contrasted with services at their Lutheran Church."Of course, we didn't understand but I wanted to go for the experience," Judy said.Parishioners stood constantly and seemed to come and go as they pleased during the service, which lasted about 45 minutes."The service is chanted throughout, with no sermon or homily that we could determine," Judy wrote, although women's' voices could occasionally be heard speaking a litany.
Throughout the 10-day excursion, border checkpoints became a daily routine to the travelers.Such travel is common because the countries are relatively small and in recent years borders have shifted due to political unrest."You don't dare get caught without your passport," Judy said.Many people in the region spoke English since it is taught in the schools as a second language, said Gus.The Guenthers also picked up a few Montenegrin words and phrases."We learned a few words, like thank you," Gus said. "Especially thank you, because everyone was so attentive."Spending time with the children was the best part of the trip, said Judy, since Gus and Fleur are based in Alaska and travel often.Nonetheless, the Guenthers were delighted to pull into their driveway in Prospect."It was so good to be home," said Judy. "I enjoyed the trip, but there's no place like home."
