I’m sitting on the balcony at our apartment Emili. We are on the 3rd floor of a 5 story building. I think there are 2 units per floor. The sun has set but the sky is still peach and slightly rose-y. There are some clouds to the east but I think we are done with rain until after we leave. It’s still in contrast to earlier today when we had rain and fairly strong wind as well as a short period of thunder.
These past 6 weeks wherever we’ve been the temperatures have been mostly pleasant but definitely cooler than we expected, especially at night I don’t think we had any real hot days although had a few in the mid to high 70s. We’ve been pretty lucky with rain. We’ve definitely had rain but only a couple times did it interfere with our plans and even then only for a couple hours.
I wonder if we will come again. I have that question every time we are wrapping up a trip here. Aside from the first couple trips when I knew I wanted and needed to come back I have been ambivalent, or accepting of whatever might unfold. On the one hand I always want and hope to return, but on the other hand I don’t ‘need’ to. And while the benefits still outweigh the costs and stresses, I do find the stress of finding lodging, planning routes, and riding in cars on these roads we share with some fast and dangerous drivers all to be wearing. Also the plane trips are long, and I stress about making connecting flights. I also stress about finding a Housesitter. So the list of reasons not to go again is longer than my list of reasons for going. But the power and value of the reasons for going are strong. So, for now all I can say is we will aim to come again a year from September. If it works out, great! If not I have 8 trips worth of memories to continue to nourish and inspire me.
And for now I want to be present and enjoy and savor our remaining 4 days here.
My only regrets on this trip are that I didn’t spend more time writing (apart from trip details), and that I didn’t spend more time sitting, breathing, relaxing and doing practices. So much of my free time has been spent either writing about the trip or researching places to go and where to stay and plotting which routes to take.
But other than that (and sleeping way too little a lot of the time) this trip has been as rich and interesting and nourishing as all the others. This trip has definitely been the most social. We saw Morana in Zagreb, Zora in her house west of Belgrade, teacher Ana and her family in Dragovac east of Belgrade, Dragana 1 and 2 and Anja in Belgrade, Ružica and family in Loznica, Milesa and Zoran in Bajina Bašta, Zoran the artist in Mrzenica, Dragan and Zorica in Zajačar, Neda, Lana and Pavle’s in Kolašin, and Marko in Virpazar (where we also spent time with Liljana). So it was only at Studenica and here in Promajna that we didn’t see people we knew. I feel so lucky to have these friendships with generous kind people who make us feel more connected to the places we visit.
Even though we have walked most days and had a handful of days with 6-9 miles, I think we walked a bit less overall than on past trips. I haven’t weighed myself but I think I might have gained weight rather than lost weight like I have on past trips. I guess I will find out when we get home.
I’d love to write a fictional story (or 2 or 3 or 4) inspired by this trip but I am guessing if that happens it won’t be until I get home.
So here I am on the balcony. The western sky still glows deep orange-red. The sky is dark blue, not yet black. The church tower is lit up. The church bell is tolling 9 rings as it is now 9 pm. A few lights are on in some of the surrounding houses, but not many. Dogs bark somewhere. I hear a few guys laughing and talking but can’t see them. They sound like they are sitting on a balcony somewhere near, but not too close nearby. Occasionally a car drives down one of the roads in town. I also hear in the distance an occasional car on the through road above town. A cat just snarled. Despite all these sounds I experience the evening as quiet and peaceful.
Now that it’s dark I’m not seeing the colors of day, but earlier I was struck by how different the colors are here than in Seattle. Seattle is green, green, green with sky either blue or grey. The water also is either blue or grey. Here in Promajna there is green but it’s the dark green of pine and the weedy green of grasses and wildflowers, not the green of lawns or deciduous trees or many varieties of evergreens. The gravel, stones and rock on the cliffs, beach and walkways are tan and off-white, the brightness is hard on my sensitive eyes. Roofs are orange. Houses are painted in light pastel colors. The sea is blue and changes color like in Seattle. But here the water in the shallows is aqua and turquoise. I love these colors and this landscape but in my bones and soul I feel most at home in the greener places like Seattle, Pittsburgh and western Serbia. Jim and I agree that if we were to settle in this region we would choose somewhere in western Serbia.
I’m yawning. I should go do pushups and shower and try to go to bed earlier.
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