Feral Zest for Life: Embarking on Montenegro's Odyssey

I feel like I've been walking forever. My legs are tired, my hips ache from the straps of my backpack, and I look west once again. I hope for the gloom of dusk to come. The sunset is a long-awaited moment when I can drop my heavy gear, set up a tent, and feel the warmth of home for a while at a cold dinner.

Above a deserted sidewalk, overgrown with a jungle in the stone village of Godinje, a sticky cloud from the hot morning hovers. A blackboard with the handwritten inscription "Organic wine and food" at the end of the sidewalk leading to the garden, catches my eye. We enter the unknown, finding ourselves the sole guests.

Plants thrive in every inch of the garden, and in the distance stands a lone man. Dušan, as we later learn, is his name. He hides his brown-tanned face from the intense sun under a straw hat, holding a trimmer to clear wild bushes. As soon as he notices us, he immediately stops the mower. Dušan offers us house wine from his nearby vineyards. Sweat stains on his faded T-shirt reveal the original purple color, matching the wine he pours. We quench our immediate thirst. Yet, it's the travel experience that leaves us intoxicated.

I embarked on this journey with a longtime friend, venturing into an initially unknown land of my imagination. However, with each step, my connection deepened, and the people and country became dear to me.