Skadar Lake

It is a grace to make dear friends.  It is a special grace to be with them twice in an Army life.  She isn't Army, but we shared our time in Indiana and Virginia with Ronke.  And, she stopped by Montenegro on her 30th birthday travels with friends.  We toured Skadar Lake, the largest lake in southern Europe, together on a beautiful Saturday morning.  

A water chestnut carved into a dragon by our boat captain

  

Moracha Monastery

Thirty or so minutes from town is a beautiful Serbian Orthodox church on the Moracha River.  The kids were most captivated by the trout they were raising. 

Budva

Craig was busy with meetings at a fancy(ish) hotel, so we stopped by for a visit while the big ones were at school.  The beach was too cold to play, but the indoor pools were great.  And, there was a really cool navy ship at sea. 

Salt Flat Flamingos

The embassy arranged a hike to see the flamingos that nest here in Montenegro. I was surprised by the awesome number and awesome experience of seeing these wild, gray (only a tad pink) flamingos.  They nest in an old salt flat in Ulcinj, a southern coastal city near the Albanian border.  We made a weekend of it and enjoyed the sandy beaches.

This picture doesn't capture it.

We flew kites for the first time with the kids.  

It is almost like going to a 7-11.