DAY 75 - Attending Church in a Monastery

June 2 - Words of Wisdom and a Tranquil Life

We all decided to attend the church services at the monastery in Brceli Village, Montenegro.

The inside of the beautiful Brceli Monastery

It was very crowded this particular Sunday, especially with the population of only 10.  One woman brought several of her relatives today, so we numbered 21.   The bell chimed throughout the area 1/2 hour before, then again 5 minutes before the starting time of 10 a.m.  We all stood up for the 75 minute service. It was very interesting, although it was all in Latin (and Montenegrian -I think.)  After the service, we all went into another building where a large table was set out for tea and cookies. (and Rakia, an extremely strong alcoholic drink - I passed).  There was a couple of people that spoke English and were actually English teachers, so I enjoyed speaking to them.

Meet Ivana, an English teacher, and her family after the church service

Ivana and I enjoyed some conversation together

Beautiful Bagi after church

One of the decorated walls in the Padre's meeting place

Ivana and I hope to stay in touch with each other

Sasa and Bagi pose outside the church - they are good friends

It's nice to dress up for a change

Touring the outside grounds of the old monastery from the 15th century

We went back to her home for a light lunch, after which I offered to clean up the dishes.  She washes dishes outside with her garden hose, so it really felt like we were camping - how fun!

Seems like years since I've done this

Bagi's mother grew up in Brceli village and nearly all the land around belongs to members of her family. She spoke of her many cousins and we met some of them on a walk after lunch.

We ran into some of Bagi's cousins on one of our walks

She showed us the home where her great-grandmother lived – over 300 years old, and we toured other areas around her place where her uncle raises bees and where there are deserted houses that have many stories to tell.

I didn't go closer to this to take the picture of the bee hives - I do not like bees!

The entrance to Bagi's great-grandmother's house

                             

We walked into another near-by village where she had other relatives

Along the way, we noticed unusual vegetation, like this fuzzy pink bush...so pretty.

The prettiest little white flower

It's fascinating for me to go into the graveyards

A memorial of a mother praying for the war victims

Montenegro, which means "black mountain," takes its word from the rugged terrain.  Most of the time we were there, dark clouds loomed over these mountains and threatened rain, although it didn't rain all that much.

 It presented a mysterious aura while we visited yet another cemetery which included all of Bagi's relatives.  Each plot had decades and decades of dates on the tombstone.  Bagi explained that each family member would be buried in that plot, then dug up a while later, taking the bones and burying them separately in other spaces around the cemetery where plants of flowers and herbs would be planted on top.  This seems efficient as it would save space as well as not having to have so many tombstones for each individual grave.

Bagi's Family Plot

Another view of her family plot in the old cemetery above Brceli village.

Bagi had some insights to the world and I wrote them down quickly as she expressed them.  (I hope I got them right).
"The world is like a mirror.  We see what is in our inner heart.  When we look in the mirror, we don't see our inner self.  When you see NO inner peace, you must go and do."

"There is only one religion - the religion of love.  There is only one language - the language of love.  There is only one God.  He is omni-present."

"I don't hang out with the beer.  I only hang out with nature and beauty and a simple life.  I love the sea, the smell and the sounds.  It's healthy for our body and our minds."

I learned a lot from Bagi and her wisdom by being with her for two days.  I wish it could have been longer.

We love it when the sun comes out - feels so good!

Bagi said we must follow her to "the best drinking source in all of Montenegro".  We went through the woods, following a path with overgrown ivy and vegetation...down...down....down to a small waterfall coming out of the rocks.

Where is the water source?

We filled our containers and drank and drank.  It was so cool and refreshing and YES - it was VERY good.    I wonder how many thousands of people before us had drank out of this same place and what stories that waterfall could tell us.

 We went back to the house for a project Bagi had for us.  Sasa came over and Rich and he did some carpentry work for Bagi...building a wooden storage box with a lid.  She wanted me to paint a picture so she could remember me by.  I asked her if I could sing a song instead.  I am not an artist by any means and don't even remember the last time a drew or painted a picture.  She insisted, however, and gave me some water paints, an easel, and a special plaque to paint my picture.  Oh my goodness....this is out of my comfort zone, but I did it!  With Rich's help on the flower, we presented it to her and she was just delighted!

Bagi loves the painting from me

The sunset behind us was so beautiful!

Time to prepare dinner.  I made a pot of Rich's mother's famous "Mustgo Soup".  I pulled everything out of the refrigerator and put it into a pot with some water and cooked it for a most delicious soup for a chilly evening.  Leftover pork cut into pieces, potatoes, onions, cabbage, garlic, carrots, and a couple of tomatoes.  Sasa came over with his dog (they were both drenched from the rain) and we enjoyed an evening of wonderful conversation.  Bag shared the yummiest cookie ever! It was like a coconut meringue with a pudding-type filling dipped in chocolate! Scrumptious!

The soup and bread are great on a chilly evening

A quick tour of Bagi's one-room house which was so comfortable and warm.

Bagi's bed in the corner and the kitchen table (computer table, too)

Bathroom

Kitchen (obviously)

Our beds.  To the right is a curtain separating her bed and the kitchen area

We're off the next morning to our next destination.  One last picture of Bagi and her beautiful smile on her balcony.  It's also a very gorgeous morning in the woods.

Thank-you for the "thank-you" cards, Rich & Shari - we will never forget each other and this experience.

 We can't leave without saying good-bye to our favorite donkey.  I think he was even a bit sad to see us go.

Bye Bye Mr. Donkey

"Zao mi je" to you, too.....until we meet again.