People far beyond Russia have heard about Russian hospitality. Or at least, that’s what we believe — about how we welcome everyone with open arms and think that the rest of the world sees it the same way. I could argue with that — I never paint everyone with the same brush — but that’s another story, as they say.
When it comes to the hospitality of other nations — even Slavic ones — we often don’t know much (let’s leave Belarus and Ukraine out of this). This story is about Montenegro.
In Montenegro, people are friendly
People here are genuinely friendly — not only are they smiling and open, but they’re also incredibly hospitable. They always ask how you’re doing, what you’re up to, and invite you for a “kafa” (coffee). And I want to talk more about that last part.
As part of expanding my tourism business, I started looking for new apartment owners to connect with — preparing for the next season, so to speak, following the wise saying: “Prepare the sled in summer, and the cart in winter.”
So, I found some really nice apartments, made an appointment with the owner, and went to the meeting. Dragan turned out to be a very pleasant middle-aged man. He gave us a tour of his “estate,” I took pictures of everything, and then he invited us into his home. We thought he’d just transfer some photos of the apartments from his computer to our flash drive, but he insisted we sit down for coffee.
The house was luxurious — a solid wood dining room, a great kitchen, leather furniture in the living room, and a wrought iron staircase leading to the second floor. Everything was beautiful, tasteful, and elegant.
Dragan introduced us to his wife, a very kind woman. My wife and she quickly found a common language, chatting in English and German (as it turned out, both had lived in Germany — small world!). She kindly offered coffee and made me the best cappuccino I’ve had in Montenegro, while offering my wife a choice of drinks: Fanta, Coke, Sprite, apple or orange juice. Impressive, right?
We had a great chat, got all the information we needed, and talked about life. We found out that Dragan is a sailor and often goes to sea.
While we talked, our little son quickly made himself at home, discovered some toys, and played with them almost the entire time we were there. He even started playing with the hosts’ son. Their older daughter also paid attention to us, gently patted our son’s head, and he, in return, admired her fish tank.
All in all, the meeting went wonderfully. We loved the location — right by the sea — and the apartments were in great condition. The whole atmosphere was very positive. We left in high spirits.
Later that day, we had another appointment in a different part of the city. This time, the owner was a frail old man who, I suspected (and later confirmed), had been drinking. He led us to his home and introduced us to his wife. She was very welcoming and gladly showed us the apartments, chatted with our son — who had gotten so comfortable that he ended up sitting on the old man’s lap. The man was thrilled! They have three granddaughters, whose photos they proudly showed us. They told us their eldest daughter shares my wife’s name and talked about their son living in Austria. In short, they were very sociable.
We were about to leave — we were a bit tired, and our son had a lunch-nap routine to follow. But the couple insisted we stay for coffee. We tried to explain, as best we could, that we had to go. But they literally took us by the hand and brought us into the kitchen. We ended up refusing the coffee, but they quickly offered grapes from their garden instead (very sweet ones, by the way). Our son happily ate them and even fed some to the old man. Meanwhile, the man kept trying to convince me to have rakija with him. I told him I was driving, but he was like, “Nema veze” — no worries — “just a little!” Funny guy! Clearly, that rule didn’t apply to him.
As we left, our son spotted some goats and sheep near a neighbor’s house. It was almost impossible to tear him away. But the Subotićs (that’s their name) kindly kept an eye on him to make sure none of the animals hurt him.
That’s how the day went — only good memories.
When I think about how many more meetings lie ahead and how much coffee I’ll have to drink, I feel a bit awkward already 🙂
But it really is part of the culture — inviting guests for coffee. My wife always tells me about her Serbian friend — a housekeeper in a small hotel we work with. Every time she drops by — whether for a reason or just passing through — she’s always offered coffee or ice cream for our son. Always!!!
One time we came to visit relatives staying at the hotel, and she prepared a full improvised dinner with coffee and homemade bread, of course!
Same with the owner of our apartment — she and my wife constantly exchange little dishes of treats. Luckily, they live just upstairs. If we go up to see them for anything, she always offers coffee or food. We try to return the favor — we even made a Russian-style dinner with borscht when we first arrived. We’re also introducing them to Russian specialties — like salted sprats (here they’re sardines), crab salad (they loved it!), and buckwheat.
So yes, our little “Days of Russian Culture in Montenegro” are going strong — just like their cultural influence is shaping our worldview. It’s truly nice to be surrounded by warm, open-hearted people (especially if you’re the same in return). It really does feel like home.
Planning to experience Montenegrin hospitality firsthand? Contact us for assistance with residence permits, company formation, and more — Get in touch.
