MY PODGORICA PREDRAG MIJATOVIĆ, FOOTBALLER
Here everyone feels at home
Wherever people come from, here they have the feeling that they’ve arrived in their own city. That’s why I’m proud of my Podgorica, of this place that’s both pretty and pleasant, and where everyone who comes once always wants to return I was born in Podgorica, in a settlement called Masline [Olives]. I left my hometown at the end of Decem- ber 1989, when I signed a contract with Partizan, and my life took a different path – Belgrade, Va- lencia, then Madrid. I haven’t lived in Podgorica for a long time, but there are my parents, sisters and lots of friends, so I always return to my most beautiful city, my hometown. Today it is different, it is evolving like all cities. Podgorica has been built up, new neigh- bourhoods have sprouted, there are things that weren’t there when I lived there. I don’t have a favourite place for coffee or lunch, I simply discover new places each year; here there’s al- ways a cafe-bar and restaurant in fashion. I like to walk through the city with friends, but that’s occasionally complicated because people still recognise me. People approach me, wanting to talk, and I get the impression that they’d like to make up for all those years since I left. ey ask about what’s going on in football and my pri- vate life. I usually catch up with my childhood friends and in more recent times I’ve been using the opportu- nity to spend as much time as possible with my parents. Podgorica is a wonderful city with a wonderful cli- mate, and it’s very well positioned geographically. Situ- ated 50 kilometres from the mountains, where it is very pleasant to be, it is an equal distance from the sea. ose who like to can go to Kolašin, Žabljak, while there’s al- so Bukumirsko Lake, and for those those who prefer the sea there are Petrovac, Budva, Porto Montenegro. All these fantastic places are generally within 50 kilo- metres. ere is also Lake Skadar, which is 15 kilometres from Podgorica. e city is particularly beautiful during autumn and spring, when the climate is fantastic. You don’t need a car to get acquainted with it; you can take a walk and see beautiful bars, parks, bridges... ere is also the River Morača, which is extremely interesting and has a won- derful promenade. Everyone who’s had an opportunity to familiarise themselves with it once is glad to return to Podgorica. Athletes from other cities who are resident
Volim da šetam gradom sa prijateljima, ali je to ponekad komplikovano jer me ljudi još prepoznaju / I like to walk through the city with friends, but that’s sometimes complicated because people still recognise me
here are delighted with the people and the service in this capital that is interesting for living and socialising. Whenever I’m in another city, I always primarily pay attention to the people. And that’s why my Podgorica is the best city in the world. Wherever people come from, here they have the feeling that they’ve arrived in their own city, I don’t know if anyone’s ever had a problem around intimacy and hospitality. I think that Podgori- ca natives are people who accept everything from the outside very well and try to encourage people who leave here to return. at’s something I’m particularly proud of and which warms my heart.
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