Montenegro: Ostrog Monastery
This 17th century Orthodox monastery is clinging to an almost vertical cliff wall. It was built in this precipitous hard-to-get location as a refuge from the invading ottoman armies, and it is now a major pilgrimage site. It takes a winding one lane road to get up here and then you have to hike further up (pilgrims do that barefoot as hundreds of socks left along the trail attest to). Besides the facade, there are two cave monasteries with it, both with beautiful colorful frescoes. But this is a human zoo of worshipers, apparently all thinking Jesus will protect them from covid as nobody wears masks or keeps any distance and everybody is bent on kissing some religious relics – it’s basically a covid Petri dish.
