Montenegro Road Ways - TRAVEL, HISTORY, HUMANITIES. Two on the Loose

Culture. Roots of the old Yugoslavia. And the Pride of Montenegro

2011-09-04T14:01:00.003-04:00

Culture.

Pride of Place: Montenegro

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I. Overview
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Yugoslavia. The old union of republics in the Balkans. Brian Hall's book about that union calls Yugoslavia, "The Impossible Country." See 1994's notable presentation at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243199.The_Impossible_Country.; http://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/08/books/new-noteworthy-paperbacks-480695.html?scp=3&sq=book%20review%20%22the%20impossible%20country%22&st=cse

Those nations are now independent, with a great deal of bloodshed in the separations. What are those roots. We noted a difference in the children and adults of Montenegro: a pride of place not seen elsewhere, but how reliable is our impression? We were only there a few days.

"How do you like our beautiful city?" asked children playing soccer, with buildings in need of vast repair, but the architecture glowing with past political, diplomatic and other glories. In Cetinje, waiters waving off questions with nods to other places, so we understood, but clearly wishing they could speak freely. Nothing furtive about them. Just matter-of-fact. The election deciding independence from Serbia or not, was looming. We sensed wariness, but not fear. Is that worth noting?

How to generalize. Impossible, with no "scientific" samplings, data, controls.

Possible explanation for our unscientific observation. We were sent an old article on Balkan history, New York Times from 1991, at http://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/06/world/conflict-in-yugoslavia-national-rivalries-cloud-dream-of-yugoslav-unity.html?scp=1&sq=David%20Binder%20July%206,%201991&st=cse. It notes that Montenegro and Serbia were the only old Yugoslav nations that were independent before WWI.

Is that the difference, and does that help explain the forcefulness of the Serbian sense of territory? That people that know they were independent, have the privilege of a known past without subjugation, pass that on. Here, we offer a review of that article with our own observations so far, to be augmented.

The history of this area is critical to understanding its conflicts.

A review of history is difficult before going there, because the groups are so many, and the cultures so varied. We are not taught much about the Balkans in our schools. After returning, it is easier to seek out sources to get a grip on the conflicts, the groups. Places and ideas are familiar.

In Montenegro, we found a difference from other Balkan states that were part of the old Yugoslavia. This was only an impression, based on surface happenstance of who we met, what we talked about, what we saw. And we were only there a few days, so no generalizing is feasible.
those things, over only a few days, are unreliable for generalizations, but worth noting.

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II. Balkan History: How to get a grip

A. The old Yugoslavia now is no more, but the individual nations that once comprised it share history. The blends of cultures are seen in the architecture, religions, politics. Islam in the south of the Balkan peninsula, Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Orthodox Christianity in those areas as well, competing; and Roman Catholicism in the north, essentially.

We are using as a starting framework an old journalism piece, before the severances of the last decade, at http://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/06/world/conflict-in-yugoslavia-national-rivalries-cloud-dream-of-yugoslav-unity.html?scp=1&sq=David%20Binder%20July%206,%201991&st=cse. Look at old articles because they give detail without having to justify information with current events. Look back at a sense of immediacy that gets lost in current accounts. From here, we will fill in other sources. As of now, this is a kind of review.

1. Yugoslavia was the land of the south Slavs. It was comprised of six very different republics: Croatia, where we began, Bosnia - Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia (we only saw a corner because Sarajevo, where we wanted to go, was not included in our car insurance), Macedonia, that we did not see; and Slovenia.

2. Before WWI, only Montenegro and Serbia were independent.

The others were part of either the Habsburg Empire, or the Ottoman. Croatia 800 years earlier joined Hungary. The Slovenes were ruled by the Habsburgs since the 14th Century. Croats and Slovenes enjoyed industrial development through the Habsburg connections. Most Serbians and Macedonians remained barely subsisting as farmers.

Macedonia was Bulgarian and then Ottoman, and there were independent principalities in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the middle ages, but they fell under Turkish and later Habsburg control. Find this history outlined at http://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/06/world/conflict-in-yugoslavia-national-rivalries-cloud-dream-of-yugoslav-unity.html?scp=1&sq=David%20Binder%20July%206,%201991&st=cse

We are repeating the cite because it was so good.

3. The idea of the one nation for south Slavs was the product of intellectual and religious leaders, including the 19th Century Bishop Josop Juraj Strosmajer, Croatian, spellings vary. As Strossmayer, also see him commemorated in Prague, Czech Republic, see http://petrginz.blogspot.com/2007/08/holesovice-petrs-home-stepaniks-bridge.html

4. The first attempt at a Slavic nation was created in 1918, after WWI, when the Habsburg Empire of Austria and the Ottoman Empire of Turkey collapsed . It was called the Kingdom of Serbs Croats and Slovenes. Then in 1929, the Serbian King Alexander imposed a dictatorship and renamed the nation as Yugoslavia. He favored Serbian ways.

In 1941, the Axis armies quickly overran Yugoslavia (it took 11 days), and civil war also began began - Serbian royalists against Croatians serving the Nazis. Then, enter the partisan guerrillas of the Communists, and the fight became a three-way disaster. In 1944, the Partisans prevailed. Belgrade came under control of the Soviet interests. It continued as a communist republic in 1946, under the Croat Josip Broz Tito, Prime Minister and later President. He had led the partisans successfully as a guerrilla group in WWII.

5. The mixmaster

Ethnically, most of the population was Slav - say 83%, NYT July 6, 1991 article by David Binder, National Rivalries Cloud Dream of Yugoslav Unity. There were Slovaks, Bulgars, Ruthenians, Russians, Poles; as well as Albanians, Hungarians, Gypsies, Greeks, Vlachs, Jews, Tsintsars (who?) and Austrians. Each wanted, or already had, a stake. Serbs held most positions in the army, secret police, federal bureaucracy, thus Tito being a Croat was somewhat offset. But the brutality modeled after Stalinism emerged.

6. After WWII, Yugoslavia became a police state: fair use quote -- "Hundreds of thousands of anti-Communist Serbs, Croats and Slovenes were rounded up and killed, among them the Serbian royalist commander, Draza Mihajlovic." See http://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/06/world/conflict-in-yugoslavia-national-rivalries-cloud-dream-of-yugoslav-unity.html?scp=1&sq=David%20Binder%20July%206,%201991&st=cse.

7. Long-standing rivalries between Orthodox Christian and Roman Catholic Christians also erupted - see issues related to whether Cardinal Stepinac stepped aside as Orthodox were led to their deaths, content to try to convert them before they went; or were his hands tied, see Zagreb, Croatia, St. Stephen's Cathedral, http://croatiaroadways.blogspot.com/search/label/St.%20Stephen%27s%20Cathedral

B. Divisions persist

1. How could such a patchwork of different interests possibly work together for long? Each found some satisfaction in a new status, recognition of individuality, desire for nationhood, and these seemed to satisfy most groups.

Then emerged huge rifts among the Serbs, Slovenes and Croats - an inter-ethnic civil war.

2. In 1948, Stalin had put Tito out of the Soviet Bloc because Tito refused to follow orders. The threat of reprisals seemed to unify Yugoslavia to degree, but various components still sought nationalist goals for their own group. Croats wanted home rule, Albanians in Kosovo, and Slovenes pressing for roads, for example.

3. Tito died in 1980, and some powers passed to the republic-areas. But in 1987, Serbian Communist Slobodan Milosevic rallied the Serbs for a nationalist agenda and set out to subdue (which became genocide) the Albanian populaiton in Kosovo. Collision course. The Communist Party collapsed in 1990, and Croatia and Slovenia pursued separatist policies.

And so, to today. To be continued.

Kotor - Battlements Going up the Mountain. Occupation History; credit cards

2009-01-06T09:04:00.002-05:00

Walled City of Kotor - Montenegro
Curtain Walls

Kotor, Montenegro, curtain walls

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Curtain walls extend as a total barrier, often in a broad perimeter around a castle, here going up the mountain as an escape for an entire town, there, in the back.

Why need such extensive wall structures apart from the main walled town. The separate curtain wall is a familiar sight in the Balkans, going up the mountains. The curtain wall was needed because of the location of the town, at roadways and ports invaders used through the years. Occupation after occupation. With mountains as a backdrop, the city could be better defended, but. Kotor still has been in many hands - warfare upon warfare.

Occupation history:

Illyrian 300 BC or so (Old Greek),
Roman 168 BC,
Byzantine then until the 1100's,
Serbian to the 1300's,
then Hungary in the 1300's,
then Bosnian at the end of the 1300's,
Venetian in the 1400's as a voluntary transfer of protection against the Turks, and to 1797,
then Austrian to 1805,
Russian to 1807,
French to 1813, temporary fight for independence, lost, and
back to Austria to 1918,
liberation after WWI,
then the Germans,
and liberation from Germany 1944.
part of Yugoslavia,
then part of Serbia after the breakup of Yugoslavia, and
in 2006, independence from Serbia

Add to that plagues and earthquakes.

The city is over 2000 years old. No peace. There used to be an upper town and a lower town. See ://www.destination-montenegro.com/kotor-history.htm

Kotor - look closely at the mountain to see the curtain walls going up the side, another defense.

At Kotor, as in places in Croatia (especially Ston, see Croatia Road Ways, Ston post), you can see curtain walls going most all the way up a mountainside, with a large fortress at the top. These serve as another line of defense, if the the city walls are breached the population flees up the mountain. There is refuge there, better than below.

Kotor is a UNESCO World Heritage site. See whc.unesco.org/en/list/125; and thesalmons.org/lynn/wh-montenegro.

There are also palm trees, just as there are in the warm parts of Scotland even, and the old buildings. See the old town at www.photo-montenegro.com/home. Go further to these notations if that is helpful: php?akcija=rezpret&fKategorija=Kotor&fPodKategorija=Old+Town. Kotor was less damaged by invasions than many coastal towns, I understand. See www.matf.bg.ac.yu/konferencije/kotor/.

Getting around:

There are many ATM's, but you may find that only selected cards will work, and the money is not Euro. We ran into five currencies this trip - different in Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Serbia. Some will accept Euro, but we preferred to use the country's cash and withdrew some for each day.

Credit cards.

Before you leave US: You should alert your credit card or debit card places that you will be in specific countries so they will not block your getting cash. We did that ahead of time, and still found that one card could not be used. Much fraud out there.

Kotor Bay. Perast Islands - on way to Kotor

2009-01-05T14:42:00.002-05:00

Kotor Bay
Perast Islands

Drive to Kotor, Montenegro, Around the Bay

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From Dubrovnik, Croatia, it is an easy drive to Kotor. Leave late in the day from Dubrovnik, spend the night anywhere, such as old Cavtat, on the Croatia side; and leave in the morning to catch the views to Kotor. Montenegro: see the cities and descriptions at http://www.visit-montenegro.com/croatia-dubrovnik.htm/.

And, there are buses, of course, and rental cars from Cavtat for a day's junket.

For maps, see this site that covers all the old Yugoslavia countries, the Adriatic coast - at http://www.atlapedia.com/online/maps/physical/Slovenia_etc.htm; however, this site as others may not be updated as to the independence of Montenegro from Serbia in 2006, so check this one: ://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/yu.htm/

Kotor Bay, Montenegro, Our Lady of the Rock, Perast Islands; Island of St. George

The island of St. George, as well as Kotor itself, has a long history, from 229 BC as an Illyrian city, see http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Bay_of_Kotor
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Our Lady of the Rock, Perast Islands, Kotor Bay, Montenegro

On the left, and in the center right, is on Our Lady of the Rock Island, off Perast, on the way to Kotor.

The road goes around the equivalent of a fjord. See closeups at http://www.perast.com/html-ENGLESKI/islands.

Navigate from the home page, using the further address information only as needed . Our Lady of the Rock is man-made - an island created over 550 years of dropping rocks on an underwater ledge, and then sinking captured ships over the same spot. Ingenious.
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The buildings on the right are an island, really a reef, called the Island of St. George. It houses a Benedictine monastery. See more on the islands off Perast at www.montenegro.com/en/Fascinada,_Our_Lady_of_Skrpjel,_Perast_Islands.
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This would be an excellent geo-tourism site because of the geological sites and attractions. See book "Geotourism" by Ross Dowling at http://elsevier.com/wps/find/bookdescription.cws_home/706060/description#description.

Kotor area- on the Balkan equivalent of a fjord

2009-01-05T13:57:00.000-05:00

Near Kotor, Montenegro

Kotor, Kotor Bay, fjord, Montenegro

Here the mountains go right into the water, with little towns clinging around, and fortresses for last resort, up the cliff-side, fully walled. There are palm trees below, and where it is flat, lovely walled areas and twisting streets. This is a World Heritage area: see whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=125.

Here is a summary of the town's history, and a fine photo gallery for Kotor at www.barakatravel.com/?action=galeria&galeriaId=68. Go to home page first at the dot com.

The Financial Times has an article including Budva, see issue April 26-27, 2008, at page 10 --A flawless pearl - for now, by James Owen. He notes that Budva was flattened in 1979 by an earthquake. The restorations are not evident - so well done that we thought they were original. This is different from Germany where the devastation from bombing was so extensive and covered so much, that the renovations and reconstructions look Botox.

Cetinje. Is This Jovan Simonov Plamenac? Cetinje Memorial, Monastery area. WWI, WWII, Leader. Strove for Independence, Montenegro

2009-01-04T22:04:00.007-05:00

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Cetinje
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The Firing Squad Memorial

Is This Jovan Plamenac
Jovan S. Plamenac
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Firing squad. Cetinje, Montenegro. Jovan Plamenac memorial? Jovan S. Plamenac

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Behind the monastery at Cetinje is this memorial of a man tied and apparently killed by firing squad. We think we have found his identity, finally, through Wikipedia, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jovan_Plamenac/

See his biography at Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Princedom of Montenegro, Serb Land of Montenegro, History of Montenegro OnLine, at http://www.njegos.org/past/ministers.htm

Spellings from the Cyrillic alphabet and any foreign language into English produce many variations, so we will continue to look for his history.

This tentative identification has been years coming, and was found in front of our noses - Wikipedia. We were there in 2006.

Why the silence about him, an academic, a humanitarian? There is a splendid array of Cetinje photos in an online gallery at http://www.pbase.com/xerius/cetinje - see all the old embassy buildings - but even there no identification of the man at the stake here.
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This does seem to be, from the background information given, Jovan Plamenac. Click on the photo caption and see the enlarged picture and read the caption in Cyrillic to check for us. Please.
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Rough Biography of Jovan Plamenac, through WWI. We need to continue to WWII
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1873-1944 - Information framework from Wikipedia, to be augmented as we learn more, here vastly condensed, giving gist only:

Montenegrin Serbian,
teacher,
Minister of Education,
Minister of the Interior, involved as such in the Balkan Wars,
berated King Nicholas for leaving the country WWI, 1916,
became Speaker of the Serbian National Assembly, Kingdom of Montenegro,
1918 opposed unification of Serbia with Montenegro,
gathered armed forces to fight, Italian units repelled (here we get mixed with who were allies and who were axis in WWI in the Balkans, Italian as axis),
led the "Christmas Rebellion" at Cetinje against Italian forces, rallied peasants and others,
this time Allies including French defeated them,
guerrilla attacks went on for years,
Plamenac fled to Albania,
Nicholas in exile was critical of the insurgents, but appointed Plamenac to his government (alliances fluid during those times, apparently) in exile,
Plamenac continued to work for independence, against Serbian annexation,
League of Nations no help, none came,
blame for unrest fell on Italians and Plamenac,
Britain no help,
Plamenac wrote Woodrow Wilson,
and this goes on for more than we can learn now - have to go back to the WWII era
ultimately in WWII Plamenac apparently collaborated with the Nazis and was killed by firing squad, by the Allies
have to go back and read all that to see what happened. We are interested here: If the Allies were no help in Montenegrin independence from Serbia, and obtaining Montenegri independence were the life's work of a patriot, wouldn't a patriot go for help to the other side, regardless? Germans/Nazis were all over the Balkans - look at the Ustach government in neighboring Croatia. He was killed for collaborating with the Nazis? The Vatican collaborated also. See Croatian entries, Jasenovac death camp, Cardinal Stepinac, etc.
See Plamenac entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jovan_Plamenac.

Much more to be found out here - independence was achieved in 2006.
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So: patriot, educated, cosmopolitan, sought independence. The Axis Italians beat them back WWI, on the one side: Allied French beat them back when they tried again.
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WWII: Montenegro went with Germany that was occupying at the time in WWII, in this land that has been occupied by at least 8 nations in the last 1000 years, always occupied it; and the Allies kill him for collaborating.
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There has to be more sense than that. Hold on.

Cetinje - Monastery and caves.

2009-01-03T16:40:00.001-05:00

Cetinje, Old Mountain Capitol, 1400's;
Elegant, 1700's rebuilt
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Cetinje Monastery

Cetinje, Mongenegro, Monastery, Orthodox

Note the wheelchair for one of the worshippers, a young girl at services inside. Cetinje: To pronounce it, say the first C as a "ts." Say the J as a "y."
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This is the old capital of Montenegro, with its historic monastery founded in 1484, rebuilt 1785. See http://www.montenegro.org/mon_cet.
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Behind it are cave-cliff areas, with the memorial to a person apparently shot by firing squad, that we now think is Jovan Plamenac, WWI and WWII patriot seeking independence for Montenegro, see post at Montenegro Road Ways, Jovan Simonov Plamenac.
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Shrines and caves are all around, and with young men coming and going in clusters, heads together. Was this because there was a vote coming up for independence or not, and people were being cautious in what they said around others. Also clusters of older men in overcoats, at the hotel and elsewhere, equally intent.
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The monastery has had a variety of uses, while remaining a church. It housed the first schools, and once housed the manufacture of zinc cannon balls. See www.montenegro.org/mon_cet.
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The area is rocky "karst" and the cliffs are riddled with tunnels and caves. Anyone hiding would be nearly impossible to find. See landscape photo at http://www.visit-montenegro.org/english/kultura/msv_petar.
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The monastery there is one of the oldest and most revered in Montenegro. Symbolic. See www.cetinje.cg.yu/engleski/istorija/cetinjski_man. People carried a young girl from the wheelchair there, into the service.
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Religious rivalry. Christians East and West.

This has been intense between the Orthodox Christians and the Roman Catholic Christians has been part of the landscape for over a thousand years. At least.
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There was a tragic culmination of it in the treatment of Orthodox in the Nazi era concentration camp at Jasenovac in Croatia, say the Orthodox, where Orthodox were killed while priests stood by, merely offering to convert the condemned to Catholicism before they were killed. Unrest by many who want to bring that issue into the open. See www.serbianna.com/columns/savich/063. See also Croatia Road Ways post: Jasenovac.
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Roots of people's divisions - subterranean, bursting. Who to believe. Each believes self.
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Attending the Orthodox service:
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Stand in the back for a 10AM chanted service. People came and went during it. We stayed for nearly an hour. More about the monastery at http://www.barakatravel.com/?action=galeria&galeriaId=36. Many young men were there, and entire families, and this was on a non-holiday weekday. Many of the young men gathered behind, at the memorial.
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The wheelchair: the monastery bells rang for the morning service, and a young girl, perhaps with cerebral palsy, was carried-helpwalked to it. There is her wheelchair. The church was full, but many people came and went, some stayed as we did. Standing. Relics are here, in the museum attached, with many guards.

Cetinje, Montenegro, Orthodox Monastery facade

Read the history of the monastery at http://forum.verujem.org/index.php?topic=8068.0/ This presents its story from the point of view of piety, tradition, the meaning of the place and its suffering.

Few websites convey the religious depth of a monastery like this one. Take time to read this one. It sounds like one of the monks wrote it. Salute the reverence, the relics. Live the razing by the Turks, the rebuilding, the importance of foundations.
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The monastery is the center of the universe for the monk, is written. It is Serbian Orthodox, and many Russian pilgrims come. See http://www.spc.rs/Vesti-2006/06/05-06-06-e.html/ In what ways do the various Orthodox churches differ? Need to find out.
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The religious divisions in Montenegro show a strong majority of Orthodox: There are 74% Orthodox, 18% Muslim, 3.5% Roman Catholic, see US Embassy Religious Freedom Report 2008 at http://podgorica.usembassy.gov/religious_report_2008.html/
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Behind the monastery is this shrine, a martyr from a modern war, we think Jovan Plamenac. His life extended from WWI, WWII. He was killed by the French. There are fresh flowers, always the young men moving about. We kept at a distance. Other sites focus on the struggle for survival over the centuries, wars. See http://www.yuta.rs/en/TRAVELGUIDE/MontenegroM.asp/
The area is full of caves, for living, hiding, munitions.
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Cetinje, Montenegro, cave area, behind monastery

This also would be an excellent geo-tourism site because of the geological sites and attractions, as we also suggest for Kotor Bay. See book "Geotourism" by Ross Dowling at this site: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/bookdescription.cws_home/706060/description#description.

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Montenegro is now independent, as of 6/06.
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Centuries of struggle here, and in all the Western Balkans. The area has been a crossroads for monolithic and violent movements in religion, empire, and just plain greed-treachery. Hard to put it all together; but clearly the mountainous terrain made foreign settlement difficult. See http:////www.cetinje.cg.yu/engleski/istorija/istorija for History of Cetinje.
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Can someone translate the shrine and email us so we can double check our identification as Plamenac?

Velika Plaza, Beach (Long Beach). Mountains, Resorts.

2009-01-01T09:56:00.001-05:00

.Velika Plaza

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The Financial Times, through James Owen, cites Velika Plaza as a flawless pearl, Financial Times, April 26-27, 2008. Can it survive, can its spectacles of its coast and mountains, largely uninhabited, survive the coming tourism.
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1. Velika Plaza - There are apparently great waves here, at this The Adriatic Riviera. The area was heavily influenced by the Venetians, and little walled cities sprang up.

Fair use thumbnail:

This from http://www.viajes.es/europa/serbia

2. Ada Bojana - This is an island where the Bojana River enters the Adriatic Sea. This thumbnail is from http://www.seebiz.eu/en/corporate/tourism/croatian-deep-blue-among-the-candidates-for-ada-bojana,12318.html/

3. Ulcinj - a small city not far from the beach, and we see that a water taxi is available

So much of Montenegro that we saw consisted of its fabulous mountains and fjords, that we thought this shoreline should also be mentioned. Even the fort at the walled city of Budva is rocky. The roads inland are fine, we found, and we do not mind long stretches of just the views, but others may want some other sights. Is there still nudity at a German-favored vacation spot at Velike?

4. Island of Sveti Stefan - village turned into one big resort. It is owned by Aman Resorts Group. Russian investors are all over. Big villas on the shore.

5. Zabljak - Tito and his partisans were active in this area in World War II, and it is now a small ski resort. The water supply is limited to 8 hours a day, but the scenery is beautiful.

History sites - History of Central Europe. Grounding.

2007-09-08T17:49:00.004-04:00

Grounding Yourself. Cetinje - Old Capitol

How to Find Your Way in Unfamiliar Areas - The Balkans

Cetinje Monastery, Montenegro, signpost at exterior

Finding your way. Here, signpost in Cetinje - We were glad to see on this signpost, outside a venerable monastery, the directions to the Louvre and the Vatikan, complete with kilo-mileage.

1. The old Yugoslavia.

History for this region is a complex matter of boundaries, and inclusions in larger entities, then those entities falling apart.

To organize your own thinking about Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, and more, go to //mysite.du.edu/~etuttle/misc/europe.htm#Mong. Go to the section labeled "Yugoslavia," the old name for several countries united, now separate.

2. Also read the 1905 book, now a Google book, "The Burden of the Balkans,"

This is by M. Edith Durham. M for Mary. Do a search for the book title and look for the google, because this address is long: //books.google.com/books?id=xBgCAAAAYAAJ&dq=burden+of+the+balkans&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=jGupLav4rc&sig=ODOQwqAjCVdIvFsELGJSl6ykgBI

3. The saw. Reading technique for too-thick paperbacks.

This little saw from a Victorian-Edwardian hatpin, see Hatpins Collection Tour, Simonds Saw, relevant because Cetinje in particular was thriving during those years.

Hatpin, Victorian, Edwardian, for the big hats, saw

For this particular saw, see Immediately slice into sections with your kitchen carving knife, "Black Lamb, and Grey Falcon: A Journey Through Yugoslavia," by Rebecca West, published 1941, in full as a Google Book at books.google.com(over a thousand pages) or start with enotes at www.enotes.com/black-lamb/.

The paperback is unmanageably thick. The margins get lost as you bend, bend to try to read.

Take the countries or areas that you will be seeing, and saw them off and carry separately. As you reach an area, pull out the more manageable paperback bit.

Montenegro finally getting travel news headlines. Travel Market.

2007-07-30T11:53:00.004-04:00

The Wisdom of Russia in Investing.
Travel Market.

Montenegro's Recreational, Ski, Travel Destination/Resources
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Our US interest in footholds for our markets: We go too fast for military advantage. Foreign policy may be a side effect of investment in travel and recreation - but look at what we are missing in Montenegro. Business opportunities flying past us.

We understand that Russia and other countries are buying up whatever they can in Montenegro for the travel market. And with good reason.

Montenegro, Kotor Bay

See the New York Times, Sunday, July 22, 2007 - "Montenegro, An Adriatic Stretch is Awaiting Its Riviera Moment," by Clay Risen. A fitting tribute to a jewel. The country is between Croatia and Albania on the Adriatic Coast; and to the south west of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the southeast of Serbia. It is now on the euro, making travel easier, and prices are still excellent compared to Croatia and its tourist-filled Dubrovnik.

Apparently Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor visited here - is that an endorsement? Yes. The article summarizes Budva, with its Venetian fort, and the resort of Sveti Stefan, on an island with a causeway, Boka Kotorska, the Bay of Kotor, and Perast, all the topics of posts here. New information - Perast had a fine nautical academy where Peter the Great studied; and the islands were the meeting place for towns to work out disputes.

Casino Royale and maybe one Montenegro Backdrop

2007-01-04T18:53:00.002-05:00

Hollywood at the Bay of Kotor?

Casino Royale Film

There are scenes toward the end of Casino Royale that could well be the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro, and not Lake Como in Italy at all. But it has been too long since I was at Lake Como in Italy to be sure, and the screen credits only show Lake Como.

Lake Como also has high mountains around. One thing clear - James Bond 007 was not in Montenegro except for perhaps a backdrop (see our home page for the bay, and the monasteries on the islands). The screen credits show only Italy and the Czech Republic, appropriately.

So, go to Montenegro.

More blogs about Montenegro Road Ways.

Skiing in Montenegro - Durmitor National Park

2007-01-03T17:33:00.003-05:00

Skiing, Durmitor National Park, Montenegro

Durmitor, National Park, Montenegro

In the distance is the mountain range that offers superb skiing we hear. We did not go up to these alpine-like areas, because spring roads can be in poor shape with the snow melt and we were short on time, but sports enthusiasts will want to look up www.adriatic-tour.com/en/ski_resorts, and especially Durmitor National Park. See www.durmitorcg.com/jezera_eng.php.

Montenegro map, Budva road choice

2007-01-03T15:37:00.006-05:00

Budva or Vertical Mountain Road
Choose Budva If On Your Own

Choosing the longer route, reluctantly. It is easy to take a junket from Dubrovnik, Croatia, to see this beautiful neighboring country. See map at www.jazztour.ru/images/montenegro/montenegro_map_new. Spend a night Cavtat, Croatia; then drive on around Bay of Kotor to Kotor itself.

You can see some of the old curtain walls going up the mountainside, additional defense. Also, note the palm trees in Kotor. Unexpected, but we understand the bowl formed by the mountains moderates the climate. Is that so?

Kotor, Montenegro, Mountains

Then look again at the surroundings, and the map to find Cetinje, the next stop.

We had two choices after Kotor:

a) the vertical snaking-looking road up through mountains to Cetinje, the old capital. Or,

b) the conservative and coastal road to old beachy Budva first, with the castle, then on more of a level road around to Cetinje.

There is a time for even the Car-Dan Tour Company to be Conservative. Reluctantly. Geography rules. So we went the long way, the scenic old Budva walled city way.

And, looking at the maps, no wonder the Montenegrins moved their capital down from Cetinje in the high karst mountains, to the levels at Podgorice, on the level road way to Cetinje.

Looks very industrial, lots of smokestacks. Accessible. But the new capital over there can have none of the patina, the faded grande dame mystique of Cetinje.

Just business. Next trip, maybe, up we go, over the top, very slowly.

Budva - Where Zeus captured Europa

2007-01-03T13:14:00.002-05:00

Budva, Montenegro - A Place of Myth
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This is where the god Zeus captured the lovely Europa. Its mythological roots run deep. See http://www.montenegro.com/en/Little_tourist_guide_-_The_Old_Town_-_Budva.

Archeological people say that the town was settled, with records and all, in the 4th Century. It has a readily identifiable rock formation, the Island of St. Nikola. It helps to do an Images search if a photo in your own camera is unclear when you get back. Looking up those third-party photos is the best way to check which picture of a walled city is which.

For Budva, see also www.photo-montenegro.com/home, and navigate about. The rock formations are the identification for sure.

Budva, Montenegro. View from castle to sea.

Budva is a fine walled city, with impressive rocks to dash invaders.

It shows how dangerous many of the harbors were, and why walled cities on peninsulas were effective defenses. Little chance to hover about and think. Do see this overview gallery - www.pbase.com/bauer/montenegrohref.

Here is an etching of the town map in 1615. At historic-cities.huji.ac.il/montenegro/budva/maps/beauvau_1615_budva_b.j etching. Numbers 3 and 4 on the map look like Kotor and Bay of Kotor, from the location, not the spelling, and number 2 could be Cetinje, but I am not sure. Walls and battlements.

Ostrog - The Monastery Built Into the High Cliff

2007-01-02T13:09:00.002-05:00

Ostrog Monastery

Ostrog Monastery, Cliff top, Montenegro

This cliff-top monastery was built in the 17th Century as a refuge from the invading Turks and at an altitude that seems impossible. It is set into the mountain itself, a cave. There are two church areas, upper and lower. See ://www.destination-montenegro.com/tours-ostrog.htm/ The lower church was built in the 18th Century. See ://www.wayfaring.info/2009/08/12/discover-montenegro-ostrog-monastery/ The relics of St. Vasilije, who built the monastery, are at Ostrog here.

For an overview, see www.barakatravel.com/ and go on to these further identifications for that site if helpful - ?action=galeria&galeriaId=37.

The road snakes up and up, and buses can only go so far. Then walk.

With a car, creep around each bend.

Ostrog Monastery facade, Montenegro, cliff top

At the base, is a good restaurant (I think it was the only restaurant). Ask the waiter for something the waiter would order if his mother were there. Great approach always. What would your mother cook? Order local dishes.

Be sure to take the left fork up to the monastery. The right fork takes you deeper in the valley. We enjoyed the junket but then were pushed for time getting back.

A white-knuckler but the road is quite good - watch the heights, and lack of guardrails. For the nervous, stop midway up and walk the rest of the way. More details atwww.montenegro.org/mon_ost.

Cetinje, 500-year capital (until move to Podgorica)

2007-01-02T06:22:00.004-05:00

Cetinje: Former Capital

Old Ruler Ivan Crnojevic, Hotel Grand

Cetinje, Ivan Crnojevic Statue, Monastery, Montenegro (Orthodox)

Here is Ivan Crnojevic, in the courtyard of the monastery at Cetinje.

He ruled 1465-1490, took on the Turks as well as the Venetians, and ultimately moved his capital here, to the now Cetinje.

This site says that marked the beginning of a more national consciousness for the Montenegrins. See more on Ivan Crnojevic at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeta_%28state%29. Good for Wikipedia.

Cetinje, President's House, Montenegro

Cetinje was the capital for 500 years - with buildings showing many periods and styles, and many in disrepair after the move of the capital to Podgorica, a more accessible location. Cetinje is high in the mountains.

Here is the President's house. This would make a fine capital again.

Cetinje, Grand Hotel, Montenegro

This is the Grand Hotel, and I believe it is the only hotel. We saw no others. See www.cetinje.cg.yu/engleski/turizam/grand.

If there had been no hotel at all, we would have headed for one of the many schools' dorms to try to get a room, or introduced ourselves to the local police and slept in the car behind the police station.

That is the game plan, never had to use it. The area values education highly, and many of the old embassies from the glory days are schools. Before 1918, this was a political and educational hub. See www.montenegro.org/cetinje.

Choice to go on to the next town? Not up here. Rule: Avoid unfamiliar or any mountains after sunset. See www.cetinje.cg.yu/engleski/turizam/turizam. That site has links to the area's history, economy, attractions also. Wander there.

The hotel. Hotel Grand. This was built in 1984, see ://hotel-grand.tripod.com/It really looked like we were the hotel's only tourist visitors. There were clumps of men in suits, always in corners, talking. Secrecy. This was the month before the independence vote. Connection?

The heat arrived, everyone courteous, no inconvenience at all. The concierge had someone bring us in a heater, and the hot water came on by morning, so we were fine. Any big place has to conserve on utilities, and the food was good and the staff helpful. No complaints at all. It is reasonably kept up.

See the new government forming at www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aQdBXJG9o5XY&refer=europe/ Montenegro New Prime Minister. Tensions were obvious when we were there May 2006, with a waiter telling us he could not really talk, groups hovering about, and so we took our photos quietly. The smooth transition in the news is welcome news.

Another fine photo gallery for Cetinje - see ://www.montenegro.com/phototrips/central/Cetinje,_the_old_capital.html/

Cetinje - Guides: Kids Anywhere

2007-01-02T00:06:00.003-05:00

Soccer and Logo Clothing

Cetinje, Montenegro, schoolboys

Our thanks to these fine gentlemen who stopped their soccer to give us some tips on the town and where the hotel was. Soccer news at www.einnews.com/serbiamontenegro/newsfeed-serbia-montenegro-soccer.

As I recall, each fellow has on an American logo shirt.

They also showed us the bunkers they had built (their words). These were cardboard constructs, and then one up a tree, like we do.

The difference is, their experience is direct. War has been in their back yard.

They knew good English, especially the scholar in the Gap shirt. I wrote the school administrator to find their addresses and send each of them this picture, and the US consulate, but no response.

Children - soccer is everywhere. Read more soccer news. With independence, Montenegro and Serbia probably will no longer share the same team. See www.topix.net/soccer-fifa/serbia-and-montenegro.

Expect the exotic and find just fine regular people. Same the world over.

Flag. If I were teaching with those boys in the class, I think they would like this website, for flags of the world, because they were so proud of their beautiful city. Go to www.allstates-flag.com/fotw/flags/cs-cg..

"I hope you like our beautiful city," said one boy as we left. The city is no longer beautiful in the way we think, because it is badly in need of repair, everywhere. But it is beautiful in what it evokes, and the treasure it clearly remains for Montenegrins.

Mountains and Six Checkpoints, Ostrog area to Dubrovnik; Cyrillic and insurance

2007-01-01T20:02:00.003-05:00

Views. What Can We Say.

Montenegro, mountain views

Magnificent views. Breathtaking. And we didn't even get to the high mountain ski areas.

We alternated high enough mountain areas with vistas of glacial plains below, and six border checkpoints: Montenegro to Serbia to Bosnia to Croatia. We had a basic map, but no real directions, and did fine. Just keep going down. There are few choices in the higher reaches.

Montenegro, mountain views

Illegible road signs in Cyrillic.

The biggest problem driving back to Croatia from Montenegro was in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where the Cyrillic alphabet suddenly was the only choice. We couldn't tell what was what. So you pick a sign somewhere and go.

We had wanted the town by-pass but ended in the middle of it - enjoyed that as well, but difficult finding our way out. Maybe you luck out, maybe you don't.

Documentation. Be meticulous and careful to have it ready. At one checkpoint, the guard looked at us and our wet laundry spread over the back seat and just waved us on. We were obviously hopeless. Other guards at other checkpoints went into the trunk, looked all around, and asked many questions.

Car insurance. Be sure to tell your rental car company when you rent that you are going into the specific countries you plan to see. They will write that on the insurance, and without it, you may be turned back.

Border patrols will ask to see the insurance.

Itinerary After The Fact - Montenegro, Looking Back

2006-12-20T13:02:00.002-05:00

Montenegro was part of a Western Balkans drive - that also included Slovenia, Croatia, and parts of Bosnia. We passed through part of Serbia.

For Montenegro, we started at Dubrovnik, south to Cavtat, Croatia; then in Montenegro: Zelenika and Kamentari, going around the large fjord: Risan and Perasi, then Kotor, the destination. Rather than take the supposedly vertical S-curve route up to the old capital of Cetinje, we went around the coast to Budva; and north to Cetinje. From Cetinje, to the old cliff monastery at Ostrog (impossibly high, and set in the cliff itself), then cross-country and down through mountains through Bosnia and part of Serbia to Croatia. Six checkpoints in one day.

Links, posts, archives

2006-12-15T16:46:00.001-05:00

We do not link directly to third-party sites because of concerns for copyright, see www.bitlaw.com.

Copyright is falling into the Midas Syndrome - everybody so busy turning everything into their exclusive property, like Midas. Find a retelling at www.mythweb.com/teachers/why/basics/midas. He turned everything he touched into gold, until finally he had nothing to eat. Even the fries gilded.

So go we.

Posts: In the chronological order of the trip, from arrival to departure, not according to actual date posted here. So visit any archives - they complete the trip.

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Fish stews, and other Montenegro recipes

2006-06-09T13:07:00.000-04:00

Try these. Fish stews: www.visit-montenegro.org/english/wine/recepti. Other Balkan area recipes: www.europeancuisines.com/The_Balkans. For uses of vegeta, a particular seasoning, see posts at Croatia Road Ways.