DESTINACIJA / DESTINATION
ing that gorge, because deep in the cave, hiding from winter, there still lives a dragon that once only permit- ted the pure of heart to climb to the top. It has remained entombed in the cave to this day, so you can hear him breathing from the bowels of Subra, waiting to one day re-emerge. Another important Orjen drag- on remains to be mentioned, and that’s the one that saved the people by preventing a huge rock from fall- ing on the village. A local wizard had asked him to hold that stone, and the dragon replied by telling him that he would turn it into something that would forever protect the village. So, the dragon transformed into a huge beech tree that holds the rock, expos- ing its claws at the base… Okay, be- lieve it or not… Whatever the case, nature itself has taken care to perform some mir- acles here. So, don't miss out on the Snow Pit at the foot of Subra, where the temperature is never more than a few degrees above zero. While the temperature outside is more than 30 Celsius, you’ll find yourself in snow. The guides will make you a drink from the snow, and will add a lit- tle vodka if you like, so you can enjoy the “dragon's throat” cock- tail. Another incredible story of strength and endurance is told by munika, a unique type of pine that grows out of the rock here, with- out a trace of soil, spending winter in ice and summer without even a drop of water. There are some examples that are more than a 600 years old, while it’s simply impossible to com- prehend how these trees survive and what they live on! Another symbol of Orjen is also here – in the form of the yellow-white iris that grows exclusively here. The old Slavic god Perun, who the less knowledgeable view as a deity who, like some Slavic Thor, fired thunder and lightning to punish all those who lie and steal, lived at the top of the mountain, like Zeus, and sometimes played at throwing down lightning bolts for no apparent reason, with this rare iris sprouting on the spots where the lightning struck. Orjen is also the mountain of love, with na-
ture having carved out hearts in many places of the mountain. Some also emerged as a result of the unfortu- nate love story of the wife of an Aus- tro-Hungarian engineer who fell in love with a local young man. He laid the road, and she would come every day to see him. They knew they would never be together, but the young man nonetheless carved a stone heart in- to a wall filled with stone blocks as a sign of their love. Couples today vis- it that stone to kiss and make their love as strong as that stone. Capti-
experience. I highly recommend that you muster your courage and expe- rience the adrenaline. Our adventure was coming to an end, but isn’t the end always the best? Despite all the wonderful things we’d seen and experienced, I must say - as someone who is a sworn hedonist and connoisseur of everything deli- cious - that the tavern of Bane Pa- likuća was heavenly! Firstly, it was hot outside, while within the tav- ern the air was cool, and that was without air conditioning. He built his tavern around a huge rock that naturally cools the space, installed a 13-metre-long hose and attached at tap to the end that dispenses home- made wine that’s always chilled and fantastic. And in that unbelieva- ble environment, at an altitude of 1,000 metres above sea level, Bane served us his famous Vrban cured ham, pancetta, homemade cheese, but also bread that he had himself kneaded and baked that very morn- ing. He then told us about how he made the prosciutto-style ham, how he peels the bark from beech trees to ensure the smoke is white, how he makes it by hand, without mechan- ical presses or additives, and with so much love and passion... Just meat, smoke, air and time. Yes, the ham ages for two years, but after that it simply melts in the mouth. Literally. But you can’t just drop in at Bane’s place – you have to make a reserva- tion in advance. And I owe my friend from the start of this article at least one din- ner, because this was an incredibly good idea and a great adventure...
vated by legends and wild beauty, we were almost unpre- pared for the next step: far from drag- ons and angry gods, we reached the Vrbanj adventure park, which is lo- cated at 1,100 metres above sea lev- el. Situated in a dense beech forest, on an area of 7,000 square-metres, it also has a 200-metre-long zipline. Obstacles mounted high in the trees, nets and floating stumps both entice and repel me at the same time, and before I was even aware that I’d said “yes”, they’d already attached me to hang from the first tree. I won’t lie, I was calling out for my mum at the top of my lungs, screaming on the zipline, my heart ready to explode, but I ended the ride by releasing a cry of victory. Something like Zagor’s battle cry! All in all, an unforgettable
104 | Crna Gora » Montenegro
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