I’ve ever tried (may Njeguški forgive him), steppe jackals, strawberry tree shrubs, the fruit which is used to make brandy, but you must only drink a little... We don’t need to present Luštica to Bel- graders too much, because Krašići has always been among their favourite seaside desti- nations, with its preserved atmosphere of a small shing village, or, the Fisherman’s Vil- lage [Ribarsko selo], a place where you could forget about every life, past and future, such is the peace and beauty there. Žanjica Beach is a special story in itself, nestled away and clean, with views of the open sea and the little islands that preserve many secrets and leg- endary stories. But also caves like the Blue Cave, which you must enter to dive into the blueness and the depths. And even the lux- urious hotels of Luštica Bay, which oer all possible comfort, have preserved and cap- tured the essence of this peninsula – seren- ity and beauty.
W here you will go after landing at Tivat Airport depends only on what you like. Budva is the craziest, those wanting to rave until dawn head there, those who don’t mind crowds and who agree completely with the lyrics of the song that claims – the sea is good times. So, you turn left. If you are for a more peace- ful, cultural and elegant version of Montene- gro, then you will turn right after landing, in the direction of the Bay of Kotor and all its gems – from Kotor, via Perast, to Herceg Novi. But if you would like a bit of everything, to enjoy in pristine nature and the luxury of the best ho- tels, and for nobody to tread on your toes and jump on your head, then you do not have to go much further than Tivat. This fusion here is referred to simplicity as - tivting.
Tivatska rivijera je fantastičan spoj spokoja i lepote The Tivat Riviera is a fantastic blend of tranquility and beauty
discovered one hero for the rst time. In fact, Hero with a big H. Born in 1968, created to serve theneedsoftheYugoslavNavy,todayhestands as a monument to the former level of develop- ment of this area, and which we are light years away from today. The Hero is a submarine that has been turned into a museum exhibit and is located opposite the swimming pool in Porto Montenegro, because that was once the site of a platform on which submarines were ex- tracted for dry-dock overhaul. Dražen Jovanović, curator of the mari- time museum, says that Yugoslavia was one of only around a dozen countries in the world that could build submarines independently. This one of ours was assembled in Split, but its construction included all the giant enter- prises, from Triglav to Đevđelija, that disap- peared along with Yugoslavia. Tivat was al- ways the place where all submarines came for repair and restoration, and the rst – called Nebojša and Hrabri – arrived here in 1928. Ne- bojša had a turbulent history, survived World War II ghting on the side of the Allies and re- turned home, only to end up – when he was already too old – as scrap iron. That same sad fate awaits almost all ships, including subma- rines, but some – like Heroj or his peer Do- ti, with whom he competed around the seas during the time of his peak strength – end up as museum exhibits. Doti is in Milan, and Heroj is in Tivat, as the last Mohican of the Yu- goslav eet, a guardian of tradition and a re- minder of glory.
MIRACULOUS ICON
We found one island opposite Žanjice Beach quite by accident, while sailing past it by boat. Alongside Arza fortress, east of the island of Mamula, is the little islet of Our Lady of the Rock, or Vavedenje, measuring only 700 square metres, which will forever remain etched in my memory. And that’s be- cause of Brother Goran, who has been liv- ing alone there for six years, guarding one little church and praying to God there, but happily receiving every visitor. He tells us about the miraculous 12 th century icon of the Mother of God from Holy Mount Athos, which was taken from the island in the 15 th century by Venetians, but which returned there twice of its own accord. Until they - nally took it to a Catholic monastery and demolished the church on the island, so it wouldn’t have anywhere to return. The church was rebuilt in the 18 th century, but it didn’t come to life again until the year 2000, which is when service, life and prayers re- turned to this place. “This is a speci c place. There is nobody here in winter, there often isn’t even electric- ity, and waves ood the island, but for me it’s good; I pray and don’t feel like I’m alone, because the Lord is always with me. He re- turns love to me that I don’t even deserve, and that’s why I’m not lonely. Although I have the company of Paja the seagull and his family – his wife is called Lepa. They come constant- ly and eat out of my hand, but people also come, passing this way, I cheer them up, but also rejoice when I’m left alone to pray,”says Brother Goran, who brought us into the small church and recited the Lord’s Prayer with us, wishing us happiness, health and to go with God. But also to come back.
LUXURY IN FLIP FLOPS
Still, those who are slightly older remem- ber thatTivatwasoncethelastplaceyou would choose to spend your summer holiday in Mon- tenegro. And then it experienced a miracu- lous transformation and converted itself from a dormant seaside town, dependent on seafar- ing,shipbuildingandthearmy,intoanelite,high- class nautical tourism destination. Porto Mon- tenegro, a small town designed in the Venetian style that quickly became the most attractive marina on the Adriatic, is just the start of this sto- ry of luxury, because ever more ve-star hotels are opening. However, what makes Porto Mon- tenegro unique is the fact that everyone is wel- come there, and not just those who have paid for accommodation or bought an apartment. This marina may be luxurious, but the atmos- phere is relaxed and unburdened, as illustrat- ed by the fact that the prices of cafes and res- taurants are the same as anywhere else in Tivat.
ALL THE BEAUTY OF LUŠTICA
When impressions of the urban part of Ti- vat and memories of the famous days of the Yugoslav navy settle, perhaps it’s then best to sample the other elements that the Tivat Rivi- era has to oer – nature, a tranquil and clean sea, olive groves and owers. And all this on the Luštica peninsula that’s famous for many pirates stories, but also endless olive groves, fa- mous cheese in olive oil, cured ham – the best
THE LAST MOHICAN
I had the opportunity to enjoy the charms of this city within the city before, but I recently
| 85
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator