Reviews
A welcome in the Balkans
Sally Taylor visits Montenegro and Croatia and discovers a region eager to cash in on a tourism bonanza
NIGH on 40 years ago I did a
parachute jump, in the days
when women didn't, and
made big news. Round
about the same time I took
part in a gruelling winter airbed race
down a Scottish river and across a loch
near Glencoe. A little while later, I spent
three days on a local bus, admittedly terrified,
travelling up into the Himalayan
foothills.
Life was a breeze, I was young.
Now I am not so, but life can still be
fun; it just comes packaged a little differently.
I have just spent my third trip
abroad courtesy of Saga Holidays, who
specialise in looking after the over 50s. I
sense young lips curling and, at 58, still
consider myself a tad young for Saga
(most of their travellers definitely have
a look of the over 60s). But I can't deny
that creeping up on me is an appreciation
of the comfort zone.
This was apparent as we drove into the
stunning Montenegrin mountains -
where wolves are enough of a menace
to have a 100 euro price tag on their head
- up a hairy pass to the Lovcen National
Park. The road, with its 30 hairpin
bends, was carved up the mountain in
the early 1900s with no thought for the
wheelbase of the 52-seaters that Saga
takes up there. So it's good to feel in experienced
hands.
We were day-tripping during a twocentre
Saga holiday to Montenegro and
Croatia, two of the six countries created
after the Balkan Wars of the 1990s fragmented
the former Yugoslavia.
Montenegro is Italian for Black Mountain,
named after the expanses of black
pine that once covered the hinterland...
and that's where we were. After a photo
stop for a bird's eye view of the Bay of
Kotor - which boasts a place in the 30th
best fjords in the world - we drove up to
Njegusi, famed as the birthplace of the
nation's Petrovic dynasty and also for its
smoked ham and cheese and honey
wine.
Peasant food rules supreme in Montenegro,
whether it's the fish specialities
down on the coast or the lamb in the
hills. Stews are served with potatoes
baked under charcoal, lamb is slow
roasted and beef is eaten as veal, the
harsh land offering little chance for
calves to be fattened to maturity. Centuries
of traders and invaders have introduced
a melting pot of customs that
influence food as much as architecture
and language. Thus the native coffee resembles
Turkish, but a milky brew is
readily understood.
We drove on to the old royal capital of
Cetinje, for centuries a majestic cultural
and spiritual centre. It now looks a little
forlorn. It has lost it capital city status
to Podgorica and its white goods
factories to a depression.
Montenegro is a small country with
big ideas, mainly based on tourism. One
is a new highway into the mountains
that, the locals boast, will enable visitors
to swim in the sea and, in under three
hours, be skiing in the mountains. The
country has been tipped in the trade as
one of the fastest growing European
tourist destinations in the next decade,
and and an injection of tourist cash can't
come too soon for Cetinje.
And they are fond of English visitors.
In a bar there we met young men happy
to chat - English is a compulsory subject
at school. One of their proudest talking
points was being among the 50,000
watching The Rolling Stones' concert
just down the road on Jaz beach, near
Budva, last July.
We stayed at the Hotel Montenegro at
Becici, a purpose-built resort about two
kilometres from the ancient town of
Budva. The hotel has lovely grounds, is
right on the beach and Saga guests have
their own lounge with a free bar open 12
hours a day (the likes of which, presumably
spawned the Saga louts jibe).
There's nightly entertainment, dancing
and, if you want, bingo laid on in a room
close by.
Budva, founded 2,500 years ago, is one
of the oldest settlements on the Adriatic
coast. It has a history peppered with
rulers from Greeks to Romans, Venetians,
Austrians, Russians and French.
It was annexed to Italy in 1941, lost many
lives in the fight against fascism and was
liberated from Nazi rule in 1944. After belonging
to Yugoslavia for a second time
in its history, it is now part of Montenegro.
An earthquake struck in 1979 and
much of the old town was destroyed, but
there is little evidence of that now with
almost all the beautiful buildings restored
to their original form.
On the way to Cavtat, in Croatia, our
base or the second part of the stay we
stopped on the shores of Kotor Fjord, a
Unesco-protected site with mountains
seemingly tipping into the bay. At Perast
the stars of the show are two charming
islands (Montenegro only has six, compared
to Croatia's thousands). One is St
George island, and the other Our Lady
of the Rock, the only artificially built island
in the Adriatic, constructed by two
Venetian sailors who found a picture of
the Virgin Mary there in 1452.
The town of Kotor itself is gem, a
World Heritage site with an amazing
fortress cut into the limestone hills and
what is described as the oldest cathedral
in Europe. But, like at Budva, earthquakes
have taken their toll and buildings
have had to be painstakingly
recreated.
On then to Croatia, with Dubrovnik
sitting in the crystal clear waters, its
ramparts encircling the old town. Another
Unesco World Heritage site, it is
simply magnificent. There's grandeur
and beauty, but also sorrow. One of the
most moving museums is a simple
memorial dedicated to those who lost
their lives in the most recent conflict.
In 1991 the historic city centre suffered
months of bombardment during the
Serbo-Croat conflict. More than half the
old town took hits, the rebuilding cost
millions. But it is done, the shiny red
roofs among the clues to the restoration.
Saga, one of the earliest tour operators
in Yugoslavia more than 50 years ago,
was the first back into Croatia after the
war, its staff and clients raising thousands
for an orphanage and buying vital
medical equipment for a hospital in
Dubrovnik. It's difficult on a whistlestop
tour to get a real sense of whether
the local welcome is genuine or simply a
matter of business. But one thing is for
sure - Croatians are more likely just now
to stretch out the hand of friendship to
visiting Brits than to their neighbours
just over the border.
TRAVEL FACTS
Saga Holidays' seven-night stay at
the Hotel Montenegro, Becici,
Montenegro, costs from £558 per
person, based on an October
departure flying from Manchester
to Dubrovnik.
The price includes full board,
insurance and cancellation cover,
return flights, airport taxes, fees
and charges, local wine and water
with lunch and dinner and a free
bar open 12 hours a day. There is a
welcome drink, cocktail party and
Saga dinner, live entertainment
four nights a week.
Seven-night holidays include two
excursions - to Sveti Stefan and
Budva; on holidays of 14 nights or
longer trips to Kotor and Ulcinj
are included. Optional excursions
include a full day in Dubrovnik,
Croatia.
There are no single room
supplements, subject to
availability.
Seven nights in the Montenegrin
Mountains can be added from
£249 for half board.
Contact Saga Holidays free on
0800-056-5880 or visit
saga.co.uk/travelshop
Saga holidays are only available
direct and not through travel
agents.
9:23am Saturday 22nd March 2008
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