Montenegro

     Montenegro

1.        Some stuff about me and why did I start doing this

 

       My name is Vuk. I’m fifteen and I come from Montenegro (small country on the Balkan Peninsula) I currently live in Norway and I just got the idea that I could present my country and the countries around mine to people all around the world.

       I will mainly be concentrating on the countries of former Yugoslavia but I might talk about the surrounding countries too. The people who never came here, never experienced the Balkan culture and they created lots of stereotypes about the rumours that they have heard.

        Things you don’t need to know: Montenegro is a small country with about 700.000 people living in it. It covers an area of 13.814 km² and it is divided in 23 townships.

2.          PEOPLE

What is interesting about Montenegro is that there is a large variety of ethnic groups, but there have never been any major conflicts between them. People say that you are not a Montenegrin unless you have at least one best friend that Muslim, catholic Christian or any other faith (I’m orthodox Christian, by the way) and vice versa. Just from that one fact, you can say that the people are quite friendly. Of course, like in every other country there are all kinds of people, but when you come to visit there is a very low possibility of someone hating you just because. Generally people from Balkans try to show themselves in the best possible way, and they are always very curious about foreigners and their way of life (especially if you are from America, most people are not familiar with western countries so you will hear a lot of questions). If you manage to make some friends you will stay in touch for quite a while.

3.           NATURE

      

      There are a lot of places to visit in Montenegro. If you stay In Podgorica, since it is basically in the centre of Montenegro For example there are 5 national parks and the most you will need to drive is about 3h 30min (to the furthest national park). You would be able to see most of them in a day or two but the best way is one day = one park J. That’s how you will see most of the nature and enjoy all the park has to offer, and you won’t be spending much money either. Montenegro is a relatively cheap country. I’m getting of the theme here…. If you come to Montenegro during the summer I recommend staying away from Podgorica, it is a good place to be; because everything is close, but the heat will make you run away (the temperatures reach over 40°C). The most beautiful national park is “Biogradska gora” (this is just my personal opinion). It has a lake in the middle and you can rent a boat and snap some good photos. Also you need to buy some mosquito repellent cream or spray it will really help no matter where you are, you can find those in any pharmacies that you stumble upon.  There are also a couple adventure parks where you can test your strength and have your dose of fun and adrenaline. You can find most of those adventure parks near a national park; I have only been in one of them personally. That one is in “Ivanova Korita” near National Park “Lovcen”. 

   If you are not into hiking and mountains than you can go south and see the beautiful beaches Montenegro has to offer. There are lots of nice places; if you are a family than you should visit Ulcinj and “Velika Plaža” (Translation: Great Beach). It is a sand beach that is perfect for sunbathing and the sea level isn’t deep so relax and enjoy because your kids are safe (“Velika plaza” is 12km long). If you are a pair of two than i recommend going to Budva because that is the place where young people go to and it is very popular amongst tourists.

I hope that you will come to visit. There will be more stuff coming out so stay tuned.

Useful sites to see:

1.      http://www.visit-montenegro.com/

2.      https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g635648-Activities-c57-Montenegro.html

3.      http://www.visit-montenegro.com/top-5-places/