Fivestars for drama in magnificent Montenegro
MONTENEGRO’S national anthem is a sturdy Slavic song that praises ‘Mother Montenegro’ and says ‘we love you, the rocky hills and your awesome gorges’.
Flying into tiny Tivat airport, you can see what inspired the words. The surrounding Montenegrin countryside has bare peaks and plunging descents. The teeming Budva Riviera crouches on a narrow strip of land below mountains.
Sandwiched between Croatia and Albania, Montenegro may sound a budget alternative for families seeking clear, warm Adriatic seawater; but it’s more interesting than that. This is a country which declared its independence in a 2006 referendum — and only by a whisker.
For much of the second half of the 20th century, Montenegro was part of communist Yugoslavia, and even though it has applied to join the EU and uses the euro, on the streets, you’re more likely to hear Russian than English.
We were billeted at fourbedroom Villa Tia, with magic sea views. The house was modern and well-equipped with a lush garden and large new pool, which we suspected we might not use much, being so close to several beaches.
But laziness soon kicked in. Another idle day soaking up the hot sunshine plus the duty-free gin? Ahhh yes.
Beaches tend to be pebble rather than sand. Most of them offer five- euro-a- day recliners and umbrellas cover nearly every inch of the shore. They will be blissfully quiet now.
Much of Montenegro’s Adriatic coast has been developed. Bays which must have been idyllic 20 years ago are now pockmarked by hotels, some of them horrors.
Yet you can still find coastal tranquillity. Ulcinj, with its white-washed mosques and a high fortress old-town where you can have a drink overlooking the harbour, is well worth a visit.
A mosque sits cheek by jowl with a beach, the imam’s call to prayer being broadcast to holidaymakers in swimming costumes. We also hired a car and went exploring over the mountains. Driving for miles along the shores of Skadar, southern Europe’s largest lake, we barely encountered a soul.
In the distance shimmered smokily purple mountains, this time Albanian. You get a striking sense of the size and wilderness of southern Europe.
The lakeside village of Virpazar offered boat trips amid the water lilies and bird life. We were also enchanted by the old royal capital of Cetinje, with a treeshaded central boulevard and local restaurant where four of us had grilled meats, cabbage salad and beer, all for 20 euros (£18). The concept of slimming does not seem to have reached Montenegro: helpings are vast.
Drama arrived one night when a forest fire took hold near our villa and we had to be evacuated. The flames came within 400 yards of our verandah, but eventually the local fire brigade — tremendously leathery chaps — managed to extinguish the blaze before our lilos melted.
We were looked after superbly by the travel firm during that crisis. Later that week, the fire reignited at the very top of the mountain, creating the illusion of a crown of flames on the summit. Memorable Montenegro is rocky and awesome, indeed.