I have been living in Montenegro for more than 45 years and I have often been thinking about the differences between the Montenegrins – which also refers to my own children and grandchildren who consider themselves Montenegrins – and people from Western Europe, in particular from Holland. Well, I must say that most Montenegrins are […]
Author: Marianne van Twillert
EXPLORING UPPER KONAVLE: SOKOL GRAD AND MEDIEVAL TOMBSTONES
The Konavle region in Croatia stretches between Cavtat and the border with Montenegro. Many people have already passed through this fertile valley on their way to Dubrovnik or Čilipi Airport, but I suppose that the road through the upland of Konavle, with its picturesque stone villages on the karst slopes of Mount Snježnica (1234 m […]
THE ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE OF CRVENA STIJENA (RED ROCK CAVE)
A rather unknown tourist attraction in Montenegro is Crvena Stijena, an archeological site from the Paleolithic Age that is situated near the village of Petrovići, 30 km from Nikšić. The Red Rock Cave was a good reason for us to make a day trip to the karst region between Nikšić and the border of […]
SLOW FOOD IN MONTENEGRO
The Slow Food philosophy – which envisions a world in which all people can access and enjoy food that is good for the planet – has finally found its place in Montenegro. Each of Slow Food’s 100,000 members around the world are part of a convivium – a local chapter – that brings the philosophy […]
DOCLEA (DUKLJA), MONTENEGRO’S FOREMOST ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE
The ruins of Doclea or Duklja, near Podgorica, have always fascinated me. I have been there many times and I was often disappointed to see that the place was neglected, full of litter, with a flock of grazing sheep as only visitors. I also found it a pity that the railroad to Nikšić crosses the […]
YUGO-NOSTALGIA
Starting from February 1st, a very interesting exhibition with the title “Long Live Life” (“Živio život”) has been organized in the shopping mall of Delta City, which shows how life looked like in Yugoslavia in the period between 1950 and 1990, through every-day life of ordinary people. Last year this exhibition could be seen in […]
BUDVA RIVIERA: A NEW BUILDING BOOM HAS STARTED
It’s been a long time since I have visited the Budva Riviera. A day trip to the coast on a beautiful sunny day in February was a good occasion to see what is going on there. The Budva Riviera is a 35 km long strip along the Adriatic Coast with 12.5 km of beaches and […]
LIFE IN CUBA: CHANGE COMES SLOWLY
When we started our round trip through Cuba, I was very curious. Would I really find a communist, poor and backward country or has life changed for the Cuban people since Raoul Castro has taken over the power from his brother Fidel? In the last few years, the situation in Cuba has become complicated. […]
THE VILLAGE OF UTRG: BIRTH PLACE OF A NATIONAL HERO AND AN ORTHODOX SAINT
All over Montenegro you can find war monuments, commemorative plaques, busts …. Some of them remind us of battles against the Turks, but most memorials refer to World War II. They are especially numerous in the central part of the country. In search of such “red star” memorials, we made a trip to the village […]
PODGORICA: THE NICKNAMES OF RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
When I take a taxi downtown to go home, I never mention my exact street address. I just say: „Preko Morače (across the Morača river), Vektra building, in front of the CKB bank“. The taxi driver does not ask any questions, for him – and for many other inhabitants of Podgorica – this is a […]