When I remember my life in former Yugoslavia, I have the feeling that solid waste management was at a high level at that time. The situation has deteriorated since then. Of course, things have changed: nowadays we produce much more waste, and plastic bags from the supermarkets have become an unavoidable part of the landscape […]
FREIBURG, GERMANY – THE ECO-FRIENDLY DISTRICT OF VAUBAN
As interpreter for GIZ, I accompanied a group of Energy Managers from the Montenegrin municipalities to Germany last week. One of the most interesting topics of the study tour program was the visit to VAUBAN, a sustainable neighborhood of 5,000 residents in Freiburg, on the southern border of the city. All of the houses within […]
“STUBIĆI” – THE ROAD POLES OF PODGORICA
Along the streets, boulevards and squares of Podgorica you can see thousands of small poles. Instead of “stubići” (which means small poles), the inhabitants of the Montenegrin capital also call them „mugići“, named after the mayor of Podgorica Miomir Mugoša, who placed them with the aim to create more space in the chaotic, overcrowded town. […]
A NOSTALGIC VISIT TO AMERSFOORT – HOLLAND
During my stay in Holland, I also visited Amersfoort, the town where I was born. Since my emigration in 1967, Amersfoort has expanded from 75,000 to 150,000 inhabitants, but the old medieval center (the place got its town charter in 1259) has remained the same. It represents a popular tourist attraction, as it is full […]
DURMITOR – THE SEDLO PASS ROUTE
One of the most spectacular roads in Montenegro is, no doubt, the Sedlo pass route from Piva Lake to Zabljak. The road, althoug narrow, is completely paved now and when you travel off-season, the silence – and beauty – of nature is absolute. An update of this article was posted on June 27, 2018, see: […]
CAMPER TOURISM – A MISSED CHANCE FOR MONTENEGRO?
Traveling from Montenegro to Holland these days, I have seen HUNDREDS of mobile homes, i.e. campers and caravans on the highways in Croatia, Slovenia, Austria and Germany heading southwards, to the sunny countries around the Mediterranean. Many „pensionados“ from the northern part of Europe, age 60+, spend the winter – or at least a part […]
LET’S CLEAN UP MONTENEGRO!
Today I want to dedicate my blog to the ECO-WEEK that is organized on the occasion of the 21st anniversary of the Declaration of the „Ecological State of Montenegro“. This awareness-raising campaign – financed by the European Union – will last from 15-22 September and is extremely important for the future of Montenegro. Why? Many […]
TRANSNISTRIA – THE LAST SOVIET PARADISE
During our trip through Eastern Europe we also planned to visit Ukraine, so we travelled through Transnistria also called Transdniestr, a self-declared country consisting of a narrow strip of land (3500 sq km) that is situated between Moldova and Ukraine along the Dniestr river. With Russian support, Transnistria won its „independence“ during a bloody civil war […]
MOLDOVA HIGHLIGHTS
Although it was difficult to find out which are the main tourist attractions in Moldova, we came to the conclusion that we had to see at least three of them (apart from the capital Chisinau): Cricova, Old Orchei (Orcheiul Vechi) and Soroca. Moldovian wine is famous and so are the wineries. We decided to visit […]
MOLDOVA – FORGOTTEN COUNTRY
During our round trip by camper through Eastern Europe this summer, we also decided to visit Moldova, which is, according to statistics, the least developed and poorest country in Europe. This visit was particularly exciting, as we could find hardly any information about the country, its roads, tourist attractions and accommodation possibilities. We only knew […]