Wednesday 08th of February 2012

Leisure and lifestyle

Homemade, crafts, souvenirs... The ever-lasting love for tradition, history and beauty is displayed and expressed in all its splendour and variety through small crafts made in the hands of locals committing their life to tradition and craftsmanship. Luxury pieces with a Montenegrin theme, small light motives for daily use, peaces and extra luxury motifs for special purposes. They are made from woods, glass or sea-shells from the Adriatic Sea. As every person in the world is unique all this pieces are unique as you are...

Sports - fun and extreme... High level of adrenalin, touch of danger, adventure that arouses you... Montenegro offers you a variety of extreme and adventurous sports. Let's try wind first, deploy our kites and go surfing. A kitesurfer stands on a board with foot straps or bindings and uses the power of a large controllable kite to propel himself and the board across the water. Your body is the only connection between the kite and the board and you have to control them both at the same time: piloting the kite in the sky and steering the board on the water. Can you imagine anything better than this as a way to spend your beach holiday? But ... if you are a whitewater fan then rafting the Tara river is something special. This restless river challenges visitors with an adventurous spirit. Enjoy passing fifty rapids of varying scale, from easy to dangerous ones and listen to your heart speed up from rapid to rapid. This canyon, 1300 m deep offers you magical starlit nights where your breath is the only sound you can hear. In misty mornings the river will tempt you to come back again. All of those who tried rafting on the "Tear of Europe" as many call Tara will try it again and again...

Wine and dine... The centuries old beer tradition in Montenegro dates from the time when Montenegro was a Kingdom, when the first hectolitres of beer appeared in 1896, in the small town of Niksic. It started in a small brewery, with very modest equipment and a low capacity of production but with an ambitious aim - the highest quality. Many competition companies appeared at the time including production of the "niksicko" beer of "Trebjesa", which remains the most popular in this territory. So for all the beer drinkers - do try the "Niksicko" beer, it could well become a favourite.

Back in the 1878 the English journalist Telman said the following about Crmnica "Here, the vine for Gods is made". For all the lovers of wine the vine of Crmnica, the ages old famous vine growing region, is defiantly worth a visit. The taste of the old times will remain in your mouth while eating the combination of "prsuta," olives and cheese with a glass of wine in an exceptional surrounding...

The culture... "The whole of Montenegro was lying in front of us like on a relief map. The sun was playing quietly with waves of the Boka, the surface of the Skadar lake was glittering there, and the blue Adriatic was fading on the horizon. In the wild luxury, the Albanian Alps and the coastal mountain Rumija were rising. The eyes were roaming through enduring series of mountain chains and valleys, while in the background, the snowy crests of the Durmitor and Komovi mountains were sending their last regards. Podgorica was ascending from the green valley. I could not take my eyes off that beautiful sight". German geographer Kurt Hasert.

There in front of the ancient town of Perast lies the Lady of the rocks island with our lady church. Legends and myths, art and history, museum and a church surround this man made island. According to legend, the island was made over the centuries by the seamen who kept an ancient oath. Upon returning from each successful voyage, they laid a rock in the Bay. Over time, the island gradually emerged from the sea. Our Lady of the Rocks was seen on this site. The interior of the church is adorned by a marble shrine, built by Antonio Capelano, sculptor from Genoa, in 1796. On the shrine there is an icon of the mother of God with Christ, the renowned icon of Our Lady of Skrpjeli, painted by famous painter Lovro Dobricevic by the middle of the 15th century. The walls and the ceiling are covered with paintings on canvas by Tripo Kokolja, one of the most famous baroque painters to come out of Montenegro. Sixty eight paintings, some of them of a vast scale, make the church Our Lady of Skrpjeli a specific gallery of baroque painting that emerged from the expanses of the South Adriatic.