We are going to Montenegro, one of the youngest countries in the world. Montenegro, one of the six republics that made up the former Yugoslavia, entered the New Yugoslavia umbrella together with Serbia.. When the togetherness, which started in a flexible federative structure in 2003, ended with the referendum in 2006, a brand new young country emerged with a population of 700 thousand and its capital city Podgorica (Podgorisa).
In a local joke, the Montenegrin asks the Serbian: Our beaches are also sandy.. cheaper, closer. we speak the same language. We worship in the same language. But you are going on vacation to Turkey.” The Serbian answers, “I lived with the Turk for 500 years, no problem.. Our relationship with you did not last for four years.” Montenegrins are known as the laziest nation of Yugoslavia.
We want to see the region, whose name we come across from time to time in Ottoman history, when we come to the Adriatic coast.. As our journey, which starts from Dubrovnik, continues in the south direction, we pass the Çilipi Airport and pass through the villages that welcome us one after the other through the greenery.. As the one-hour journey comes to an end, we realize that we have come to the border that separates Croatia and Montenegro.. Vehicles carrying the license plates of dozens of different countries lined up in a row are waiting in an incredibly long queue to cross the border.. In the past, “brothers”, speaking each other’s languages, most of them relatives of each other; however, nowadays, individuals who are citizens of different countries torture each other so much that; When we witness this torment, our hearts ache.. After waiting for 1–1.5 hours, we throw ourselves at the first gas station we saw in Montenegro, where we managed to pass tightly.. The flags of Montenegro are carefully placed on the left and right poles in the region we just passed.. We resent when we see LPG, whose liter is 0.70 euros.. Once again, we remember that we pay huge sums for fuel in our country…
To Herceg Novi
After a short rest, the journey continues from where we left off. As we continue, we reach the city of Herceg Novi on the coast of the Bay of Kotor, which has a magnificent natural beauty.. The city with a population of 30 thousand is located on the border of Croatia and Montenegro.. It has made good use of its tourism potential due to its location on the Adriatic coast.. Especially Russian and Ukrainian tourists have serious investments in the region.. Kotor, which turned into a natural harbor with the flooding of the valleys in geological periods, consists of four coves connected by narrow straits.. While the bare mountains around the bay descend perpendicularly to the sea, large and small tourism facilities built on the shores where citrus fruits and plants unique to the subtropical climate grow are full of tourists. The circumference of the bay consists of a 45 km long highway.. The narrow, one-way, one-way highway environment delights with its unique views every minute. Those who live in such natural beauties must be very lucky.
Herceg Novi is mostly remembered in Mediterranean history with the name given by the Italians, Castelnuovo (New Castle).. It also hosts an Ottoman-made clock tower known as the Bloody Tower.. Founded by the Bosnian King in 1382, the city was captured by the Ottomans in 1482.. Until 1687, except for one year, it remained under the Ottoman Empire.. The square, which is known as Jok Megdan today and whose Turkish equivalent is Yok Meydan, is remembered by the Turkish commander saying “there is no duel” to the duel offered by the resisters to the Turkish commander of the time.. The struggle in the square was so bloody that the spring in the square was invisible due to blood.. Turks called this source Karaca.. Local people also started to use the same name.. After the Turks, Venice, Austria, Russia dominated the city.. When Evliya Çelebi visited the city in 1664, he said that he harbored pirates from all nationalities.. Urbanites are famous for their characteristics attributed to the people of Montenegro. Montenegrins, known as the laziest nation among the Balkans, do not like to work.. They lived by looting in times of war for a long time.. Hope is in tourism in the bay where apartments with “sobe” written on them are rented out as boarding houses.. Since the Russians came, everywhere started to surrender to construction.. As you can see, we are getting closer to the concrete fate of Antalya or the southern regions in Turkey.
Perast and the islands
As we approach the lovely town of Perast we are coming to the first of our sightseeing stops. We will visit two islands located off Perast.. Sveti Dorde (St. George) Island was formed as a natural landform. It looks really nice with the trees on it.. We are passing by the boat we get on to the island of Gospa od Skrpjela (Our Lady of the Rocks), which is the subject of legends and also has a church on it.. This man-made island has two different stories.. The sailors who found an icon (fresco) on the rocks in the sea delivered this fresco to the church inside the natural island.. However, after each delivery, the fresco began to disappear and be found on the water.. When this situation was repeated many times, the idea of building a church in the area where the fresco was above the water was put forward.. The foundation of the island was formed by sinking nine ships filled with stones.. Sailors returning from difficult expeditions for two hundred years completed the island by throwing away the pieces of stone they brought from the places they went to as a sign of gratitude.. A well-intentioned young girl would help the ships during the night with a lantern so that the ships would not crash into the rocks, she would give a signal.. Every year on July 22, those who come by boat, according to the tradition, are still throwing stones at the shores of the island. The church, which was built in 1632, is distinguished from other churches with its domed structure since it was built by Roman Catholics.. It is 1 Euro to visit the museum-church, which is home to many works of art.
When leaving Perast, which is home to many bell towers, we catch our eye on the mussel production farms we frequently see on the seaside.. After a short while we arrive in the tourist center of Kotor.. Giving its back to the mountain behind it and winking at its visitors with its architecture that looks just like Dubrovnik, Kotor is surrounded by the walls built by the Venetians.. The fortification gate, decorated with the words “We do not want what belongs to others, but we will not surrender what is ours”, gives a message to the whole world…
Kotor
Guns Square, where we take our steps as soon as we enter through the door, has a pedestal where criminals are punished together with the clock tower.. In the square where very criminal punishment methods were not implemented, more rotten fruits and vegetables were thrown at the criminals.. It is pleasant to walk among the mansions of rich families in narrow streets.. It is possible to consume something at affordable prices in cafes lined up side by side.. Montenegro used the mark in the past due to its close relations with Germany.. It is now one of the countries that switched to using the Euro without entering the European Union.. This wealth is striking in Kotor, where families that became wealthy through maritime trade live.. It is possible to come across many tall Montenegrins in the square, which also houses the Maritime Museum.. Montenegrins were among the tallest among the people of the Balkans…
In the Kotor Cathedral, which was restored in 2009, the body of St. Tryphon was brought from Istanbul.. This saint was also believed to be the protector of the city.. It does not take much time to understand why the city, which is on the UNESCO world heritage list, is included in this list.. You suddenly get lost inside the carefully and meticulously protected historical building.
We don’t have much time in Kotor, so we go out from the walls and rest a little by the sea.. Just then, we come across the safari team coming from Turkey with jeeps.. They greet us with their jeeps parked next to giant tour ships.. When they realize that we are Turkish, they start chatting…
The cleanliness of the Skudra River, which flows through its walls, does not escape our attention.. We observe the fast moving fish in their natural environment and get on the bus.. Our destination is Budva, the last stop of the day.
Towards Budva
The highway connecting Kotor and Budva is full of incredible bends. filled in the past. With the tunnels opened with the income obtained from the European Union funds, that dangerous situation was eliminated.. From time to time, many famous artists came to Budva, which is the favorite of European society, together with Madonna.. The concert given on the widest beach called Jaz has gone down in history.. It is worth noting that the total population of Montenegro is 700 thousand.
Many people watching tourists are waiting on the shores in order to take a boat tour.. It is possible to observe the less numerous islands in Montenegro, which is not as lucky as its neighbor Croatia.. Contrary to the general structure of the Adriatic coast, we encounter beaches in Montenegro.. There was not a single sandy beach in Dubrovnik right next to it.. Russian has become a second language with the real estate purchased by the rich.. Many people speak Russian after Balkan languages. Russian is already in a preferred position with its proximity to Slavic languages.. It’s really hard to find someone who speaks English.. Budva is also on the UNESCO world heritage list. Although it does not have a magnificent appearance after Kotor, we are frankly surprised that it has been included in this list.
It is possible to enter the city, which is surrounded by walls like Dubrovnik and Kotor, through a few gates.. There is no serious archaeological accumulation in the city, which was founded by the Phoenicians under the name of Butua.. Although the city, which was captured by Uluç Ali in 1572, passed to the Ottoman Empire on paper, we cannot find traces of the Ottoman Empire.. You can reach several beaches at the gates within the walls.. The sea, which we enter from the beautiful and clean beaches in hot weather, adds pleasure with its coolness.. We see obituaries on a few metal signs that can be noticed upon closer inspection.. The advertisements, examples of which I have seen in Greece, reflect a tradition in which the information of the deceased is included.
I am surprised to encounter similar Sanos brand Macedonian municipal buses, which we frequently encounter in public transportation in İzmir.. If I said similar, these advanced models of Sanos really surprise me.. We spend the meal with Bosnian Meatballs, which is called answer cici. Prices, which are very cheap after Dubrovnik, are almost the same as in Bosnia and Herzegovina… Budva is a city that stands out with its beaches and entertainment life.. In this respect, a holiday in the sea-sand-sun triangle can be considered by staying a few nights.. The ferry prevents us from entering the Bay of Kotor adventure for at least 1 hour…
While Montenegro attracts tourists especially with its nature, the interest of Turks is increasing every year to this young and beautiful country…
