Montenegro Votes to Secede from Serbia

From Yahoo!News:  With nearly all the ballots counted, it’s official — Montenegro has voted by a slim margin to secede from Serbia, and thus become their own separate nation. 

“I congratulate you on your state,” said the pro-independence prime minister, Milo Djukanovic. “Today, the citizens of Montenegro voted to restore their statehood.”

According to the article, “people fired celebratory shots in the air and drove up and down the main street, honking and waving the eagle-emblazoned flag used when Montenegro last enjoyed independence, from 1878-1918.”

Red Corner: The Joys of Croatia, Montenegro and Albania

I was a bit surprised to run across the following article, “Trip Lives up to Eastern Promise: Croatia, Montenegro and Albania provide a rewarding alternative to tourist traps,” for the simple reason that those are exactly the same three countries I will be visiting shortly.

Writer Cath Bennett did somewhat of a whirlwind tour in order of the most commonly visited (Croatia) to least commonly visited (Albania). She writes most fondly of Dubrovnik where she basked in a luxury hotel and strolled the town’s 13th century city walls. Montenegro, however, presented some hotel problems (no running water) but redeemed itself with the ancient city of Budva–a “veritable maze of winding streets featuring a mix of museums, shops and bars.”

Lastly, Bennett spent time in Albania–which she describes as a fascinating country of extreme contrasts where ox carts and Mercedes share the roadway.

It’s not the most detailed article, but it still gives a flavor of what to expect when traveling through this region of the world.

Red Corner: Albania and Montenegro Advice

I’ll be leaving in a few weeks to tour through popular Croatia, less popular Montenegro, and virtually unvisited Albania. While I’ve come across many guidebooks and suggestions for Croatia, the other two countries are remote enough that very little travel literature exists for those who venture this far.

So, I am appealing to the masses. Has anyone out there been to Montenegro or Albania recently and do you have any recommendations for me?

The first clown who writes “don’t go” will be duly ignored.

Thanks!

Red Corner: Montenegro Stepping Up

Although the newest “hot” location in Europe these days is Croatia, there is already speculation on where the next up-and-coming beach holiday destination will be. Some experts are looking toward Montenegro to fill that niche.

Offically called Serbia and Montenegro, and once part of Yugoslavia just as Croatia was, the country lies just south of Dubrovnik along the Adriatic coast. Like Croatia, it too is blessed with wonderful beaches and amazing nature as well as a UNESCO world heritage site. Where it differs from Croatia, however, is its “poor road infrastructure, problems with water supply in some coastal areas, and the lack of high quality accommodation.”

This assessment comes to us from the folks at Transitions Online, experts on post communist countries transitioning to capitalism. According to Nela Lazarevic, Montenegro has been a bit slower transitioning than their neighbor to the north, but this is all changing quickly. A PR campaign, “Discover the Wild Beauty” has been promoting the country and has already increased tourism to the area. By 2010, 10 million tourists a year are expected to turn this quiet nation into just another Ibiza or Mallorca. Go now before this happens.

Word for the Travel Wise (03/25/06)

According
to the Embassy of Serbia and Montenegro in
Washington D.C., the country will be honoring the famous Nikola Tesla, electrical engineer and
inventor of Serbian origin in making 2006 Year of the Nikola Tesla. One of his greatest scientific contributions was
the rotating magnetic field and of the complete system of production and distribution of electrical energy (motors,
generators) based on the use of alternate currents. Today the high-voltage coreless transformer also constructed by
Nikola Tesla is known as the "Tesla Coil." Science is by no means my field of expertise, but the lives of men
who do great things certainly fascinates me. If you find yourself headed to Serbia this year to check out the Tesla Museum you may want to know some
Serbian. Just a tad.

Today’s word is a Serbian
word used in Serbia and Montenegro:


meaning
Welcome!

I can only imagine seeing this word somewhere in the airport when arriving, not to mention
various other places in the country which makes it quite appropriate for today’s selection. You can click here or on the
word above to go to BBC to hear audio on the
word
. For the most part Serbian is spoken by Serbs everywhere and is apart of the Stokavian dialect (former
standard of the Serbo-Croatian language). Serbian School online is
completely free and a great place to start for those interested in learning. While their services are free they do ask
for PayPal donations which I suggest giving whatever you can if you planning on using their guides. Bookmark the site
and check back daily for their word of the day or refresh to learn a few in one day. Join the Serbia Language and Culture Workshop during summer for intensive sessions
with other like-minded foreigners. As usual Lonely Planet has the nifty pocket-sized phrasebooks to help you
along the way in Eastern Europe. This
particular guide
has small sections devoted to a number of languages in the region.