Sveti means "saint" in the Montenegrin (Serbian) language. And Sveti Stefan is the dream image you'll see on almost every poster advertising Montenegro.
Read OnIf you agree that $45,000 for a small apartment with sea views sounds reasonable, hurry across to Europe and the newly independent country of Crna Gora.
Crna Gora? Unless you're fluent in Serbo-Croatian, it doesn't trip lightly off the tongue. Thankfully, the rest of the world uses its more melodious Italian name of Montenegro. Both mean "Black Mountain."
Read OnTwisty laneways and stone archways…frescoed Italianate and Byzantine churches…piazzas packed with gaily-canopied cafés. And within Kotor's triangular-shaped old town, no traffic.
Hidden in the far reaches of the Boka Kotorska fjord in northern Montenegro, Kotor is the country's most authentic medieval walled city. Framed by ominous-looking mountains, it's set beside the hypnotically blue Adriatic, in summertime bobbing with small boats. Unlike Budva's Stari Grad (old town), which has been almost totally rebuilt, Kotor wasn't completely destroyed by 1979's devastating earthquake. Much of what's here is the real deal.
Read OnWestern visitors usually come to Montenegro on package holidays. Certainly at Slovenska Plaza, independent travelers are a rarity. Maybe this is why such a bizarre system operates for breakfast and dinner.
Read OnIt’s now after midnight, and the deafening music is making my room’s window vibrate. Van Gogh, a Serbian rock band from Belgrade, is belting out live heavy metal music.
Read OnEurope’s southernmost fjord, the Boka Kotorska cuts inland for 18 miles--and it’s drama all the way. Dark, lofty peaks look down on a succession of bottle-stopper bays.
Read OnTucked inside medieval walls, Sveti Stefan is a honey-suckled world that feels mythical. And despite the medieval church, it is make-believe.
Read OnWe were the only diners not in uniform. I’m not sure of the type of automatic rifle, but a frightening amount of firepower was propped against the restaurant door.
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