Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• Before leaving Perast, take a close look at the two islands just offshore (and consider pay-
ing a visit).
St. George (Sv. Đorđe) and Our Lady of the Rocks (Gospa od
St. George (Sv. Đorđe) and Our Lady of the Rocks (Gospa od
Škrpjela)
Škrpjela)
These twin islands—one natural, the other man-made—come with a fascinating story.
The Island of St. George (the smaller, rocky island with trees and a monastery—closed
to tourists), named for the protector of Christianity, was once part of the fortification of the
Bay ofKotor.Near this natural island was asmall underwater reef with asmall section pok-
ingabovethesurface.Accordingtolegend,twofishermennoticedastrangelightemanating
from the reef in the early-morning fog. Rowing out to the island, they discovered an icon of
Our Lady. They attempted to bring it ashore, but it kept washing back out again to the same
spot. Taking this celestial hint, local seamen returning home from a journey began drop-
ping rocks into the bay in this same place. The tradition caught on, more and more villagers
dropped in rocks of their own, and eventually more than a hundred old ships and other ves-
sels were loaded with stones and intentionally sunk in this spot. And so, over two centuries,
an entire island was formed in the middle of the bay.
Montenegro: Birth of a Nation
Montenegro, like Croatia and Slovenia, was one of the six republics that constituted
theformerYugoslavia. Whentheserepublics begansplitting awayintheearly1990s,
Montenegro—always allied closely with Serbia, and small enough to slip under the
radar—decided to remain in the union. When the dust had settled, four of the six
Yugoslav republics had seceded (Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Mace-
donia), while only two remained united as “Yugoslavia”: Serbia and Montenegro.
At first, Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Đ ukanovi ć was on friendly terms with
Serbia's Slobodan Miloševi ć . But in the late 1990s, as Miloševi ć 's political stock
plummeted, Montenegro began to inch away from Serbia. Eager to keep its access to
thecoast(andthemanySerbswholivedthere),Serbiamadeconcessionsthatallowed
Montenegro to gradually assert its independence. In 1996, Montenegro boldly adop-
ted the German mark as its official currency to avoid the inflating Yugoslav dinar.
By 2003, the country of Yugoslavia was no more, and the loose union was re-
named “Serbia and Montenegro.” Thus began a three-year transition period that al-
lowed Montenegro to test the waters of real independence. During this time, Serbia
and Montenegro were united only in defense—legislation, taxation, currency, and
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