| 85 Where you will go after landing at Tivat Airport depends only on what you like. Budva is the craziest, thosewanting to rave until dawn head there, those who don’t mind crowdsandwhoagreecompletelywiththelyrics of the song that claims – the sea isgood times. So, you turn left. If you are for a more peaceful, cultural and elegant version of Montenegro, thenyouwill turnrightafter landing, inthe direction of the Bay of Kotor and all its gems – from Kotor, via Perast, to Herceg Novi. But if you would like a bit of everything, to enjoy in pristine nature and the luxury of the best hotels, and for nobody to treadon your toes and jump on your head, then you do not have to gomuch further thanTivat. This fusion here is referred to simplicity as - tivting. LUXURY IN FLIP FLOPS Still, those who are slightly older rememberthatTivatwasoncethelastplaceyouwould choosetospendyour summerholiday inMontenegro. And then it experienced a miraculous transformation and converted itself from adormantseasidetown,dependentonseafaring,shipbuildingandthearmy,intoanelite,highclass nautical tourismdestination. PortoMontenegro, asmall towndesignedintheVenetian style that quickly became the most attractive marinaontheAdriatic, isjustthestartofthisstoryof luxury, becauseevermore ve-star hotels areopening.However,whatmakesPortoMontenegrounique is thefact thateveryone iswelcome there, and not just thosewho have paid for accommodation or bought an apartment. This marina may be luxurious, but the atmosphere is relaxed and unburdened, as illustrated by the fact that the prices of cafes and restaurantsarethesameasanywhereelseinTivat. THE LASTMOHICAN Ihadtheopportunitytoenjoythecharms of this citywithin the citybefore, but I recently discovered one hero for the rst time. In fact, HerowithabigH.Bornin1968,createdtoserve theneedsoftheYugoslavNavy, todayhestands asamonument totheformer levelofdevelopment of this area, andwhichweare light years away fromtoday.TheHero is a submarine that has been turned into amuseumexhibit and is located opposite the swimming pool in Porto Montenegro, because that was once the site of a platform on which submarines were extracted for dry-dock overhaul. Dražen Jovanović, curator of the maritime museum, says that Yugoslavia was one of onlyaroundadozencountries in theworld that could build submarines independently. This one of ours was assembled in Split, but its construction included all the giant enterprises, from Triglav to Đevđelija, that disappeared along with Yugoslavia. Tivat was always the place where all submarines came for repair andrestoration, andthe rst –called NebojšaandHrabri –arrivedhere in1928.Nebojša had a turbulent history, survivedWorld War II ghtingon the sideof theAllies and returned home, only to end up – when he was already too old – as scrap iron. That same sad fateawaits almost all ships, including submarines, but some – like Heroj or his peer Doti, with whom he competed around the seas during the time of his peak strength – end up as museum exhibits. Doti is in Milan, and Heroj is inTivat, as the lastMohicanof theYugoslav eet, a guardian of tradition and a reminder of glory. ALL THE BEAUTY OF LUŠTICA When impressionsof theurbanpart ofTivat and memories of the famous days of the Yugoslav navy settle, perhaps it’s then best to sample the other elements that theTivat Riviera has to o er – nature, a tranquil and clean sea, olive groves and owers. And all this on the Luštica peninsula that’s famous for many piratesstories,butalsoendlessolivegroves, famous cheese inolive oil, curedham– thebest I’ve ever tried (may Njeguški forgive him), steppe jackals, strawberry tree shrubs, the fruit which is used tomake brandy, but you must only drink a little... Wedon’tneedtopresentLušticatoBelgraderstoomuch,becauseKrašićihasalways been among their favourite seaside destinations, with its preserved atmosphere of a small shing village, or, the Fisherman’s Village[Ribarskoselo], aplacewhereyoucould forget aboutevery life, past andfuture, such is thepeaceandbeautythere.ŽanjicaBeach is a special story in itself, nestled away and clean,withviewsoftheopenseaandthelittle islands that preservemany secrets and legendary stories. But also caves like the Blue Cave, which youmust enter todive into the blueness and the depths. And even the luxurious hotels of Luštica Bay, which o er all possible comfort, have preserved and captured the essence of this peninsula – serenity and beauty. MIRACULOUS ICON We found one island opposite Žanjice Beach quite by accident, while sailing past it by boat. Alongside Arza fortress, east of the islandofMamula, is the little islet ofOur Lady of the Rock, or Vavedenje, measuring only 700 square metres, which will forever remainetchedinmymemory.Andthat’sbecause of Brother Goran, who has been living alone there for six years, guarding one little church and praying to God there, but happily receiving every visitor. He tells us about the miraculous 12th century icon of theMother ofGod fromHolyMountAthos, whichwas taken fromthe island in the 15th century by Venetians, but which returned there twice of its own accord. Until they - nally took it to a Catholic monastery and demolished the church on the island, so it wouldn’t have anywhere to return. The churchwas rebuilt in the18th century, but it didn’t come to lifeagainuntil theyear 2000, which is when service, life and prayers returned to this place. “This isaspeci cplace.There isnobody here inwinter, thereoftenisn’tevenelectricity, and waves ood the island, but for me it’s good; I pray and don’t feel like I’malone, because the Lord is always with me. He returnslovetomethatIdon’tevendeserve,and that’swhyI’mnot lonely.AlthoughIhavethe companyofPaja theseagull andhis family– his wife is called Lepa. They come constantly and eat out of my hand, but people also come, passingthisway, I cheer themup, but also rejoicewhen I’mleft alone topray,”says BrotherGoran,whobroughtusintothesmall churchandrecitedtheLord’sPrayerwithus, wishingushappiness, healthandtogowith God. But also to come back. Tivatska rivijera je fantastičan spoj spokoja i lepote The Tivat Riviera is a fantastic blend of tranquility and beauty
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