Serbia & Montenegro

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Serbia
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Montenegro
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Montenegro

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Short flight from Belgrade to Tivat (airport) and here I am, Montenegro (Crna Gora). This land is my land. My dad says that our family migrated from the Podgorica area, fleeing Otoman (Turkish) invasion, north to Lika region of Croatia in the early 16^th century. My family then settled in the Plitvice Lakes region of Croatia on Mount Kapela. My predecessors have lived here until the ethnic cleansing by the Croatian army ‘Oluja’ (Storm) operations in 1995 and even now, 10 years after, only few of my family members have returned back home.

My dad finished college and got a good job in Sarajevo, Bosnia where my sister Simela was born. Then my family moved to my birthplace, a small town in the cental Bosnia (Republika Srpska), Teslic, some 200 kilometers north of Sarajevo. Here is where my life story begins. How did I end up here in Washington? Well, that part of the story will be posted soon. This blog is about Montenegro.

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So, even though my last name is mouthful in English, people here in Montenegro treat me like I’m one of their own. Vlaisavljevic is a quite common last name in many regions of Montenegro. I love it here. Feel like I belong in so many places in this small world. If you’re interested to learn more about the history and current affairs of this amazing country click on a (w) right next to the main picture of the blog.

One of the reasons for coming back to Montenegro was to shop for an old stone house and possibly turn it into a small B&B or a restaurant in the next year or so. I’ve been dreaming about it for years. My prediction is that Montenegro will be the next 'hot spot' and its tourism industry and geo-strategic location might trigger dramatic increase in real-estate value, similar to the northern neighbor, Croatia. Basically, I think this is a great place to invest, sooner rather then later. I've connected with few agents and atorneys in Montenegro so if you need real-estate guidance or want to partner up for a property in Montenegro send me an email.

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One of my best friends, Goran Milivojevic, was vacationing with his family in Sutomore, about 45 minutes south of Budva. Goran’s wife, Marijana is a very proud ‘Montenegrina’ from Mojkovac region and her parents have a summer home in Sutomore. Few days later, my christening best-man and childhood neighbor Milorad would come by from Kragujevac.

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We woke up fairly early, had some coffee and a quick breakfast. Goran and I were figuring out the best way to get to Boka and the famous village of Perast. The thing is, there are not to many roads in Montenegro and frankly, it is not easy to get lost. Anyway, Marijana’s dad, Milojica let us use his beat up Golf and we were off to buy a property in Perast.

On the way, we passed by Sveti Stefan, Budva, Tivat, and Kotor. The sightseeing was of the hook. I was glued to the window trying to get a decent shot. We took a short break in Kotor, had some coffee and had lunch at the famous ‘Stari Mlin’ restaurant.

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Well, if you ever decide to visit this beautiful country this restaurant should be on your list as well as Sveti Stefan, Perast and the old town Budva. I would like to suggest the restaurant 'Stari Mlin' (The Old Watermill) in Montenegro. The restaurant is absolutely amazing. The river Ljuta runs straight through the center of the restaurant powering the old watermill (just as an attraction).

The wait staff wares traditional Montenegrin costumes, local specialties are fresh, perfectly done and service is excellent. Even though the tipping is not required in Montenegro, I would recommend tipping %10 in this place. We actually asked what would be the appropriate amount. Anyway, the restaurant is located midway from Kotor to Perast. Reservations are welcome but not necessary. Here is the address

Ljuta bb
Dobrota, Kotor
Phone: +381 82 333 555


(cрпски)
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Then we entered a small town of Perast. This village is amazingly beautiful. Perast is an ancient aristocratic and seafaring community in the fjord of Boka Kotorska (Bocca di Cattaro). Most houses (300) are built from the local white stone and I would say at least few hundred years old. Perast is famous for its Naval Academy going back to the Venetian Republic.

Locals are very proud of the fact that many young men from Perast ended up as sailors and captains all over the world. Perast is also famous for its geographical location as well. The village sits on the opposite side of the ‘Verige’ strait of Boka. Additionally, there are two tiny islands right in front of the village with churches built on it. (see the picture above)

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Few days later 'kum' Milorad Cvorovic took an overnight bus from Kragujevac to join my coastal explorations of Montenegro. We settled in Herceg Novi (Castelnovo), one of the coolest coastal towns in Boka. Herceg Novi has a great night life. During the summer time, rivers of tourists descend from the Serbia and Bosnia. Our apartment was in the prime location, right next to the old fortress and in front of the (in)famous slippery steps. Milorad and I had so much fun watching people fall down the steps from our apartment’s terrace. I know it sound weird but I never laughed so much in my life.

(cрпски)

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There are few legends associated with the islands. An interesting fact is that Perast is said to be home to many famous people such as Goran Bregovic, Emir Kusturica, Rade Serbedzija, etc... I confirmed the information with the 'one and only' real-estate agent in the Perast who said that he personally sold the property to all of them. To learn more about Perast click here. Click here to see PERAST PHOTO ALBUM!

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Next-> my hometown of Teslic…Serb Republic - Bosnia & Hercegovina

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Serbia/Србија

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SEE Guca Trumpet Folk Festival VideoBlog 2005!!!

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English version coming soon...

Ovo je ziva istina. Cekam bukvalno pred ulaznim vratima u avion, tacno ispred ‘kokpita’ dok se ‘strucna posada’ JatAirways nije smilovala da smesti nas par nesrecnika koji smo bili na listi cekanja. Pored mene stoje par devojaka i jedan tip. Tip je ono obucen kao, sljokice, frisko ispeglane lanene pantalone, izvezena bela kosulja kratkih rukava I nosi neke opasne naocale.

Posmatram ja njega, posmatra on mene. Sve ono kao nesto napeta situacija. Na njegovoj desnoj ruci uocio sam Rolex sa dijamantima, zlatni lancuga visi oko vrata i jos je ukrasen tetovazama na rukama ispod ramena. Tip je kratko osisan, plave kose I verovatno negde u svojim srednjim tridesetim godinama.

PHOTOS belgrade kragujevac

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Ovo vreme protice tako sporo, osecam kao da prolazi citav vek. Postaje napeto. Vise nisam siguran dali cu uopste da letim u Beograd. Ovi ‘jatovci’ su stvarno bezveze, totalne seljacine. Odlucim ti ja onako instinktivno da se predstavim ovom tipu koji nervozno setka ispred vrata jer mi je neverovatno poznat.

Izletim ti ja onako lagano da se neutralizuje bilo kakav akcent, Gospodine, ja se zovem Sinisa Vlaisavljevic. Izvinite sto vas uznemiravam ali htedoh da se javim jer mi se cini da se znamo. Strasno ste mi poznati. Kako se vi zovete?

PHOTOS belgrade kragujevac
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Njegova face se u istom momentu ukoci. On zastade citavih tridesetak sekundi i napokon se predstavi. Ja se zovem Matjaz ……., zaboravih mu prezime, ali nije ni vazno. Ja onako, ni pet ni sest, aaaaa “ Da niste slucajno iz Teslica?” Mislim se u sebi, “kakav sam ja manijak da pitam facu dali je iz mog malog rodnog grada”. Matjaz pocrveni u faci, odmeri me od glave do pete, pridje mi na nakih metar i tiho rece, “DA, JA SAM IZ TESLICA”, taj I taj. Ma koji crni Matjaz, ne zelim da objavim njegovo pravo ime ali facu znam od malena.

Neverovatno! Prepoznao je i Matjaz mene. Posle tolikih godina sam i ja nekog prepoznao. Izgrlismo se i izljubismo se nas dvojica ko braca. U isto vreme i nas predivni Jat se smilovao da nas pusti na let I cak nas ubaci u prvu klasu jer nigde drugo nije bilo mesta. Skoro dva sata leta smo Matjaz i ja pleli konverzaciju I koliko toliko se ispricali.

PHOTOS belgrade kragujevac
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Pazi, on se naravno ne zove Matjaz, negoooooo....faca je "sredio" Slovenske papire, koja je evo vec duze u EU tako da se odlucio da zivi i radi u Amsterdamu, kao Matjaz. Koje su to kombinacije:) I tako ti ljudi moji pocinje opet nova avantura, sada u jednoj od najlepsih zemalja sveta, zemlji pecenja, rakije, kafana I cigana, Srbiji.

Jako tesko sletanje, umalo smrtonosno, mislio sam moje zadnje. Kapetan "Mikula Mali" kao da sad sa broda ili kapira da vozi svinje ili vozi pilice. Mislim ono prednji tocak aviona je odskocio par puta i jako udario da su neki ljudi poceli da vriste. Ja pomislih, sva sreca pa nista nije zahrdjalo inace bi sada vec svi putnici bili u planu za put sest stopa ispod zemlje.

PHOTOS belgrade kragujevac
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Milorad, (orle) moj najmiliji kum me sacekao da ‘ladnim pivom i krenusmo mi odmah u Kragujevac. Bio sam u tom lepom gradu vec dva-tri puta i uvek sam se lepo proveo. Kumovi mi zive u “potoku”, deo naselja kad se ide od centra prema “aerodromu”. Olja, Miloradova sestra, uspesno nosi na ledjima “beauty salon” koji je dugo bio lociran u centru grada blizu autobuske stanice ali je sada radnju prebacila u poslovni prostor njihove rezidencije. Miloradu trenutno radi na nekom ekoloskom biznisu sto je pokrenuo sa ujakom iz Soko Banje i u poslednje vreme se usredsredio svu snagu na salon gde je postao "equal partner":).

Pre rata u Bosni, Milorad i Olivera (Olja) su ziveli na cetvrtom spratu, u istom ulazu zgrade u naselju Jovana Ducica u Teslicu. Tu su se svi stanari doselili polovinom osamdesetih. Milorad i ja smo zajedno pdrasli, isli u istu osnovnu (Mladost) i srednju skolu (Djuro Pucar Stari), prvi put se napili zajedno u njegovoj garazi od neke ljute crnogorske brlje (rakije) koju smo pili iz ketchup flasica-prijatelj i kum kakav se samo pozeliti moze.

PHOTOS belgrade kragujevac
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Budimir i Mirjana Cvorovic, njihovi roditelji su sada vec penzioneri. Karijere su proveli kao profesionalci kulinarskog zanata u cuvenom Hotelu Kardijal koji se dan danas nalazi u Banji Vrucici u predgradju naseg malog Teslica.

Kragujevac=zurka. Mislim da se tamo covek nikad ne moze da odmori, nema sanse. Svako vece smo izlazili po kaficima, nocnim klubovima i u teske sate ubijali se neverovatnim rostiljom. Vrucine su bile nesnosne, a klima uredjaji su ipak jos uvek retkost tako da smo se preko dana sakrivali po hladovini a nocu lumpovali, uglavnom Akademija i Getho.

PHOTOS belgrade kragujevac
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U isto vreme dok sam bio u Kragujevcu odrzavao se i muzicki festival u Novom Sadu. > EXIT je postao jedan od najposecenijih a ujedno u najpopularnijih festivala u ovom delu Evrope. Ipak, nisam imao snage da odem. Na kraju sam odlucio sam da malo pobegnem od Milorada i odem u Beograd da uknjizim par fotki.

Djordje Djukanovic, prijatelj iz Washington DCja, jedan od retkih uspesnih povratnika koje znam vec preko godinu dana zivi i radi u Beogradu. Djole me lepo ugostio u svom novom stanu tacno pored nove sportske arene na Novom Beogradu (sigurno me mrzi jer sam mu pojeo sav 'beef jerky:)'. Siroke ulice, lepo osmisljena arhitektura naselja i prostupacnost banaka i kvalitetnih prehrambenih prodavnica me stvarno podseca na Ameriku i zapadnu Evropu.

PHOTOS belgrade kragujevac
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Jedno vece smo izasli na splavove, zujali po gradu i jeli najbolje palacinke sa nutelom na planeti. Mislim, Ameri imaju ok pancakes, Francuzi imaju superiska crêpe, ali Beograd i Srbija imaju stvarno 'do jaja', daleko najbolje palacinke. Par dana sam setao po gradu, slikao Hram Svetog Save (slika gore), prelepe beogradske ulice, Kalemegdan, Skadarliju i po malo i fantazirao o mom zivotu na Balkanu. Ko zna, mozda se jednog dana i vratim.

Srbija sigurno napreduje, vidi se na svakom koraku a ljudi su toliko zeljni boljeg zivota i sanse za sigurnijom buducnosti. Elem, za nekih 100 Evra nadjem jednosmernu kartu za Tivat, Montenegro i krenem malo na more da vidim kumove iz Kanade i usput da pogledam par nekretnina u Boki Kotorskoj. Sledi Videoblog...

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Netherlands

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PHOTOS - VIDEOBLOG (coming soon)

After a short trip home to take care of some business I am back on the road. I used my return ticket New York – Cape Town via Amsterdam and got off the plain in Amsterdam. My childhood friend Almir was waiting for me at the Rotterdam central station.

Almir now lives in the suburbs of Rotterdam with his wife Alisa and son Alen. More than a decade ago, wore broke out in our homeland and both Almir and I have found our peace elsewhere. We grew up as best friends, sharing beer and vine during countless nights by the river beach in our little home town of Teslic, now in the Republika Srpska, a province of Bosnia and Hercegovina.

PHOTOS - VIDEOBLOG (coming soon)

The night of my arrival, we had a nice dinner, went out to a local bar from some drinks. The following few days I’ve spent with Almir and his family. Frankly, the times spent with close friends from childhood feel like some sort of spiritual rehabilitation. Obviously, my generation in the former Yugoslavia did not grow up like most other “normal” kids. To me, these rare times with people who knew me before the war are very important and I am grateful for it. These times add another level of existence and awareness of my life and my well being. We were struck by the lightning of war during our teenage years and grew up instantly thinking how to save our families and survive. Well, that’s another story, which I plan to write in detail next year.

Anyway, this is not my first time in the Netherlands. I lived in Amsterdam for few months in the early nineties during the war in the former Yugoslavia as a refugee. The people here are very friendly and welcoming. I always thought that I would live here one day. The Netherlands is very populated, multicultural and unique for its "low-lands", flower industry and windmills. One of my favorite things to do in the Netherlands is to take trains to the country side.

PHOTOS - VIDEOBLOG (coming soon)

On my last day in the Netherlands I went back to Amsterdam to take few photos for the blog and book a ticket for Belgrade, Serbia. Actually, this is not true. Almir and I were partying all night long and he decided, as a true friend to drive me all the way back to the airport.

Never fly Jat Airways from Amsterdam to Belgrade unless you have to. The Jat representative at the Amsterdam Schripol airport was very unprofessional, rude and an absolute “seljacina”. To make a long and unpleasant story short, I ended up staying one extra night in Amsterdam due to the fact that my seat was sold for a better price, I was put on a stand-by list, standing there for hours, trying to send some sort of invisible signals to the Jat freak that my boarding pass had a seat assigned to me and that I was suppose to be on the flight!

PHOTOS - VIDEOBLOG (coming soon)

Believe it or not, I overheard the conversation between the Jat rep. and the pilot discussing the last stand-by person waiting in front of the airplane door. The last passenger was put in the cockpit with the pilots. Unbelievable!

That night I went to couple of Cuban clubs, smoked some fine cigars and had a great Turkish kebab for dinner. I've always thought that the best Turkish food was in the western Europe. Anyway, the next day I came back to the airport and this time around I successfully boarded the plane and took off into the unknown, the land of Guca, Serbia...

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