Montenegro packs in more action per square kilometre than almost any other place I've ever known. It's one of the reasons we decided to settle here! During the warmer months, kayaking, rafting, mountain biking, canyoning, para-gliding, wild-swimming, kite-surfing, zip-lining and trekking are all on offer in some of the most spectacular scenery in Europe, with stunning coastline, lakes and mountains as your playground. But what about when it gets colder? I had never really been into winter sports before. Growing up in the U.K. in the age before budget airlines, skiing was an expensive and far-flung undertaking, something only the rich kids did in far away places I couldn't pronounce. And that was before knee injuries playing rugby put skiing itself on the banned list before I'd even turned 20. The opportunity to hit the slopes learning to snowboard or ski simply never came a-knocking until I moved to Montenegro. Now, as you may have seen from my last blog post, most often my winters are taken up with some absurd building project or other - but when a couple of years ago Son No:1 announced he would like to have snowboarding lessons at Kolašin's nearby 1450 Ski Centre (2 hours drive from our door) - and after knowledgeable friends assured me that boarding was much less tough on the knees than skiing - I signed up to accompany him. Just to translate. You know, just to give him moral support. And that, inevitably, is how I wound up a snowboarding addict. Is it too late to learn to snowboard in your 40s? I know what you're thinking. Isn't 45 a bit old to take up something so obviously designed with youngsters in mind? Boarding is the rock'n'roll to skiing's classical guitar. It's the punkier, slightly scruffier ne'er-do-well younger sibling,
Montenegro packs in more action per square kilometre than almost any other place I’ve ever known. It’s one of the reasons we decided to settle here! During the warmer months, kayaking, rafting, mountain biking, canyoning, para-gliding, wild-swimming, kite-surfing, zip-lining and trekking are all on offer in some of the most spectacular scenery in Europe, with
If you're reading this, you know what we usually get up to when we have a tourist season - but you might not be aware that Emma and I tend to be just as busy during the winters. It's not all skiing and cricket (yes, really!), finding new waterfalls, routes and locals to include in our eco-holidays in Montenegro; nor is it all marketing updates or putting our feet up. No, we like to get our hands properly dirty with what we call our "winter projects" at Villa Miela, the base for the multi-activity holidays we host ourselves at Lake Skadar National Park! Transforming this once-ruined stone farmhouse into stylish, eco-friendly accommodation back in 2008 inspired us to make constant improvements our guests will love - and we'll admit it, us too seeing as this is the amazing place we get to live. The Hot Tub Our first ever winter "project", back in the days when we were still starting out. I picked it up from the factory in Kettenacker, Germany (a first, apparently), and towed it back down to Montenegro with a £100 trailer bought off eBay and half a dozen ratchet straps. When we finally arrived back at the villa, only one strap remained. My first kilometre on French soil (where both trailer tyres burst) and our Croatia/Montenegro border crossing experience ("Is it for making wine?") have since become two of my favourite go-to anecdotes...and the tub was a real hit! A HOME FOR YOUR HOSTS After four summers of living in various dilapidated flats in and around Virpazar with our young children, we finally got together the funds and builders to construct a home for ourselves next door to Villa Miela. Respecting the architectural integrity of the centuries-old building was massively important to us, so our idea
If you’re reading this, you know what we usually get up to when we have a tourist season – but you might not be aware that Emma and I tend to be just as busy during the winters. It’s not all skiing and cricket (yes, really!), finding new waterfalls, routes and locals to include in
Few outside Montenegro know that there's a popular way to drink your coffee here called “dojč" (deutsch) – it's frothy, like a cappucino but without the cocoa and we just ordered a cup to celebrate the fact that our website is now available to read...in German! German tourists are among the most popular and numerous in Montenegro in normal years – pretty much every Montenegrin you speak to cites German guests as their favourites. They also have a long tradition of enjoying hiking, the outdoors and new adventures – so our activity holidays should be a match made in heaven! The German guests who have stumbled across us already have been delighted with what they have found - authentic, active, expertly guided trips which go deep into Montenegro's wildly beautiful national parks; a small friendly group for epic days hiking, kayaking, wild-swimming and meeting locals; a sustainable holiday supporting nature and local people. Undiscovered Montenegro even comes recommended by Geo Saison, Bild Zeitung and Frankfurter Allgemeine! All this has inspired us to reach out to more German-speakers. Of course, it's much easier to search for and read about your perfect holiday in your own language, so we hired a very cheap translator – me! Not a lot of people know that I actually speak reasonable German (lived there as a child, and took a University degree in the language before going on to co-found Undiscovered Montenegro 12 years ago). We are are also expanding our team of guides to include fluent German speakers in preparation for our first 100% German-language tour. Click here to read our German pages – and if you spot any mistakes (and there will be plenty!), let me know. I'm a little rusty, and need plenty of practice! And I know you're dying to ask –
Few outside Montenegro know that there’s a popular way to drink your coffee here called “dojč” (deutsch) – it’s frothy, like a cappucino but without the cocoa and we just ordered a cup to celebrate the fact that our website is now available to read…in German! German tourists are among the most popular and numerous
There is a special place I like to take people who are in Montenegro's mountains for the first time . One girl told me it reminds her of the end of the world. Are you familiar with a feeling when you wake up from a deep dream, and find yourself back in "reality"? For a few moments your back doesn't hurt, you cannot remember that your to-do list exists, and part of you is still there, in the warmth of a dream. That dream-like sense follows me every time I climb my favourite hiking trail on the Prokletije (in English, translated as the 'Accursed Mountains'). On the border between three countries, Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo, lies a huge mountain with a scary name. She is open to those who follow her rules and those who are seeking freedom and silence. Many people approach her amazing valleys and enjoy views of big rocky summits, but her real beauty lies when you get a little higher - above morning fog and low clouds, face to face with rugged ridges and amphitheaters shaped by the forces of nature. Today Vlado is with me. This will be his first ever real hike. After my stories, he has high expectations. We had to start early, as we expect rain in the second part of the day. The only noise you can hear is that from light wind on the top of the trees, and a few shy birds letting other forest beings know that we are here. It is not uncommon to see a bear in these forests, but I don't want to scare Vlado, so I tell him that they are on the other side. As my friend slept just a few hours last night, he keeps asking me - how much
There is a special place I like to take people who are in Montenegro’s mountains for the first time . One girl told me it reminds her of the end of the world. Are you familiar with a feeling when you wake up from a deep dream, and find yourself back in “reality”? For a
As the pandemic has forced us all to slow down and take stock, more of us are beginning to consider the food we eat, our supply chains and how we can produce and make things at home. Learning how to identify and harvest wild asparagus with our friend Ilija in woodland by Lake Skadar connected us even more closely with the goodness of nature. Not only did it taste delicious in the three ways we prepared it (scroll down for the recipes), but it's loaded with health-boosting nutrients, especially folate and the vitamins A, C and K, as well as antioxidants. Wild asparagus is a delicacy adored by foodies in Montenegro and all over Europe, so our volunteer and forager-in-chief Beth is going to show you two classic ways to prepare it Montenegrin-style - as salad and with egg - plus a French favourite, quiche. She writes: "So many of us live fast-paced lives and have widely stocked supermarkets at our fingertips, so never thought to spend time and energy outdoors seeking and collecting edible food. Here in Montenegro, foraging never went out of fashion. It's also commonplace to have a productive vegetable garden, cramming every bit of fertile land with edible plants. Home produce even commonly extends to cheese, honey, wine and the distilled spirit, rakija (a bit like Italian grappa). "Now the cooler days of spring are beginning to fade and the summer heat is gearing up, the foraging season for wild asparagus has drawn to a close, but this is a local secret guests are going to love on next Spring's lake activity holidays! Wild Asparagus Salad Recipe 1x bunch of wild asparagus 1x clove of garlic, finely chopped (or a handful of wild garlic flowers) Olive oil Red wine vinegar Salt Break the asparagus stalks at
As the pandemic has forced us all to slow down and take stock, more of us are beginning to consider the food we eat, our supply chains and how we can produce and make things at home. Learning how to identify and harvest wild asparagus with our friend Ilija in woodland by Lake Skadar connected
How we've started 'foodie foraging' and a recipe for Wild Greens Pie Foraging for wild edible food is a huge and popular tradition here in Montenegro! So many of our local friends know exactly where and what to pick in nearby woods and fields, from wild leafy greens like nettle and garlic to serve in a pie or soup, or herbs such as sage, thyme, mint and oregano. This year we've decided to follow in their footsteps! This post is the first in a new blog series we're calling “Undiscovered Tastes” and we'll always include a recipe. Today our volunteer Beth is going to show you how to cook up Wild Greens Pie or 'Zelena Pita', a dish beloved throughout the Balkans (scroll down if you can't wait for the recipe!). Beth's become our forager-in-chief, helping us identify so many wild edibles right in our garden at Villa Miela. We're really getting into it and using a couple of brilliant plant-identifying apps for reference - PictureThis and iNaturalist. Future guests, expect to get roped in! Beth says “With blooming flowers and the new growth of spring at Villa Miela, now is the perfect time to learn foraging – especially if you're not a massive fan of dressing up like a bank robber every time you need to do a grocery run! It's amazing what you can find on your doorstep if you know what to look for...I've noticed that many of the lush new leaves sprouting around Villa Miela's gardens are actually edible! Most abundant and easy to spot is garlic mustard, (also known as jack-by-the-hedge), rampaging through the shadier corners, emitting a subtle oniony garlic smell when disturbed. Although it can be an invasive weed it’s actually a super nutritious plant and most elements of it can be eaten
How we’ve started ‘foodie foraging’ and a recipe for Wild Greens Pie Foraging for wild edible food is a huge and popular tradition here in Montenegro! So many of our local friends know exactly where and what to pick in nearby woods and fields, from wild leafy greens like nettle and garlic to serve in
In Montenegro we like to say we’re more resistant to living in crisis than the rest of the world – and I'm only half joking! For those of us who remember the 90s, this mess we're in regarding Covid-19 doesn't register on the same scale at all. There's no question, though, that social distancing has pushed us to change our routines and improvise to keep physically and mentally healthy - so to keep my spirits up I've been cycling some of Montenegro's least known trails! Being active for me is more than a desire – it's a need. Under lock-down all gyms, swimming pools and parks were closed - but people were allowed outside alone for personal exercise. So, to use an English expression, I got on my bike! After almost 50 days I've managed about 900 km and put almost 9000 metres of altitude in my legs. Not bad; it’s like I cycled Mount Everest! And yeah, I also lost 4 kilos, even though I really enjoyed delicacies from my mother’s kitchen (I also did cooking regularly!). I didn't want to be hugely visible when many people were suffering indoors in small apartments. I also wanted to respect the physical distancing required, so I chose to ride around the thinly populated hills near Podgorica (we are still limited to the municipality in which we live). I picked a route that goes very steeply up into the highlands above Bjelopavlici – less frequented, beautiful and most cyclists don’t go there because of its grade of difficulty. In total it’s not that long a route – about 50km [oh, is that all? - Ed], but there’s one segment which does test you – in 7km you climb about 680 metres. When you come to the foothills and see the pass above
In Montenegro we like to say we’re more resistant to living in crisis than the rest of the world – and I’m only half joking! For those of us who remember the 90s, this mess we’re in regarding Covid-19 doesn’t register on the same scale at all. There’s no question, though, that social distancing has
As a yoga lover who struggles to find time for practice outside the retreats we host here at Lake Skadar (young kids, busy business!), I suddenly found myself with all the time in the world when I was put into two weeks' solitary quarantine in Podgorica last month! As the Coronavirus pandemic spread across Europe, Montenegro suddenly closed its borders while I was visiting the UK. Knowing yoga would help me maintain a strong mind and body through a mandatory 14 day confinement for returnees, I dashed out to buy a yoga mat before boarding a repatriation flight. Never was five quid better spent! Each day that followed, I rolled out my mat and set about a long restorative Hatha practice – at least an hour – guided by the brilliant Down Dog yoga app and always ending in a healing Savasana. As I progressed, I found myself mastering poses I had failed at before – Crow pose (Bakasana) & Hand to Big Toe Pose (Tadasana) - or hadn't managed since childhood (the wheel in my 40s!). It's true what they say about daily practice being the key to success. I also finally grasped the power of my breath. In just two weeks I felt stronger, fitter and more flexible than I had in ages. On the yoga holidays we run, workshops take place outside, early morning, on Villa Miela's tree-fringed yoga deck. It's when the birds sing their loudest and before the sun shines hot. Inside my four walls of quarantine, I saved my practice for late afternoons; something to look forward to and taking advantage of being able to watch the late winter sun lowering over the mountains beyond the city from my window. I like to do the same thing back at Villa Miela, but with no
As a yoga lover who struggles to find time for practice outside the retreats we host here at Lake Skadar (young kids, busy business!), I suddenly found myself with all the time in the world when I was put into two weeks’ solitary quarantine in Podgorica last month! As the Coronavirus pandemic spread across Europe,
My girlfriend and I arrived to volunteer at Undiscovered Montenegro for the 2020 season and obviously things have played out a little different than expected what with there being no actual guests for now! As a keen birder the bountiful birds certainly help compensate (Lake Skadar National Park has recorded over 270 species!) and they are completely oblivious to the current crisis. The villa and gardens here are nestled amongst a myriad of foliage and the cacophony of birdsong is never louder than now with the long, warm days and flowers coming into bloom. The nightingales have returned from Africa and seldom can you stand on the terrace without being serenaded with their fruity melodies. The scratchy song of Eastern subalpine warblers is ever-present as they flit around busily readying for the task of raising young. In the south-east of the UK, where I am from, the sighting of a Hawfinch would be an exciting occurrence but here it is quite common to see the black-and-white flash of their wings as they move through the treetops. By looking up you are rewarded with the aerial antics of house martins and red-rumped swallows and before long an alpine swift comes into view - dwarfing it’s smaller cousins with it’s half-metre wingspan. And this is all just from the villa and gardens! Lake Skadar itself offers a plethora of other rare and wonderful birds to discover. We managed to get out on the kayaks before total lockdown and the experience of floating gently through the reeds on a calm, sunny day while reed warblers sing from within and all around you pygmy cormorants, little and great crested grebes surface and disappear again is hard to put into words. If that wasn’t enough then the pièce de résistance is a group of Dalmatian
My girlfriend and I arrived to volunteer at Undiscovered Montenegro for the 2020 season and obviously things have played out a little different than expected what with there being no actual guests for now! As a keen birder the bountiful birds certainly help compensate (Lake Skadar National Park has recorded over 270 species!) and they
In the middle of giant Lake Skadar National Park sits the tiny fishing "town" of Virpazar, one of Montenegro's historic trading centres dating from medieval times and, for the last 10 years, our home and activity base. The clue is in its name - 'Vir', which means confluence of rivers and 'Pazar', the Turkish word for 'market'. It's a beguiling, sleepy kind of place and the start point for many of our hiking and kayaking trips. These spectacular images will make you wonder why you'd never heard of it until now! All photographs are by the snap-happy me (Emma Heywood - co-founder of Undiscovered Montenegro). 1) Virpazar as seen from the 14th Century Besac Fortress 2) Summer view looking out from the old bridge 3) The historic monument to freedom celebrating 13th July 1878 and 1941 4) A magical autumn view of Virpazar cloaked in fog 5) We chose our activity base for its amazing location set by mountains and lake 6) Next to the lakeside are some great places to eat, like Konoba Badanj on the right 7) Reasons to love Virpazar #1 - it's surrounded by the incredible Lake Skadar National Park with all its nature! 8) When Lake Skadar's waters rise high, the reflected beauty around here is out of this world 9) There are some amazing hiking trails near Virpazar, you just need to know where 10) Virpazar is right on the shores of Lake Skadar, the largest pool of freshwater in southern Europe 11) This view of Virpazar has our activity base Villa Miela sitting pretty above it 12) This tiny fishing town oozes with characterful charm 13) Virpazar has a centuries' old port - the main gateway to vast Lake Skadar and the place to grab a boat tour 14) Our favourite view of
In the middle of giant Lake Skadar National Park sits the tiny fishing “town” of Virpazar, one of Montenegro’s historic trading centres dating from medieval times and, for the last 10 years, our home and activity base. The clue is in its name – ‘Vir’, which means confluence of rivers and ‘Pazar’, the Turkish word
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