Cre8tive Play: 2021 Travel the World

I started a 50-week series in 2019 that I called Travel the World. Each week of the series I visited a randomly-selected country, sharing bits of information about that country. I then chose one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. As I explored those 50 countries in 2019, I knew I would continue on until I've visited every one of the 195 countries in the world, so I continued the series in 2020 and here I am in 2021, the third year of traveling the world.

This week's country is...

Montenegro

Officially the Republic of Montenegro, Montenegro is a small country located in Southeast Europe, bordered by Bosnia and Herzegovina on the northwest, Serbia on the east, Albania on the south, and Croatia on the west.

In area, Montenegro is comparable to the size of Connecticut.

Despite its small size, there are five airports in Montenegro.

There is 155 miles of railway network in the country, and just one heliport.

Montenegro is one of the newest countries in the world having declared its independence from Serbia on 3rd June 2006. Other than Serbia, only Kosovo (2008) and South Sudan (2011) are newer.

Forests occupy more than 40% of the entire territory of Montenegro.

The country has 117 beaches along the Adriatic coast.

There is no commercial fishing in the country.

Despite being popular for its remarkable summer beaches, the name Montenegro was actually inspired by its mountains. Its Italian etymology “monte” means mountain, while “negro” means black. Thus, the name Montenegro.

Montenegro winters are cold, snowy and intolerable.

Lake Skadar is the largest in the Balkan region, with two-thirds lying in Montenegro and the remainder in Albania. The freshwater lake is refuge to over 270 bird species (a large number of them migratory birds). Apart from the majestic Dalmatian Pelicans, other species of note include herons, ibises, egrets, falcons, storks and pygmy cormorants. And a little way along the coast, one will come across the Ulcinjska Salinas, an old salt works where you can get to watch 40,000 birds at a time—and not the least among them large flocks of stately pink flamingos.

Wildlife found in the country includes wolves, bears, wild boars, elk, deer, and more.

Unfortunately, a variety of wild animals in the country are endangered. These include Salmon, Greater Spotted Eagle, Great White Shark, Horseshoe Bat, Red-footed Falcon, Rock Lizard, Stone Crayfish, Marbled Polecat, and Egyptian Vulture.

Sveti Stefan is one of the most iconic sites in Montenegro. The fortified island village is connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway. Sadly, the site is owned by a luxury resort making it off limits to all but paying guests.

The village of Crkvice on Mount Orjen in Montenegro is the wettest place in Europe with the highest total annual precipitation of 197 inches.

The Tara (Drina) River in Montenegro is known for its clean water.

About 60% of the country is more than 3,00 feet above sea level, with the tallest peak – Bobotov Kuk in the Durmitor Mountains – at nearly 8,300 feet.

A fun fact about Montenegro is that it contains Tara canyon, which is over 4,265 feet deep and ranks as the deepest canyon in Europe and 2nd in the whole world. This canyon is a part of the Durmitor National Park.

The country was the first in the world to have a national printing house.

Tourism, steel making, aluminum and food processing represent its major industries. Handmade carpets, wood carvings, tapestries, ceramics, filigree jewelry, ceramics, art and wine are some of the famous items from the region that you can buy while in Montenegro.

The pride of the country is hand-made carpets, as well as tapestries, jewelry, and ceramics.

The village of Mitrovica in Montenegro is home to one of the oldest olive trees in the world. Stara Maslina is said to be over 2,000 years old!

The monastery of Ostrog, located above the Bjelopavlic valley, is one of the most visited shrines in the Christian world. It is carved in rocks and was founded in the 17th century by Saint Basil.

In the Montenegro village of Godin, tunnels and passages are laid underground, linking all houses to protect from attack.

Near the village of Stabno, there are still the remains of the milk pipeline, through which milk was delivered from the peaks of mountains.

It is customary for visiting guests to bring a bottle of wine and a box of coffee when invited by someone for a meal or celebration.

There are no fast food restaurants, such as McDonald's, in Montenegro.

Interestingly, this country prefers team sports, such as football, basketball, water polo, volleyball, and handball. Among these, football is Montenegro’s most popular sport!

The country has a high literacy rate of almost 99%.

As a token of gratitude in Montenegro, it is customary to show a "thumbs up" sign.

There is no central heating, like natural gas in homes. For heating in Montenegro, electricity, wood stoves, and warm clothes are used.

My inspiration for this week's card is based on this fact about Montenegro... It is considered normal for people to start singing on the street for no reason.